Cool as it's been compared to the last few years, summer has arrived with gardens full of colorful blooms, vibrant foliage, and fresh produce. As you settle into the rhythms of the season, here are a couple plants you may wish to find a home for in your garden this summer and a few things to watch for so your flowers can continue to look their best. First, take some [...]
One of the most rewarding and easy-to-grow flowering plants in your yard, hydrangeas are incredibly popular for good reason! With a wide variety of shapes, sizes, sun or shade requirements, and colors, hydrangeas are a must-have for summer color in your garden. At Vander Giessen Nursery, we grow and sell a broad selection of hydrangeas, from dwarfs that top out at just 1-2 feet tall all the up to [...]
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 [...]
At last, flowering trees and spring bulbs are in bloom, lawns have reawakened, and new life is bursting forth everywhere—spring is here! Amidst April showers, this month is an exciting time to spend outside in the yard, tending to your lawn and garden and discovering exciting new plants to replace those killed or damaged by winter’s cold and desiccating winds. First, April is the perfect time to apply preemergent weed [...]
This summer’s long stretches of hot weather, little to no significant rain, and days of heavy forest fire smoke have made it a season for the record books. Now, with relief here in the form of cooler temperatures and more regular rain, it’s time to transition to a new season. Here are a few tips to get your yard and planters in shape for autumn. First, now is the [...]
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 [...]
With summer just around the corner, it’s prime season for working around the yard. June’s long days are ideal for tending to the yard and landscaping around the house. Whether you’re working to ensure a healthy lawn through summer or planting shrubs and trees around your home, here are a few tips to ensure success in your endeavors. First, June is the perfect time to feed your lawn before summer. [...]
As a lawn and garden enthusiast, I find spring particularly invigorating—new life is bursting forth throughout the garden, shrubs and trees are in bloom and the lawn is waking up from a winter’s sleep. As you start to tend the yard and work up your flower beds again this spring, here are some tips to keep things looking their best as well as a few of my favorite new plants [...]
After a seemingly-interminable dry streak, we’ve finally been blessed with rain again here in our corner of the Pacific Northwest, and with it, the transition to a new season. With autumn here, now is the time to once again begin planting shrubs and trees, rehabilitating your lawn and sprucing up your containers for autumn. Even though it can still feel like summer in the afternoons, step outside early one [...]
Last month I wrote about how spring was finally arriving here in the Pacific Northwest. Now, with June drawing to a close, summer is here, and with it, the joy of watching the plants in your garden thrive in the long days and warmer temperatures. If your garden needs some extra color or you want to ensure your yard and garden perform their best this summer, here are a [...]
