Wow!  It has been a long winter!  So glad spring has returned.

Spring Sale Dates for April are:

Wednesday, April 17, Thursday, April 18, and Friday, April 19 from noon to 7 p.m. 

Saturday, April 20 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the following Monday, April 22, Tuesday, April 23 and Wednesday, April 24 from noon to 7 p.m.

We plan to be at the Mattoon Herb Festival on Saturday, April 27, too! 

                                                         As always, if I can help you further,

  please contact me.  I look forward to

  hearing from other Central Illinois

  gardeners.  Enjoy the weekend! 

Welcome to “Open Patch” days at His Glories Farm!

Please make plans to attend one of our open house dates and see all the gardens, the flowers and the small animals for yourself.  Because of the early Spring, some of our daylily varieties have begun to bloom – thankfully, they will continue over the next month.  So with each visit to the Farm you will notice the change of colors.

For our Open Patch days, we schedule time in the gardens as you would- early evening (4 to 7 p.m.) and mornings (8 a.m. to Noon).  If those times don’t work for you, please contact Vanessa (217-343-7731) as she will be glad to arrange to meet you there at a time that works for you.

And, yes- if you see plants you would like to purchase, we will dig them for you right then.

Looking forward to seeing each of you soon!

P.S.  Watch for the baby guineas- and hopefully soon, baby ducklings too!

Here is something I thought you would like to know about.

This coming Saturday we will be in Strasburg at Patsy Lenz home. 

Her home is the last farm on the North side of Strasburg, you can’t miss it.   We will be there from 8 till noon.

We will have everything from Wave Petunias to Hanging Baskets.

This weekend we will be traveling to Mattoon to be a part of Herb Festival 2012.  Hosted by the Picket Fence, you will find:   Fresh herbs, everlasting plants, scented geraniums and lots of perennials.

For more info: The Picket Fence, 901 Broadway, Mattoon, IL 61938. Phone: (217) 258-6364.

  This hardy, blue geranium will grow in a mound shape and compliment almost any color combination.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saras-Sanctuary-and-Wellness-Retreat/123767677650107?v=wall

We are so thankful for the rain this past weekend!  The gardens look so refreshed, and it is amazing to watch the new growth that comes in just one day.

New to the Spring Sale at Vanessa’s this weekend is the Indigo Rose Tomato.  Indigo Rose is the first high-anthocyanin tomato commercially available anywhere in the world.   We are so excited to give this tomato a try in our own gardens and want to offer you the chance to grow it too.

For more information about the Indigo Rose copy and paste this link into an internet browser:

http://www.territorialseed.com/product/13098/new_products

If you haven’t made it out to the sale yet, directions are simple.  At the 32/33 intersection (Plant Sale signs will be posted), turn north and follow Route 33 until you see the Plant Sale sign on the east side of the road.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Brr!  It was chilly this morning.  We had a low of 30.  We had covered all the vulnerable vegetable plants and with the windbreak that surround our gardens, it appears all is well.  For our neighbors’ strawberry fields though last night was a bit challenging.  They covered the field with plastic sheeting held down with 130 strawbales.  They plan to uncover today and then reapply tonight.  According to the weather man, by Thursday, we should be in the clear.

So for those of you who have resisted that urge to plant – this weekend would be a great time to get started.   The Spring Sale continues at Vanessa’s location this Saturday, April 14 from 8 a.m. to Noon.

Look for Plant Sale signs at the intersection of Routes 32/33 and drive north 1.5 miles on Route 32 – there will be a Plant Sale sign on the East side of Route 32.  We look forward to seeing you there.