by Briscoe White | Sep 1, 2010 | Exploring, Inspiration |
About Joie ….
Over the years, we have been extraordinarily lucky to find talented folks that have
added much to both our business and our lives. Joie came to work at The Growers
Exchange in the mid-90’s. She was a gifted art student who was working her way
through college – her talents didn’t stop at art. She was a fabulous flower arranger and
she became the ‘go to ‘ girl for customers looking for flower arrangements that were art!
Like a cool summer breeze, Joie came in and out of our lives – she eventually returned as
manager of the store until we decided to close our doors. Without her genius, as well as
youth, we would never have made it into cyber space!
When the time came for her to move on, she built her own business in the Richmond
area, Gone To Pot, and created amazing flowering containers that graced yards and
gardens all over the area. Watching her grow, from a talented student, to a gifted busi-
ness woman to a loving wife and mother, has been our pleasure. She has now moved
north and is attempting to garden in Zone 4. But, she is always a part of The Growers
Exchange and her lovely watercolors grace our site. Thanks Joie!
by Briscoe White | Mar 11, 2010 | Exploring, Flowers, Growing, Inspiration |
Greetings from Abaco! I have found the most beautiful garden on the whole island. Right next door to where I am staying is a tropical paradise; plants we use as houseplants or summer annual plants are used as landscape trees and shrubs here. It is so nice to see all the blooms after our long cold winter at home. Since I am still on vacation, I am out the door again soon. Next week I will be back at the greenhouse and soon we will begin shipping all of our customers their herb plants and flowering annuals so they can start their own tropical paradise.
I came to the Bahamas to escape the cold and see some color, after so many months of cold gray skies and brown earth I couldn’t wait for spring in Virginia. My neighbor Valdo is an expert tropical gardener and like all good gardeners has shared his garden with me, carefully explaining what it takes to grow lush plants on a rock island. The beach is calling, so I hope you enjoy the picture of Valdo and Marilyn’s beautiful bouganvillea. And remember, spring is just around the corner. It couldn’t possibly snow again? Could it?
by Briscoe White | Feb 26, 2010 | Exploring, Gardening, Growing, Inspiration, Urban Gardening |
I had to pick up some greenhouse supplies today. In the warehouse park where our supplier is located is one of those little areas time seems to have forgotten. At the rear of the park are a few lots no one wanted some thirty years ago where the park was built out.
Open land just sitting there is an open invitation to many urban farmers. This unwanted couple of acres has been converted to individual plots. Like everything else, the gardens are frozen for now, but come spring this place will look like an Asian market for vegetables. Everybody seems to have their own plan; some grow all peppers or all greens while others grow a diverse garden.
All the fences and cold frames are made of discarded materials. Most of the crops grown are annual plants, started from seed. This summer I will get a photo of the crops, but for now it is still too cold to garden.
by Briscoe White | Feb 19, 2010 | Basics, Exploring, Gardening, Inspiration |
I have been confident that sooner or later I would find a sign that this long cold winter would end one day. I was expecting a crocus or a snowdrop, but it was daffodils I spotted first. This is the season bulbs really pull their weight. It will be months before annual plants can face the weather, but here these bulbs have begun their blooming process. It may be a couple of weeks before the blooms actually open, but on the first warm day they will be ready to pop open. Spring is on the way!!
As exciting as early bulbs are, the real work of the garden is still in the future. Let these daffodils be a sign you will follow. Now is the time to get all spring planting planned and “gardened on paper”. Planning ahead will allow your dream garden to grow into reality this summer. Whether herb gardening or just setting out a few flowering annuals, planning will make a better garden. Get ready now and know what you want to do when spring finally arrives.
by Briscoe White | Jan 14, 2010 | Gardening, Growing, Inspiration, Miscellaneous |
It is done! These are our favorite words around the nursery. The Growers Exchange staff has created our first plant catalog. Yes, after all the light years of journey through cyberspace to create our internet web store; we had to step back and make a printed catalog. It just seems gardeners and paper plant catalogs go together like a companion planting.
The Growers Exchange catalog will be available on request, ORDER ONE TODAY. Spring getting closer every day!
by Kenan White | Jan 4, 2010 | Exploring, Gardening, Inspiration |
The new year always starts slow in a greenhouse. Winter is howling outside and spring is a long ways off. January is too early for many annual seeds to be sown; timing is everything and we want our plants just right for transplanting. Many of the perennial and other slow growing seeds were started in the fall, giving them plenty of time to fill out their pots before spring planting. Seeds are being planted this time of year, but the spring rush has not started yet.
The New Year is represented by a diapered baby, the greenhouse New Year looks more like a seedling, lots of seedlings, with more to follow. Outside the ground is frozen and the wind cuts to the bone; here in the greenhouse it is easy to daydream of the time when the world will green up and will be warm again. Being stuck inside allows us the time to plan the next spring garden. A little time spent planning will pay huge dividends as a well ordered garden will produce herbs, flowers, and veggies all summer long.
The new year always starts slow in a greenhouse. But as winter wears itself out, and spring approaches, the level of activity steadily increases, until finally the plants must be moved to outside beds to reach their potential. It is hard to describe winter as a gardening season; but it is the planning and “thinking about it” season; pencil gardening, where mistakes are easy to fix. Spend this time well, dream your ideal garden this winter, then you will know what to plant come spring.
