I hate to even have to report this, but it appears that an ugly disease that has spent the last couple of years spreading westward across the country has reached the Pacific Northwest. It's called impatiens downy mildew, and it's quickly becoming the worst enemy of gardeners who love to grow impatiens. If you've struggled with growing impatiens this summer--or just want to be aware of what to watch for--here's [...]
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we're blessed to live in a mild climate--our winters are anything but harsh and our summers are rarely what most of the rest of the country would call "hot." Because of our mild weather, we can grow just about anything our green thumbs would desire; in the glut of plants we have at our disposal, however, we often forget about one of the most forgiving, [...]
Heuchera 'Marmalade' There’s something I call “The Perfect Plant.” It has colorful evergreen leaves—maybe variegated—blooms for an extended period of time, needs very little maintenance, only grows to be knee-high and does equally well in sun or shade. Unfortunately, “The Perfect Plant” isn’t quite a reality. Helping gardeners choose plants for their yards, I’m often approached with those criteria, and while there isn’t an exact match to fit the [...]
Spreading bark mulch or compost on the flower beds around your house can really add to your curb appeal. The uniform appearance of bark around your landscaping does well to set off the treasures you've planted, pruned and watered. But bark or compost does far more than just look pretty. If your flowerbeds are currently bare dirt or it's been several years since you last applied a fresh layer [...]
Four of the now five generations of family business!At Vander Giessen Nursery, we're celebrating 75 years of family-owned and operated business. Back in 1938, James Vander Giessen opened his first greenhouse in his backyard, and this year marks three-quarters of a century since he made the leap from backyard hobby into business.While James never lived to see the business develop into what it is today--he passed away in the early [...]
All year long, we're celebrating 75 years in business--spanning four generations of family ownership and operation. Join us this Saturday, June 15, for our 75th Anniversary Open House! Everything throughout the store will be on sale one day only, so you won't want to miss it.Some of the big items on sale include our entire selection of fountains--the only other day they go on sale is during our Christmas open [...]
Yesterday a customer sampled some fresh cilantro as she purchased an herb starter plant--she was amazed at how much better it tasted than store-bought cilantro. Whether you've never grown a vegetable garden or are a veteran gardener, at Vander Giessen's we're here to help you out with growing your own food and discover the difference that fresh truly makes. Through spring we're fully stocked with vegetable starts, seeds and herb [...]
They’re the Thanksgiving turkey of Mother’s Day—flowers. Whether you’re getting started with planting flowers for yourself or plan to give them as a gift for Mother’s Day (which, men, is this coming weekend!), it’s time to get underway with gardening. As you get started with planting flowers or setting out planters and hanging baskets, here are a few tips and great new plants to keep in mind. When planting, [...]
Mother's Day is just around the corner--are you ready? At Vander Giessen's, we are! We've got lots of great gift ideas in store for you to pick up, including (but certainly not limited to):-Lynden Baskets--our famous hanging flower baskets you see in and around downtown Lynden-Mixed patio planters-Fountains-Budded rose bushes-Women's rose tender gloves-Budded peonies -Bird feeders & houses-Gift certificates -FertilizerYes, you read that right--fertilizer! We agree with a customer who [...]
Last month, I wrote about some of my favorite dwarf conifers for growing in containers--you can read that post here. If you've ever struggled with knowing what to do with your pots in the winter or don't like having to change out your plants each season, growing small evergreen shrubs in your containers may be for you.This month, I've got another list of more of my favorite dwarf conifers for [...]