By nearly every measure, summer has arrived. Never mind that June has felt cooler and more spring-like than May--kids out of school and over 16 hours of daylight can only mean that summer is here! As you wrap up your spring checklist of filling planters and beds with colorful flowers, it’s time to shift into summer maintenance mode. Here are a few tips to ensure a thriving lawn and [...]
The phrase “April showers bring May flowers” has never seemed to ring so true as this year. After a roller coaster spring that started late due to February’s bitter cold, then raced ahead during a warm, pleasant March, only to grind to a halt with a cool, wet April, it’s finally time to enjoy blue skies and great weather for planting just about anything. As you spend time outside [...]
To people who don’t live in the Pacific Northwest, it almost sounds unreal to say our summers are dry. So stereotyped is our corner of the world as an always-drizzling moss-covered region that many don’t realize how dry it can be from July through September. One look, however, at the heat-stressed pots on your patio reveals the truth: summer is dry! To keep your hanging baskets and pots going [...]
Summer is in full swing in the Pacific Northwest, and with long days and warm weather, you’re likely finding yourself spending more time outside than in. As you enjoy evenings on your deck and weekends in the garden, here are a few tips to keep your plants looking their best. First, midsummer is the time to start keeping a close eye out for pests and disease in the garden. Up [...]
A year ago, we ended a warm, dry summer with a splash of sorts—October’s arrival brought a drastic change in the weather that began one of the wettest winters on record in our area. This year, we’ve once again experienced a dry summer and pleasant early fall, and while rainy weather is arriving, it's now the perfect for getting some extra lawn and garden projects done. Here are a [...]
With the warm weather of the last couple of weeks and the dry conditions we've experienced this summer, your flowers may be starting to look a little worn and it might be time to start thinking about freshening your pots up for a new season. Autumn isn't far away, and now is the perfect time to begin planting winter pansies for color through fall and again next spring. At Vander [...]
With summer in full swing, now is the time of year we can really enjoy the beauty that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. The flowers you planted in May and June are in full bloom and your vegetable garden is beginning to offer its bounty. Maybe, however, all is not perfect in paradise—whether insects, fertilizer deficiency, or disease issues, any number of problems could put your garden’s beauty [...]
To be fair, most of us living here in the Pacific Northwest have chosen our lot in life, but let’s be real—the last six months have tested even the most rain-loving among us. With blue skies finally arriving with some regularity, it’s now time to start planting flowers, vegetables, and other plants around your yard. As you relish bringing color back to your hanging baskets and planters, here are some [...]
Last month I wrote about how much I love winter—and don’t get me wrong, I do!—but this year, we've had seemingly more than our normal share of winter weather and frankly, I’m ready to scratch my spring itch. Thankfully, the weather is improving and spring is beginning to arrive, so it’s time to make your early spring gardening to-do list. Gardening in early spring is very weather-dependent, especially when [...]
At Vander Giessen's, we grow all of our own annuals and hanging baskets--doing so allows us complete control over the colors, types of plants used and most importantly, the quality of the end product. We take pride in our lush, healthy baskets, and if the feedback we get from our customers is any indication, the difference in quality is obvious to more than just us! With summer starting officially in [...]
