Gardeners are by nature learners. This hobby we call “gardening” is not one to be mastered—with new plants, new insect and disease issues, and weather conditions constantly in flux, the school of gardening has no graduates as we all learn more skills and gain fresh knowledge with each passing season. As spring unfolds, you may be discovering new issues around your yard you need to address, so let’s dive into [...]
Early spring is here, and along with it comes the perfect time to plant fruit trees in your your garden for a great harvest in the years to come. At Vander Giessen Nursery, we carry a great selection of fruit trees ready for transplanting into your yard. Most of the fruit trees we carry are dwarf varieties, meaning that while they'll bear a full crop of fruit, they won't [...]
For years, we have trusted Proven Winners as our primary source of top-quality annuals. With proven performance in our greenhouses--and more importantly, in your garden--Proven Winners sets the bar in quality and dependability. And that's why we're especially excited to introduce our 2024 Proven Winners Preview Day! On Tuesday, April 9, from 2:00-5:00 PM, experts from Proven Winners will be on-site in our greenhouse to meet you and answer all [...]
At Vander Giessen's, we're proud to grow a wide selection of Proven Winners annuals, our preferred brand for unique colors, plant health, and overall performance where it matters--in your garden! Our selection for 2024 includes over 75 varieties, including the items listed below. Please note that this list does not reflect current stock on hand but does encompass the entire selection of varieties we will be growing throughout the [...]
Charles Dickens once wrote of sunny March days as “summer in the light and winter in the shade.” With the promise of sunny, warmer weather arriving in the coming days, the chilly late winter we’ve been experiencing lately may begin to shift to real spring, when even the shade isn’t so wintry. As we gardeners excitedly get outside to feel the sun on our skin and work the soil in [...]
Hydrangeas are incredibly popular plants, and with good reason: they're easy to grow, are available in varieties well-suited for sun or shade, come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and offer colorful flowers throughout the summer months. At Vander Giessen's, we offer a wide variety of hydrangeas, and we've just gotten in our biggest selection ever--nearly three dozen unique varieties! While we have several hundred plants available, many [...]
I love the excitement of a good winter storm, but once February rolls around, my mind starts shifting to the anticipation of spring. With mild temperatures and sunny days teasing the new season just around the corner, it’s time to start preparing your garden for spring. As you get started with your initial spring garden tasks, here are a few suggestions of where to start. My first task around the [...]
Compared to the last couple of years, this winter has been pleasantly mild, and with seed catalogs arriving and bulbs beginning to sprout, you may—like me—have begun to dream of spring. As is typical for the Pacific Northwest, however, winter weather often arrives later in January or even February, and by the time you’re reading this, the bitter northeast wind may be whipping snowflakes past your windows. If you haven’t [...]
With Christmas just around the corner, it won’t be long until we’re turning the calendar to a new year and can begin to dream of a fresh season of gardening laid out like a blank canvas before us. In this season of gardening rest, there are still things you can do to keep your garden looking its best, even if just preparations for the year to come. If you’re looking [...]
It's that time of year once again--our Christmas open house at Vander Giessen's! For many of the 85 years we've been in business, we've hosted an open house to kick off the Christmas season and we're excited to bring back the tradition again this year. Join us this Saturday, December 2 from 10:00-3:00 and enjoy time spent visiting with family and friends and enjoying delicious homemade goodies while you browse [...]
