Weekly News, 12.07.21
I got to get creative doing my winter containers at home on Sunday, and it was so much fun!
It almost didn’t happen because the day was busy and by the time I gathered everything that I needed, it was getting dark. I tried to go faster, because I REALLY wanted to do them. I needed that time to get dirty and work with my hands. I didn’t want to rush though. Disappointment was setting in with each minute that passed and the day faded away, until Russ made a brilliant suggestion—to use his headlamp. And so my fun was saved and I worked in the dark until about 7:30pm, happily completing six containers.
I thought I’d highlight a little before and after of what I did in hopes to inspire you. As Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” And here we go—
In this pot I added a lot of winterberry for color, and I’ll remove the red ornaments after the new year.
This pot is close to the one above, so I made them coordinate with a lot of winterberry and the red ornaments.
This one I added the birch poles and magnolia leaves to. I still want to add some other natural elements, like lotus pods or pine cones.
This one isn’t quite finished yet either. I will add some other natural elements for color and interest, but haven’t decided yet.
This was a fun one! It’s a hypertufa planter. Hypertufa is a cement-based mixture that looks like stone but is porous and lightweight. I used a few of our “winter sizzle” plants, including an adorable, baby alberta spruce tree, a variegated holly, a variegated Japanese sedge, and a gaultheria procumbens, which is the plant with glossy green leaves and colorful red berries. All of these should make it through the winter, and I will plant them in my perennial bed or the girls’ fairy garden in the spring. I added a little racoon ornament, holiday sign, mini snowman, a silver pine cone, and some faux black berrie. This planter will decorate my front porch area where I usually plant annuals.
I like to keep a couple of small “winter sizzle” container gardens on my front porch all winter, and I gave this one some holiday bling and whimsy with a fairy house. The plants include a dwarf Lemon Cypress, a heather, another gualtheria, along with some fresh-cut juniper and cedar pieces mixed throughout. The lemon cypress should be okay in a protected area of my porch, and I will love to go outside once in awhile to run my fingers on the needles for the amazing fragrance. The lemon cypress can also be used as a houseplant.
Note– if you still have pumpkins on your porch and feel the pressure to make everything look perfect for the holidays, please don’t stress! I was fortunate to have the time to complete the above, but that doesn’t always happen. In the fall, I had all good intentions of planting my containers, but instead opted for some of our giant mum combo pots as a quick, grab-n-go, instant gratification. If this is you right now, we have already made winter containers that you can either set out on their own or insert into your favorite pottery pieces.
Here are a few updates for this week:
- we just unpacked a delivery of fresh, holiday indoor plants. Just add a gift card and you have a quick, easy, and cheerful gift for just about anyone on your list.
- a huge THANK YOU to all that have come to us for Christmas trees! This is just our 2nd year selling them, so many don’t think of us yet for trees. We still have a nice selection of 6-7’ Frasier Fir Christmas trees left. The larger, 8-10’ Frasiers and 8-10’ Douglas Firs are SOLD OUT. There are a couple of live, B&B spruce trees left too. Help us to spread the word!
- we have just two more of our weekly produce bags left! This week’s includes our delicious rainbow carrots. Our greenhouse homegrown lettuce, beet greens, spinach, arugula, cucumbers and more are available in the store everyday during store hours.
- all of our houseplants must go, and we’re having a huge clearance sale! The more you buy, the more you save, so get some for you and some for your friends.
- our last Wine Down Wednesday is next week, December 15. A guest food truck will be here, live music, and our workshop area will be open with some DIY activities if you want to get creative with your hands.
- Russ and I did a Facebook Live “Talk To Us Tuesday” yesterday to show everyone our top picks for holiday gifts. Robin, our Retail Manager, joined in on the fun too. Of course, we love everything in the greenhouse, but these few things are some of our faves. You can watch the replay here.
- if you visit us soon, remember to fill out the survey, (link is at the bottom of your receipt). By doing so, you’ll have a 1 in 50 chance of winning a $50 Bedner’s Gift Card. You’ll also be helping us to learn and grow for an even better 2022. We truly appreciate your time and comments.
This season has been buzzing with creative energy all around. What have you been creating? Have you been by the greenhouse for your DIY supplies or attended one of our workshops? Inspire us with your photos by posting to instagram or facebook and tagging us. We just love to see what you are doing!
Enjoy the beauty,
