Notes From The Editor

Does it seem to anyone else that it is getting colder and darker sooner than it used to?  As I get older it seems to me that things are happening sooner – all or most of the leaves down before October was even over? Is that how it always was?

Last month we sent out our Customer Survey checklist and we have had some awesome responses!  All returned Customer Surveys will be included in our raffle with two lucky winners receiving a Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce gift certificate for services and merchandise.

Dave wants you to know what Plant Care & Winter Preparation steps you can take to protect your Groundcovers and perennials – these plants have shallow roots and the typical freezing and thawing pattern of winter causes heaving which may damage the roots.  This occurs even more frequently in beds next to concrete and brick surfaces.  Protect your investment around Thanksgiving after several good frosts. Lay an insulating cover of evergreen boughs or hay over your beds.  This covering keeps the ground consistently frozen.

BULBS - Don’t forget to plant now before we get any hard frosts, for a spring surprise. The surprise for me is always that I don’t remember planting those there and weren’t there more of them?  Whether you choose to plant in your garden, pots or containers, having colorful spring flowers to begin the new season is just so right.  You know Spring is here when the crocuses, tulips, hyacinths and other spring bulbs start to show up and I’m sure not a moment to soon for those of you who although you live here really don’t appreciate the winter.

ANTI-DESICCANTS – ONCE MORE!

Please think about protecting your trees and shrubs this winter from windburn and dehydration with anti-desiccants.  Yews, Arborvitaes, Hemlocks, White Pines and Rhododendrons, are especially susceptible.    Anti Desiccant spray is a thin layer of an organic “sealant” to help the plants resist the drying power of winter winds and conserve the moisture vital to their good health. This would be applied in late November and early December. It is made to break down in the warmer months in order for the plant to flourish.  Call Matt at ext. 23 to get a price for the trees or shrubs you want to protect.

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day because this was the day the actual fighting between the Allies and Germany ended, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Hence Veterans Day is, you guessed it, November 11th.  Please take a moment to give thanks to the men and women of our armed forces then and now.

Thanksgiving - In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.

In 1863 President Lincoln decided to proclaim the last Thursday in November as an official Thanksgiving Day for the entire nation. At first annually the President would have to make a proclamation as to the actual date.

Franklin D. Roosevelt decided that Thanksgiving is changed to always be the 4th Thursday in November (regardless of that date) and so it wouldn’t be an annual proclamation any longer.  In 1941, Congress passed a bill finally establishing the 4th Thursday as a national holiday for the entire nation.

We at E.A.Quinn Landscape Contracting want to give thanks for your loyal patronage over the years. While November is a month where there are still gardening chores to do.  The lawn may still need to be mowed and weeds need to be pulled.  However, it is a great month to prepare for the upcoming holidays and let us help you help others with the following program.

In our first year (2004) we raised enough money to purchase gifts for 3 families as well as a family gift for each family.  In our second year (2005) we raised enough money to purchase gifts for 7 families.  We included family gifts for each family but through their own generosity they donated their family gifts and another 3 families received gifts as well.  In (2006) we raised enough money for 7 families.  Instead of family gifts we included gift certificates for Stop & Shop so that these families also had enough money to purchase their Christmas dinners.  Each year we receive thank you notes from many of the families and they are forever thankful.  What I found very interesting is what these children are asking for.  They’re not looking for electronic toys or games, they’re not looking for I-pods, these kids are asking for simple items like coats, gloves, slippers and bathrobes.  So my hope is that this year we will be able to provide necessary items for as many (if not more) children as possible thanks to your generosity with the purchase of wreaths, garland and poinsettias.

We’d really like to make enough to buy as many wish list gifts for these kids. Please take a minute and see if you could possibly help in this endeavor.  Order forms are due by November 21st.  Deliveries will be made between December 1st and December 5th.   If you have misplaced your order form or wish any information please call.

Mission Statement

E.A. Quinn Landscape Contracting Inc. is committed to being a leader in the industry. We will provide top quality products and services to residential and commercial properties. We approach every job with professionalism and excellence in order to achieve the highest customer satisfaction.