Although not explicitly a Christmas song, “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music has long been associated with Christmas, regularly playing on radio during the holiday season. Truth be told, for us gardeners, the spring season holds more than a few of our favorite things never mentioned in the classic song. As we enjoy a gloriously sunny break from the wet weather that dominated March, here are a few [...]
At Vander Giessen's, we're proud to grow a wide selection of Proven Winners annuals, our preferred brand for unique colors, plant vigor, and overall performance where it matters--in your garden! Our selection for 2026 includes more than 80 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 [...]
As with the selection of Proven Winners annuals we carry each year at Vander Giessen's, we're proud to grow and sell a wide selection of Proven Winners perennials, our preferred brand for unique selections, resistance to insects and disease, and overall performance in your garden year after year. Our selection we're growing for 2026 encompasses more than 40 varieties, including the items listed below. In addition to those varieties [...]
The late Robin Williams famously said, “Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’” For gardeners, it’s easy to understand the sentiment—with bulbs bursting into bloom, flowering cherries and forsythia showing off their bright spring colors, and a kaleidoscope of other spring flowers soon to come into bloom, the fun time of year in the garden is just beginning. As you start working around your yard this month, here are [...]
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 [...]
Years ago, one of my friends commented on what a wonderful verb “gardening” is. I couldn’t agree more—for those of us who love the smell of freshly cultivated dirt, the warmth of the sun on our skin, and the taste of a freshly-picked carrot, gardening is a fantastic word. As your gardening efforts come to fruition in these summer months, here are a few things to tend to in late [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Gardening is an exciting hobby if for no other reason than no two days spent outside are exactly alike. Although the changes from day to day are incremental, go away for a week and you’re sure to notice how much things have changed the minute you pull into your driveway. Likewise, the shift from summer to fall brings sweeping changes to the landscape and to the rhythms of this hobby [...]
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