On the days I get to sit back and enjoy my garden (instead of working at the nursery to help you with yours!) one of the big rewards is getting to see the ecosystems my garden supports in my little patch of the world.

There’s nothing like sitting on your patio, feeling the sun on your back and watching butterflies floating around your shrubs, bees collecting pollen from your flowers, and hummingbirds filling up from your feeders.

Besides bringing buzz and birdsong into your yard, these pollinator-friendly gardens allow you to help Mother Earth. We’ve all heard about bee colony collapse and anything you do to help bees helps all of us. (It’s estimated that bees and their power of pollination are responsible for about a third of the food we eat).

But your garden might also attract animals that will wind up feasting in your veggie patch and stomping on your blooms. Yep, I’m looking at you, Bambi and Thumper.

Here’s what I do to attract the wildlife I love – and keep out those animals that might damage my flowers and veggies:

• Bird feeders. Nothing says “come on by” better than free food. Suet, seed and sugar water keep my backyard filled with lovely feathered friends. I also have a water feature with running water that the birds seem to love.
• Layered plantings. By layering your plants, you give little critters more safe spaces from creatures that might prey on them. It also allows them to go from plant to plant without expending too much energy.
• Pollinators favorites. My garden is full of Dianthus, Catmint, and Monarda and these are very popular with the bee and butterfly set.

I’m fortunate in that my home has fencing, so I don’t get rabbits and deer. However, there are deer resistant plants and shrubs you can plant, and you might want to use a repellent spray to keep away the mammals likely to feast on your flora.

• Deer shy away from some plants because they are actually poisonous to them (think daffodils and foxglove), while others just “stink” as far as they are concerned, such as ornamental salvia, lavender and peonies.
• Rabbits are pretty voracious, but tend not to like gardens with: daffodils, lavender, lilac bushes, marigolds, zinnias and snapdragons.
• Groundhogs also don’t like lavender along with many, many herbs (basil, sage, chives, rosemary, mint and oregano).

Unfortunately, nothing seems to keep the squirrels away – which is one of the reasons I’m really happy I have a dog. 🙂

With careful planning and a little prep, you’ll be able to share your backyard with the wildlife you want – and keep those garden destroyers out of your yard.

Happy Gardening,
Misti Warner-Andersen

Summer is magic.

There is something about this season, when school is out and the temperatures climb and everything around you says “relax – it’s summer.”

These are the months of feeling the grass under your bare feet and lying back to see what shapes the clouds make in the sky. It’s about super fresh foods (maybe even grown in your own garden!) and lemonade you squeeze yourself and barbecues in the backyard.

Summer is our busiest time at the nursery and we’re all working late hours. Still, this is the season when I get to kick back.

A big part of this is my kids. The boys are out of school, so we aren’t running around crazily arranging transportation to school or practice or a dozen other things. I get to spend more time with them (sometimes they even work at the nursery). I know how quickly they are growing up, and getting these extra precious hours with them means everything to me.

Another reason I love this season is I truly love gardening.

You know the line about the cobbler’s kids who don’t have shoes? That does not happen at my house. I might be working in a nursery all day, but I absolutely love gardening at home in my free time. It relaxes me, it makes me content, it feels good physically and mentally.

And you can’t argue with the results. The second best thing to gardening is getting to enjoy what you have created with your family and friends. Watching flowers bloom and trees take root and veggies grow is satisfying and wonderful.

I hope you have a fun-filled, relaxing summer. Have a swim, wear some great sandals, make sure to make time for your family. It’s magic, but it doesn’t last forever. Enjoy it while it’s here.

Happy gardening,
Misti

There are few holidays or observances that are celebrated around the world regardless of your nationality or religion, but since the 1970s, April 22nd has been known worldwide as a day to promote environmental protection and show your love for Mother Earth.

Earth Day started in the United States as an “environmental teach-in,” but quickly grew and now there are close to 200 countries that hold events on the day.

If you are wondering what you could do to make the Earth a more vibrant place and be more environmentally responsible, here are some suggestions for this Earth Day (and every day, truthfully).

• Plant a tree. I run a nursery, so this, of course, is the first thing that pops into my head. A tree not only adds greenery and beauty to your property; it also provides shade, cleans the air and gives critters a place to rest, nest and feed.
• Consider alternatives to driving everywhere. Walking, biking, public transport, and car-pools are all great ways to get where you are going while saving on energy consumption and reducing pollution.
• Switch to e-bills and invoices instead of paper ones. In addition to saving trees, they are also easier to (virtually) file!
• Create a pollinator garden. Chemicals and pollution have done harm to bee colonies and by planting flowers, you help repair their ecosystem. Not sure what plants are best for creating a garden that bees and butterflies will love? Check out a special workshop we’ll be hosting with Dr. Patrick Pynes later this month. He’s not only a lecturer at NAU in Environmental Humanities; he also founded the Northern Arizona Organic Beekeepers Association (NAOBA).
• Fix leaky faucets. That drip, drip, drip you hear at night from a leaky faucet is literally money going down the drain. A slow drip can waste seven to 10 gallons of potable water a day.
• Speaking of water, start conserving the H2O that falls from the sky by installing a rainwater harvesting system in your home. We have a free seminar about that on Saturday, April 13 at 11 am.
• Take time to appreciate the earth. A visit to a park or a hike in the mountains will remind you of how gorgeous your home planet is and why it’s worth making some changes to better protect it.

I hope you have a wonderful Earth Day this year. If you need any advice on ways you can be more eco-friendly in your garden or lawn, we are happy to help at Warner’s.

Happy Gardening,
Misti

It’s the little things citizens do.
That’s what will make the difference.
My little thing is planting trees.
-Wangari Maathai

Since I started this blog last year, I’ve been asked more than once why I decided to call it “Planting It Forward.”

There were several reasons the phrase spoke to me. The first was to acknowledge that each individual’s efforts to add more green into the world combines with everyone else’s and the result is more than the sum of its parts.

If you take my window box, plus your succulent garden, plus the tree that the City planted in our local park down the street, they aren’t just random acts of horticultural kindness. They work together – creating an ecosystem that nurtures pollinators, reduces CO2 levels and increases our overall green space.

Another aspect of “planting it forward” is knowing that what we do today impacts the future. When you plant a new tree, what grows from that seedling will be enjoyed not only by your children, but their children and untold generations to come.

And then there’s the idea of planting inspiration forward. Which brings us to the quote above from Wangari Maathai.

She was a Kenyan woman responsible for the Green Belt Movement in Africa that planted 30 million trees across that continent in about 30 years. The late Ms. Maathai was probably being a little modest when she said her “little thing” was to plant trees; she leveraged her environmental activism into a platform for women’s rights and increased democracy in Kenya. She was elected to Parliament and, in 2004, won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Along the way, she planted some inspiration. In 2007, a 9-year-old German boy named Felix Finkbeiner learned about Maathai’s work as part of a school project and it gave him an idea. What if kids got together and promised to plant 1 million trees in each of their countries? How much could that help the Mother Earth?

With the backing of the United Nations Environmental Programme, Felix’s class presentation became Plant for the Planet, a nonprofit which planted its millionth tree in Germany after just three years. Plant for the Planet has expanded into dozens of countries since then, and last year kicked off the Trillion Tree Campaign (it’s the number of trees scientists estimate can be planted without competing for space with agricultural concerns or settlements).

From Russia to Taiwan, India to the Ivory Coast, Colombia to the United States, thousands of children are participating and encouraging adults to “Stop Talking. Start Planting.” If they reach their goal, those trillion trees could capture 25% of all human-made carbon emission each year.

I hope that this year, you’ll consider being part of this movement by digging a hole, placing a seedling in it, and planting it forward.

Happy Gardening,
Misti

As gardeners and plant enthusiasts, we’ve always believed in the importance of “cultivating” the next generation (pardon the pun). But seriously, the Warner’s family wants to see children grow up to be people who respect the earth, appreciate the scientific marvel of plants, and understand the joy of growing flowers and food in your own garden.

It’s why we are eager to meet kids in clubs and classrooms and share what we know.

We have regular sessions of The Mud Club that focus on all sorts of cool, botany-related things – like why leaves turn color in the autumn or what happens when a seed sprouts and starts to grow. Kids who go to the club come home with a project or craft they make after the lesson.

We also head over to Sinagua Middle School each month to teach a class as part of that school’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. At the end of the year, the students visit us with a field trip out to the nursery.

We’re hoping we’ll get out to more schools soon, now that we have Warner’s on Wheels.

If you’ve caught my previous blog about “WoW,” you’ll know it’s our fitted-out trailer that we got last year. We can use it to go to events to sell plants, but more importantly, it’s a mobile workshop where we can bring interesting STEM-related lessons to schools, tailoring them to any age group.

Here are a few examples of the type of STEM topics we offer:

• Pollinators – Who they are, what they do and why they are important.
• Native Plants – What does that mean and why should we care?
• Fungus – It’s among us: Where to seek and find fungus.
• Why do leaves change color? The Fall of Chlorophyll.
• Germination Station: How Seeds Work
• Environmentalism & Sustainability – Taking Care of Mother Earth

We’re very excited to get out into the community more with Warner’s on Wheels, particularly to schools and events where we can share our love of the art and science of horticulture in a really interesting, kid-friendly way.

If you are interested in Warner’s on Wheels or know of a class or club we should be reaching out to, drop me a line!

Happy Gardening,
Misti

This is always an exciting time of the year for us – the Hiring Draft is almost here.

Each year, we hold a draft for applicants who want to work at Warner’s, and I always look forward to that Saturday when new, fresh faces come to the nursery to show us what they’ve got.

The Warner hiring process is not like your regular job interview. For two hours, we have our applicants participate in all the activities they’d be expected to do if they got the job. Once the draft is over, we call back the most promising candidates for interviews.

The draft is pretty reflective of our work philosophy here. We believe in hands-on experience, working hard, and having fun – and for us, two hours of playing outside in the dirt and working with plants is the best time you can have!

So what are we looking for?

People who are enthusiastic about gardening and about our customers. For almost half a century (wow!) we’ve been honored to be our community’s go-to garden center and a huge part of that is our friendly customer service.

Applicants also need to be comfortable working on their feet outside in all types of weather. It can also get warm in our nursery and hothouses. You’ll need to be able to regularly lift 30 to 50 pounds – we’ve got a lot of bags of soil, birdseed, mulch and more that need to be moved around!

What will you get in return? A terrific job experience in a beautiful environment with an amazing team.

Interested? Or know someone who might be? Then plan to join us on Saturday, March 9 at 10 am.

You can read more about our Hiring Draft (and download a job application) here.

Happy Gardening,
Misti

Spring is coming.

We can feel it in the nursery. It’s more than just that we’ve stocked up on seeds and soil and everything gardeners need to get ready for a new season. It’s a feeling of excitement. The days are getting longer, they’ll get warmer (eventually), and before you know it, we’ll be outdoors planting and cultivating and enjoying the fruits of our labors.

But you don’t have to wait. Now is the perfect time to start planning for the garden you want this year. This is when you should figure out the best spot for your veggies, or start sketching out big projects, like adding a butterfly garden or building a patio.

I know there are also some folks reading this might not feel that confident about their gardening abilities. Maybe you tried gardening in the past and it didn’t work out. Or maybe you feel confident about creating beds of annuals and perennials but aren’t as sure about trees and shrubs.

We’ve got you covered.

Beginning next month, we’ll be offering Warner’s Root Camp, a Gardening 101 series of classes to help you build up your skills in the garden. Participants will pick 10 expert-led classes in topics ranging from understanding your soil and seed planting to drip irrigation to building specialty garden spaces, like those that attract pollinators.

In addition to the classes, Root Camp participants will get special savings, free tools and guides, and special one-on-one guidance as they develop their outdoor spaces.

We will be rolling out details soon on this multi-month series of classes, so be on the lookout. The first class will be March 16, but we’ll be encouraging you to sign up earlier – we suspect these classes will fill up fast.

Happy Gardening,
Misti

Welcome to 2019! Or at least to my first blog of 2019. 😉

So here’s an interesting thing I read the other day: according to Strava, which is an app for runners and cyclists, most folks give up on their New Year’s resolutions by Jan. 12. Something like 75 or 80 percent. Isn’t that amazing?

In spite of that, I’m going out on a limb to ask you to make another New Year’s resolution because I think it won’t be too hard to keep. At least it won’t involve going to the gym five times a week or passing up that chocolate lava cake because you’re on a diet. Ready?

Be kinder to Mother Earth.

We are big on environmentalism and conservation here at Warner’s Nursery. It’s why a lot of our Mud Club events for kids focus on the topic. In fact on Saturday, Feb. 19, we’ll be talking about the three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle – and for a fun hands-on craft, the kids will be taking water bottles and turning them into aquariums! It’s also why we offer workshops and classes on everything from composting to attracting pollinators and wildlife with your garden.

If you aren’t sure how to be greener in 2019, here are three simple ideas to get you started.

• Bring your canvas or tote bags with you when you go shopping – and remember to use them! Don’t leave them in the car (I’ve been guilty of this). First of all, these bags are way sturdier than those flimsy plastic ones, they tend to hold more items and they won’t wind up in the landfill.
• Detox your home. If you want to improve the air quality in your house, go through your cleaning products and substitute harsh chemical cleaners with eco-friendly alternatives. You’d be amazed what a little white vinegar and baking soda can do!
• Plant a tree. Spring will be here sooner than you expect and it’s the perfect time to add a little leafy splendor to your backyard. You’ll improve the air quality as trees add oxygen and reduce carbon dioxide, plus you’ll be giving shelter and food to birds and small animals. Also, if one of your other New Year’s resolutions was to reduce stress, trees can help; they are proven to make people feel more relaxed and happier.

It’s not too late to make a New Year’s resolution that will not only help you but the world in general.

Go green in ’19 – you won’t regret it.

See you soon,
Misti

Hey everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying the wonders of the holiday season. Everything is so glittery and beautiful here in Flagstaff, particularly at night when the holiday lights are in full view. It’s just magical.

And while my focus is on the holiday next week and all that it means – time with my family and faith, a chance to take a breath and really enjoy the blessings of the season – there is a little part of me that’s already planning for 2019.

It’s natural, right? Almost the minute after we finish unwrapping the gifts and eating the holiday feast, we start reflecting on the previous year and getting ready for the new one.

The crew at Warner’s Nursery has already started the process. Each department has done a review of how the past year went and developed strategies so that we can serve you better in the new year. There won’t be much downtime between the holidays and the spring rush, either; we do our huge inventory check on January 10 and right after that, we start stocking up for the new season.

You, however, don’t have to wait for spring to come by and see us. I suspect that if you are anything like me, you are already missing the fun and relaxation of gardening, so why not stop by and talk with us about your garden plans for 2019? We can celebrate the triumphs of your last garden, plan for your new one, and maybe help you troubleshoot what didn’t go quite right last year.

Plus, we’ll be hosting a lot of seminars throughout the winter on indoor gardening, small space gardening and more.

Thank you so much for an amazing 2018! You are the reason why we do what we do.

Warm wishes from the Warner’s Nursery family to yours for an amazing holiday and bountiful New Year!

Misti