Caring for your Christmas Tree

Still looking for the perfect Christmas tree to deck your halls? Wayside Garden Center carries live Douglas fir, Balsam fir, and Concolor fir Christmas trees. Stop by our nursery to pick out the perfect tree to bring into your home, then read on to find out how to best care for your live Christmas tree.

Tips for making your tree last indoors, from the Old Farmer’s Almanac:

●     When you bring your tree home, saw a couple inches off the bottom of the trunk before setting in water. When trees are cut, pitch oozes out and seals the pores. By sawing off the base, you will open up the pores, and the tree will be able to absorb water.

●     Watering is critical. A freshly-cut tree can consume a gallon of water in 24 hours!

●     Fill the tree stand with water and keep it filled.

●     Never let the water level go below the tree’s base.

●     Indoors, keep the tree away from heating ducts or other heat sources. In fact, the lower the temperature, the better the tree will do.

●     Use decorative lights that produce low heat, such as miniature lights, to reduce drying of the tree.

●     Always inspect light sets prior to placing them on the tree. If worn, replace with a new set. Avoid overloading electrical circuits, and always turn off the lights before going to bed.

When decorating your Christmas tree, it’s a good idea to pick out a theme or color scheme. If you want a simple and elegant look, consider using only white lights on the tree, and use silver, gold, and red ornaments or decorations. If you like a classic Christmas look, decorate your green tree with red ornaments, garlands and bows. Top with a golden star or angel. Another popular color scheme emulates winter. Decorate your tree with icy colors like blue and silver. Avoid multi-colored lights and any red or gold decorations. Want to try a themed tree? Snowflakes, snowmen, The Nutcracker - these are all popular themes that make a fun and unique tree, depending on what interests you or what ornaments you may have collected over the years.

In addition to a Wayside Garden Center Christmas tree, check out our beautiful handmade wreaths! We make our wreaths from the boughs of real Douglas fir, Balsam fir, and Concolor fir trees. They can be decorated to suit your taste or decor, with accents like pinecones, holly, and bows. Deck your halls with help from Wayside Garden Center!

Festive Floral at Wayside Garden Center

From now until Christmas, Wayside Garden Center carries live Christmas trees, poinsettia plants, and beautiful wreaths that we make ourselves. Decorate your home for the holidays with help from Wayside Garden Center!

There are many benefits to choosing a real, live Christmas tree instead of an artificial tree. Real trees are good for the environment, are renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable. They take in carbon dioxide and harmful greenhouse gases and release fresh oxygen into the air. They make your house smell nice, too! Wayside Garden Center carries a variety of live trees to choose from, including Douglas fir, Balsam fir, and Concolor fir.

Second to the Christmas tree, poinsettias are the most popular plant displayed in the home during the holidays. Did you know poinsettias are actually a tropical plant, native to Mexico and Central America? Over the years they’ve come to symbolize Christmas, and make their way into homes, churches, and businesses all across North America. The red foliage, although often mistaken for flowers, are actually leaves as well. Poinsettias are, thankfully, fairly easy to care for. To keep the plant in bloom, maintain it at a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees during the daylight hours and, if possible, move it to a cooler place at night. Get your stunning poinsettia plants at Wayside Garden Center from now until Christmas!

Are you perhaps hosting a holiday party, and looking to add just a little more festive greenery? Try one of our homemade wreaths or kissing balls! We make these by hand with Douglas fir, Balsam fir, and Concolor fir branches. They are beautiful, real, and can be decorated to suit your taste. Kissing balls are similar to floral pomander balls often seen in weddings, but instead of roses they are made with fresh evergreen foliage. They are meant to be hung in arches or doorways, and serve a similar purpose to mistletoe. Hence the “kissing” in the name! Kissing balls are less well-known than wreaths when it comes to Christmas decor, but they are guaranteed to be a great conversation starter at your holiday gathering. Check out our Christmas trees, poinsettia plants, and beautiful wreaths at Wayside Garden Center, along with any of your holiday greenery needs!

Time to Plant Those Tulips

Do you dream about fields of Dutch tulips and wonder how you can bring it to life in your own garden? Tulips are a quintessential spring bloom, often associated with the season. Tulip festivals are held annually all over the world in April and May. But did you know that in order to produce these bold, bright blooms, you need to prepare in the fall?

Setting up your soil to be an ideal flowerbed for tulips should begin now - in October! Planting of tulip bulbs are traditionally done in late fall, typically November. The reason behind cold season planting is that tulips are a species very susceptible to disease, which can lurk in too-warm soil. Cold weather helps wipe out the viral and fungal disease that threatens tulip bulbs. If you live in an area that frosts over early, you can bump up your planting time to October so that the ground is still soft enough for planting.

Follow these tips to ensure bright, beautiful tulips will greet you in the spring:

●       Time it right - Purchase your bulbs only when you are ready to plant. They belong in the ground, so you’ll want to get them there as quickly as possible.

●       Choose the right spot - Tulips love full sunlight. Choose a site that will offer full, or at the very least, afternoon sun exposure.

●       Put them in proper soil - Tulips are a variety that do not care to be watered. They thrive in dry, sandy soil. Wet soil can be disastrous to tulip bulbs, so taking steps to ensure proper soil drainage, like adding sand or shredded pine bark, will help your tulips thrive.

●       Plant them deep - Tulips should be planted at least 8 inches down, measuring from the base of the bulb.

●       Know when to water - You should water bulbs right after planting, because although tulips prefer dry soil, bulbs need water to trigger growth. After this initial watering, there is no need to intentionally water the soil again, unless there has been a particularly dry weather spell (uncommon for our area).

If you follow the above steps, and compost annually in the fall, your garden should come alive with beautiful perennial tulip blooms every spring. Come to Wayside Garden Center to pick up your tulip bulbs, and talk to our knowledgeable staff for additional planting tips. For more information on our selection of plants, trees, soil, and landscaping services, visit our website or call 585-223-1222.

What Plants Are Blooming This Fall?

When the fall weather hits, many gardeners are eager to see new plants blooming in their garden.  While fall is typically thought of as a gloomy time of year, fall-blooming plants can add color and shapes to your garden as other plants begin to taper off.  If you are looking to liven up your lawn or garden this season, let Wayside Garden Center provide you with plenty of fall-blooming annuals and plants.  With 4 greenhouses full of quality plants, we recommend you try these flowers to brighten up your fall!

Mums – The transition from summer into fall offers the perfect time for Chrysanthemums to bloom!  With a great selection of colors and shapes, Mums come in yellow, orange, maroon, red and more.  They are a great choice to brighten up your garden year after year, if planted correctly.

Pansies – Pansies are a great fall annual that will brighten up your garden from early autumn all the way through spring.  Choose from color combinations of these flowers including yellows, purples, blues, and oranges.

Verbena – The vivid colors of the fall annual Verbena is the perfect way to brighten up your autumn.  Blooming in early spring, these plants continue to bloom well into late fall.  Colors range from bright red and purple to white and pink.

Sage – When you are looking for a subtle perennial to bloom in your garden, Sage is a great choice!  It is available in shades of pink, lavender, purple, red and white.  Sage is an ideal plant to bloom throughout any season, especially fall and will last for 3-5 years.

For an incredible selection of annuals, perennials, foliage, trees and shrubs, visit Wayside Garden Center located in Macedon, New York.  With 4 greenhouses full of the latest crops, we have a large and interesting selection of quality plants.  Step into our tropical greenhouse and find fall-blooming flowers that will help your lawn and garden come alive.  For information on our plant selection and landscaping services, visit our webiste or call 585-223-1222.

Late-Summer Blooms

Spring is the season that comes to mind when we think of gardens filled with colorful flowers. Bright blooms continue to thrive throughout summer, and now that summer is coming to an end, we should be thinking about the flowers that will carry us through the fall season.

By late July, most typical perennial gardens have seen their best days and begin to look a little underwhelming. This is why, at least for late-summer flowers, it is best to plant annuals as companions to your perennials. To achieve a beautiful garden that blooms into autumn, you’ll want to begin planting your late-summer annuals now.

You’ll want to choose annuals that complement your perennials, are casual in form and blend well among your perennials. Make sure they are a heat-tolerant species, as there are still plenty of warm and sunny days ahead (no need to shy away from tropical species, either!).

Here are some ideas for great companion annuals to plant among your perennials:

●       Mums - these you should actually plant in the spring, but keep pinched back until early July. That way the mums will give you great late-season color!

●       Anise Hyssop - an understated plant that provides good foliage of fluffy purple flowers in August and September

●       Impatiens - the most common of annual plants, these colorful flowers will bloom until frost. Gorgeous and hardy!

●       Salvia Horminum - this plant’s poinsettia-like top leaves are the main attraction, not the flowers. The purple, pink, or white bracts will look great in your garden through late fall.

●       Cleome - this is another plant whose leaves provide the show. These look great planted at the back of your perennial border, since they are about four feet high. They provide height and great peak color from July through September.

There are, of course, many more options to choose from than those that are listed above. The best way to decide what works with your garden is to stop by Wayside Garden Center and see for yourself what we have to offer! We have four greenhouses full of annuals to suit your garden and landscaping needs. Stop by or visit our website at for more information.

Hydrangeas Are Our Specialty!

Are you having trouble getting blooms on your hydrangeas?  At Wayside Garden Center, hydrangeas are our specialty.  We know how beautiful and fulfilling a hydrangea plant in full bloom can be for your garden.  If you are struggling with your hydrangea, follow these planting tips and tricks:

Where to plant:  Hydrangeas bloom the best in morning sun and afternoon shade.  Depending on how north you live, your hydrangea plant may need more sun.  No hydrangea will thrive in heavy shade or excessive sun so choose a spot with a good balance.  Also, know that hydrangeas planted under a tree often fail to thrive because tree roots are very aggressive.  Tree roots will gravitate towards moist soil and overtake a hydrangeas space.

How to plant:  In order to get the most out of your hydrangeas, choose a location where the plant can reach its full potential.  Expect your hydrangea plant to grow 4 feet by 4 feet and plan accordingly.  Plant the hydrangea bush in well-drained soil with the proper mulch.  Frequently water your hydrangea or plant your hydrangea in an area where it can get plenty of natural moisture.

When to plant:  Hydrangeas bought from a garden center can typically be planted at any time of year.  However, you will find the best results in early summer or late fall when temperatures are mild. Avoid planting in early spring when frost is still possible and avoid extremely hot weather because the hydrangeas will require excessive care.

With over 200 hydrangea cultivators in stock, Wayside Garden Center has one of the world’s largest selections.  We are your one-stop source for hydrangeas that bloom in the North.  To learn more about how we can help create beauty and maintain value for your environment with hydrangeas, visit our website.  We invite you to stop by our store in Macedon, New York to view our incredible selection of hydrangeas and to learn more about best practices.  And remember, Wayside hydrangeas are always 25% off when you buy any 3 or more!  

June is National Rose Month

A rose is a symbol of beauty, love and appreciation.  They come in a variety of colors, sizes, fragrances and more.  For good reason, they are considered one of the most popular flowers in the world because of their long history and beautiful attributes.  As June is considered National Rose Month, Wayside Garden Center is proud to celebrate the most popular flower in the world!

The History of a Rose:  Roses have a history as beautiful as the flowers themselves.  They are believed to be millions and millions of years old with roots cultivating around the Caspian Sea and the Gulf of Persia.  From ancient civilizations like the Greeks and Romans to religious Christian figures, roses have been cherished for their beauty, fragrance and symbolism.  Centuries later, they are universally treasured and grown across the world in three classes – species roses, old garden roses, and modern roses.

June Birth Flower:  Roses are considered a staple gift on Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, and special moments of love.  They are also the birth flower for the month of June.  Roses generally symbolize love and appreciation but also have different meanings depending on the color of flower petals from red and pink to white and yellow.            

How to Maintain Your Rose Bush:  If you want the beauty and elegance of a rose bush outside of your home, you’re in luck!  There are over 100 rose species and thousands of cultivated varieties available for different environments, climates and soils. 

• A key to growing and maintaining the finest rose bush is sun and soil.  Like most flowers, roses need sunny areas that allow them to bloom.  
• Adding fertilizer to soil is a great way to boost nutrients and continue growth. 
• Roses also need to be watered regularly all the way down to the roots.  
• After your rose bush has been planted and is in bloom, prune your plants by removing dead wood and broken stems, keeping only the living parts intact.

At Wayside Garden Center, we offer a wonderful selection of roses in a range of breeds including David Austin, Floribunda, Hybrid Tea, Miniature, Rugosa and many more.  With rose season in full bloom, stop by our greenhouses to pick out a rose bush from our incredible selection.  Wayside Garden Center is located at 124 Pittsford-Palmyra Road in Macedon, New York.

May Is In Bloom!

It's that time of year when everything is blooming. From our annuals, geraniums and petunias that are perfect for decorating your patio and front porch to lilac and cherry blossoms in flower with their heavenly scent.  You can't go wrong this spring so come out and start stocking up on your flowers and plants.

We can even help you get started on picking up the necessities so you can get started putting together your flowered pots and containers and keeping them as vibrant as the day you purchased them.  What do you do? Well here are some great tips on what you need to get started!

Potting Flowers and Plants:

• Make sure your flower pots have drainage at the bottom - water must be able to drain out so your plants don’t drown

• Potting mix is a must - choose lightweight potting mix that has tons of nutrients
• Plant food - your plants need to eat too! Although not necessary, it's definitely a plus to keep your plants looking vibrant and fresh

• Flowering plants - choose the best flowers suited for containers...here are just a few of many we offer
• Geraniums
• Ferns
• Ivy
• Marigolds
• Perennials
• Petunias
• Herbs

Tip: Make sure you purchase enough flowers and plants to fill the containers of your choice, making sure to leave a couple inches between them for growth. 

We are looking forward to seeing you at WaysideGarden Center! Our helpful and knowledgeable staff can help you with all your gardening and landscaping needs.  Stop by or call us at 585-223-1222.