Weekly Newsletter, 12.16.20

Hi friends,

I’m writing to you later in the day than usual because I had a fun morning outside decorating for winter. Russ stayed with our girls, and I had a blast creating winter arrangements in our huge, stone planters. They are 24″ and 29″ stone pots from Masserelli’s, where all of our statuary and fountains come from.

I had a nice list going of other things that I wanted to accomplish today, but I just HAD to get outside and be creative. My mind, body and spirit would not allow me to do anything else. And it was so much fun! When I was done, I made a cup of hot chocolate, added a little Bailey’s Irish Creme, (because Yum), and admired the beauty I created from inside the living room. Then I went to another window and looked at my pots from another angle as the snow was falling. This was a great day.

I hope that you have time to do something that feeds your soul this week, or I should say make the time like I did today. Because there are always other things to get done, but your soul is calling for some “time out of time”, as the program presenter called it at a 2-day retreat I went to last weekend. An author I once read described it as time for your soul to catch up with the pace of life. We can feed our soul by “doing” the things that we love and that bring us joy, yet we must also feed our soul by stopping the crazy pace and just “be” for awhile. That’s something that I so love about gardening. You take some time to DO things, using your physical body and mental creativity. Then you get to slow down and just BE, soaking in the stillness and beauty around you.

One of the things we discussed in the program I attended at Villa Maria were the lessons learned / graces / blessings during this time of a pandemic. One of the things I’ve definitely found myself doing more is actively seeking out the beauty around me, whether it’s in nature (like my blooming amaryllis below), or in kind human behavior, or the laughter of my daughters. I notice those moments more. It’s an effort and discipline sometimes for me to stay in the present moment and notice things, but I am getting better at it. And I’m making sure to do what I know keeps me sane– gardening, time in nature, barre3 workouts, walking, and then some time out of the noise and activity to just BE.

Here’s the scoop this week:

• all holiday decor— ornaments, decorative tins, snowmen, and more are 60% OFF. This doesn’t include trees, wreaths, greens or plants.
• the last of our make + take workshops are this Saturday and Sunday. Maddison will be guiding everyone through creating a table centerpiece with fresh greens and a candle. There is plenty of room in our gardener’s workshop space to spread out and have some safely-distanced fun.
• this is our last week to be open for the year. We will be open on Thursday and Friday night from 11am-8pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9-6pm, and Monday and Tuesday from 9-5pm.
• once we close the doors for the season on Tuesday, our greenhouse produce will still be available online for store pickups on Sundays, or free local delivery (within a 10-mile radius), on Mondays. Use the discount code LOCALDELIVERY at the checkout. Items are available for purchase a la carte, or in a produce box for a savings.
• not only are we offering to delivery your produce box for free, but for a limited time we will also delivery anything sold on our website for free, using the code LOCALDELIVERY. Our delivery fee for distances beyond 10 miles is $40.
• we have a few extra live Christmas trees that we want to give away to a family in need. Please contact me here to request a free tree, or call the store and ask for me (Melanie) and the staff will transfer your call to me.
• attention all frontline healthcare workers and first responders! We are giving away a free wreath to each one of you! Stop by anytime between now and next Tuesday, 12/22, show any staff person your ID, and pick up your free wreath. We are thankful for YOU.
• because we love giveaways and we love our faithful e-newsletter readers, we are giving away a Challenge Plant to the first 25 readers that email me here, or at newsletter@bednersgreenhouse.com.

I’ve included lots of pretty photos throughout the email below. Even if you can’t stop by to visit us before we our last day of the season on Tuesday, I hope that you enjoy the beauty in the photos from around the greenhouse taken this morning.

Take care,
Melanie

Winter Containers

Dress up your porch and patio pots up for winter with fresh greens, birch poles, southern magnolia, curly willow, berries and pine cones. Dress them up for the holidays with bows and ornaments, then leave them au natural for the winter. They will provide outdoor beauty through February, until it’s time for early spring flowers and decor. If you don’t have the time or interest in creating your own, grab one of our 10″ potted arrangements to place inside of your pots at home. Instant gratification!

Angel Tree 2020

THANK YOU to everyone who joined with us to spread some JOY this holiday season. Our staff had a gift-wrapping party on Monday to celebrate before we made the delivery. Together, we sent gifts to 48 residents of an apartment building in Canonsburg for low-income and disabled seniors. We are blessed to be a blessing to our community. Thank you to those who gave so generously.