Mother's Day is this Sunday. If you're still searching for the perfect gift, bring mom out to The Natural Gardener. We have great gifts, beautiful scenery, and lots of yummy treats to ensure a fun time is had by all. Moms, if you visit us this Sunday, you'll receive a FREE flowering annual (regularly priced $1.29) with any purchase. Happy Mother's Day from all of us at The Natural Gardener!

DISCOUNT FOR TOUR PARTICIPANTS: Gardens On Tour 2012 is this Saturday and we still have plenty of tickets available. Tickets for the entire tour are $25 each, cash or check only. You can also buy tickets online at Gardens On Tour - Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Anytime the day of the tour, wear your wristband into The Natural Gardener and we'll give you 20% OFF one item. It's a good opportunity to treat yourself to that garden bench, large tree or large pot you've been wanting. (Discount is valid May 12, 2012 only, and excludes rain barrels, composters, bulk soil yard items, delivery fees and sale items.)  

AEROBIC COMPOST TEA: The best easy-to-use tonic for all kinds of plants! One gallon of our Aerobic Compost Tea costs $6.50 and will cover up to 5,000 square feet. A gallon is only $5.00 if you bring your own clean container with a lid. Because our Aerobic Compost Tea contains living microorganisms, be sure to purchase it on a day when you can apply it within 8 hours of bottling. Also, if you're coming out only for Compost Tea, please call us first at 512-288-6113 to be sure we haven't sold out. (Remember: once temperatures reach 90° F, you should avoid spraying anything on plant leaves, including water, during the daytime.)

CLOSED MEMORIAL DAY: Our store will be closed Monday, May 28th, in observance of Memorial Day.

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT POTS: If you’re looking for a beautiful gift for Mom that will give for months to come, we’ve created some special gift pots that are more lovely than cut flowers could ever be. Each container garden starts with one of our beautiful pots that we fill with Vortex potting soil and healthy Lady Bug amendments. We then plant an artistic arrangement of compatible flowers, herbs, and foliage to create a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind living gift. They come in several sizes and styles. Whether she loves plants specifically or just beautiful things in general, your mom will love owning one of these arrangements. Come choose from our lovely ready-made container gardens, or have our talented nursery staff create a custom arrangement just for your mom.

CONTAINER GROWN FRUIT TREES: If you want to plant a couple of fruit trees, we have some nice container grown candidates in stock. We have apples, citrus, figs, olives, persimmons, plums and pomegranates. So many yummy, healthy choices! And they’ll all grow and produce right here in Central Texas!

SUMMER HERBS: Don’t forget about all the wonderful herbs you can plant now. We have all of the culinary favorites, with several different varieties of each. Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Chives and Mints are just a few of the traditional culinary herbs that we carry. We also carry some not-so-traditional cooking herbs like Curry, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime, Stevia and Mexican Mint Marigold.  Try some of these scrumptious herbs in your summer garden to spice up your weekend barbeques and weeknight meals.

HARDY SHRUBS: The Natural Gardener has a wonderful selection of shrubs to add interest and beauty to a water-wise landscape. We have a great selection of natives including several varieties of Yaupon Hollies, Sumac and Texas Sage. Other native shrubs include Texas Yellow Bells (Esperanza), Agarita, American Beauty Berry and Elbow Bush. We also have hundreds of shrubs that are very well-adapted to Central Texas. Some of these include including Little Ollie Dwarf Olive, Bottlebrush, Pineapple Guava, Barberry, Green Tower Boxwood, Rose of Sharon, Thryallis, Silver Bush Germander, St. John’s Wort and Quince. If you’re unsure of which ones to plant, please let us help. We’d love to help you select the very best shrubs for your yard.

MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS: Looking for ideas for your mom? The Natural Gardener is just the place to find a perfect gift. In addition to our beautiful flowers, plants, and trees, we have beautiful and unique gift items for indoors and out. Wind chimes are a time-honored gift for Moms, and we have a great selection. Everybody loves suncatchers, too, and we have some exceptionally lovely and colorful ones. Most are locally made, by hand. Protect Mom from the sun with one of our really cute sunhats. Outdoor furniture makes a beautiful and practical gift and some pieces are eco-friendly made with recycled content. We have birdbaths in many different styles, and tons of colorful pottery including dramatic disappearing fountains. If you're looking for something less decorative and more practical, we have a superior selection of gardening books, gloves, tools, soil amendments and supplies. For the hardcore gardening mom-- how about a pair of world-class Felco shears or a delivery of our Natural Gardener compost? She'll be thrilled! If you're having trouble deciding what to buy her, a Natural Gardener gift card is the perfect solution. They're available in any amount and we can mail it to you or hold it here at our store.

RAIN BARRELS: One inch of rain falling over 1000 square feet yields about 550 gallons of rainwater. Since an average of 50% of household water goes into its landscape, a rain barrel can very quickly pay for itself – and plants love rainwater! Our rain barrels make it quick and easy to start collecting. Just place a barrel under a downspout or wherever your roofline sheds the most water. (Adding a rain chain will help direct the water to the opening in the barrel.) All of our barrels have screens to keep out debris, and they're all plumbed to accept a standard garden hose. We want to make it easy to do, and we want to encourage everyone to start saving rainwater.

LEAD FREE HOSES: Did you know most garden hoses contain lead at levels unsafe for drinking? Lead is used in the manufacturing process of brass hose fittings and it's also used in the PVC that many hoses are made from. That's why we like to offer an alternative. If you're worried about exposure to lead, get a lead-free garden hose. Not only will it drastically reduce the amount of lead being deposited in your yard, it will also virtually eliminate direct exposure when watering by hand or tending to the garden. A lead-free garden hose is also safe for children to get a much-needed drink or play in the sprinklers, and pets will also be spared of potential lead poisoning from water bowls filled from the hose. (Though a lead-free garden hose is safe for drinking, it's always best to flush a hose of stagnant/standing water before drinking or filling the pet's water bowl.)

CONSERVE WATER, DETER WEEDS: Mulch conserves water, keeps roots cooler, and helps prevent weeds. Mulch can also prevent the spread of some plant diseases. The Natural Gardener has several types of mulch available for pick-up or delivery. Our most popular mulch, Sylvan Formula, is a rich combination of compost, mulch, and beneficial additives that will work wonders for any plant. Texas Native Hardwood mulch is very popular, too. It’s made of finely shredded hardwoods and has a beautiful dark brown color. Pine Bark Mulch is another lovely dark brown mulch made only from pine bark. It’s light and fluffy and great for using under children’s play areas. If you’re a rose grower or vegetable gardener, try Pine Straw as a mulch. Some rosarians won’t use anything else. Whichever mulch you choose, spread a two-inch layer over the root zone of your plants, but leave a clear area around stems and trunks.

DELIVERY FROM AUSTIN OR DRIPPING SPRINGS: All of our bulk materials are now available for delivery from both our Austin and Dripping Springs locations, please call for a quote or to schedule a delivery. If you’re closer to our Dripping Springs store, please call 512-858-9090. Closer to our Austin store? Please call 512-288-6113. Not sure which is closer? Not a problem! Call us at 512-288-6113 and we’ll figure out which is cheaper for you.

To determine how much soil, compost, or mulch you need, use this simple formula: multiply length in feet x width in feet x depth in inches, then divide by 324. This will give you the amount you need in cubic yards.

FREE CLASSES START NEXT WEEKEND!
Classes are free and no reservation is required. Classes are held Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m. (except where noted) and they're usually about an hour long. We meet outdoors under an open-air canopy so please dress for the weather. Seating is limited so arrive early or feel free to bring your own folding chair. Class schedule is subject to change.

May 19: Cathy Nordstrom, of Sans Souci Gardens Landscape Design, presents "Blues on the Green: Woodland as Alternative to Lawn." Come and learn new strategies for reducing the size of your lawn while creating a beautiful, low-maintenance landscape at the same time. A woodland pocket in the landscape can offer privacy, seasonal interest, and diversity in the landscape, as well as attract more songbirds. You will go home with practical advice you can apply in your yard right now! Sans Souci Gardens Landscape Design is an Austin company that specializes in designing, installing, and maintaining natural landscapes. One of Cathy's  woodland transition designs will be on this year's Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Tour!

May 26: Jeff Ferris, Horticulturist at the Natural Gardener, ACC Instructor, and cofounder of Neighborhood Harvest Project (teamnhp.org), presents "Creating an Edible Landscape." Your landscape is an investment.  It adds to your home's value and makes for a personal retreat from the stresses of life.  Wouldn't it be great if you could eat it?  While you might not be able to turn it into a Willy Wonka-style candy land, it is possible to incorporate lots of productive and delicious edibles into a low maintenance landscape.  Come by and hear how easy it is to eat the fruits of your labor.

June 2: Betsy Ross and J.R. Builta of Soils Alive (soilsalive.com) and Sustainable Growth Texas (sustainablegrowthtexas.com) present "The Benefits of Getting Life in Your Soil." Betsy has been a certified Soil Foodweb Advisor since 2004, and is one of our region's authorities in compost tea and soil biology. (soilfoodweb.com) With her family, she operates a 530-acre ranch (rossfarm.com) in eastern Williamson County. "Betsy Ross Grass-fed Beef" is sold through Whole Foods, Peoples Pharmacy, and Greenling Organic Food Delivery, as well as online & on the farm. She is also the CEO and a founding partner in Sustainable Growth Texas, manufacturing and applying biologically active compost tea to pastures, prairies, orchards, lawns, revegetation sites, and farms. JR oversees Soils Alive customers in Austin and Houston. He has a clear understanding of problems often faced by homeowners in their quest to work with natural or organic systems. Responding to and striving for a solution to those problems is his passion. Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the importance of life in our soil, whether you have a suburban home or acres in the country.

June 9: Teresa Stephens of Pollydog Organic Landscapes (pollydoglandscapes.com) presents "Organic Lawn Maintenance 101." One of the most common questions asked at our information desk are all about lawns. Usually the question is, "What's wrong with my lawn?" Knowing how to care for a lawn organically can prevent many of the pitfalls of lawn ownership. Learn from one of the best lawn care companies in town how to maintain lawn correctly, keeping it green, lush, and healthy. Teresa Stephens, along with her husband Sid, bring over 25 years of combined horticulture experience to their company, Pollydog Organic Landscapes.

June 16: Ellen Zimmerman of Austin School of Herbal Studies and EZ Herbs presents "Creating an Herbal First Aid Kit."

June 23: Pat Dillon, General Manager of Submatic Drip Systems, and David Becerra, Drip System Specialist, teaches us how to "Water Efficiently Using Drip Irrigation."

SUNDAY June 24 at 9 a.m.: Carol Ann Sayle of Boggy Creek Farm presents "Raising Backyard Chickens." (We will open the gates at 8:45 a.m. for class attendees only; the store & nursery do not open until 10 a.m.) Stay tuned… There are more free classes to come!