This column originally appeared in the December 8 Lynden Tribune. Welcome to the chilly days of December! As we get into these dormant, barren winter months, there is little we can do with plants to really add excitement to a yard. Birding, however, is one thing that can bring activity and entertainment to the view outside your window this winter (and year-round) with very little effort. Here are a few [...]
For years, you've probably heard that poinsettias are poisonous to pets and children. I, for one, believed it--there are all kinds of plants that are toxic to animals and humans, so it just seemed to make sense.It turns out, however, that the idea that poinsettias could ever hurt you or your pets is entirely false! There has never been a documented case of poinsettias actually killing or poisoning any human [...]
Come celebrate Christmas with us! For years, my grandparents John and Ada welcomed the community to the nursery at Christmastime for an open house, complete with olie bollen, hot coffee and a great, festive atmosphere.We'd like to thank you for your business in this last year by once again hosting an open house for you! Please join us tomorrow (Saturday), December 4 from 10AM-3PM for fresh olie bollen (Ada's recipe), [...]
Having already had our first snow of the year, some people may have started the Christmas music a little bit early. Did you? I did--it was just too hard to resist!Now that we're officially started with the Christmas season, Vander Giessen Nursery is fully stocked with Christmas trees (both living and cut), fresh, fragrant wreaths, top-quality poinsettias and gifts for gardeners and non-gardeners alike! We encourage you to stop in [...]
Happy Thanksgiving from the family at Vander Giessen Nursery! As we enter another holiday season, we want to express our sincere thanks to you, our customers, for another good season of business. In the last year the economy has shown few signs of improvement--and for some, things have gotten worse--but even with budgets tight and extra spending money scarce, we've been blessed by your faithful patronage. Whether you bought [...]
I love autumn—it’s truly a beautiful season. In the last several weeks, we’ve been blessed with the rain we needed after a fairly long, dry summer. The light frost we had a couple weeks ago brought out the fiery colors of fall in the trees around town—and who doesn’t enjoy the sunny autumn days we’ve had? As we settle into the rhythms of fall, you’re likely winding down your gardening [...]
If you've driven by in recent days, you've probably noticed some big changes here at the nursery! So, what's going on? Several years ago, when we remodeled much of the nursery to expand back into shrub and tree sales, we tore down most of the house on the corner as it severely limited the space we would have to use for plants. At that time, we converted the remaining portion [...]
In case you've had your head in the sand these last few days, our fall clearance sale wrapped up on Saturday. And if you're at all like many of our customers who've stopped at the nursery in the last week, you're wondering, "So now what--do you close for the rest of the year?"The simple answer? NO! We understand if you think we do--for years we did. But last year we [...]
Did I get your attention? I know, you probably read the title and thought, “Good grief—it’s already mid-autumn, the weather has been cold and rainy, I’m sick of mowing…and you expect me to keep gardening?!” It’s okay if you feel that way—you’re certainly not alone. And while a comfortable recliner and a good book sound great to just about anyone, I have a few reminders (the list is short, [...]
Think about it: Which season do you most anticipate? For many gardeners, spring can’t come soon enough after a dreary, cold winter. How about summer? You bet—who doesn’t gladly welcome longer days and warmer temperatures? Winter is great, too—and we don’t get too much say in the matter as retailers seem to start promoting Christmas earlier and earlier each year. Autumn, though, seems to be increasingly overlooked. It’s not [...]
