Target garden departments closing

I took this from another forum. I need potting soil so I might have to go visit!

Target will be closing all garden departments in the US. I heard they are selling alot of things for 30 to 50% off.

The Target store near me has closed their garden section quite a while ago. Now there is a grocery section there. Must go over and check it out, I get a free dozen eggs with coupon they sent me.

The one nearest to me is also lowering it's prices 30 - 50 percent on some items. Sadly, not the ones I want.
I'd really like to see some new cushions for my outdoor benches, but even now they are still too expensive. They haven't come down on the price of their pots much either, if at all.
Our Menifee store garden dept. is due to close on Sept. 30th. When I'm going to be at the beach.
I check every time I go in there, but most of the stuff they have on sale is in the seasonal dept., not the gardening dept. and it's starting to get crowded out with back to school and Halloween stuff.
Just so you know how it is here.
WIB!
SW

I picked up two copper colored pots made by Smith & Hawken at Target for about $20 total the other day. I'm surprised they still have Smith & Hawken merchandise considering how long ago the brand folded and that Target has been doing away with their gardening stock.

I just read this article in the Sacramento Bee about the nursery business and they mentioned the Target Garden Center closures. It is interesting that chain stores like Target and Rite Aid once held 40% of the nursery market and now they make up just 7%. Meanwhile, many independent nurseries are apparently seeing a small uptick in their sales this year after suffering big overall losses in 2008. Good for them!

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/08/3012073/in-recession-era-nursery-industry.html

Yippee, us tree farmers is happy to have less competition! Target trees were a big factor in our tree sales. Why go the extra mile when Target is across the street?
I am sad they are closing out their gardening dept. for other reasons, but we've got a lot of nurseries in my town, so it'll work out.
Now I wonder what Target is planning on doing with the space the gardening center was using?
Hmmm . . . .
WIB!
SW

The target store by me have opened a full scale grocery store. I get leaflets in the mail, but haven't gone over there to shop yet. I'm not much of a target shopper but will go over to check out the grocery part.

BTW Jules, you do have a sweet pea tree in a pot don't you? I thought I saw one when we were at the RU in April. I'd love to find one, my neighbor is looking around for one too. My sweet peas are climbers and although I love them I would like a tree/brush.

I'll see if it sets seed. I think it may have started life as a vine then trained to be a bush? Never saw one before. Think I found it at Lowes' last March or April. They stock seasonally.
Kind of the same thing with my Potato Bush. It's viney too.
Go figure!
WIB!
SW

I was just at our Target, nothing there that I wanted. Note to self: bad time of year to look for patio furniture.

You can still order them online, weegy. They usually ship it to your house for free! At least they did when I ordered the corner electric fireplace. They still have patio furniture and all kinds of yard displays at our Target. It is already a super Target with a grocery store, so I'm still wondering what they plan on using that extra space for.
Got to go for now!
WIB,
SW

Well, there is something to try, training the vines to be a bush. I guess I will have to explore a little. Thanks Jules. I had a nice potato vine that decided it didn't like the big pot I had it in so died off. Will try again in the spring.

Hi Sami,
My Potato Tree Bush is starting to set seed, but it seems like the seed falls off while they are still green. Either that or something is eating them. Hmmm. . . .
I'll collect some and put them in the dehydrator for you.: - )

I think what they do at the nursery, is choose the most robust vine, and remove the rest of them. This would encourage the main vine to turn into a stalk and later the trunk.
On the first pruning, I'd be cautious and do it gradually, maybe removing a new vine or two at a time so the plant doesn't go into shock. Then give it some food and a chance to recover.
Then, I'd pinch back, any new growth as soon as it appeared, until the top growth is the height you want for your tree bush. You'd probably want to use stakes and floral tape to make it grow upright.
I was reading a bit on the Fuchsia forum about PedericksCorner's attempts to make Bonsai out of Fuchsia plants, you might find that helpful. PC is very knowledgeable and has years of nursery experience to draw upon. : - )
Hey, it's because of her, that I've got living Fuchsia in the ground and Larry Jr. (yes, I named him after his Dad.) is Thriving, growing here in the desert. Of course you really have to pay attention to what they need to grow, and my Fuchsia get morning light and indirect light the rest of the day. Except Larry Jr. But the bottom of his bush is shaded by the ugly propane tank.
Potato Tree Bushes like sunshine, but here they appreciate some afternoon shade. At least here where our summer day time temps are usually in the triple digits. You live where it's cooler and wetter, so they could probably handle a full sun location. They are much hardier than the Fuchsias, that's for sure. BTW, My dogs like to sleep under the Potato Tree Bush, which kinda helps me kill off the new starts. Gives them a shady cool place to sleep off the afternoon heat.
The bumble bees are frequent visitors, and the other day I watched a hummer sitting on a vine overhead sipping from one of the flowers on the Potato Bush! It was sweet and I didn't have my camera with me! : - (
And I know better. Shaking head sadly.
So Sami, give it a try on your sweet peas. I haven't seen any seed on my Sweet Pea Bush, even though I'm not dead heading it. I think I need to move it into the gh or where it gets a little more sun. I was hoping to keep it in a pot but am considering letting it grow in the dirt on the south side of the gh. It might do well there. I just don't know what to do with the Sweetpea, because the weather has been so changeable, and so much cooler than normal for us.
Almost forgot, they've been training oleanders to be Tree bushes too.
Hope some of the above gives you some ideas and is helpful. Keep us posted, okay?
WIB!
SW

Thanks Jules for all the information. Will go over to the fushia forum too and read up on everything and see what I can learn. Will be giving it a try and see what happens. Hope my patience holds out. LOL

The hardest thing to cultivate in a garden, is of course patience. I have a hard time with that too, but when you are a tree farmer, you learn to plan five years or more ahead. : - |
Do you want me to save you some of the Potato Tree Bush seed?
Have fun on the fuchsia forum. : - )
WIB!
SW

Hi Jules, if you do get some seeds from the potto tree bush I would love to have you save some for me.

I have an Eternity angel trumpet that was sent to me as a cutting and today I noticed I had some small buds on it. I would think they wouldn't be blooming anymore this year. Of course if I'm lucky the buds won't fall off before I get to see a flower.

Saving some already for you, Samigal, and anyone else who'd like to try them. : - )
WIB!
SW