Weekly News, 03.08.22

Hi friends,

I hope that you’ve found some peace out in the garden or in nature lately.

The recent warmer temps led me to do some early spring clean up in the garden. There is quite a mess after winter, including broken tree limbs and branches, uneven ground from thawing and freezing, and my favorite statue of an angel had fallen over and has a broken wing. Though the sight of the mess and work ahead of me did not feel peaceful at all, I intentionally make an effort to breathe through it, and tackle one thing at a time, and imagine the beauty that I’ll be enjoying in this same space in a short couple of months.

This experience of mine in the early spring garden has parallels to other areas of life. The plain fact is that life is messy. Things don’t go as planned. Promises, plans, and dreams get broken. Obstacles get in our way and make the path harder. Sometimes the appearance of it just doesn’t look so good.

It’s easy to react to the mess in an unproductive way. The challenge is to reframe what we’re in the midst of and tap into the inner peace and focus on the positives. Unfortunately, we can’t avoid the mess, but we have the power to choose our response, thankfully. Easier said than done sometimes though, right? It’s worth the effort though– to seek peace and mindfully take in all of the goodness and beauty right in front of me with gratitude.

Here are a few notes of interest this week—

• our Landscape Team is expanding this season and looking for experienced Foremen and Crew members. We’ve done most of our seasonal hiring for the spring rush, but we’ve just learned that Jeremy, our Perennial & Nursery Manager, is taking a new position, so we’ll be looking to fill that role as well.  Apply online here. Learn more about the positions here.
• we’d love your referrals for the above positions. For the Management-level role, you have the potential to earn your choice of up to $1,000 cash or $1,500 in Bedner’s Gift Cards! See the Referral Program details here.
• we’re at the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Stop by for a mobile app “check-in”, and pick up a bottle of wine. Six of Russ’ wines will be available to taste and purchase. We’re in the Farm to Table area upstairs.
• we officially open our doors for the season on Friday, March 18! We will have some  early season plants available, as well as seeds, gardening supplies, bagged soils and amendments, and more. March classes and workshops include rain barrels, birdhouse construction, pruning, Resurrection gardens, spring container workshops, landscape design tips, gardening with natives, and kid’s painting classes.
• we’re excited to announce a new, weekly story time called “Toddler Tuesdays”. These will happen every Tuesday from 9:30-10:30am, and are designed for both toddlers and preschool age kids and their parents. There are just two spots left for Tuesday, March 22.
• Also on Tuesdays, join us live every week at 12pm noon on our Facebook page. This is a time where you will get a peak behind the scenes around the farm, learn gardening tips, discover new and interesting plants, and ask us your questions.
• this season we are extending our Wednesday store hours to 7:30pm to accommodate shoppers who can’t make it by our usual closing time. Each Wednesday will also have a class or workshop offering if you want to get some friends together to get creative or learn something new.
• if you’d like our Landscape Team to do your dirty, spring clean-up work for you, or you want to refurbish existing beds with some fresh plants, don’t wait to reach out! Their schedule fills up quickly. Visit their page and fill out a Landscape Request form as soon as possible.

Wishing you peace in the midst of life’s noise, trouble, and hard work this week. Let us know how we can help you find success in your gardening goals this year!

Enjoy the beauty,