Wordless Wednesday

Introducing our Washable Coupons!

2012 Wearable Coupon!

Let's be honest--who doesn't like to save money? Coupons are great, but unfortunately, once you've clipped them and handed them to the cashier, the savings fun is over. Wouldn't you like a coupon you could use, wash, and reuse? Well, look no further!

Just arrived at Vander Giessen's are this year's "washable coupons"--t-shirts you can wear into the nursery and use to save on all your purchases! Each and every time you wear your shirt into the nursery, you'll save 5% on everything you purchase (sale items excluded) through the rest of 2012. At just $12, this shirt will quickly pay for itself--and you'll get to enjoy the comfortable fit of a great shirt for years to come (not to mention the laughs you'll have over the great saying on the back!). 

We have a limited supply of shirts on hand for 2012, so stop in soon to get yours--and be sure to wear it every time you stop at the nursery to ensure savings on all your purchases! We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you.

Want Easy Plants? Use hostas!

8 varieties of hosta available at Vander Giessen's!

If you're looking for easy plants to use in a shade or morning-sun garden around your house, you've got to have some hostas. Available in dozens--no, make that hundreds--of colors, textures and sizes, hostas are a gardening genre of their own.

In my backyard at home, I have a very shady area made possible by the large chestnut tree just over the fence in my neighbor's yard. It's a beautiful tree, really, but when my wife and I moved into the house, I quickly discovered two problems: 1) The tree drops more than its share of leaves in the fall; and 2) it's tricky to get much of anything to grow in the shade it provides all summer long. So what did I do? I made a hosta garden!

Think about it--hostas give you great, vibrant color even in the shadiest of locations, and at the end of the season when the leaves collect under your trees, you can rake up the hosta foliage right along with them. The flowerbed in my backyard has never been easier to clean up since I planted hostas back there. I just wait until they've died down in the fall--about the same time deciduous trees drop their leaves--and voila, I make one fell swoop through the bed with my rake and avoid having the tedious job of picking leaves out of shrubs as I rake.

If you've never considered the possibility of dedicating a whole flowerbed to hostas, just check out the numerous and beautiful varieties of hosta you can find at Vander Giessen's. You'll love the beauty of the foliage they provide through summer and the ease of cleanup each autumn.

Wordless Wednesday

In bloom now: Bonanza Deep Orange Marigold (NEW this year!)

Unique Plants to Enjoy This Spring

April is a great month to get your spring garden projects underway. Despite the continued cool, wet weather we’ve had in the last month, plants are waking up from dormancy and temperatures are warm enough to plant any shrubs, trees or perennials.

'Valentine' dicentra

Most spring-blooming plants look their best in sunny weather. Rain just has a way of making even the hardiest bloomers look soggy. Not so with bleeding hearts, however. Dicentra—the botanical name for “bleeding hearts”—is a great plant to enjoy even in the rain. And this year, there’s a brand-new variety you’ll want to find a spot for in your garden. ‘Valentine’ is a full-size dicentra with true red flowers—a departure from the pink blooms of older varieties. Along with the red blooms you’ll enjoy deep red stems and dark plum-green foliage.

A second brand-new plant that works well in even the smallest gardens is ‘Tiny Gold’ dwarf barberry. True to its name, ‘Tiny Gold’ tops out at around 18 inches tall and wide; the small size of this gold-leafed variety means you’ll never have to deal with pruning back overgrown, thorny branches. If yellow isn’t your color, last year’s introduction called ‘Admiration’ is a great alternative. With bright red leaves finely edged in gold through spring and summer, it turns neon pink in autumn. Additionally, like ‘Tiny Gold’ it stays small, maturing to just two feet tall and wide.

'Snowkist' Dwarf Hinoki Cypress

In the worst of the rainy season, which—let’s be honest—around here is spring, fall and winter (and sometimes parts of summer), the best-looking plants in the yard are evergreens. With always-there foliage, conifers add structure and balance to the other seasonal and deciduous plants you may enjoy. But just because they’re “always there” doesn’t mean evergreens have to be never-changing or boring. Take, for instance, ‘Snowkist’ dwarf Hinoki cypress. This slow-growing dwarf isn’t just green—the tips of branches out in the sun turn an eye-catching creamy white. 

Another unique conifer sure to brighten your yard this spring is ‘Jean’s Dilly’ dwarf Alberta spruce. Like other Alberta-type spruce, ‘Jean’s Dilly’ (pronounced “John’s Dilly”) exhibits bright green spring growth, albeit later than other strains. Unique, however, is the size and shape of this plant from its cousins. ‘Jean’s Dilly’ is a very slow-growing strain with a much tighter, narrower form than the standard Alberta spruce. Excellent for small planting beds or even containers, you’ll want to check out this remarkable shrub this spring.

Now, if you enjoy gardening with edibles—and specifically growing strawberries—check out the new ‘Puget Crimson’ strawberry this spring. This late-season strawberry boasts large, sweet, deep red berries and heavy yields. Whether you plant a row in your garden this year or pick up an oak wine barrel or cedar planter so you can enjoy them on your patio, don’t miss out on these great berries. 

Finally, April is a great month for taking care of maintenance in your yard and garden. For vegetable gardens, rototill or spade mushroom compost into your soil for greatly improved crop yields. Around your house, spread bark in your flowerbeds to keep weeds down and moisture in, and fertilize shrubs with Jack’s ClassiCote or Crystal Green slow-release fertilizers for balanced feeding all season long. 

In between rain showers, this month is an excellent time for watching your garden burst once again into color. Stop at Vander Giessen Nursery this month to see what’s looking great and pick up some plants and supplies for a productive season ahead.

Wordless Wednesday

'Sedona' Coleus

Extended Hours are Back

Spring is here--and so far, it's looking like we're going to have a nicer spring than last year. Hooray! As you gear up for another great year of gardening, we're extending our hours to make it easier for you to get the plants and products you need. Through mid-June, we'll be open later on weekdays to serve you. Our hours are as follows:

Monday-Friday 9:00-5:30
Saturday 9:00-5:00

As the weather warms up, we welcome you to stop by and check out our beautiful selection of Lynden Baskets--planted and grown right in our own greenhouses--as well as a full assortment of annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees and the supplies you'll need to keep your garden looking great!