‘THE SAGE’-Klein’s Online Newsletter—FEBRUARY 2018
Klein’s Floral & Greenhouses
THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Rebuilding Nears Completion and YES…WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
Wisconsin Public Television Garden Expo Feb. 9-11
Ever Thought about Working at a Garden Center?….
Make Klein’s Floral Your Local Florist of Choice
Our ‘Mad Gardener’ Is Ready for Your Questions
Madison’s Other Free Public Garden—Allen Centennial Garden
Celebrate the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans and Squash
Klein’s Favorite Seed, Bulb & Plant Sources
You Asked the Mad Gardener About Orchid Pests
Plant of the Month: The Indestructible ZZ Plant
Klein’s Favorite Marinated Baked Tofu Recipes
Product Spotlight: Plant Hangers from Primitive Planters
Notes from Rick’s Garden Journal—From January 2018
—The Cute & Industrious Gray Squirrel
—Saving the Seed…Wisconsin 55 Tomatoes
—Japanese Maples with Leaves in January?
February in the Garden: A Planner
Gardening Events Around Town
Join Us on Twitter
Follow Us on Facebook
Delivery Information
Related Resources and Websites
Plants Harmful to Kids and Pets
OUR NEW BUILDINGS ARE UP WITH COMPLETION JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
In the meantime, remember we are open in our temporary retail space in our growing greenhouses at the back of the property with easy access from both East Washington Ave. and Stoughton Rd.
We continue to receive fresh shipments of houseplants, air plants, succulents & cacti, blooming plants and so much more! Spring plants are arriving daily. Geraniums, hanging basket filler plants and many summer tropicals are already here.
And with Valentine’s just around the corner, our floral cooler is stocked daily with fresh arrangements and cut flowers and designers are available for all of your floral needs. Floral orders and daily deliveries continue as usual and can be made by calling our designers at 608-244-5661 or online at www.kleinsfloral.com. Our goal is to keep everything running as close to status quo as construction wraps up.
Follow our progress on www.facebook.com/
THE MAD GARDENER
“Madison’s Firsthand Source for Expert Gardening Advice”
Ask any of your gardening questions by e-mailing them to us at madgardener@kleinsfloral.com. Klein’s in-house Mad Gardener will e-mail you with an answer as promptly as we can. We’ve also posted a link to this e-mail address on our home page for your convenience. Your question might then appear in the “You Asked” feature of our monthly newsletter. If your question is the one selected for our monthly newsletter, you’ll receive a small gift from us at Klein’s. The Mad Gardener hopes to hear from you soon!
Sorry, we can only answer those questions pertaining to gardening in Southern Wisconsin and we reserve the right to leave correspondence unanswered at our discretion. Please allow 2-3 days for a response.
Please note that our Mad Gardener is not only an expert gardener, but can answer all of your indoor plant questions as well.
EVER THOUGHT ABOUT WORKING AT A GARDEN CENTER?
Now is the time to stop in and ask for an application or fill one out at Employee Application. We’re primarily looking for seasonal, part-time retail help (with potential for permanent employment) as we move into our new and expanded modern facility. Responsibilities include customer service, stocking, etc. Retail experience and computer skills are a plus. Benefits include our generous discount and a hands-on opportunity in a horticultural setting. Hours can be flexible. If possible, we’re seeking people with 20 or more hours availability per week. Some weekend and evening shifts are expected.
CHICAGO FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW TOUR—SUNDAY, MARCH 19
Join us as we welcome spring after a long and cold winter. We will depart Klein’s (time and details to follow) on a tour coach, making a stop at the beautiful Garfield Park Conservatory (garfieldconservatory.org) and then be on our way to the show at Navy Pier for this fabulous show. The cost is $55 and includes breakfast snacks/coffee, bus ride and ticket into the show. We look forward to the life-sized gardens, how-to workshops and instructional seminars that will give you a reason to enjoy the greener side of the Midwest. Call Kathryn or Sue at Klein’s (608-244-5661) today to reserve your spot(s) as space is limited! Payment is due at time of reservation. See chicagoflower.com for show details.
FEBRUARY STORE HOURS:
Monday thru Friday : 8:00-6:00
Saturday: 9:00-5:00
Sunday: 10:00-4:00
Special Valentine’s Hours:
Tuesday, February 13: 8:00-7:00
Wednesday, February 14: 8:00-7:00
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
February 2–Ground Hog Day
February 9-11—Wisconsin Public Television’s Garden Expo at the Alliant Energy Center. The Klein’s booths will entice all senses with fresh herbs, colorful windowsill bloomers, spring annuals and garden decor. Tickets for Wisconsin Public Television’s Garden Expo are available at Klein’s for a lesser price than at the door. More details are available at www.wigardenexpo.com. There, you’ll find a complete list of exhibitors and a calendar of scheduled events.
February 14—Valentine’s Day. Order early for guaranteed delivery. We deliver throughout Madison and most of Dane County.
February 14—Ash Wednesday
February 19–Presidents’ Day
An Interesting Fact: Though we usually post the date of each month’s full moon, there is no full moon in February 2018. However, there are two full moons in both January and March. This phenomenon occurs only 3-4 times per century!
‘THE FLOWER SHOPPE’:
Valentine’s Day Is Just Around the Corner…
Make Klein’s Floral Your Local Florist of Choice
After all, we ARE the ‘real thing!’ We’re not a 1-800 call center or a ‘mega-florist’ or a big box store. We’re the florist right down the street (or just across town) who designs and delivers your flowers personally and with a smile.
Klein’s Floral & Greenhouses, Inc. provides a full spectrum of floral services; including wedding and funeral flower arrangements, floral delivery, houseplants, blooming plants and, of course, flowers for any occasion.
Turning 105 years young in 2018, Klein’s is one of the oldest florists in the Madison area. We must be doing something right!
By calling us direct at 608/244-5661(or toll free 888/244-5661), you not only support a local business, you also avoid the add-on charges of the middleman and are given the personal attention you expect.
Things have changed quite a bit since Klein’s Floral was started in 1913. In the beginning, many of the lowers used in our floral arrangements were actually grown on site. Farm fields surrounded our East Washington Ave. (Sun Prairie Road) location where the Klein family grew not only produce, but also seasonal cut flowers like delphiniums, peonies and irises. In addition, carnations, snapdragons and sweet peas and chrysanthemums were planted directly into the soil in our back greenhouses and harvested and sold as needed.
Nowadays, nearly all of our nation’s cut flowers are produced in South or Central America, the Netherlands or the U.S. Pacific Coastal areas.
In support of local agriculture, Klein’s uses locally grown cut flowers as much as we can during the summer months. Area farmers stop weekly so our designers can choose the freshest product available. Because the local crop is seasonal, the selection can change a lot from week to week.
YOU ASKED THE MAD GARDENER . . .
We have some orchids that are
often that we remove with
is a good control for them? Herb
Hi Herb,
Scale is the hardest of all indoor plant pests to control and you are already using the best means to keep them under control…rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. The most effective pesticides to control scale are no longer available to the retail consumer for various reasons. Added control occurs if you are able to place your plants outdoors during the summer months (an open shady spot for orchids) where natural predators are attracted to the honeydew the scale produces (their excrement) and devour them. This setback usually lasts through most of the winter before they reappear again in late winter or early spring. In addition, natural rain water and summer heat and humidity will send your orchids into a vigorous burst of new growth in preparation for the upcoming winter months indoors.
The mealybugs are easier to control with regular use of any mild pesticide (i.e. insecticidal soap). However, for appearance sake, it’s necessary to remove the remaining residue left behind with alcohol and a cotton swab in order to make sure no living mealybugs remain after treatment.
Thanks for your question,
Klein’s Mad Gardener
DID YOU KNOW. . .
. . . that Madison is fortunate to have two exquisite free public gardens? There’s, of course, Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Madison’s east side, but also Allen Centennial Garden on the University of Wisconsin campus.
About Allen Centennial Garden
Allen Centennial Garden is the artful living laboratory and public botanical garden of the Horticulture Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Garden serves as an outdoor classroom for UW-Madison students and the surrounding communities, providing meaningful learning opportunities for visitors of all ages.
Allen Centennial Garden History
The Allen Centennial Garden was dedicated in October 1989. The former teaching gardens attached to the Plant Sciences building were destroyed in 1979 to make room for a new building addition. In the early 1980s, plans evolved for a new instructional garden (what would eventually become the Allen Centennial Garden) to be located on the 2.5 acres surrounding the historic Dean’s Residence, one block north of the Plant Sciences building. The development of the Allen Centennial Garden was designed to complement the home and its existing plantings, including the larch tree (Larix decidua) planted in 1899 to commemorate the birth of the dean-in-residence’s son.
Early donations from student groups and anonymous gifts were available for the initial planning and design. With a substantial gift from Mrs. Ethel Allen, the ground breaking was possible for construction to begin in the spring of 1985. Mrs. Allen is the widow of eminent University of Wisconsin bacteriologist, Dr. Oscar Allen. Professor Allen taught at the university from 1948 until his death in 1976. The couple co-authored what is considered the “encyclopedia” of the role of legumes in nitrogen fixation.
Ethel Allen, a former member of the UW faculty, received a bachelor’s degree in botany, a Masters in bacteriology and an honorary doctorate in science from the university. A Madison resident, she was instrumental in providing support for the early phases of Garden construction. Naming the Gardens after the Allens in 1989 coincided with the commemoration of the 100th year anniversary of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, hence the Garden’s full name of Allen Centennial Garden.
Allen Centennial Garden is constantly evolving. The varied topography and exposures of the 90,000 square foot site allow for a great diversity of plantings and the hardscapes. The major emphasis within the Garden is on herbaceous ornamental perennials but the site features many other plantings including annuals and woody plants.
The Dean’s Residence
The Garden is built around a stately Victorian gothic house nestled on the agricultural campus. The house, known as the “Lake Dormer,” the “Fred House,” the “Agricultural Dean’s Residence,” and simply as “10 Babcock Drive,” was one of the first buildings on the agricultural campus and served as home for the college’s first four deans. It remains a cherished landmark for generations of students, alumni and friends of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Each of the four deans, William A. Henry (1891-1907), Harry L. Russell (1907-1931), Christian L. Christensen (1931-1943) and Edwin B. Fred (1943-1945), played a major role in the development of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison. Dean Fred continued to reside in the house after becoming president of the University.
While the house is no longer used as the dean’s residence, it continues to serve a vital role within the university. The house has been used as offices for the Agricultural Research Stations and later included the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Conference Services and Garden staff.
In 1984, the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This provided overdue recognition of the building and its grounds and gave the residence its appropriate place among Wisconsin’s historic resources. Registration also saved it from certain demise as the campus grew and looked to expand classroom and research facilities.
In 2011, the departments located in the house were relocated for renovation. When complete, the house will become a new student center – a hub of activity supporting student services such as internships, studies abroad, scholarships, meeting spaces, exhibition space, garden offices, and more.
The Gardens are open year-round, dawn to dusk. Admission is free.
Allen Centennial Gardens
620 Babcock Dr. on the University of WI campus, Madison
608/576-2501 or allencentennialgarden.org for details.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT—Each month we spotlight some product that we already carry or one that we’ve taken note of and plan to carry in the near future. Likewise, if you would like to see Klein’s to carry a product that we don’t currently, please let us know. Our goal is to be responsive to the marketplace and to our loyal clientele. If a product fits into our profile, we will make every effort to get it into our store. In addition, we may be able to special order an item for you, whether plant or hard good, given enough time.
Plant Hangers from Primitive Planters
Primitive Planters’ stunning cloth plant hangers come in a wide assortment of colors and fabric patterns. There is a color and style for every home decor. Now you’re able to match your hanging plants with your walls, wallpaper, curtains, table linens, bedding and more. Primitive Planters has merged a functional garden product and home decorating into one product. Can be used both inside and out! See examples on their visually stimulating website at www.primitiveplanters.com/ and then at Klein’s. We’ve carried these eye-catching hangers since 2008 and we can’t keep them in stock!
And now, returning from the 1970’s in a big way comes the resurgence of macrame. Klein’s has just received a new shipment of both cloth and macrame hangers.
About the company–Primitive Planters
Primitive Planters owner, Jennifer Marshall has been an entrepreneur since 1992. With almost 20 years of experience in marketing and sales, retail and quality assurance management; Jennifer is all about taking something and making it successful! The company started with the original idea of updating the iconic macrame plant hanger with her utility patented indoor/outdoor fabric plant hanger. A simple, sleek concept with decorating style, without all of the beads and tassels.
With an understanding of the target audience of women, Jennifer realized she LOVED to garden, but is notorious for color coordinating in all aspects of her life, such as home decorating & dress attire.
Offering a stylish fabric plant hanger in beautiful colors and patterns from bright turquoise to polka dot patterns, customers can coordinate the color of their hanger with flower hanging baskets, plants, pots, pottery, containers, home decor and more!
Since the launch of her hangers, Jennifer has since added macrame to her product line, keeping the nostalgia and making Primitive Planters THE plant hanger resource for all of your needs. The company manufactures and distributes their products through co-ops and distributors throughout North America and Canada.
NOTES FROM MY GARDEN JOURNAL–Tips and Observations from My Own Garden by Rick Halbach
ENTRY: JANUARY 11, 2018 (The Cute & Industrious Gray Squirrel)
Looking around the yard right now, there are at least a dozen (if not more) squirrels in the yard foraging for dropped seed under my many birdfeeders. While most people who feed birds find squirrels a nuisance, I find their antics interesting and enjoyable. To dissuade them from going after the birdfeeders, I’ve set up their own feeding stations of cob corn and other waste seed away from the other feeders. After years of unending battles, I have yet to see a squirrel on any of my feeders so far this season.
About Gray Squirrels
The Eastern Gray Squirrel is a tree dwelling rodent, a very common species of squirrels, mostly found in North America. It is a tree squirrel, which belongs to the genus Scirus, and is native to Midwestern United states. It is often found in woodlands, suburban areas and urban areas. It is a prolific and an adaptable species. It was earlier introduced in the areas western United States, and now it thrives there. These squirrels are not gray in color; they are actually a mixture of black, browns and whites. They are actually banded with whitish ends, due to which they assume a grayish look.
Habitat
The Eastern Gray Squirrel is the largest of all tree squirrels that is found in eastern North America. It inhabits large areas of the dense woodlands and the ecosystem that spreads across 40 acres of land. Since they are predominantly nut-eating species, they are found in the vast tracts of Oak and Hickory forests in North America. These forests are the habitat of these squirrels since they contain dense vegetation which is a source of food for these squirrels. Eastern Gray Squirrels construct their dens on the bare branches and hollow branches of trees. They also use the abandoned nests of other birds for shelter.
The dens of the squirrels are lined with mosses, dried plants and thistledown, which help in the insulation of the den and reduces heat loss. The den also requires a cover, which these squirrels generally build it afterwards. These squirrels are also found in parks and backyards of the houses in the urban setting. They may be found in the farmlands of rural areas. This squirrel has been introduced in Great Britain, Australia and South Africa and are now considered invasive in those areas. The squirrels spend their maximum time in the trees, and moves about in the tress with great agility.
The eastern gray squirrels build a nest, which is called the drey. This nest is built in the fork of the trees. Drey is made up of dry leaves and twigs. Squirrels also build their nest in the exterior walls of house. They may also take permanent shelter in a tree den.
Behavior
The Eastern gray squirrels are very similar in behavior to the other rodents. They are alert, aggressive and inquisitive rodents, which are very fast at moving and jumping through the tree tops. They are a scatter-hoarder like other rodents, since they hoard huge quantities of food for future. The squirrels can make several thousand caches per season. They have a very spatial memory, since they need to decide the location of these caches, and also make landmarks to retrieve them. They have a good sense of smell, since they can smell these caches from a distance of few centimeters. They are one of those few mammalian species, which descend o the tree with their head first.
These squirrels are more active during the day than by the night. They are the busiest at afternoon and dawn. They are quite active animals, and work throughout the year, are even capable of feeding themselves at any season, be it snow storms, or the dry summer. They are easily capable of negotiating the trees, vines and shrubs. They have incisor teeth, which grow constantly, and are constantly sharpened by gnawing of the bark, plastic and metal objects that is available around. They do not require hibernation; therefore do not hibernate at all.
Reproduction
There are two breeding seasons for the Eastern gray squirrels in a year. One season starts from December to February, and the second is sometime around May to late June. The female squirrels are not capable of breeding in their first year of birth. The males are very promiscuous as breeders, and they indulge themselves in considerable activity during breeding. The Eastern Squirrel gestation period is for about 44 days. After this gestation period, the squirrels produce approximately 2 to 6 young, naked and pink babies. The number may even be increased to 8. The young ones have larger head and feet, as compared to the other body structures at the time of birth, and even their eyes are closed. They are slow maturing. They are completely furred with bushy tail. The gray squirrels run about the trees during their courtship ritual. While in captivity, they can live for 20 years, but in the wild, their maximum life is 12.5 years.
Diet
The eastern gray squirrels feed on tree bark, seeds, walnuts, acorns, and the other kind of nuts, and the various fungi that are found in the forest region. They are an opportunist in searching for food, and therefore can adapt to a wide variety of habitats. They have different diet plans for various seasons, since they look for the availability of different food in different seasons. They feed on buds of hardwood trees in spring, winged seeds of maple in summer, along with some other berries and other wild fruits. During autumn, their diet comprises mostly of hard nuts, bitternuts, hickory nuts, beechnuts, pine seeds and butternuts. They are industrious hoarders in this point of the year.
Squirrels have a very good sense of smell, due to which they can find the berries that are buried in the ground. They use the bird’s feeders to find their food during winter. Not only nuts, are squirrels also fond of eating insects, young birds and caterpillars. But they prey on these birds and insects in very rare occasions, when food is scarce. Very rarely, they eat bones also.
Source: www.animalspot.net
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ENTRY: JANUARY 18, 2018 (Saving the Seed…Wisconsin 55 Tomatoes)
Now that I’m beginning to order seeds for my own garden for the upcoming season and choosing what vegetables to grow, the following article in the Sun Prairie Star (www.hngnews.com) got my attention. Wisconsin 55 tomatoes have been among Klein’s most popular tomatoes through the decades. That fact makes this article even more poignant and fascinating.
Saving the Seeds
By Jennifer Fetterly
Wooly mammoths and passenger pigeons: they’re all extinct with not much the average citizen could do to bring them back. But a Sun Prairie gardener wasn’t going to let that happen to his favorite tomato.
When gardeners started reported back in 2003 that they couldn’t find Wisconsin 55 seeds from commercial suppliers or wasn’t producing the right fruit, Sun Prairie gardener Martin Longseth knew he could help.
The 79-year-old gardener has been saving and trading seeds all his life and had Wisconsin 55 seeds from his own plants since the 1980s. Longseth planted a crop, analyzed the fruit to make sure it was pure and then dried and started distributing the seeds worldwide at no charge, as far away as Australia, through private seed savers.
“I felt that I had done a really good job of helping my old friend recover from its near death,” Longseth said.
Wisconsin 55 was bred in the 1940s by J.C. Walker at the University of Wisconsin, specifically to flourish in the state’s cooler climate and be blight resistant. The variety has become popular with gardeners for its reliability and versatility.
“It’s really a good all-purpose tomato, for slicing, canning, juice and making spaghetti sauce,” Longseth said.
Longseth also grows Wisconsin 55 Gold that he received from a friend who got it from Dr. Robert Raabe, a University of California-Berkeley professor who got the seeds from a local field when he was a student at the University of Wisconsin.
Longseth said Wisconsin 55 is one of his favorites, but he’s always looking over the horizon to discover more tomatoes.
Last year, Longseth grew 160 tomato plants and more than 80 varieties.
It’s been a lifelong passion. When he was just an infant, his mother used to sit him in a cardboard box while she did her gardening — and often found him toddling along the rows of vegetables digging in the dirt and picking weeds.
So planting and finding new vegetables is a passion for him.
“If you go to a seed company, you can get maybe 40-50 varieties but there are maybe 30,000-40,000 tomato varieties in the world. It’s fun to see what you get, there are different shapes and colors,” said Longseth, who grows stripe, pink, yellow and blue tomatoes.
Besides being economical, seed saver gardeners help preserve the germplasm—the genetics. Longseth said that could be salvation if blights or pests destroy certain tomato crops.
He points to the importance of seed vaults, such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault set up by the Norway government, that preserve seeds from all over the world in its cold and dry rock vaults for crop diversity and food security.
And every day, once extinct seeds are popping up.
National Geographic reported that 32,000-year-old-seeds, buried by an Ice Age squirrel, were found and produced a long ago flowering plant. That report inspires the possibility for Longseth.
“They can take seeds out of a wooly mammoth’s stomach and plant them,” Longseth said.
Seed saving allows gardeners to bypass genetically modified seeds that are produced by big companies.
It also allows gardeners to be “breeders” of seeds, Longseth said. He’s produced a crossing of two varieties and created the Paquebot Roma. Some on seed saver forums say it’s the best tomato they’ve ever raised.
Longseth starts in tomato seeds in March and encourages others to do the same.
“Save your seeds, with tomatoes start out with non-hybrid, if you plant hybrids you may get anything,” Longseth said.
Longseth, like all gardeners, is looking forward to eating fresh tomatoes again—he admits that he has to succumb and go to the grocery store to get some when his wife requests it for their monthly taco night.
“It’s not the same, but what are you going to do? Tomato season in Wisconsin is only a couple of months, so it’s what are we going to do for the other nine months,” he said.
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ENTRY: JANUARY 25, 2018 (Japanese Maples with Leaves in January?)
Here we are at the end of January and as I look out of my living room window I take note that my Japanese maple has lost hardly any leaves. It’s especially interesting in that last weekend while visiting friends in Appleton, I noticed that their very mature and very protected Japanese maple also still had its leaves. Though brown and crisp, the leaves are holding tight to the branches. Concerned that our trees might might be diseased or dying I did a bit some online investigating for an answer. I found this interesting and informative question and answer article in a blog post by George Weigel from pennlive.com
Question: I have a Japanese maple that has been in my front yard and perfectly healthy since before we purchased our home almost 25 years ago. Every fall, the purple leaves turn red and almost on cue, they all fall off the tree within three days, covering the ground in a carpet of red. But not this year.
Here it is, almost the end of the year, and every leaf is completely brown but still attached to the tree. This is very puzzling. I’m not sure if this means a problem with the tree and not sure if others have had this problem as well this year.
Answer: I’ve seen a good bit of that this fall with Japanese maples (as well as barberries, hydrangeas, weigelas and more), so you’re not alone. The failure to drop leaves isn’t a good sign, but I don’t think it’s going to be a serious or deadly threat.
What I suspect happened is that the cold spell we had in early November froze maple-leaf and maple-twig cells before they had a chance to complete their normal winter-prepping process.
As days shorten and temperatures gradually cool, leaves stop producing chlorophyll and expose the pigments that give maples their bright red fall foliage. At the same time, the branches start to form “abscission” cells that push off the dying leaves (aided by wind) and seal the little openings where the stems attach.
A sudden cold snap can short-circuit that process. Not only does the leaf color go directly from green to brown, the leaves stay attached because abscission tissue hadn’t sufficiently developed.
Some botanists suggest that small, understory trees like Japanese maples are more prone to this abnormal leaf-hanging because they take longer to get ready for winter with the protection of taller trees overhead.
Other species do this routinely… keep their leaves through most of winter. Oak, beech and hornbeam are three species that often hold brown leaves all winter.
The main thing I’d be concerned about is if wind rips the leaves off in early winter, leaving behind not-quite-sealed openings that normal abscission would’ve prevented. That could lead to more moisture loss from the tree than normal. When combined with the very dry September and drier-than-usual October, that’s not an ideal situation.
Here’s what I’d do: 1.) Don’t try to remove the brown leaves by hand; 2.) Don’t spray anything on the tree or fertilize it over winter, and 3.) Give the ground a good soaking once or twice over winter if we hit a dry, unfrozen period.
The brown leaves should drop on their own at winter’s end when new leaves start growing. Unless your tree has other issues or has gone exceptionally dry for too long, my guess is that it’ll go back to growing normally next spring.
A note: As mentioned in the post, Madison did have an extreme cold spell in early November with a record low of 9º F on the morning of November 10; this after a mild and dry October.
KLEIN’S RECIPES OF THE MONTH—These are a selection of relatively simple recipes chosen by our staff. New recipes appear monthly. Enjoy!!
Few vegetarian meals could be simpler to make or more comforting than slices of marinated baked tofu over a bed of rice, stir-fried vegetables or noodles. Packaged prepared versions are available in the tofu section of any market, but homemade versions tend to be more flavorful and moist…and you get to control the ingredients to boot. Below are some favorite marinated baked tofu recipes from the Klein’s staff.
GINGER TAMARI MARINATED BAKED TOFU–This recipe first appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal in July 2002.
1/2 cup tamari (Japanese soy sauce, available in all stores)
2 1/2 cups water
4 cloves pressed or minced garlic
2 TBS grated ginger
1-2 lbs. firm tofu
Cooked rice or stir fried vegetables of choice
Combine the tamari, water, garlic and ginger in a bowl and pour into a shallow glass pan or baking dish for marinating. Cut the tofu into 1/3” thick slices and place in a single layer in the marinade. Allow to marinate at least 30 minutes or more. Preheat the oven to 350º. Lightly oil one or more baking sheets. When ready, place the tofu on the sheet(s) in a single layer. Bake 20 minutes until the top is browning and slightly drying. Flip and bake 10 minutes more until browning and slightly drying. Serve over rice or stir fried vegetables. Simply lay the slices over the top and serve with Asian condiments of choice.
SAVORY MARINATED BAKED TOFU—One of many recipes from Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero.
1 lb. super-firm tofu, cut into 8 slices
3 TBS. soy sauce
2 TBS. canola oil
1 TBS. agave nectar or maple syrup
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 425º. Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients and pour into a 9” x 13” glass baking dish. Place the sliced tofu in the marinade, flipping a few times to coat well. Bake the tofu in the marinade 20 minutes. Flip the tofu slices and bake 20 minutes more until almost all of the marinade is absorbed and the tofu is golden. Serve over rice or stir fried vegetables. Simply lay the slices over the top and serve with Asian condiments of choice. One pound tofu serves 2-4.
MEDITERRANEAN MARINATED BAKED TOFU—Another delicious recipe from Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero.
1 lb. super-firm tofu, cut into 8 slices
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup white wine
2 TBS. lemon juice
2 TBS. olive oil
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chile powder for a Mexican twist if desired
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 425º. Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients and pour into a 9” x 13” glass baking dish. Place the sliced tofu in the marinade, flipping a few times to coat well. Bake the tofu in the marinade 20 minutes. Flip the tofu slices and bake 20 minutes more until almost all of the marinade is absorbed and the tofu is golden. Serve over rice or cooked vegetables. Simply lay the slices over the top and serve with other Mediterranean (or Latin American) sides. One pound tofu serves 2-4.
AMAZING HOMEMADE BAKED MARINATED TOFU—A classic from Epicurious.com.
14- to 16- ounce tub firm or extra- firm tofu
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine, cooking sherry, vegetable broth, or water
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon agave nectar or other liquid sweetener
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh or jarred ginger, or more to taste
Fresh or dried thyme leaves (either regular or lemon thyme) or fresh or dried oregano leaves to taste
Drain the tofu and cut into 8 slabs crosswise. Blot well between paper towels or clean kitchen towels.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Arrange the tofu slices in a single layer in a shallow container or baking dish and pour enough marinade over them to cover. Let stand for an hour or two—the longer the better.
Shortly before you’d like to bake the tofu, preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the tofu slices from the marinade and transfer to a parchment-lined baking pan in a single layer.
Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the slices and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the tofu is firm and starting to turn light brown along the edges. Serves 3-4.
Variations:
—Add 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (or more to taste) to the marinade for a subtle smoky flavor.
—Instead of baking, cook these tofu slices on a grill. About 5 minutes per side should do, making sure there are nice grill marks on each side.
AFRICAN MARINATED BAKED TOFU—Yet another recipe from Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero.
1 lb. super-firm tofu, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable broth
2 TBS. fresh lime juice
2 TBS. olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp. fresh or jarred grated ginger
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp.salt
Add a bit of favorite Middle East spice blend if desired for increased flavor.
Preheat oven to 425º. Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients and pour into a 9” x 13” glass baking dish. Place the sliced tofu in the marinade, flipping a few times to coat well. Bake the tofu in the marinade 20 minutes. Flip the tofu slices and bake 20 minutes more until almost all of the marinade is absorbed and the tofu is golden. Serve over rice or Middle Eastern or African sides of choice. One pound tofu serves 2-4.
NATURAL NEWS–
Celebrate the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans and Squash
by Alice Formiga @ www.reneesgarden.com
According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and squash are three inseparable sisters who only grow and thrive together. This tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds, widespread among Native American farming societies, is a sophisticated, sustainable system that provided long-term soil fertility and a healthy diet to generations. Growing a Three Sisters garden is a wonderful way to feel more connected to the history of this land, regardless of our ancestry.
Corn, beans and squash were among the first important crops domesticated by ancient Mesoamerican societies. Corn was the primary crop, providing more calories or energy per acre than any other. According to Three Sisters legends corn must grow in community with other crops rather than on its own – it needs the beneficial company and aide of its companions.
The Iroquois believe corn, beans and squash are precious gifts from the Great Spirit, each watched over by one of three sisters spirits, called the De-o-ha-ko, or Our Sustainers”. The planting season is marked by ceremonies to honor them, and a festival commemorates the first harvest of green corn on the cob. By retelling the stories and performing annual rituals, Native Americans passed down the knowledge of growing, using and preserving the Three Sisters through generations.
Corn provides a natural pole for bean vines to climb. Beans fix nitrogen on their roots, improving the overall fertility of the plot by providing nitrogen to the following years corn. Bean vines also help stabilize the corn plants, making them less vulnerable to blowing over in the wind. Shallow-rooted squash vines become a living mulch, shading emerging weeds and preventing soil moisture from evaporating, thereby improving the overall crops chances of survival in dry years. Spiny squash plants also help discourage predators from approaching the corn and beans. The large amount of crop residue from this planting combination can be incorporated back into the soil at the end of the season, to build up the organic matter and improve its structure.
Corn, beans and squash also complement each other nutritionally. Corn provides carbohydrates, the dried beans are rich in protein, balancing the lack of necessary amino acids found in corn. Finally, squash yields both vitamins from the fruit and healthful, delicious oil from the seeds.
Native Americans kept this system in practice for centuries without the modern conceptual vocabulary we use today, i.e. soil nitrogen, vitamins, etc. They often look for signs in their environment that indicate the right soil temperature and weather for planting corn, i.e. when the Canada geese return or the dogwood leaves reach the size of a squirrels ear. You may wish to record such signs as you observe in your garden and neighborhood so that, depending on how well you judged the timing, you can watch for them again next season!
Early European settlers would certainly never have survived without the gift of the Three Sisters from the Native Americans, the story behind our Thanksgiving celebration. Celebrating the importance of these gifts, not only to the Pilgrims but also to civilizations around the globe that readily adopted these New World crops, adds meaning to modern garden practices
Success with a Three Sisters garden involves careful attention to timing, seed spacing, and varieties. In many areas, if you simply plant all three in the same hole at the same time, the result will be a snarl of vines in which the corn gets overwhelmed!
Instructions for Planting Your Own Three Sisters Garden in a 10 x 10 square
When to plant:
Sow seeds any time after spring night temperatures are in the 50 degree range, up through June.
Sow seeds any time after spring night temperatures are in the 50 degree range, up through June.
What to plant:
Corn must be planted in several rows rather than one long row to ensure adequate pollination. Choose pole beans or runner beans and a squash or pumpkin variety with trailing vines, rather than a compact bush.
Corn must be planted in several rows rather than one long row to ensure adequate pollination. Choose pole beans or runner beans and a squash or pumpkin variety with trailing vines, rather than a compact bush.
Note: A 10 x 10 foot square of space for your Three Sisters garden is the minimum area needed to ensure good corn pollination. If you have a small garden, you can plant fewer mounds, but be aware that you may not get good full corn ears as a result.
How to plant:
1. Choose a site in full sun (minimum 6-8 hours/day of direct sunlight throughout the growing season). Amend the soil with plenty of compost or aged manure, since corn is a heavy feeder and the nitrogen from your beans will not be available to the corn during the first year. With string, mark off three ten-foot rows, five feet apart.
2. In each row, make your corn/bean mounds. The center of each mound should be 5 feet apart from the center of the next. Each mound should be 18 across with flattened tops. The mounds should be staggered in adjacent rows.
Note: The Iroquois and others planted the three sisters in raised mounds about 4 inches high, in order to improve drainage and soil warmth; to help conserve water, you can make a small crater at the top of your mounds so the water doesn’t drain off the plants quickly. Raised mounds were not built in dry, sandy areas where soil moisture conservation was a priority, for example in parts of the southwest. There, the three sisters were planted in beds with soil raised around the edges, so that water would collect in the beds. In other words, adjust the design of your bed according to your climate and soil type.
3.Plant 4 corn seeds in each mound in a 6 in square.
4. When the corn is 4 inches tall, its time to plant the beans and squash. First, weed the entire patch. Then plant 4 bean seeds in each corn mound. They should be 3 in apart from the corn plants, completing the square.
5. Build your squash mounds in each row between each corn/bean mound. Make them the same size as the corn/bean mounds. Plant 3 squash seeds, 4 in. apart in a triangle in the middle of each mound.
6. When the squash seedlings emerge, thin them to 2 plants per mound. You may have to weed the area several times until the squash take over and shade new weeds.
FEBRUARY’S PLANT OF THE MONTH:
‘ZZ PLANT’ (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
There are few houseplants available tougher than the ZZ plant. This plant appeared on the market not so many years ago and has already invaded offices and shopping centers around the country–a testimony to their tough-as-nails reputation. They tolerate low light, dry air and infrequent watering and are completely resistant to common insect pests. In addition, the ZZ plant is very attractive and very long lived. Klein’s usually carries ZZ plants in 6” and larger pot sizes and are usually available for special order from our vendors.
Common name: “Fat Boy” “ZZ Plant” or “Eternity Plant”
Latin name: Zamioculcas zamiifolia
Native to: East Africa, Zanzibar
Growth habit: A low growing plant that may extend beyond the container 6″ to 8″.
Flowers: Yes, occasionally
Temps: Normal indoor temps
Humidity: Not critical.
Pests: We have yet to see a ZZ plant with insect pests.
Lighting: Low light through bright light–not fussy!
Houseplant Cultural information: If your in the market for a really neat plant that is hardy, requires very little care and truly easy to grow, pickup a ZZ plant the next time you visit the local greenhouse (aka Klein’s). ZZ is also called the Eternity Plant because it lasts an eternity.
What makes the ZZ plant so easy to grow is that it thrives in nearly any lighting condition except total darkness. It doesn’t get bugs. The ZZ plant requires a minimum of care in terms of watering and fertilizing.
The reason the ZZ plant requires very little is because the plant grows from a large tuber similar to a potato that stores water every time the plant is watered. This tuber acts like a little reservoir giving up its water as the plant needs it. With this in mind, let the soil dry down completely between waterings. Then water thoroughly all the way around the plant allowing plenty of water to run from the drain holes into the drip tray. If the ZZ plant has not taken up the excess water in the drip tray within a couple of hours it should be remove to help prevent root rot.
Zamioculcas zamiifolia is not a heavy feeder and will get by just fine if feed about 4 times per year.
ZZ plants are easy to propagate. Simply remove the plant from the pot and break the tubers away from each other. Replant the tubers in any good well drained houseplant potting soil. Water in the transplants and set them in bright indirect light. That’s it!
ZZ plants are a bit more expensive than other houseplants… but they are well worth the small investment.
AROUND TOWN:
For neighborhood events or garden tours that you would like posted in our monthly newsletter, please contact Rick at (608) 244-5661 or rick@kleinsfloral.com or Sue at sue@kleinsfloral.com. Please include all details, i.e. dates, locations, prices, brief description, etc. Events must be garden related and must take place in the Madison vicinity and we must receive your information by the first of the month in which the event takes place for it to appear in that month’s newsletter. This is a great opportunity for free advertising.
31st Annual Orchid Quest 2018
Saturday, February 3, 10:00-4:00
Sunday, February 4, 10:00-3:00
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
In the middle of winter it is so delightful to be surrounded by the colorful and exotic fragrance of the world at a handy and comfortable location—new this year at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. It will be the 31st year for the Madison Orchid Growers Guild to host Orchid Quest.
You will be able to find everything you need to take care of your new orchid plants including literature, growing media, fertilizer, orchid pots, and more. Come see this multidimensional show. Visit www.orchidguild.org for more details. Admission and parking free.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
3330 Atwood Ave., Madison
608/246-4550 or www.olbrich.org for details.
Forest Garden Design
Tuesday, February 6, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Class
This permaculture technique can help you grow plants for food, fuel, and more. Learn about site considerations, plant guilds, plant selection, mushroom cultivation, and garden designs. Plant lists and resources provided. Bring yard plan for discussion. Indoor class. Instructors: Marian Farrior, Arboretum outreach specialist, and Amy Jo Dusick, Arboretum naturalist. Fee: $30. Register by January 29.
The cost is $30. Registration is required for this event. Register @ https://arboretum.wisc.edu/
University of Wisconsin Arboretum
1207 Seminole Highway
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888 or arboretum.wisc.edu/ for details.
25th Annual Wisconsin Public Television Garden Expo
Friday, February 9, 12:00-8:00
Saturday, February 10, 9:00-6:00
Sunday, February 11, 10:00-4:00
Garden Expo is a midwinter oasis for people ready to venture out and dig their hands in the dirt. Now in it’s 25th year, this three-day event celebrates the latest trends in gardening and landscaping. Join other gardening enthusiasts to share ideas, gain inspiration and create something new. All proceeds support Wisconsin Public Television.
Things to do at the Garden Expo;
-Learn something new at one of the more than 150 free educational seminars and stage demonstrations.
-Visit with hundreds of businesses, independent contractors, nonprofits and artists to share ideas and learn about the newest in gardening, landscaping and local foods.
-Discuss innovative gardening techniques with UW-Extension horticulture experts.
-Relax with a casual walk through the central garden—courtesy of Wisconsin Nursery & Landscape Association
-Purchase seeds, tools and everything else you need to be ready when the trees bud and the ground thaws.
-Attend the Sunday farmers’ market, featuring farmers, food artisans and local food retailers.
Tickets cost $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Two and three-day passes are available for added savings. Advance tickets are available at Klein’s. Visit www.wigardenexpo.com for more information.
Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall
1919 Alliant Energy Center Way
Madison, WI 53713
2018 Green Thumb Gardening Series
Thrusdays, February 22 thru April 19, 6:30-9:00
Dane County UW-Extension Office, 5201 Fen Oak Dr, Suite 138
The Green Thumb Gardening class series will give you the practical knowledge to keep your home garden thriving! University of Wisconsin Extension educators and local horticulture experts will provide in depth and accessible information for everyone from the novice to the experienced gardener.
In Spring 2018, classes will be held Thursday evenings, Feb. 22nd – April 19th from 6:30-9:00pm at the Dane County UW-Extension office. Register for the complete class series at a discounted price or individual classes according to your interests.
2018 CLASS TOPICS:
February 22 – Native Plants for Gardens & Pollinators
Frank Hassler of Good Oak Ecological Services will discuss native prairie plants for gardens and some of the best plants to choose to attract butterflies and other pollinators.
March 1– Wisconsin Wildlife in the Home Garden
David Drake, UW-Madison Wildlife Ecologist, will discuss desirable and non-desirable wildlife in the garden. He will focus on creating wildlife habitat, pest exclusion, and control strategies.
March 8– Vegetable Garden Planning & Techniques
Dane County UWEX Small-Scale and Organic Produce Educator Claire Strader will cover organic techniques for growing vegetables, with an emphasis on practical strategies for a successful harvest.
March 15– Vegetable Families, Pests & Diseases
Learn about common vegetable families, best growing practices, and how to prevent common pests and diseases. Taught by Joe Muellenberg & Lisa Johnson, Dane County UW-Extension Horticulture Program.
March 22– Garden Landscape Design
Ben Futa, Director at Allen Centennial Garden, will cover fundamentals and elements of landscape design for your annual or perennial home garden.
March 29– Composting & Soil Composition
This class covers soil types, nutrients, pH, organic matter, fertilizers, improving soil fertility, art & science of composting, and best composting practices. Taught by Joe Muellenberg & Lisa Johnson, Dane County UW-Extension Horticulture Program.
April 5 – Diseases in the Home Garden
Learn how to prevent and manage diseases that afflict a variety of plants in the home garden. Taught by Lisa Johnson, Dane County UW-Extension Horticulture Educator.
April 12– Growing Berries
Learn how to propagate and cultivate a variety of berry fruits in the your home garden. Taught by Lisa Johnson, Dane County UW-Extension Horticulture Educator.
April 19– Weeds & Invasive Plant Management
Learn how to prevent and manage common weeds in the home garden as well as identification and control of terrestrial invasive species in Wisconsin. Taught by Lisa Johnson, Dane County UW-Extension Horticulture Program.
April 26– Annual & Perennial Flowers
Learn general techniques for selecting, planting, and caring for annuals and perennials. The session will also highlight new and recommended varieties. Taught by Lisa Johnson, Dane County UW-Extension Horticulture Program.
Dane County University of Wisconsin-Extension
5201 Fen Oak Dr, Suite 138
Dane County Late Winter Farmer’s Market
Saturdays, January 6 thru April 7, 8:00-noon
Madison Senior Center
330 W. Mifflin
For details visit www.dcfm.org
FEBRUARY IN THE GARDEN—A checklist of things to do this month.
___Check perennials for heaving during warm spells. Remulch as needed.
___Continue bringing out your cooled forced bulbs for indoor enjoyment.
___Inspect stored summer bulbs like dahlias, cannas and glads for rotting.
___Check for and treat for pests on plants brought in from the garden.
___Keep birdfeeders full. Clean periodically with soap and water.
___Repair and clean out birdhouses. Early arrivals will be here soon!
___Inventory last year’s leftover seeds before ordering or buying new ones.
___Order seeds and plants. Some of our very favorite seed and plant sources include:
___Visit Klein’s—it’s green, it’s warm, it’s colorful—it’s always spring.
Some of our very favorite seed and plant sources include:
For seeds:
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds @ www.rareseeds.com or 417/924-8887
Burpee @ www.burpee.com or 800/888-1447
Harris Seeds @ www.harrisseeds.com or 800/514-4441
Johnny’s Select Seeds @ www.johnnyseeds.com or 207/861-3901
Jung’s Seeds @ www.jungseed.com or 800/247-5864
Park’s Seeds @ www.parkseed.com or 800/845-3369
Pinetree @ www.superseeds.com or 207/926-3400
Seeds of Change @ www.seedsofchange.com or 888/762-7333
Seed Savers @ www.seedsavers.org or 563/382-5990
Select Seeds @ www.selectseeds.com or 800/684-0395
Territorial Seeds @ www.territorialseed.com or 888/657-3131
Thompson & Morgan @ www.thompson-morgan.com or 800/274-7333
For bulbs:
Brent & Becky’s Bulbs @ www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com or 877/661-2852
Colorblends @ www.colorblends.com or 888/847-8637
John Scheeper’s @ www.johnscheepers.com or 860/567-0838
McClure & Zimmerman @ www.mzbulb.com or 800/883-6998
For plants:
High Country Gardens @ www.highcountrygardens.com or 800/925-9387
Logee’s Greenhouses @ www.logees.com or 888/330-8038
Plant Delights Nursery @ www.plantdelights.com or 912/772-4794
Roots and Rhizomes @ www.rootsrhizomes.com or 800/374-5035
Wayside Gardens @ www.waysidegardens.com or 800/213-0379
White Flower Farm @ www.whiteflowerfarm.com or 800/503-9624
Note: To receive every possible seed, plant or garden supply catalog imaginable, check out Cyndi’s Catalog of Garden Catalogs @ www.gardenlist.com. Most catalogs are free and make for great winter reading!
BEHIND THE SCENES AT KLEIN’S—This is a sneak peek of what is going on each month behind the scenes in our greenhouses. Many people are unaware that our facility operates year round or that we have 10 more greenhouses on the property in addition to the 6 open for retail. At any given moment we already have a jump on the upcoming season–be it poinsettias in July, geraniums in December or fall mums in May.
IN FEBRUARY:
—We’re readying ourselves for two of our year’s biggest events–Garden Expo and Valentine’s Day. For Garden Expo, we’ve readied our displays and the plants we’re selling are bursting with color. For Valentine’s Day, we’re awaiting the onslaught by prepping the thousands of additional cut flowers, unpacking all the beautiful vases and containers, ordering hundreds of blooming plants and securing additional delivery vehicles and staff.
—Spring plants begin arriving enforce! After Valentine’s Day the first spring bedding annuals arrive. Pansies, violas and dianthus plugs are popped into cell packs so they’re ready for early April sales.
—We’re planting up our thousands of mixed annuals hanging baskets. The geranium hanging baskets planted in January are filling out and almost ready for their first pinching and shaping.
—We reopen greenhouses in our back range as needed. They’ve been shut down to save on heat and eliminate pest problems.
—The deadline approaches for Easter orders. Dozens of area churches order lilies, tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, mums, hydrangeas and azaleas for Easter delivery.
—Spring product begins arriving for unpacking and pricing–the pots, the tools, the sundries. We need to have everything priced and ready to go by April 1.
—We continue to access our needs for spring staffing and try to have the new people in place and trained by March 1. March and April are the busiest months behind the scenes in the greenhouse and we rely on a dedicated, hardworking team to have everything ready for the customer come May 1 and the spring onslaught.
PERMANENT FEATURES–
KLEIN’S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Have our monthly newsletter e-mailed to you automatically by signing up on the right side of our home page. We’ll offer monthly tips, greenhouse news and tidbits, specials and recipes. . .everything you need to know from your favorite Madison greenhouse. And tell your friends. It’s easy to do.
THE MAD GARDENER–“Madison’s Firsthand Source for Expert Gardening Advice”
Ask us your gardening questions by e-mailing us at madgardener@kleinsfloral.com. Klein’s in-house Mad Gardener will e-mail you with an answer as promptly as we can. The link is posted on our home page and in all newsletters.
We can only answer those questions pertaining to gardening in Southern Wisconsin and we reserve the right to leave correspondence unanswered at our discretion. Please allow 2-3 days for a response.
TO WRITE A REVIEW OF KLEIN’S, PLEASE LINK TO
FACEBOOK
Follow Klein’s on Facebook where we post updates and photos on a regular basis.
TWITTER
Join Klein’s on Twitter where we post company updates and photos on a regular basis.
SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT
We offer a 10% Off Senior Citizen Discount every Tuesday to those 62 and above. This discount is not in addition to other discounts or sales. Please mention that you are a senior before we ring up your purchases. Does not apply to wire out orders or services, i.e. delivery, potting, etc.
RECYCLING POTS & TRAYS
Plastic flower pots and garden edging can now be recycled as part of the City of Madison’s rigid plastic program. Flowerpots and edging must be free of dirt and can be placed in your green recycling bin. For more information call 267-2626 or visit www.cityofmadison.com/streets/
KLEIN’S “BLOOMING PLANT OR FRESH FLOWER CLUB”
Send or receive 3 month’s, 6 month’s or a whole year’s worth of seasonal blooming plants or fresh flower arrangements and SAVE!!
There’s no easier way to give gorgeous blooming plants or fresh flower arrangements, month after month. Each month a seasonal blooming plant or fresh arrangement will arrive on yours or a loved one’s doorstep. You choose the start date and we’ll make your special delivery the very same day each month.
For just $75, $150 or $300, respectively, we’ll send 3 month’s, 6 month’s or a year’s worth of seasonal blooming plants–perhaps a bulb garden or azalea in the spring, one of our famous large geraniums or a tropical hibiscus in the summer, a chrysanthemum or Thanksgiving cactus in the fall or one of our homegrown poinsettias or cyclamen for the holidays and winter months. Selection of the blooming plant will be based on availability.
And for just $90, $175 or $350, respectively, receive one of Klein’s lovely fresh floral arrangements. All arrangements will be seasonal and will contain only the freshest flowers. All arrangements are Designer’s Choice, but are sure to satisfy the most discerning lover of fresh flowers.
Prices include delivery within our delivery area. Enclosure cards will accompany all gift deliveries if desired. For delivery details visit the “Permanent Features” section of our newsletter below. If your chosen delivery date happens to fall on a Sunday or holiday, we will deliver it on the next available delivery day. All regular delivery conditions apply.
Join our Blooming Plant or Fresh Flower Club by calling Klein’s at 608/244-5661 or 888/244-5661 or by stopping in. We request that payment be made in full before the first delivery and prices do not include sales tax.
DELIVERY INFO
Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses delivers daily, except Sundays, throughout all of Madison and much of Dane County including: Cottage Grove, DeForest, Fitchburg, Maple Bluff, Marshall, McFarland, Middleton, Monona, Oregon, Shorewood Hills, Sun Prairie, Verona, Waunakee and Windsor. We do not deliver to Cambridge, Columbus, Deerfield or Stoughton.
Current delivery rate on 1-4 items is $7.95 for Madison, Maple Bluff, Monona and Shorewood Hills; $8.95 for Cottage Grove, DeForest, Fitchburg, McFarland, Sun Prairie, Waunakee and Windsor; and $9.95 for Marshall, Middleton, Oregon and Verona. An additional $3.00 will be added for deliveries of 4-10 items and $5.00 added for deliveries of more than 10 items. For deliveries requiring more than one trip, a separate delivery charge will be added for each trip.
A minimum order of $25.00 is required for delivery.
We not only deliver our fabulous fresh flowers, but also houseplants, bedding plants and hardgoods. There may be an extra charge for very large or bulky items.
Delivery to the Madison hospitals is $5.95. Deliveries to the four Madison hospitals are made during the early afternoon. Items are delivered to the hospital’s volunteer rooms and not directly to the patients’ rooms per hospital rules.
There is no delivery charge for funerals in the city of Madison or Monona, although normal rates apply for morning funeral deliveries to Madison’s west side (west of Park St.). Our normal rates also apply for funeral deliveries in the surrounding communities at all times. Although we don’t deliver on Sundays, we will deliver funeral items on Sundays at the regular delivery rate.
Morning delivery is guaranteed to the following Madison zip codes, but only if requested: 53703, 53704, 53714, 53716, 53718 and Cottage Grove, DeForest, Maple Bluff, Marshall, McFarland, Monona, Sun Prairie, Waunakee and Windsor.
We begin our delivery day at 8:00 a.m. and end at approximately 3:00 p.m. We do not usually deliver after 4:00 unless specific exceptions are made with our drivers.
Except for holidays, the following west-side zip codes and communities are delivered only during the afternoon: 53705, 53706, 53711, 53713, 53717, 53719, 53726, Fitchburg, Middleton, Oregon, Shorewood Hills and Verona.
During holidays (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc.) we are able to make morning deliveries to all of the above areas. We are not able to take closely timed deliveries on any holiday due to the sheer volume of such requests.
It’s best to give us a range of time and we’ll try our absolute hardest. Orders for same day delivery must be placed by 12:30 p.m. or by 2:30 p.m. for Madison zip codes 53704 and 53714.
DEPARTMENT HEADS: Please refer all questions, concerns or feedback in the following departments to their appropriate supervisor.
Phone: 608/244-5661 or 888/244-5661
Horticulturalist & General Manager–Jamie VandenWymelenberg jamie@kleinsfloral.com
Accounts, Billing and Purchasing—Kathryn Derauf kathryn@kleinsfloral.com
Delivery Supervisor & Newsletter Coordinator—Rick Halbach rick@kleinsfloral.com
Owner, Floral Designer & Purchasing—Sue Klein sue@kleinsfloral.com
RELATED RESOURCES AND WEB SITES
University of Wisconsin Extension
1 Fen Oak Ct. #138
Madison, WI 53718
Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic
Dept. of Plant Pathology
1630 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Insect Diagnostic Lab
240 Russell Labs
1630 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
U.W. Soil and Plant Analysis Lab
8452 Mineral Point Rd.
Verona, WI 53593
American Horticultural Society
Garden Catalogs (an extensive list with links)
Invasive Species
Community Groundworks
3601 Memorial Dr., Ste. 4
Madison, WI 53704
Madison Area Master Gardeners (MAMGA)
Wisconsin Master Gardeners Program
Department of Horticulture
1575 Linden Drive
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Madison, WI 53706
The Wisconsin Gardener
Allen Centennial Gardens
620 Babcock Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
3330 Atwood Ave.
Madison, WI 53704
Rotary Gardens
1455 Palmer Dr.
Janesville, WI 53545
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
University of Wisconsin-West Madison
Agricultural Research Center
8502 Mineral Point Rd.
Verona, WI 53593
PLANTS POISONOUS TO CHILDREN:
Children may find the bright colors and different textures of plants irresistible, but some plants can be poisonous if touched or eaten. If you’re in doubt about whether or not a plant is poisonous, don’t keep it in your home. The risk is not worth it. The following list is not comprehensive, so be sure to seek out safety information on the plants in your home to be safe.
•Bird of paradise
•Bull nettle
•Castor bean
•Chinaberry tree
•Crocus
•Daffodil
•Deadly nightshade
•Dieffenbachia (dumb cane)
•Foxglove
•Glory lily
•Hemlock
•Holly berry
•Indian tobacco
•Iris
•Jimsonweed
•Lantana
•Larkspur
•Lily of the valley
•Marijuana
•Mescal bean
•Mexicantes
•Mistletoe
•Morning glory
•Mountain laurel
•Night-blooming jasmine
•Nutmeg
•Oleander
•Philodendron
•Poison ivy
•Poison sumac
•Pokeweed
•Poppy
•Potato
•Privet
•Rhododendron
•Rhubarb
•Water hemlock
•Wisteria
PLANTS POISONOUS TO PETS:
Below is a list of some of the common plants which may produce a toxic reaction in animals. This list is intended only as a guide to plants which are generally identified as having the capability for producing a toxic reaction. Source: The National Humane Society website @ http://www.humanesociety.org/
•Aconite
•Apple
•Arrowgrasses
•Autumn Crocus
•Azaleas
•Baneberry
•Bird-of-Paradise
•Black locust
•Bloodroot
•Box
•Buckeye
•Buttercup
•Caladium
•Carolina jessamine
•Castor bean
•Chinaberry tree
•Chockcherries
•Christmas berry
•Christmas Rose
•Common privet
•Corn cockle
•Cowbane
•Cow cockle
•Cowsliprb
•Daffodil
•Daphne
•Day lily
•Delphinium (Larkspur)
•Dumbcane
•Dutchman’s breeches
•Easter lily
•Elderberry
•Elephant’s ear
•English Ivy
•European Bittersweet
•Field peppergrass
•Foxglove
•Holly
•Horsechestnut
•Horse nettle
•Hyacinth
•Iris
•Jack-in-the-pulpit
•Jerusalem Cherry
•Jimsonweed
•Lantana
•Larkspur
•Laurels
•Lily of the valley
•Lupines
•Mayapple
•Milk vetch
•Mistletoe
•Monkshood
•Morning glory
•Mustards
•Narcissus
•Nicotiana
•Nightshade
•Oaks
•Oleander
•Philodendrons
•Pokeweed
•Poinsettia
•Poison hemlock
•Potato
•Rhododendron
•Rhubarb
•Rosary pea
•Sago palm
•Skunk cabbage
•Smartweeds
•Snow-on-the-mountain
•Sorghum
•Star of Bethlehem
•Wild black cherry
•Wild radish
•Wisteria
•Yellow jessamine
•Yew