July 4th
Garden center open 9 a.m.- 2 p.m...closing early. Happy Fourth of July!

July 12th
Vintage Barn Antique show and sale: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. North Ramsey Road.
Admission: $4.00
Newport Lavender Festival in Newport City Park

July 13th
Coeur d' Alene Garden Club Annual Garden Tour...tickets available at Garden Center
Cost:$15.00

July 18th
Rathdrum Days! Westwood Customer Appreciation Weekend!

July 19th
Rathdrum Days!, Bunco Lavender Festival, Westwood Garden Party..open late! Live Music!

July 20th
Bunco Lavender Festival

You don't have to live in Kansas to enjoy sunflowers in the garden! Sunflowers are easy and fun to grow. From tall varieties that reach for the sky to dwarf types that are knee-high, there's a variety to suit every gardener's needs. Since they grow very quickly, children enjoy watching them grow--and the large seeds are easy for small fingers to handle. Plus, if you buy a good eating variety, you can harvest the seeds and teach the kids to roast them for a healthy snack!

• Plant in full sun, where they will not shade other plants, or plant shade-lovers around them.
• Plant the seeds 1 inch deep and about 6 inches apart.
• When the seedlings come up, thin them to about 18 inches apart.
• Water well after planting and keep fairly moist, but not soggy, until the seeds sprout.

Sunflower seedlings will come up in one or two weeks. They will start out slowly, then speed up their growth rate. Children can be responsible for watering them, weeding around them and adding mulch around the plants.

Harvesting of sunflower heads is quick and easy--but you may need a ladder or stepstool if you are growing tall varieties. Watch the birds; when they start going after the seed heads, cover the heads with cheesecloth to protect the seeds. The seed heads will be ready to harvest when their backs are brown and dry and no traces of green remain.

Cut off the heads with a foot or two of stalk. Hang them upside down in a dry and airy place. When the seeds are dried, rub them off with your hand and store them in an airtight container. Don't wash them, as this could cause them to mold.

To roast sunflower seeds, place a single layer of raw dehulled kernels in a shallow pan. Roast in a 300 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until they are brown and crisp. Stir occasionally. Remove from the oven. One teaspoon of melted margarine may be added if preferred for each cup of seeds; stir to evenly coat. Place the seeds on absorbent paper. Salt to taste. Store in a tightly covered container.

For salted in-the-shell seeds, cover unhulled seeds with salted water in the amount of 2 quarts of water to 1/4-1/2 cup salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Drain and dry on absorbent paper. Seeds may also be soaked overnight instead of boiled. Then proceed as for the roasted kernels above.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful flowers around is the tuberous begonia. There are many varieties, from single or double flower, ruffled-petal flowers, to camellia- or carnation-form flowers. There are even pendulous forms perfect for hanging baskets.

Their colors are extremely vivid, ranging from reds and red-orange to orange, yellow, white and hot pink; there are even bi-colored varieties. The tuberous begonia is a highly versatile plant whose almost fluorescent flowers are wonderful in flowerbeds, patio containers, window boxes or even hanging baskets.

Tuberous begonias will bloom for you all summer long and into early fall. They will thrive in shadier areas where few other flowers with long bloom times and showy flowers will even grow.

Although they are not frost hardy, they can be pulled out of the ground as they start to go dormant in fall, then cleaned off and stored in a cool, dry location over winter and replanted in spring after any danger of frost is gone. Handled correctly, they can provide years of beauty in the garden.

They should be planted in soil that maintains moisture, but also drains (no standing water). If you plant into the ground, you may need to amend first. For best results in containers, be sure to plant using a high-quality potting soil.

These begonias like indirect light or dappled shade locations and need to be kept moist with regular watering. Please take care not to let them dry out. To maintain their vibrant blooms, feed regularly.

We have spectacular varieties available right now, just waiting for a home in your garden. Visit us soon for the best selection.

• Deadhead: The reason we remove blooms as soon as they fade is that pollinated flowers produce seed. What we want are more flowers. So instead of allowing the plants to spend their energy making seeds, we deadhead so they will produce more flowers.

• Spring flowers: Leave the foliage intact on spring-flowering plants that grow from bulbs (like tulips and daffodils) because this year's foliage feeds next year's flowers.

The major reason lavender plants are so prized is that their flowers keep their fragrance when dried. Besides being beautiful and aromatic, lavender flowers are also edible. They can be used as a seasoning, added to salads, baked into cookies and brewed into tea. They can also be candied and used as a cake decoration.

For best drying results, harvest the flowers as the buds first begin to open. In general, wait until any rain or dew has dried from the plants. Harvest midday when the heat brings the most fragrance out of the flowers. Hang in small bunches upside down in a warm, dry spot with good air circulation and out of direct light.

Use rubber bands to tie the stems together for drying because they will contract along with the drying stems. If you wish to remove the flower buds from the stems for potpourri after drying, place the bound bundles inside a pillow case. Then roll it up and gently press and roll it on a hard surface--as if it were a rolling pin. (You can throw away the stems or take them camping and place on a campfire to repel mosquitoes.) Then scoop out the flower buds and place in sachets or potpourri dishes.