April News: Container Garden Class, Bud Tip, Combo of the Week 2015
Bring on Spring! It's time to have some gardening fun.
Saturday, April 18, 10am
Sign up and join us for this perennial favorite for gardeners. Learn basic tips and techniques for making your own beautiful container gardens. Bring a pot and let us help you plant your container right there! We’ll keep it safe from frost and when it’s time, you can pick it up with a month’s growth already underway. Bring your buddies and make it a morning get together.
Sauk Valley Shop Small is celebrating National Small Business Week all month long with the Shop Small Passport Giveaway. Between April 13 and May 9 make a purchase at your favorite Sauk Valley Shop Small business and get your Shop Small Passport stamped to enter for a chance to win one of four $100 gift certificates good at any participating Sauk Valley Shop Small business. Winners will be announced on May 10.
Distinctive Gardens is going to do an additional drawing for our Passport customers for a free hanging basket.
Participating businesses in Sterling are: Bushel Basket Candle Company, Sauk Valley Reiki, Beautiful You Boutique, Golden Key Gifts, Tuff Dog Bakery, Candy Bouquet, Merle Norman, Air Play Sports, Showplace Antiques and SBM. Dixon participants include: Distinctive Gardens, Reagan Home Gift Shop, Dixon Furniture Mart, The Audio Video Connection, Petals to Parties, Roxie's.
ABOUT SAUK VALLEY SHOP SMALL
Sauk Valley Shop Small is a grassroots alliance of area small, independently owned businesses, cultural groups and community organizations seeking to increase community awareness of the benefits of shopping small and to promote each other year-round through the Shop Small Movement, and once a year through, American Express OPEN's Small Business Saturday®
Bud Tip:
April is a great month to divide perennials. Early on, most haven't yet started to actively push out new growth. The daytime temps are still on the cooler side, a good thing for transplants. Usually, the ground is workable as well.
A small square-tipped spade works best. A regular spade will work, but it's a little harder to get in the ground. When you dig your plant, take a good chunk of the surrounding soil. That will help reduce transplant shock. Do it early in the morning before the heat of the day hits. Take your spade and split the chunk down the middle. Hosta are the easiest. They are quite forgiving of having their roots split.
Once divided, plant in the new area and amend with mushroom compost. This will improve the soil, provide nutrients and make it easier for new roots to push their way out into the new ground. Don't forget to water it in and at minimum while it reestablishes, give it a good drink at least once a week depending on rainfall.
If you are dividing plants that have already started growing, remember to prune some of the top growth off. This will make it easier on the plant to adapt because there is less foliage that it's roots will need to feed. Don't be afraid to move a growing perennial. You will just have to water it more than when it is dormant.
Combo of the Week
Combo of the Week starts up on Tax Day and runs through Memorial Day. Each week a different combo goes on special. Recipes are online and updated weekly. Bud has a great new selection of container garden combination ideas lined up and ready to go.
Springfest Open House
Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3
Kick off the gardening season in style! Come on out for food, door prizes, and plants galore. All the latest Heucheras, unusual annuals, perennials, and nursery stock are ready for your perusal.
DISTINCTIVE GARDENS
2020 Lowell Park Road
Dixon, IL
HOURS
By Appointment
Curbside Pick Up
Apr 1- May 31
Nov 15 to Dec 17
Wed, Fri & Sat 10:00 - 5:00
FAQs
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Curbside Pick Up
There are 8 tables that are assigned after your order is placed. We send out an appointment that details your time and table for pick up. Confirm this appointment.
Look for two emails:
- Order Confirmation
- Appointment Email
Appointments offered in 30 minutes appointment blocks. 1:00p, 1:30p etc.
We try to get as close to your preferred Pick Up time as possible. Please confirm by clicking "Confirm Booking" link in your Appointment Email.
If you need to change your appointment please call or message us on Facebook. Thanks!
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Delivery
Order Online. During checkout select "Delivery". Select your preferred date/time. Bud calls everyone to confirm. If you need a special date/time he'll take care of that request during the telephone call. Hope this helps!
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Redeeming Gift Card
During online checkout fill in the 16 digit number on the back of your gift card in the field that says, "Enter Gift Card Number"
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Redeeming Loyalty Points
Make sure you log in to your account in order to see and use your points.
Loyalty points show up during check out. If you have any to use you will see, "Pay Through Loyalty Point. Current Point Balance Is..."
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Ordering Online
We offer online shopping for curbside pick up or delivery depending on time of year.
Check out Instructions
- Select Pick Up or Delivery.
- Select preferred date/time.
- Order Confirmation
- Appointment Email
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Limited quantities. If you put multiples of an item you want and we only have one in stock an alert will pop up on the desktop site telling you it is out of stock. That means the quantity you selected is higher than the available inventory. For example, Tufa Troughs are all unique. There is only one of each. Each week we take an inventory and add back products that might show as sold out. We’re doing this so we don’t oversell by mistake. So our product availability will change weekly.
iPad shopping. We learned that the pop-up screen where you enter your credit card info was a problem for some. At times the credit card fields were way at the top of the screen and some could not see where to enter their information when shopping on an iPad. This happened especially when they had big orders. If you have problems please message our Facebook Page. We’re learning right along with you and want to help.
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VIP Pricing
Special Pricing. Every now and then we run thank you specials for our loyal customers. When we do, special pricing will show only for you once you log in to your account. This special is unique to you.
Instructions
How To Access Special “Thank You” Pricing
- Click “LOG IN”
Or…
If you didn’t create an account when you shopped,
- Click “Forgot Password”
- That will allow you to set up a password and create your account. Then log in. This will gain you access to special pricing.