Winter Hours

We hope that you had a great Christmas spent with family and friends! As we finish out the year, we're taking a break for time with family--we'll be reopening again on January 2. Once we reopen, we'll resume our standard winter hours:

Monday-Friday 9:00-4:30
Saturday-Sunday Closed

In the meantime--and on Saturdays after the first of the year, we are always available by appointment. Please give us a call at (360) 354-3097 or send us an e-mail if you need assistance. We've enjoyed serving you in 2012 and look forward to another exciting year of gardening in 2013 as we celebrate 75 years! Happy New Year!

Enjoy Garden Life Indoors

Winter is a great season for rest when it comes to gardening; after many months of work outside it’s nice to take a break. But if you find yourself missing the opportunity to exercise your green thumb—or want to plan ahead for those days in late winter when you’re sick of the dark, rainy weather and need a pick-me-up—there are great options you can take advantage of right now.

For many people, Christmas trees are a great way to bring joy, color and life indoors during the dark days of December. But to some, it seems a shame to purchase a plant they'll just throw out in a few weeks' time, so they decide to pass on the cut tree and opt for artificial. There’s another alternative, however, one that can add beauty to your home for years to come: a living tree.

Living Christmas trees are a great option if you have a flower bed that could use something with structure and height. If you're planning to purchase a tree sometime next year anyway, wouldn't it make sense to kill two birds with one stone and buy a living Christmas tree? You can enjoy it indoors for the next few weeks and move it outdoors after Christmas. In future years, you can continue to decorate it with lights to remember this year’s holiday—consider it a new family tradition!

Living Christmas trees even make nice decorations for your front entry or back patio during the Christmas season. Even if you don’t want it for your “official” Christmas tree, pot it up, add a few strings of lights and place it in a prominent spot outside--you’ll have an elegant and lasting decoration to welcome guests or simply to enjoy yourself. 

If you don't have room for a living Christmas tree in your yard but like the concept, consider a donation to the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association. They will gladly accept your living Christmas tree after the holidays and provide you with a receipt for your tax-deductible donation. It's a good feeling knowing your tree will help provide shade to a local stream and help salmon habitat.

Christmas trees aside, if you’re reading this you have at least some interest in gardening—and December is a perfect time to do some planting. Of amaryllis, that is! With their huge, colorful flowers that appear just eight weeks after planting, amaryllis are a fast-growing, easy way to bring life indoors. Available at Vander Giessen’s and other local nurseries, amaryllis bulbs can be planted indoors now to be in bloom for Valentine’s Day. And if you’re looking for a fun gift to bring to your family gift exchange, bring a gift-packaged bulb—it’s sure to be a conversation piece.

Finally, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the classic beauty of a poinsettia. Whether you prefer classic red or opt for pink, white or a more adventurous color like speckled red-and-white, they’re not just for the holidays. After Christmas is over, put your green thumb to the test and see how long you can keep your poinsettia going. Fertilize regularly with a low dose of Jack’s Classic All-Purpose fertilizer and when the weather warms up next spring, move it outside. That’s right—next summer you can enjoy it in your yard! 

Winter is a great season for resting your weeding muscles and taking a break from lawn mowing, but it doesn’t mean you can’t still have some fun with plants. Enjoy the opportunities a living Christmas tree, amaryllis bulb or poinsettia can offer and make the most of this season. Merry Christmas!

2013 Calendars Now Available!

Next year will be a big year for us at Vander Giessen's--we're celebrating our 75th Anniversary! Since 1938, we've been family-owned and operated, and as we gear up for a year of celebrating, we've introduced a way to help you have some fun at it, too: our 2013 calendar.

This wall calendar is packed full of timely gardening tips each month and beautiful photos to admire throughout the year. And while all that is reason enough to like the calendar, you'll really enjoy the nearly $200 worth of coupons and free gifts each month.

Now, these coupons aren't the gimmicky, won't-really-save-you-any-money type. You, our customers, have rewarded us with your business over the years, so these coupons are all for big discounts--or simply free items. Some of the coupons include:

• 1 FREE flat of annuals (value $19.99)
• 2 FREE perennials (value $20.00)
• 75% off any one shrub, tree or perennial
• 75% offf any two rose bushes

Even if you don't end up using the 75% off coupons (of which there are 8 throughout the year), you'll love the other 4 months of totally free items to enjoy. And if gardening just isn't your thing, it's probably a big deal for someone in your life, so pick one up as a Christmas gift!

Our 2013 wall calendars are available in limited quantity, so stop in soon to pick one up for yourself or a friend--and together we can look forward to celebrating next year!

Christmas Open House Saturday

It's almost here--our annual Christmas open house! This Saturday, December 1, we welcome you to stop by the nursery to enjoy free, fresh olie bollen--a deep-fried Dutch donut--as we express our appreciation to you, our customers at the end of our 74th year in business.

Our open house officially runs from 10:00-3:00, but throughout the entire day--from 9:00-6:00--we'll have great sales on many of the items throughout the store, including our selection of fountains. This is the only day this year the fountains are on sale, so take advantage of the discounts and give yourself an early Christmas present.

For more information on our open house please click here; for a complete listing of what's on sale, please visit our open house sale page here.

Also, don't forget that we're now fully-stocked with Christmas trees--living and fresh-cut--as well as poinsettias, wreaths and cedar garland (cut to your specifications). As December begins, we're eager to help you gear up for the Christmas season. 

Christmas Season is Here!

The Christmas season is officially underway at Vander Giessen's! We're now fully stocked with a beautiful selection of both fresh-cut and living Christmas trees as well as top-quality poinsettias, wreaths, cedar garland and great gift ideas for the gardener in your life.

On Saturday, December 1 we cordially invite you to join us for our annual Christmas open house. We'll be serving up hot, fresh olie bollen--think of it like a Dutch donut--for free from 10:00-3:00. Bring your family and enjoy a Christmas indulgence while taking in the sights of the season throughout the nursery.

For more information on our open house and the many great items on sale during the open house, please check out our website. Merry Christmas!

It's Time to Put Your Yard to Bed

Many years, autumn weather comes as a gradual cool-down to ease us into the rainy season. This year, however, proved quite different. September felt much warmer than normal and even early October was beautifully sunny and mild. Then came the cold rain—and wind. In the span of just a few days, we transitioned from late summer to what feels like early winter, and with the change comes the task of putting your yard to bed.

First things first: raking leaves. It isn’t the most fun job, but when it comes to the health of your grass, it’s absolutely necessary. Piles of leaves left to rot on your grass over winter will promote disease in your lawn or worse, smother it altogether. Once your trees are bare, take a little time and rake off your yard—consider it your pre-Thanksgiving workout.

This time of year isn’t a time when many people think to fertilize their lawn, but fall is arguably the most important season to do so. Consider this: a bear wouldn’t go into hibernation without eating a good meal first, and neither should your lawn! Although you see lawn “winterizer” fertilizers advertised in September and October, November or even early December is a much better time to do this task in our area. If it has been at least six weeks since you last fed, apply Scotts Super Turf Builder Winterguard now to help feed your lawn through winter. Doing so will ensure stronger roots to protect against winter damage and give your grass a faster green-up next spring.

In your flowerbeds, it’s important to prepare for winter as well. If you grow roses, now is the time to prune them back about halfway. Don’t worry about pruning to properly shape your bushes—you’ll want to do a more selective pruning in February next year. Right now, your reason for pruning is simply to minimize any snow or windstorm damage.

Many rose varieties will winter over just fine even in a bitter cold storm, but some varieties may tend to be more cold-sensitive, so take a few minutes this month to mulch around the base of your rose bushes. While some shrubs may benefit from fallen leaves piled around them for insulation, roses will be susceptible to any mold or disease the leaves harbor, so instead use well-drained bark mulch. Create a low mound around each plant to cover the knobby graft at the base; in late February next year, you’ll be able to easily uncover the plant and spread the bark around your flowerbed.

When it comes to perennials, now is the time to cut back herbaceous varieties—those that die down to the ground each year. You may opt to leave some dried perennials (like grasses) in your garden for winter interest, but keep in mind that the dead foliage may harbor fungus spores or insect larvae. For evergreen or semi-evergreen varieties like heuchera or lavender, save any pruning until next spring when growth resumes.

Lastly, have you planted bulbs for spring? While you’ll need to wait to plant lilies, gladiolus and other summer bulbs until warmer weather next year, you need to get your daffodils, tulips, crocuses or hyacinths in the ground yet this month to properly acclimate. You’ll thank yourself for the minimal work it takes when you see the bright colors emerge next spring!

November may not always be the most pleasant month to work outdoors, but with just a little bit of effort, you can keep your lawn and garden healthy through winter, making next spring that much more enjoyable.

Final Days of Fall Clearance

If you're still planning to do any gardening yet this fall--and you'll be wise if you do, since transplanting is so easy on your plants--don't miss out on the last days of our fall clearance sale! Our fall sale continues through this week at 40-70% off nearly all the plants we have in-stock. Starting next Monday, though, our prices will reset back to normal, so take advantage of these deep discounts while they last.

While you're in, be sure to pick up some of our great bulbs. If you enjoy tulips, daffodils and the other beautiful bulbs that herald spring, we're here to help. Nothing helps to lift your winter-weary spirits like bright color bursting from the ground, so be sure to get some bulbs in the ground this fall.

A little bragging...

One of our famous 'Lynden Baskets' on 10/20/12

You'll have to forgive us just this once for bragging. This picture was taken today--October 20. Our Lynden Baskets still look pretty good!

With a good start and proper care, your hanging baskets can look like ours. Each spring, we plant up over 1000 of our own Lynden Baskets in dozens of beautiful color combinations. You're welcome to stop in anytime after mid-April to pick out just the right baskets for your home and we'll take care of them until the week of Mother's Day, at which point they'll be ready to go outside.

Now, aside from starting with better quality plants than you'll find at the hardware and grocery stores, the secret to having baskets look this great this late in the season is simple: food and water. We water our hanging baskets faithfully through the summer--that's daily. This time of year we slow down to 3-4 times a week.

In addition to water, however, you must fertilize, and we can enthusiastically recommend Jack's Classic--it's simply the best. We use it in our greenhouses, for our own flowers planted around the nursery and at our homes; it's absolutely amazing. You can use other fertilizers like Miracle-Gro, but you won't get the same results. Jack's Classic is available at Vander Giessen's--and we know you'll love it!

So, as the season winds down, we're pretty proud of our hanging baskets. Next spring, stop in and pick up some Lynden Baskets for yourself, and when you're looking at beautiful flowers yet in mid-October, you can brag to your friends, too.

Vote for Vander Giessen's in the Best of Lynden Contest!

One of our famous 'Lynden Baskets'!

For nearly 75 years, Vander Giessen Nursery has been privileged to serve Lynden and Whatcom County gardeners with beautiful annuals, perennials, shrubs & trees. This week, the Lynden Tribune announced their first annual "Best of Lynden" contest, where you get to vote for your favorite businesses around town. We'd appreciate your vote!

With our great selection of plants, timely gardening tips each month in the Lynden Tribune and commitment to providing our customers excellent service, we hope we've helped make gardening fun and easy for you and your family. We would be deeply honored if you would take a minute to vote for us in the "Best of Lynden" contest today.

To vote, please visit http://lyndentribune.com/ and click on the "Vote for the Best of Lynden" box on the right sidebar--you'll find our category under the "Retail" section about 2/3 of the way down the page. While you're voting, be sure to fill in the boxes for your other favorite local businesses! Voting ends November 9.

Thank you for your vote and your faithful patronage of Vander Giessen's for the last 74 years. We consider it an honor to serve our local community and sincerely appreciate your support!

Wordless Wednesday

'Red Sunset' Maples looking beautiful at the nursery!

It's Time to Lime!

Each year at the nursery we take questions from customers asking what type of soil we have--is it acidic, neutral or basic? Some people even go to the work of buying a pH test to determine for themselves just how acidic or basic their soil is. Frankly, though, that's a waste of money. Why?

Our soil in the Northwest is notoriously acidic. Period.

If you live in Western Washington, your soil is quite acidic. So much so, in fact, that the fertilizer you spread on your lawn faithfully each year won't even work properly. You may have experienced it--you fertilize religiously, only to find that your lawn loses its deep green color quickly or never gets there at all. Furthermore, you continue to battle stubborn, thick moss, especially in shady areas. With such conditions, you're just about ready to throw in the towel on lawn care. Sound familiar?

Although there are several factors that may contribute to the situation you face, your battles would be greatly lessened with faithful application of lime on your yard. Not only is it great for helping stifle moss growth, it allows the nitrogen in your lawn fertilizer to work properly. So before you grumble about having to spend more to keep your lawn healthy, add up the extra money you've spent on fertilizer and moss killers that haven't really worked--chances are, with a twice-a-year application of lime, you'll save money.

Now, there are lots of lime products out there, but only one that we really love--Lilly Miller Super Sweet. Dolomite lime is okay, but not nearly as fast-acting. Honestly, it can take over a year to break down, and who has that kind of patience anymore? Super Sweet breaks down in just a couple of weeks, so no waiting.

Apply Super Sweet now--during the month of October--and follow up with your regular winterizing fertilizer for your lawn in early November. If you currently have moss in your lawn, kill it with ferrous sulfate a week or two before or after you spread Super Sweet (just not at the same time). Taking these steps now will give you a much healthier, greener lawn come spring and ultimately will save you money!

Plant Bulbs Now for Spring Color

'World Expression' available at the nursery!

Autumn has arrived, and with the new season comes a different gardening experience. This year’s extended warm, sunny weather prolonged an already-beautiful summer, but as we get into the shorter, wetter days of fall, it’s time to shift gears in the yard. As you begin to think of winding down your time outside, here are some tasks you can do to finish the season well.

First, October is a great month to plant bulbs for spring color. Tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths—there are hundreds of choices in color, texture and bloom time to meet your tastes. However, don’t think you can just plant them a few weeks before you want them to bloom--if you want to enjoy bulbs next year, they’ll need the winter to develop and get ready for spring.

Whatever types of bulbs you choose to plant in your yard, take note of the blooming time. Not all tulips, for instance, bloom at the same time. Likewise, crocuses bloom much earlier than many other bulbs, so plan your planting to enjoy a long season of color. As a suggestion, consider starting the season with crocuses and hyacinths—you’ll love the intense fragrance hyacinths provide in late winter—and then move into daffodils and later tulips. By utilizing all of these, you’ll extend the blooming time of your bulbs well into 3 months.

When planting, keep in mind that bulbs look better in groupings rather than as individuals. If you choose to plant just a few bulbs, you’ll appreciate the look of larger, less numerous groupings rather than single bulbs scattered all around. Additionally, you may wish to consider planting your bulbs in pots buried in the ground—that way when you’re finished with them for the season and want to plant spring flowers you don’t have to wait for the bulbs to die down first!

If you’re new to growing bulbs or want to check out what new varieties you don’t yet have in your yard, visit a local nursery or garden center to check out their selection this time of year and get advice on how to plant. Purchasing bulbs in person rather than online offers you the opportunity to inspect bulbs for size and firmness—a hollow or mushy bulb is worthless—and you won’t have to wait for them to ship, either!

Aside from planting bulbs, October is also a great month for replacing any shrubs or trees in your yard that may have died during our dry summer (or, admit it—even last winter). Most plants are starting to go dormant for winter, so transplanting is easier than ever. And as a bonus, once the steady rain comes, your watering is taken care of!

Finally, as your lawn starts to gear down for winter, now is also a great time to spread lime. Due to the amount of rain we get each year, our soils around here are notoriously “sour” or acidic, which allows moss to thrive and prevents your lawn fertilizer from working to the fullest potential. Using Lilly Miller Super Sweet at least twice a year will help keep your yard healthier and reduce the amount of fertilizer you need to spread to keep a healthy, green lawn. And if you have shade, using lime is especially important to keep your grass lush and moss at bay.

Soon enough, the incessant rain and wind will come and fall cleanup will begin. In the meantime, though, enjoy what great weather remains and make the most of October gardening!

Fall Clearance Sale Continues!

As the cooler weather of autumn overtakes the sunny, warm days we've enjoyed for so long, now is the perfect time to do some planting in your yard. If you've never planted in the fall, you're missing out--not only can you take a break from constant watering, the plants you buy are deeply discounted to help you save money!

With our fall clearance sale continuing, we've now marked nearly our entire selection of trees, shrubs and perennials down even further! Through November 3, save 40-70% off normal retail prices. The only plants excluded from our sale are our fresh stock of Emerald Green Arborvitae and our fall flowers.

Although this sale continues for another 3-1/2 weeks, don't wait that long to shop--at these prices, plants are selling out fast.

Enjoy the cooler weather of October--and enjoy the great sale prices right now at Vander Giessen's!

Wordless Wednesday

All Japanese Maples are 25% off during our fall clearance sale!

Cool Wave Pansies for Winter Color

Cool Wave Pansies

Nothing says cheerful autumn or winter color like the aptly-described "happy faces" of winter pansies. At Vander Giessen's, we're excited to be working with the brand-new Cool Wave Pansy line this year. With an aggressive trailing habit, they'll quickly fill out to two feet across in a flower bed or spill out of a hanging basket.

Cool Wave pansies are hardy to -10 degrees F, so they'll be quick to bounce back after a winter storm--and if we have a mild winter, they'll provide fresh color all season long.

Winter may not be the time you typically think of growing flowers, but Cool Wave pansies are a great way to bring beauty and life to your front porch during the gloomy days of winter. Check out these great pansies individually potted and in hanging baskets at Vander Giessen's today!

Make the Most of Autumn Planting Season

It’s not a season many people automatically think of when it comes to gardening, but did you know that autumn is really a great time to plant? It’s true—and for a variety of reasons, it may well be the best time of year for you to get out in your yard. So how can you make the most of what the season has to offer and enjoy gardening success?

For starters, autumn in the Northwest gives us one great advantage when it comes to planting: free water! If you’ve lived here very long, you know that sunny September days all too quickly fade into October rain. As a gardener, use it to your advantage! Plant now and you’ve only got a month of watering before you can let the rain take over. Add to that cooler, shorter days and even during dry weather your watering will be minimal. 

With autumn approaching, transplanting shrubs and trees into your yard is also easier in terms of transplant stress. With our mild weather, we can plant just about year-round but the times when plants will experience the least potential stress in transplant are in early spring and again in fall. Most plants will soon start to shut down (go dormant) for the season, so as they go to sleep, get them in the ground!

To reduce the chance of transplant stress—and more importantly, to encourage plants to root out before winter—it’s highly advisable to treat new plantings with Vitamin B-1. Now, don’t go scrounging through your medicine cabinet; this is a horticultural product. Simply mix up a bucket of it and water your plants with it right after transplant. Repeat in 10 days and your shrubs will quickly root out into the surrounding soil. For an even easier option, use Bayer Tree & Shrub Starter throw packs. Just place a couple in the hole before you plant and they’ll feed, reduce transplant stress and even provide insect protection.

 Since autumn doesn’t officially start for another couple of weeks, it will be some time before we can really begin fall yard clean-up. In the interim—and while you’re outside doing some planting anyway—take stock of what needs your yard and garden may have. Have you battled bugs in some of your shrubs or perennials? Don’t think that just because the season is almost over that your worries are behind you. Spray your plants or treat with a systemic insecticide now (your local nursery can advise on the best options dependent on plants and your skill level!) to prevent insects from overwintering. 

Likewise, now is the time to treat your plants once more for any diseases they may have battled this year. As the berry growers around here can attest to, it was a rough summer battling many types of fungus. A cool, wet June and humid July made mold, mildew and other fungi grow prolifically. As with bugs, fungi can overwinter, so take care of your plants now to avoid headaches next season.

Finally, make some time to assess your lawn. It’s far too early to apply a “winterizing” fertilizer—put that on your calendar for November—but if your lawn could use a feeding, don’t hesitate to do so. Fertilizing will not only green up your turf but also help alleviate fungus problems you may have noticed. 

September is a great month to get back out in the yard. The new season is great for planting, and with fall sales starting at Vander Giessen's, your garden dollars will go even further. Enjoy what the month has to offer!

Fall Clearance Sale on Now!

It's that time of year again--even though it still feels like summer, fall is quickly approaching! With the new season, we're putting our remaining stock of shrubs, trees and perennials on sale. Starting today, nearly everything is 25% off! The only exclusions to this great sale are our fresh stock of Emerald Green arborvitae and fall flowers.

During our fall clearance sale, many of our more popular items sell out quickly, so don't wait to take advantage of this great pricing--you may not find what you were hoping for! Enjoy the nice planting weather and check out our sale today.

While you're in, don't forget to pick up some flower bulbs for early spring color in your yard next season. Nothing says spring like colorful daffodils, tulips, crocuses, and hyacinths--and we've got a great selection for you to choose from!

Wordless Wednesday

Hardy hibiscus now in bloom! Great for Northwest yards.

Hydrangea Pruning: A Photo Primer

It's late summer--not the time you're exactly thinking of doing pruning around your yard, is it? Unless you're battling a shrub that's taking over your front porch, chances are you won't think much about pruning until at least this fall (or maybe even next spring). But did you know that late summer is a great time to prune many varieties of hydrangea? It's true!

Older varieties of hydrangeas--standard mophead and lacecap types--bloom only on old wood, so you'll need to prune them in late summer or early fall in order to ensure blooms the following season. But unless you're familiar with the specifics on hydrangeas, you might not even know what the terms "mophead" and "lacecap" mean, much less how to prune them!

Below are the basic types of hydrangea and photo examples of each, along with a brief description of when they should be pruned. 

Mophead

Mophead

These are the good ol' fashioned type of hydrangea. If asked to picture one, you'll probably imagine something like this. Prune this type (color doesn't matter) in mid-August to early September to ensure they'll bloom next year.





Lacecap

Lacecap

 

Like Mophead hydrangeas, lacecaps are well-known and have been around for a long time, too. Also like mopheads, lacecaps should be pruned in late summer.





Oakleaf

Oakleaf

Not as common, but very striking in their foliage size and shape, oakleaf hydrangeas have white flowers and large leaves shaped like (what else) oak leaves! Treat these like the above two varieties--prune in late summer.




Paniculata

Paniculata

 

Have you heard of "PeeGee," "Limelight," or "Bombshell" hydrangeas? These are some of the more popular paniculata types. Unlike most mopheads, they have cone-shaped flowers in shades of white or light green, although some new varieties are starting to show more color ('Fire & Ice' is one example that turns burgundy red). These can be pruned anytime until late spring (at which point they'll be budded for summer blooming) and again after they bloom in late summer.

Arborescens 

Arborescens

Some common varieties are 'Annabelle' or 'Invincibelle Spirit.' They typically have very large flower heads comprised of delicate, almost lacy blossoms. Like paniculata types, these can be pruned any time except late spring and summer.








Now, how hard you prune your hydrangeas will vary depending on how big you want them to get, whether you mind the look of bare branches in winter, etc. The best method for pruning if you need to give your hydrangeas more than a light haircut is the "thirds" rule: prune 1/3 of the branches nearly back to the ground this year, 1/3 next year and 1/3 the following year. If you're not that patient, however (or your plants grow too fast for your liking), most hydrangeas can be pruned nearly down to the ground without much harm. Keep in mind that if you prune hard, the following year's stems may be weak and flop over when the flowers are fully developed.

Hydrangeas are beautiful shrubs and easy to grow. With a little attention to what type you have in your yard, you can enjoy loads of flowers each year while also keeping the size of your plants in check. And don't forget to feed your hydrangeas--we recommend Jack's Hydrangea Blue once a month to keep them healthy and colorful!