Last year’s wreath decorating class was a huge success, so the consensus was “Let’s do it again”. We will provide you with a freshly made wreath and you get to choose from a treasure of decorations to create your personal holiday vision of the season to grace your door or home. Cost will be $25.00 and this year you can decorate two wreaths for $45.00. Class will be Saturday, November 17 at 10AM and 1PM.

‘Tis the season to also offer again our ever popular centerpiece class. As an alternative, a wicker wall basket with a cardinal will be available for you to decorate. If you choose to make this item, it can be hung outside in a protected area. Centerpiece makers can use a cardinal also if desired. The usual frills and thrills will be set out for you to create your own one-of-a-kind holiday arrangement. Cost will be $20.00 for centerpiece or wall basket. Class will be Saturday December 8 at 10AM and 1PM.

Stop in after November 1st or call (715) 453-4143 to register for any of the Hands-On Fun classes. Feel free to bring any decorations or trinkets that you wish to incorporate into your creations. Also a glue gun would be handy for all classes if you have one. Please specify AM or PM when calling.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to the 144 people who purchased Lola pots this past spring. Those purchases allowed us to donate $720 to Habitat for Humanity in the Gulf coast hurricane region. The only negative was selling out too soon and not being able to get more.

We’re sorry if you were one of those who wanted a Lola but couldn’t get one. How special to be able to help such a great cause and have a lot of fun in the process. From our Garden Fiesta party with my girls dressed up as “Lolas”, to hearing many of your stories about why you were buying Lola and your ties to that devastated region, it touched us all.

It’s also quite meaningful to know that we are giving to an organization that is actually doing a lot of good down there. According to their representative, that amount bought enough siding for approximately 1.5 homes. And that’s thanks to you!

What a season it was… extreme heat and drought. Having ripe tomatoes and peppers should have been easy this year; some other things were not as easy.

The #1 problem I saw was starved plants. I could easily spot them driving by a yard at 35 mph. Maybe if plants exhibited more symptoms like people or animals, such as ribs showing, we would be more in tune to their needs. But their symptoms can be just as obvious if you learn what to look for. The most common sign is the foliage lacking that good, rich color. Other signs are lack of flowers, stunted flowers, or spindly growth.

When summer heat is forcing you to water twice as often as normal (especially plants in containers), their food is being leached out twice as fast. Hence, you should be fertilizing twice as often! Just think of the Tomahawk city baskets. They were as lush as ever and nothing magical was done to them, just lots of food and water.

How do we keep our plants healthy and well fed? Our “Free Fertilizer Saturdays” is one way to accomplish this. The demand has grown so strong that in midsummer, we installed another hose so people wouldn’t have to wait as long. We now have many regulars every Saturday filling up many buckets for their gardens and planters. It’s fun to chat with them and hear of the success they are having because of this service. Using a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote with liquid feeds is greatly helpful.

Learning the difference between plant varieties is also critical. Wave petunias, supertunias, dragonwings, and fuchsias are examples of heavy feeders, whereas tuberous begonias are light feeders. Another suggestion is to grow more drought resistant plants to simplify your plant care. Some good choices include portulaca, zinnia, flowering vinca, and dipladenia to name a few. We are also introducing a new line of succulents for outdoors that we have high hopes for.

The last topic I’d like to touch upon is insects. Bugs love heat and therefore thrived this year. spidermites were probably the most troublesome on flowers. They are very hard to see with the naked eye and when they are finally discovered, there are thousands. Know the varieties they like: hibiscus, mandevilla, flowering vines, and many more. Spraying them with a strong stream of water is safe and very effective, but you must do it often in the heat.

We never know what a season will bring. The more knowledge and tools we are prepared with, the better off we and our gardens are.

Mark your calendars for two classes this upcoming holiday season. The first class, “Design and Decorate your Own Holiday Wreath,” will be November 18th at 10 a.m . You will be provided with a fresh evergreen wreath and our designers will help you create your own personal vision of the season. The tuition for this class is $25 and includes all decorations, bows, and of course, the wreath.

The second class, “Creating your Own Holiday Centerpiece,” will be December 9th at 10 a.m. This was a popular class last year, with students and teachers alike having a very enjoyable time. I was truly amazed at the high quality of the finished arrangements that these budding artists created. The tuition for this class is $18 and also includes all materials.

If you want to get in touch with your artistic side and also enjoy having the satisfaction of decorating your home with something you created, sign up soon! Classes are limited to 20 people so that we can give you enough personal attention. To register, call 453-4143 or stop in after November 1st.

Sometimes, some of the best ideas are also the simplest, and instituting the honor system this past summer has been one of our best ideas ever. I’ve joked with customers that it’s like magic—we unlock the door in the morning and there is money in the slot!

In the past, we tried staying open in the late summer into fall but it was never worthwhile to pay an employee to be there for the limited amount of product that we would sell. Enter the honor system. We get to grow some beautiful fall mums, asters, and perennials, and it suddenly becomes more worthwhile because of the lower overhead. And you get to beautify your fall garden with the quality plants you’ve come to expect. The response has been wonderful. We’ve had numerous notes in the money slot thanking us for providing this simple service. The prices are rounded off with tax included to keep things as simple as possible.

So, we wish to thank you for your support and honesty in this endeavor.

During both the Spring and Christmas seasons, we at Cerny’s are always looking for new and fresh ideas and items to offer our customers. In the spring, this challenge is quite easy due to all the plant breeding and genetics which bring us numerous new plant varieties to offer you each year. Christmas, on the other hand, isn’t always so easy. Our plant selection is limited to all the different shapes, sizes, and colors of poinsettias, so we are always looking for new ideas in our greenery department.

Several years’ back we tried something new called a kissing ball. Although new to us, the kissing ball was not a new item. They have been around for ages and have been used more in the English and Canadian holiday traditions, although their popularity is growing in the states.

Kissing balls are said to represent the return of light after the winter solstice, although it can also be used to steal a kiss from that someone special…hence the name.

The first year we offered them we sold about three and now we are up to approximately seventy a year. This year we will also offer shipping of kissing balls, so whether it’s for yourself or a friend far away, let the “old” idea of kissing balls give you a fresh new look at your holiday decorating.

A few years ago, when we started shipping wreaths, we never realized how popular the service would become.

Our fragrant creations arrive at their destinations and gracefully decorate homes throughout the United States. What a great gift to send friends and family! Think of that package arriving in Florida one sunny winter day. What a treat it must be when they open it and are overwhelmed with the rich fragrance of balsam, pine, and cedar. And what a bargain when you can send one starting at $20. That amount includes shipping, which we will be happy to take care of for you.

So check your Christmas list and see who’s been naughty or nice!

I have one rule when I’m writing the fall newsletter; it’s that I’m outside under a clear sky and a canopy of changing trees. I’m hiking in the Catherine Wolter Wilderness Preserve near Presque Isle on an autumn day where superlatives do no justice. Sitting on a mossy bank, the trees envelop me. A forest full of trees just bursting into color, and yet each tree is unique and has its own story to tell if we’re willing to listen. What might we hear, maybe an owl soaring through its branches on a moonlit night, or a doe and her fawn relaxing in its shade on a lazy summer day? Or would the story be of violent storms that shake its foundation and a lightning strike that changes its shape forever, or maybe the wondrous days of spring as it unfurls its new leafy wardrobe. The stories go on and on and are seldom witnessed by anyone.

I don’t think these feelings make me a tree hugger, I do burn wood and realize that it’s also a great resource. But it’s hard to be in my line of work and not be inspired by the natural world.

As we enter a new season at the greenhouse the inspiration comes easy as the scent of evergreens fills the air. And seeing the talented hands of the people that I’m so fortunate to work with shaping those branches into creations of beauty truly astounds me.

If we are fortunate to have you walk through our doors this holiday season, take a deep breath. Let the smells of soil, evergreen, and even the cider pot fill your senses. Then, let your eyes take in all the sights. We hope to inspire you.

- As appeared in Tomahawk Leader News
by Jessica Mincoff

When Cindy Blair, an employee at Cerny’s Greenhouse in Tomahawk, looks at Lola she is reminded of Hurricane katrina and the people she met while working in the Gulf Coast as a volunteer for the American Red Cross.

The opportunity to volunteer couldn’t have come at a better time - the busy season at the greenhouse was over and Blair felt compelled to use her time to help others.

Stationed at a shelter in Texas, the service Blair was providing changed her life forever.

“Just seeing what those people lost … carrying their life around in a garbage bag.” Blair described, led her to a more compassionate life.

Her introduction to Lola, a spiced-up flowerpot brightly painted with a woman’s face and head wrap, and adorned with earrings, happened at a garden symposium in Milwaukee.

“We all fell in love with her. She reminded me so much of the South,” Blair recalled.

Then the idea came - how about introducing Lola pots to Tomahawk for people to set on their porch as a symbol of remembrance of the hurricane.

“When you have one (pot) on your porch you’re remembering a hurricane victim,” she explained.

Her idea to include Lola as a featured item at the upcoming garden party coincided with the generosity of Bill and Helen Cerny, greenhouse owners, who offered to donate $5 per pot sold to Habitat for Humanity.

The introduction of Lola and the contribution to the habitat organization escalated into a Garden Fiesta slated Tuesday, April 18, beginning at 6pm at Cerny’s. Tacos in bad and fresh salsa will be served.

Already planted Lola pots are selling for $26.99 and plain ones are $22.99

Everyone wants to find that tried and true recipe that fits their special tastes.

This spring we hope to help our customers solve that problem with our “plant recipes”. Many people prefer to plant their own containers, but don’t know where to start. Our plant recipes will not only give you suggestions on what to plant, but will also show you how to arrange the plants to best display their individual characteristics.

In a designated area of the greenhouse, we will have two featured weekly planters. To duplicate the planters, all you have to do is purchase a ready-made kit containing all the plants, take it home, plant it, and just add water!!

All the recipes can be adapted to your existing containers, or you may give your plants a new home in a container from our extensive selection of pottery.

 The recipe cards are free, and include information on plant placement, sun/shade exposure, and additional general instructions.

~ Diane Kahle and Sue Fabera