Fall Activities in Sugar Grove

Where can you see 100 different varieties of trees changing color this fall? Where can you take a hay ride and walk thru a garden that has been transformed into a spooky place? You may also enjoy painting a pumpkin or learn how to make a corn husk doll. Have your picture taken in a large pumpkin cut out. Feeding the chickens is also popular.

Spring Bluff Nursery will be sharing all this fall family fun for a second Fall Farm Fest weekend on October 16th and 17th from 10am to 4pm Saturday and 10am to 3pm on Sunday.

Fall Farm Fest is here!

October has arrived and we are ready for fall family fun. We have been working all week on our "Spooky Garden" and its free!!!! You will also enjoy free face painting, hay rides and some refreshments. For 25 cents you can feed our chickens or for $2.00 you can paint a small pumpkin. We have plenty of unusual gourds for decorating and we still have red and yellow mums too. Get your picture with our Giant pumpkin cut outs. Bring a picnic basket if you are traveling from a distance or enjoy a cup of our Chili. Spring Bluff Nursery is on the historic registry and has been a part of the Norris family for over 150 years. Come out and enjoy fall on the farm this year.

Fall Farm Fest is the first and third weekends in October from 10am - 4pm.

Twilight Hayrides

New this fall at Spring Bluff Nursery are "Twilight Hayrides". Families can reserve space on a hayride that tours the Farm of our Sugar Grove, Illinois location. The ride is roughly 30 minutes long. There is also a self guided path thru the "Spooky Garden". Picnics and tailgating are allowed.

Gates open at 5:00pm till sunset. Hayrides are $5 per person and children under 2yrs are free.

Reservations are required and hayrides leave on the half hour. (630) 466-4278 (This event is weather permitting.)

Tomato Fest 2010

Yes! We have TOMATOES. There is an abundance of colors and flavors waiting to be tasted. Stop by Spring Bluff Nursery on Saturdays and Sundays in August. We will be tasting from 1-3pm. There are numerous Heirloom varieties. Make sure you sample the ground cherries too! And did I mention 20 varieties of peppers?

Ground Cherry

This year we planted Ground Cherries in the vegetable garden. At first the young plant resembles a tomato plant. As the Ground Cherry plant matures, it grows more horizontal than upright. The cherries have a paper like coat similar to a Tomatillo but much smaller.

To eat the Ground Cherry you peal off the thin cover. The ideal color of the ripe fruit is peach to orange. The fruit is delicious! It has a subtle cherry taste followed by sweet tomato. Ideal for making a sweet salsa and jam.

I would highly recommend trying this plant in your garden. Once you start eating the small fruit, it is difficult to stop.

What better way to spend a rainy day?

If I cant be in MY garden, I love to listen to garden talk. Gardening is a great hobby you can't stop learning. I am sure you will agree, gardening is endless. Unlike decorating your home inside, the outside is constantly changing. Imagine if you had to keep cutting back your couch or dead heading the curtains so you could see out the window. As silly as that sounds, there is always something changing in the garden. (I use the word garden to refer to the entire yard). My point is, try to experience at least one garden speaker event this year. Gardeners love to share their garden success and failures. I am sure you have a story too!

Landscaping is much more than pretty plants

Well placed trees and shrubs can add real value to your property. A good landscape design can add 20% to the value of your property and save up to 25% in heating and cooling costs. The National Association of Realtors president elect was quoted in an article saying "When people ask me how they can get strong interest in their property, I always tell them to fix up their landscaping."

I'm sure we have all heard the saying "Do it right the first time." This certainly applies when we attempt to landscape our homes. Having a professionally prepared plan will result in a beautiful property with a polished look. Here at Spring Bluff Nursery we have design professionals that can guide you through the process of landscaping your home just the way you want it while keeping within a pre-established budget. Perhaps the biggest mistake homeowners make is a piecemeal approach to landscaping. They begin projects and start to clear areas followed by trips to nurseries or worse yet, the local home improvement stores to pick out plants. Typically the first thing that happens is they are totally overwhelmed by the huge variety of plant material from which to choose. Which plant is good for sun and which for shade? How large will this shrub get? What is the difference between an annual and a perennial? What type of maintenance with this plant require?

Generally homeowners choose a mix of plants & proceed without a plan. The result often is the wrong plant in the wrong place and a hodgepodge of plantings. Basically, a huge waste of time, hard work and money! You can spend just as much money on a bad landscape as you can on a good one. In reality, eventually you wind up spending more on a bad one because you will have to replace it. Some people think they cannot afford a professionally prepared landscape plan. The fact is that you cannot afford to make costly mistakes. Let us do it right the first time for you.