Target 90% off Christmas

While some Target stores went 90% off Christmas yesterday, the rest seemed to drop today. Food is 70% off.

The first Target I went to (48th and O St) had the best selection. I even scored this $360 tree for $36!

Here are some pics from the stores followed by what I actually purchased and how much it cost:

LED icicle lights for $1.49!

Hobby Lobby 90% Off Christmas

Hobby Lobby just dropped to 90% off all their Christmas items! Here are some pics of the Lincoln, NE store:

Barn door = great backdrop for wreaths

It doesn't get easier than this! I had an old barn door laying around and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what to do with it. It was just too big. Cutting it in half was the perfect solution. In all honesty, in the left picture above, the barn door is already cut in half. I forgot to take a before picture so that's why you might be able to see some faint cut lines.

Halloween clearance update

Has anyone stocked up on Halloween clearance items yet? Here are the markdown as of today:

Target - 70% off decor and costumes, 50% off candy
Walmart - 50% off (although I've heard others have dropped to 75% off)
Shopko - 70% off
CVS - 50% off
Walgreens - 50% off
Michaels - 80% off
Hobby Lobby - 66% off
JoAnn Fabric - 60-75% off
Pier 1 - 75% off
Toys "R" Us - 75% off

These discounts are what the Lincoln, NE stores reported. Discounts may vary so don't shoot the messenger ;)

Here are some pics from Target that I took earlier this week:

Why you should sign up for Panera rewards...

Heck yeah! I just got an email saying I get free coffee everyday in September from Panera! They do this every so often for their rewards members. I also get coupons and other freebies throughout the year. You should all sign up by clicking here. Did I mention it's free to sign up?

Here's the email I received about my free hot or iced coffee:

Free haircut at Paul Mitchell for military, police, fire fighters, and paramedics

I think this is so cool! Paul Mitchell (the school) in Lincoln, NE is offering free haircuts September 8-12 for military members, fire fighters, police officers, and paramedics. Call 402-261-5322 to schedule an appointment. They are located at 5601 South 59th Street, Suite D.

Props to Paul Mitchell and thank you to all those who serve!

Landscaping for year-round color and hardy plant recommendations

I took a great landscaping class yesterday night - lord knows I need all the help I can get! It was offered through SCC and was called Mind the Gaps: Ensuring Year-Round Color. It was only $19 and was a little over two hours long.

The instructor had a ton of experience and did a nice job of identifying hardy plants that are good for our zone. I live in southeastern Nebraska so those of you in zone 5 should find this information helpful. Even if you live elsewhere, it's worth skimming over.

The instructor created a handy chart for us that lists which perennials, trees, shrubs, and vines are blooming in each month. Click on the image below to make it bigger. You may need to go to my Facebook or twitter pages, click on the photo, and then download it if it doesn't get large enough through the blog.

She only included plants that are easy to find and have a good track record.

I also listed the chart info below if you're having trouble viewing it...

March

Perennials: Crocus, snowdrops, iris reticulata, early daffodils, scilla

Trees: Maples, Magnolias

Shrubs: Forsythia, Pussy Willow

April

Perennials: bergenia, bloodroot,bluebells, columbine, crocus, daffodils,dwarf iris, forget-me-nots, groundcover phlox, hellebores, hyacinth,  iris reticulata,  merrybells, mukdenia, pulmanaria , prairie smoke,  speedwell, spring anemone, tulips, wild phlox

Trees: Magnolia, Peach, Crabapple, Buckeye, Pear, Redbud

Shrubs: Aronia, Azalea, Forsythia, Lilac, Quince, Viburnum

May

Perennials: allium,ajuga, baptisia,  bleeding heart,  brunnera, catmint, coral bell, cranesbill geranium, daisy,hespera, iris,lamium, pasque flower, prairie smoke, penstemon, peony,   poppies,  rose, salvia, speedwell, trillium

Trees: Buckeye, Crabapple, Dogwood, Horsechestnut

Shrubs: Azalea, Bridal Veil Spirea, Lilac, Rhododendron, Viburnum, Wigelia

Vines: Clematis

June

Perennials: Asiatic Lily, Allium, aruncus (goat's beard), bee balm, daisy, daylily, catmint, columbine, geramium, geum, knautia, larkspur, oriental lily, penstemon, rose, salvia,thalictrum, thermposis, trollius, veronica, yarrow

Trees: Lilac Trees, Catalpa

Shrubs: Hydrangea, Spirea

Vines: Honeysuckle

July

Perennials: Allium, Asiatic lily, bee balm, catmint, coneflower, coreopsis, daylily, geranium, gilardia, groundcover sedum, hosta, ligularia, phlox, rose, rudbeckia, russian sage, salvia, scabiosa, stokes aste

Shrubs: Bottlebrush Buckeye, Hydrangea, Spirea, St. John's Wort,  berries on Aronia

Vines: Honeysuckle

August

Perennials: Agastache, centranthus, coneflower, rudbekia, helenium, liatris, sunflower, salvia, catmint, scarlet gilia, tall sedum

Shrubs: caryopteris, hydrangea, berries on aronia and viburnum

Vines: Sweet Autumn Clematis

September

Perennials: Aster, Chrysanthemum

Trees: Seven Son Flower (she talked really highly of this tree!)

Shrubs: caryopteris, hydrangea

October

Perennials: Fall color on bluestar amsonia, hosta, fern, mukdenia, peony,  and bloodred geramium

Trees: Fall color on sugar maple, blackgum,  kousa dogwood, bald cypress, red maple, sourwood, sasssafrass, sweetgum, japanese maples

Shrubs: Fall Color on brandywine viburnum, winterthur viburnum, barberry,sumac, spicebush, chokeberry, virginia sweetspire, oak-leaf hydrangea, bottlebrush buckeye, clethra, ogon spirea, hydrangea paniculatas

November and December

Perennials: Some perennials persist into fall and winter. Coral Bells, hellebores, & wild ginger often look good for much of winter.  Another way to continue interest from your perennials is to not cut all of them all to the ground in the fall.  I like to leave plants that have strong stems like coneflowers and goldenrod.  They look great with a little frost or light dusting of snow.

Trees: Interesting bark on amur bird cherry, bald cypress, beech, birch, blackgum, kousa dogwood, lacebark elm, paperbark maple, seven son flower, stewartia, sycamore

Shrubs: Interesting bark on harry lauders walking stick, oakleaf hydrangea, yellow and redtwig dogwood.  Have berries: cotoneasters, holly,  firethorn, winterberry.  WitchHazel blooms in the winter.  Evergreens give you a spot of color and life.

Vines: Honeysuckle, wisteria and trumpet vines have a nice structure that should be left intact.

Seasonal

Extedend interest in the perennial garden regardless of blooms by focusing on foliage. Combine different leaf colors including: greens, blues, yellows, reds and silvers to have impact during the entire growing season along with different textures and sizes. Plant ferny (soft fluffy textures) foliage, big bold leaves, curly leaves, cut edges. There is even foliage with polkadots (pulminaria).  If carefully planned you could have a gorgoeus garden without a single bloom.


All credit goes to Shelley Stoltenberg (the instructor and garden advisor). If you want her contact info, please let me know and I'll get it to you. She's great!

I hope you found this useful. Happy landscaping!