Weekly Newsletter, 12.2.20

Hi there,

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! Our store is now stocked with live Christmas trees, wreaths, winter containers, poinsettias, Christmas cactus, cyclamen, gift ideas, and more! Our staff has been busy hand-assembling beautifully decorated porch pots and wreaths. All of the creations we make are misted with non-toxic Wilt Stop, to ensure longevity and prevent needle moisture loss.

While Bob and Suzi sold trees and wreaths at Christmas time years ago in Upper St. Clair, this is our first holiday season to be open in our 24 years here in Cecil. Our goal this year has been to have a quality supply of trees, wreaths, greens and plants, as well as to provide fun experiences for you with make + take workshops for wreaths, winter containers and centerpieces. Despite the challenges that this year has brought, we are confident that we have a safe space for you to come relax and have some fun being creative. We’ve designated a huge area of the greenhouse just to workshops, so there is plenty of room to spread out.

Here’s what to know this week:

• spring-blooming bulbs are now on sale for 30% off. You can still plant them through this month as long as the ground isn’t frozen. Or pot up your own bulb lasagna, as Maddison demonstrates here!
• the angels on our Angel Tree, benefitting 47 residents of a low-income, local senior living building, are almost gone! Thank you all for your generosity.
• we are now open 7 days a week thru December 22, and until 8pm on weeknights. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, mulled apple cider, or some wine to enjoy while you shop.
• also available at our refreshment counter is popcorn, and baked goods from two local bakeries, PG’s Sweet Treats and delicious gluten free options from Gluuteny.
• Russ will be on-site doing wine tastings on the next three Saturdays from 4-6pm. Stop by to say hi and sample some flavors.
• we continue to harvest delicious greenhouse produce, including tasty tomatoes! How awesome to be harvesting fresh food to eat while snow is coming down. Fresh produce, as well as basil, thyme, oregano and parsley, is available in the store everyday. Weekly Produce Boxes are also available with a fresh assortment of goodies, and can be picked up either Saturday or Sunday. Many thanks to our Team members Erin and Katlynn who have been working so hard to both grow the crops and harvest them for you.
• with this being our first Christmas to be open for business, we are asking for feedback from you. If you visit us this month, please check the bottom of your receipt for a link to a super-quick survey. For every 50 people that fill it out, we will give away a $50 gift card. That’s a 1 in 50 chance to win!
• if you participated in our Leaves of Remembrance in October, the video of name-readings is available here. I meant to mention it in the last e-news, so sorry about that! We were honored to partner with the Still Remembered Project to bring honor to our babies gone too soon, to come together as bereaved parents in unity at a time when we could not all gather as a large group physically, and to raise awareness. We had 147 leaves on our tree in memory of lost pregnancies and babies, and we donated $200 to the Still Remembered Project.
• stop by and see our giant, 11 foot wreath! It’s all handmade from a steel frame and fresh greens. One of our staff would be happy to snap your photo with it! Be sure to post to social with the hashtags #LargestWreathinPA and #BednersBigWreath

Wishing you and yours a healthy and happy holiday season. We hope that our plants, products, services and experiences will bring you some beauty and joy this month and beyond. Our goal always, and especially now, is to be making spirits bright!

Take care,
Melanie

Christmas Cactus

Did you know…. It’s called a “cactus” but thrives in cooler temperatures. Christmas cacti need to be kept away from heat sources. Longer bloom times occur if kept cooler. They need light to bloom, keeping them in a sunny location indoors is the key to prolonged blooms. Christmas cactus is native to Brazil. Christmas cacti need their beauty sleep. “Experts at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens recommend setting your Christmas cactus in a room where you never turn the lights on at night. In order for the flower buds to set, they need 14 hours or more of continuous darkness per day. However, after the flower buds have set, the plants can withstand light at  night.” Christmas cactus can live for 20 to 30 years. What a wonderful gift to hand down to the next generation! Over-watering will kill Christmas cactus. There is a difference between Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti! Thanksgiving cacti are much more common than a true Christmas cactus. thanks to our friends at Meadow View Growers for these tips!