Years ago, one of my friends commented on what a wonderful verb “gardening” is. I couldn’t agree more—for those of us who love the smell of freshly cultivated dirt, the warmth of the sun on our skin, and the taste of a freshly-picked carrot, gardening is a fantastic word. As your gardening efforts come to fruition in these summer months, here are a few things to tend to in late [...]
Hibiscus Bloom Update 8/11/25: Our perennial hibiscus are beginning to bloom! Stop in to check out their amazing blooms and pick out the perfect plants you can enjoy year after year. If I had to pick one plant that's guaranteed to stop people in their tracks--slack-jawed with wonder at its beauty--that plant would have to be perennial hibiscus. Each year in late summer these hardy perennials put on [...]
Summer in the Pacific Northwest is hard to beat--abundant sunshine, pleasant temperatures, and the beauty of the wide variety of plants we can grow in our mild climate. To make the most of your summer spend in the backyard, we're having a sale! Through July 26, nearly all of our shrubs, trees, and perennials are 25% off original prices. The only exclusion from this sale is our selection of [...]
Every well-designed garden space includes a variety of different plants, beginning with trees. With an incredible variety of textures, sizes, and leaf shapes and colors, Japanese maples are one of our go-to plants for adding structure--the so-called "bones"--a landscape needs. Whether you have a sprawling acreage with wide, flowing garden beds or garden on a small city lot with neighbors just feet away from your back patio, there are great [...]
Warm days, blue skies, and the joyful shrieks of kids splashing in the pool or running through a sprinkler—this is summer in the Pacific Northwest. As you enjoy long evenings spent on the deck or out in the garden, summer is a time to watch your spring plantings grow and thrive. While you tend to your plants this month, here are a few key tips to ensure success in your [...]
Summer is here, and now is the time to finish planting the pots, hanging baskets and flowerbeds around your house. To help your gardening budget go further, nearly all of our annuals in the greenhouse are now on sale Buy 1, Get 2 FREE! Included in our sale are the following items: 4.5" Basket Stuffers 6-Pack Annuals 4" Premium Annuals 6" Regal Geraniums 6" Papyrus 6" Black-Eyed Susan Vines [...]
With school buses making their final rounds for the school year and last weekend’s short heat wave, my mindset is shifting to enjoying summer in the Pacific Northwest. Our region boasts some of the most gorgeous scenery and comfortable climate you’ll find anywhere in the summer, but one thing it’s not: the tropics. Whether you’re staying home this summer and want to make the most of your backyard spaces or [...]
My Grandma Vos—long-time owner of Vander Giessen's and gardener par excellence—often advised her customers that “God’s colors don’t clash” when picking out flowers. Her point in offering such advice was to encourage customers to plant what looked good to them; after all, gardening is meant to be fun, so why stress over what plants “work”? Whether you like bold, saturated colors in your containers or prefer the muted elegance [...]
As you may have discovered in the last several years--or at least gained a fresh appreciation for--growing your own food is both enjoyable and rewarding. Whether you're a first time gardener or have shopped with us for years, we're excited to help make your gardening budget go further with Tomato Days! Each year, in late April or early May, we offer a selection of some of our most popular [...]
Gardening in April requires maximum flexibility: a day’s forecast may run the gamut of rain, wind, a chance of thunder—and hopefully, sun. This is nothing unique to the Pacific Northwest, either; just be glad we don’t typically have to add snow showers to that forecast! Whether you’re finally getting around to landscaping the new home you bought a few years ago or just need to replace some overgrown plants around [...]
