Our weekly newsletters deferred to monthly for January and February, as there isn’t quite as much news to report when the garden center is closed. However there is still plenty going on behind the scenes to give you a little update.

In November my mom, my sisters and I all planted amaryllis bulbs from Maddison’s workshop, and we’ve had a great time texting each other with photos of our buds and blooms. It became a competition to see whose bloomed first. Pictured below is my mom’s that just opened up, sitting on the windowsill of her apartment. Her plant took the longest to grow and bloom, but wow, it was well worth the wait! She wins for most blooms at one time. Mine bloomed right before Christmas and is getting ready to bloom again. What gorgeous blooms they make against the winter snow. What joy amaryllis bring this time of year.

Here’s what we’ve been up to this past month:

• right before Christmas, we closed the garden center doors until spring. Our staff enjoyed a break for Christmas and New Year’s, as well as a holiday lunch party early this month at Leo Greta in Carnegie. They have two nice event rooms now, and are still expanding. The food, atmosphere, wine list, and staff are excellent. Love the offering of Italian wines that you don’t often see at other places.
• though the store has been closed, we’ve still been growing produce in the greenhouses. It has been available weekly from Market Wagon. I LOVE this new online farmer’s market that delivers right to your home! We’ll be picking fresh produce from our greenhouses for just about one more week or so, and then fresh produce will be done until June when our high tunnel tomatoes are ready. This week we celebrate the broccoli in the high tunnel. It feels like it took FOREVER to be ready to harvest, but it was well worth the wait!

• as a quick side note– Market Wagon is looking for drivers for their Tuesday deliveries. Email our local contact Nick Joseph  if you or anyone you know is interested. They pay hourly plus mileage and bonuses.
• the past few weeks our Management and Core Team members have been getting together weekly for strategic planning and training sessions. We have reflected on the past year and created our vision and plan for 2021. We love what we do, and we are super excited to help our community to find joy in nature and gardening this year.
• do you have a gardening plan for the year? Let Maddison help you to get organized and inspired with a virtual presentation tomorrow at noon. It’s $10 and includes a downloadable monthly gardening guide and a link to watch the recording if you can’t be there live.
• our Greenhouse Production Manager, Erin, and her Assistants have been busy all month getting pots and hanging baskets filled and ready for planting. Baby plants begin to arrive next week, and with each day the greenhouses will be filling up with new growth.
• even though the garden center is closed, you can still shop for houseplants, gift cards, decor items, and more on our website for curbside pickup.
• thank you to everyone who filled out the survey over the holidays. We chose one winner of a $50 Gift Card for every 50 people who filled out the survey. The lucky winners were Betsy Golden, Holly McCann, and Elizabeth Shannon. Congratulations!
• our Landscape Team has been busy with landscape design work and maintenance proposals for 2021. The crews have been working on hardscape installations recently, as well. Their spring clean up and installation schedule fills up quick, so now is the perfect time to speak with them about your project. To get in touch, fill out a Landscape Request Form and we’ll give you a call.
• we are hiring for spring! Part time, Full time, and Seasonal opportunities available. Open positions include– Front of House Supervisor, Nursery Assistant Manager, E-Commerce Fulfillment Coordinator, Sales Associates, Delivery Driver and a Hardscape Foreman. Please spread the word. Resumes can be emailed to jobs@bednersgreenhouse.com. Stay tuned for the date of our Job Fair.

Thank you for reading, and please reach out if we can help you with anything.

Take care,
Melanie