Happy New Year! Like is the tradition for so many people, you probably made several New Year’s resolutions for 2011, but let me guess: none of them include gardening. Why not? After the busy—and fattening—holiday season, your mind is probably on things like exercising more and eating better. Good for you! But don’t forget to write down some resolutions for working out in your garden come spring—after all, it’s [...]

I want to take just a moment to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! At Vander Giessen Nursery, our family has been blessed by the many customers we've had come through the door in the last year, and whether you've bought multiple pickup loads of shrubs, a handful of geraniums in the spring--or just like to keep up with the latest happenings at the nursery through [...]

Last night, like so many other people this time of year, I had some Christmas shopping to get done. As I went through my list, I found myself hunting for the "perfect" item to fill a stocking--and stay within my budget. I was glad to find that every store I went in had several items scattered throughout the store for just my need: good stuff for cheap!If you're still trying [...]

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 [...]