“What are young women made of? Sugar and spice and all things nice, And such are young women made of.” The first time I heard the name of the plant Calycanthus ‘Burgundy Spice’ I was immediately reminded of Robert Southey’s words, English poet and historian...
Perhaps the most common question I am asked when selling a new plant is, “how much water should I give it?” A quick and easy answer is 2 or 3 times a week. A better answer is, put your hand in the soil and feel...
A frustration of mine is customers who continually buy the same tree or shrub over and over again simply because they have heard the name. Dogwood, cherry, magnolia and redbud certainly have their place in the world, but what about a tree that can offer...
Having never been a fan of “plant guarantees”, there is a new idea on the horizon that I feel will help bridge the gap of a plant’s success, one that the customer and merchant are so desperately looking for. Acknowledging...
One of the most beautiful trees you will ever come across in a landscape is Japanese Snowbell, Styrax japonicus. A gorgeous tree native to Japan, China and Korea, Styrax grows twenty to thirty feet tall with an equal spread. ...
This past February I was invited on a trip of a lifetime. The kind of trip that has you “one” with nature and leaves you absolutely speechless. Flying into Bozeman, Montana, I quickly understood what “Big Sky Country” meant and...
A few months back I posed a question to all our employees, “What do you wish our customers knew about the gardening industry?” Sort of a homework assignment for them, I gave them the weekend to ponder their ideas and...
Let me begin by saying that our garden center guarantees plants today and will continue to do so for years to come! For years I have wanted to write this article and have struggled to find the right verbiage that would accurately convey my thoughts,...
The holiday season is upon us and its time to do some decorating! Swapping out our planters filled with “Mum’s” and cabbage and exchanging them for something more thoughtful than just Alberta Spruce. Maybe you’ll use some holiday greens like Red pine or Fraser fir?...
The first week of professional football 2016 had my wife and me keeping a promise to our daughter Olivia. A split household, only during football season, my wife’s team is the Giants and ours is the Cowboys. We promised Olivia that we would take her...