Well, here we are close to the end of August and summer and we are now gearing up for fall. Personally, this is my favourite time of the year! Leaves are starting to change colour, harvest is coming in and we can finally sleep at night with the windows open for some cool air. It sure was a hot one this summer!

Here in Oxford County, we had quite a bit of drought and it arrived much earlier this year too. With this drought came about a month long strict fire ban in the area that even the police officers were keeping an eye on those who discarded their cigarettes out onto the ground. To be honest, I don’t ever recall a fire ban being put in place here in Princeton, but then again I’m still a young pup (cough, cough).

It’s hard to see many neighbours and their crops of corn that did not do so well due to the lack of rain, and to see all their hard work to fight for what they have. It’s been said that weather will only get worse over the years with more and more drought. This could be why we are seeing such an increase in sedum sales in lawn replacement. People are looking for a green yard again instead of their crispy burnt out grass throughout the summer and sedum is a great option. Sedum is drought tolerant! So while sod is browning off the sedums are growing vibrantly with an array of colours and different blooming times.

We are seeing more creative ideas people are using our sedum mats in and around their homes and for decoration purposes. I think the sedum fever has caught on and the interest has grown immensely. You will notice in your local garden centres and nurseries there is an increase of sedum products now available. Which you may come across some Sedum Master products on those shelves too.

Summer is usually a time that slows down here at Sedum Master as many have gone on vacation, this summer was different. Sales were booming for us and Greg and Rob also attended the Cultivate ’16 trade show in Columbus, Ohio. They were able to meet up with some current and new customers, explore the many tradeshow booths and see what is up and coming in the “green” industry. Next on the list, Sedum Master will be attending the Cities Alive trade show in Washington, DC from November 1-4. Keep an eye out for them if you are attending!

Since fall is around the corner, a common question always comes up, “How late can you plant the sedums?” Yes, you can still plant the sedum and sedum mats in the fall as long as you realize they are starting their dormant stage and may not look as lush as they were in spring and summer. You just need to make sure they have ample growing media and enough time to get their roots well established prior to the snow and ice coming in the winter. Here in Canada we understand “snow & ice”! Don’t worry about those sedums under the snow during winter, when spring rolls around those sedums will pop back up. Their dormancy state could shock you in spring thinking you may have lost your valuable sedums but give them some nice weather and the new growth will appear.

As for the crew here at Sedum Master, we had a celebration in July, our yearly bbq. The guys cooked up some great tasting Jamaican jerk chicken and Ed with his delicious homemade fries filled our bellies. We celebrated quite a few birthdays that night and played a great game of soccer and even tossed the football around! I realized I had lost some soccer skills of the years but it was still a lot of fun had by all!

Ed Magda along with Joe, Phillip, twins Carl and Carva and Frankie posing

with their birthday cake.

A quick picture of just a few of the soccer players during a competiive

match of soccer during the bbq. I took it during my my quick break to

breathe...These guys are quick!

Cities Alive will be the next trade show you can find Sedum Master.

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