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 a show with hundreds of dinnerplate-sized blooms in bright, head-turning colors. At Vander Giessen Nursery, we've grown and carried perennial hibiscus for more than 10 years, and our experience has enabled us [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
When our son was three, he used to get excited when he would hear a “fever bird”—chickadee, to the rest of us—singing its spring melody. With a call that to the anticipating ear does sound like a sweetly-spoken “fee-ver,” the chickadee’s song reminds me now each spring of the excitement I feel as the new season arrives. As spring begins, let’s consider a few of the tasks to get started [...]
As the state flower of Washington, rhododendrons hold a special place in our heart here at Vander Giessen's. With their love of our mild, wet winters, evergreen foliage, and showstopping blooms in spring, rhododendrons are a must-have for any Pacific Northwest garden. And while many gardeners have unpleasant memories of overgrown, ugly rhododendrons in their yards as kids, many of today's varieties--and the vast majority of the selections we [...]
As the snow of the last two weeks begins to melt and we slowly return to a normal weather pattern for February with rain and milder temperatures, it’s time to start thinking about early spring. Indeed, prior to the recent cold snap, the early signs of a new season were beginning to appear, and as the days get markedly longer and the ground begins to thaw, spring will be here [...]
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