Hot Topics
We appreciate your business. Our HOT TOPICS section allows us to inform you of new items, upcoming sales, timely gardening advice, events, and other issues affecting our Virginia gardeners. Please contact us with your suggestions for topics you would like to see discussed here.
 |  | COFFEE WITH DOUG Join Doug Hensel and his special guest Steve Snow, Wetsel Seed Company, for COFFEE WITH DOUG on SATURDAY, MARCH 6, at 10:00 am, a free informal discussion on gardening trends and products for 2010. Bring all of your gardening questions and "Let's Get Ready for Spring!" Refreshments will be provided, and seating is limited so reserve your place now by calling 320-1317 or contacting us at Doug@greatbiggreenhouse.com. |
 | | NEW FOR SPRING We are excited to offer two new products in our Silk Department--an amazing new UV and weather resistant artificial foliage called "Inside/Out" and our new "water illusion". The water illusion line features an artificial stem that is sealed and looks exactly as if you went out to the garden and cut the flower yourself! These "cut" stems can be placed in real water without risk of damage to the silk stem or to your container. We have a large selection of water illusion stems from which to choose--tulips, hydrangeas, freesias, and zinnias, just to name a few. Our Inside/Out line will feature an ultraviolet and weather resistant red hanging geranium and a variegated ivy. We can't wait to try these out on our own patio! |
  | | FRUIT TREES We have just received a brand new shipment of fruit trees. In addition to our good selection of basic fruit trees like peaches, apples, and such, we also carry other fruits that we see growing in popularity--persimmons, figs, and paw-paws. Small fruits, typically shrubs and vines such as blueberries, grapes, and the brambles are also growing in popularity and aren't as high maintenance as traditional fruit trees such as apples, pears, or cherries. Older fruits such as pecans and chestnuts (Dunstan hybrid) are also popular again. Be sure to pay attention to pollination requirements when purchasing fruits trees. Or, to make it easy, we sell 3-way grafted (3 separate cultivars) espalier apples and Asian pears. Plant fruit trees now before they break dormancy and add something beautiful and edible to your landscape. |
  | | WINTER MARKET Our wonderful Farmers' Market can be found INDOORS for the winter, THURSDAYS from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM through March 4. Many of our vendors from this Virginia Grown registered farmers' market will be found on Thursdays inside The Great Big Greenhouse & Nursery in the Huguenot Village Shopping Center. The market will move outside again on Thursday, April 1. For more information, contact Doug@greatbiggreenhouse.com. |
| NEW SEED LINE We are proud to be offering vegetable seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange this year. Southern Exposure is a Louisa, Virginia-based seed company specializing in organic, heirloom, and open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds. None of their seeds have been treated with fungicides or insecticides and, like both Burpee and Botanical Interests seeds, do not sell genetically modified seed. Southern Exposure says, "Our emphasis is on Mid-Atlantic adaptability. The Mid-Atlantic region is generally characterized by high summer heat, humidity, numerous plant diseases, uneven precipitation, and occasional high temperatures in the early spring and late fall. This region has predominantly clay soils..." Open-pollinated means that the seeds are not hybrids and, therefore, can be saved from season to season and will produce true to the parent. "Under natural organic gardening conditions, open-pollinated varieties tend to do well...What many heirloom open-pollinated varieties offer is a long tradition of steady success, often under adverse conditions." |
 | | 2010 GARDENING TRENDS GROW YOUR OWN--Growing your own fruits and vegetables will again be strong in 2010. Many people will try again, having learned from their successes and failures this past summer. January is a great time to plan your garden, reviewing your notes and reading catalogs for new ideas. Remember to rotate the vegetables in your garden to reduce insect and disease problems. CONTAINER GARDENING--Container gardening will again be a very popular trend in 2010. Using whimsical, colorful containers has added a new design element to the landscape. There is no question that container gardening can be challenging, but the rewards are great. |
| GO GREEN POT SWAP! Many of our customers have expressed their frustration at having to throw away plastic plant containers, when they would love to recycle them. We feel the same way. However, currently it is very difficult to collect and get used grower pots to a recycling center that is willing to handle them. We think that a "pot swap" may help the situation. Bring your empty used plastic containers in, so that another customer may use them. If you need a pot in a different size, take one that has been returned by someone else. This will at least "recycle" some of the containers. If we end up with enough containers, we will try to get them to an appropriate recycling center. GO GREEN! |
 | | SENIOR DISCOUNT DAY Did you know that every TUESDAY is "Golden Gardener's Day" at The Great Big Greenhouse & Nursery? All seniors (age 55 or older) will receive a 10% DISCOUNT on their total purchases on Tuesdays. |
 | | SEASONAL GARDENING TIPS Seasonal gardening tips, chores, reminders for the season: This is a great time to begin thinking about your next landscape project. Good planning will save you time and money. Continue feeding our feathered friends, and be sure to provide fresh water. While it may look like a disease or nutrient deficiency, boxwood leaves turn orange when our temperatures drop and we experience shorter winter days. The leaves will green up again with the longer, warmer days of spring. Do not work garden soils when they are very wet as they are now from the rain and snow. To see if soil is dry enough to work, squeeze a handful into a ball, and if it crumbles easily it is ready. Sticky soil should be allowed to get drier. If you have spring blooming bulbs that did not get planted, consider planting them in containers that you can leave outside in an area protected from freezing temperatures. |
 | | HOLD YOUR MEETING HERE Garden Clubs and other organizations are welcome to hold a meeting here and take advantage of our experts. We can seat up to 30 people, and offer speakers on several gardening topics, including perennials, sun or shade gardening, conifers, herbs, flowering bulbs, houseplants, vegetable gardening, and container gardening. For more information, contact Joanne Brothers at 320-1317. |
 | | JOIN OUR EMAILING LIST Use the Contact Us page or "Ask Doug" to sign up for our emailing list. You will receive advance notice of sales and specials, and be informed of any special events. Be sure to include your email address, and mention your wish to be added to the list. |
 | | CLEAN AIR MACHINES Foliage plants are more than just decorative accents! NASA research has shown that foliage plants "scrub" the air, removing toxins commonly found in homes and office buildings. Volatile organic compounds known to cause allergic reactions, and even cancer or other serious health problems, have been found by EPA inside energy-efficient buildings. As a general rule of thumb, the larger the leaves, the more efficient the plant is as an air scrubber, but most plants are doing some good. It works when room air is drawn into the soil of a potted plant as the plant begins to dry. Microoganisms living around the roots "eat" any air-bourne pollutants they come in contact with by breaking down their chemical structures. The resulting pieces of chemicals are either taken up by the plant as nutrients, or remain harmless in the soil. And foliage plants don't need batteries! |