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»  9/2/08 :: August Perennial of the Month ::

Many general guesses were submitted this past month for our August Perennial of the Month contest, but only a few were close. Congratulations to "ggtyson" for correctly guessing it as Filipendula rubra 'Venusta.' Another POTM is now posted for September, check it out.

»  8/25/08 :: September hours announced ::

For September, we continue our hours with weekdays Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Saturdays 9am-4pm, and closed Sundays. We will also be open Labor Day 9am-3pm for your convenience. Stop in and check out our beautiful mum selection along with all of your favorite perennials and grasses.

»  8/4/08 :: July Perennial of the Month ::

As promised, it was an easy one this past month with many entries received. The first and most accurate response was by "wiersmal" correctly identifying it as Papaver orientale 'Beauty of Livermore'. Another easy POTM is now online, check it out.

»  8/1/08 :: August hours announced ::

For August, we are scaling back our hours a bit. Weekdays Mon-Fri will be 9am-6pm, Saturdays 9am-4pm, and closed Sundays as usual. We are still going strong with a great selection, and also are beginning to bring out our fall garden mums. Stop in and see what we have to offer!

»  7/1/08 :: June Perennial of the Month ::

We received quite a few correct answers on this one, but "mmbbdirt" was the first to correctly guess our June POTM as Hypericum calycinum. A super EASY photo for our July POTM is now online, check it out.

»  7/1/08 :: July hours announced ::

July hours will remain the same as June, weekdays Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Saturdays 9am-5pm, and closed Sundays as usual. Special July 4 hours will be 9am-3pm for those who need this day off to get some more planting done. We still have a great selection!

»  6/25/08 :: Weekly winner announced ::

Bob DePree of Jenison was picked as our 4th weekly winner in June, and he will receive a $25 gift card. Visit us at W.W. Greenhouses in Hudsonville for your chance to win!

»  6/16/08 :: Weekly winner announced ::

Dave VanderMarkt of Grandville was picked as our 3rd weekly winner in June, and he will receive a $25 gift card. Visit us at W.W. Greenhouses in Hudsonville for your chance to win!

»  6/9/08 :: Weekly winner announced ::

Stan Roth of Hudsonville was picked as our 2nd weekly winner in June, and he will receive a $25 gift card. Visit us at W.W. Greenhouses in Hudsonville for your chance to win!

»  6/4/08 :: Weekly winner announced ::

Phyllis Dykhouse of Hudsonville was picked as our 1st weekly winner in June, and she will receive a $25 gift card. Visit us at W.W. Greenhouses in Hudsonville for your chance to win!

»  6/2/08 :: May Perennial of the Month ::

We thought May's Perennial of the Month contest would be easy, but we only received a few truly correct answers. Congratulations goes to "brenig" for being the first to correctly guess our May POTM as Lavandula augustifolia 'Munstead'. (We would have accepted just "Lavandula," but "brenig" nailed it!) June's POTM is now online, check it out.

»  6/1/08 :: June hours announced ::

Please take notice our hours for June, as we will be open weekdays Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Saturdays 9am-5pm, and closed Sundays as usual. Also, we are always re-stocking with fresh annuals and perennials... if you think the "pick" is gone, think again!

»  5/26/08 :: Weekly winner announced ::

Amanda Johnson of Byron Center was picked as our 4th weekly winner in May, and she will receive a $25 gift card. Visit us at W.W. Greenhouses in Hudsonville for your last chance to win in May!

»  5/20/08 :: Display Garden photos updated ::

With the cooler than normal temperatures this season, our display gardens have been slow to show color. But we now have some photos uploaded, see what's blooming in our display gardens now!

»  5/20/08 :: Weekly winner announced ::

Elaine Kouw of West Olive was picked as our 3rd weekly winner in May, and she will receive a $25 gift card. Visit us at W.W. Greenhouses in Hudsonville and register to win... a new winner picked every week!

»  5/19/08 :: Special Memorial Day hours ::

We will be open on Monday, May 26, from 9am to 6pm. These business hours are the result of customer requests, and not intended to dishonor the intention of this special day. We pay tribute to all of those who have served both past and present, and we hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

»  5/14/08 :: Weekly winner announced ::

Ruth Timmer of Jenison was picked as our 2nd weekly winner in May, and she will receive a $25 gift card. Visit us at W.W. Greenhouses in Hudsonville and register to win... a new winner picked every week!

»  5/7/08 :: Weekly winner announced ::

MaryAnn Conklin of Byron Center was picked as our 1st weekly winner in May, and she will receive a $25 gift card. Visit us at W.W. Greenhouses in Hudsonville and register to win... a new winner picked every week!

»  5/1/08 :: April Perennial of the Month ::

Another easy one this past month for our Perennial of the Month contest. "pattinabinish" was the first to correctly identify April's POTM as Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegata,' and his/her gift card is on the way. For the rest of you, May's POTM is now online!

»  4/26/08 :: 2008 Spring Opening prize winners announced ::

The following names are the winners of the various prizes given away this past week for our Spring Opening. Thank you to all of our customers who participated, and congratulations to the winners!

Black Victorian Iron Bench:

Jim Jarosch : Grandville

$25 gift cards to W.W. Greenhouses:

Elaine Bates : Rockford

Jay Kuiper : Hudsonville

Jody Clements : Big Rapids

Brenda Powell : Hudsonville

»  4/25/08 :: Previous survey results ::

From July of 2007 thru April of 2008, we ran the following survey :

"When shopping for perennials, how would you prefer them to be arranged in our store, so you can easily find what you are looking for?"

»  54%  ::  alphabetically (common or botanical name)

»  32%  ::  by bloom time (spring, summer, fall)

»  9%  ::  by color

»  5%  ::  makes no difference to me

Thank you to all who participated. Our next survey is now online, check it out!

»  4/22/08 :: 2008 Spring Opening a success ::

Perfect weather dominated our opening weekend this year, bringing many faithful and new customers to W.W.. Bright sun and temps in the 70's really put people in the mood, and we thank you all for visiting us! We will be announcing our prize winners in the next week... stay tuned! (Some new photos are also available from our Spring Opening weekend.)

»  4/18/08 :: WE'RE OPEN! April hours ::

We are now open for the 2008 season! Our April store hours will be Monday-Friday 9am-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, and closed Sunday. We look forward to serving you in 2008!

»  4/1/08 :: March Perennial of the Month ::

We had many, MANY correct answers to our most recent POTM contest, thank you all for participating! "hulsebus1" was the first to correctly identify our March Perennial of the Month as Caryopteris. It was actually an old photo of C. x clandonensis 'Heavenly Blue,' but we planned to accept any Caryopteris answer as the flowers are so similar to newer hybrids. Congratulations to "hulsebus1", and best of luck to the rest of you with our April POTM!

»  3/21/08 :: 2008 Spring Opening announced ::

We are planning our 2008 Spring Opening for April 18 & 19. Enjoy 10% off your entire purchase (including gift cards if you're not quite ready to plant), prizes, refreshments, and a taste of Spring that you can find nowhere else! See you then!

»  3/3/08 :: February Perennial of the Month ::

Congratulations goes to "hutchi41" who was the first to correctly identify our POTM for February (Lewisia cotyledon). Test your knowledge at this month's POTM here (easy!).

»  2/26/08 :: Keeping the "GREEN" in W.W. Greenhouses ::

You hear about it everywhere, "green", "Green", "GREEN"! Everyone seems to be jumping on the Earth-friendly bandwagon, and to a certain extent, that's a good thing. Taking responsible care of our planet is what we all have been called to do. If the changes we make in our habits and uses are based on facts (instead of marketing, political, and/or other reasons), it's a very good thing.

However, at W.W., being "green" is not just something we are doing because it is currently popular in our society. We have taken numerous steps throughout the years to be more efficient and responsible in all aspects of our operation. Some of the steps we have taken in the past include :

»  Ebb/Flow Benching :: The benches we use in our garden center have shallow trays in which plants sit in. Water is pumped into these trays, flooding the entire bench. The plants then "wick" the water up through the soil in their pots. After a set time, the water is then drained away to a holding tank where it can be re-used again. We began using these benches in 1995. Using this method cuts down on labor costs, water use, and disease (which keeps our chemical and spraying costs lower).

»  Roof Vents :: In 1997, we installed roof vents in our garden center. The roof literally opens up when cooling is desired. Before roof vents, cooling was usually done with large exhaust fans which used a great deal of electricity compared to using roof vent assemblies.

»  Energy Curtain :: Also in 1997, we installed an energy curtain in one of our greenhouse ranges. This "curtain" closes during desired times to trap heat in the winter months and evenings. By doing this, less natural gas is used to heat during the more demanding cooler times. The curtain also can shade the area in the summer time, keeping it cooler. Plants do not normally need as much moisture when kept cooler, so water use and irrigation labor is further reduced.

»  Underground Heat and Efficient Furnaces :: It's a no-brainer to use the most efficient furnace available if you want to save energy. But by placing the ductwork of some of our furnaces underground throughout the greenhouse, we can direct the heat right under and much closer to the plants. By doing this, less heat is needed to get the same growing results from the plants. We have been using this heating method in one of our greenhouse ranges since 1997, and have updated our furnaces in 2004.

As in the past, we continue to make "green" improvements. Some of the steps we have taken recently and will take in the future include :

»  Earth-friendly Pots :: We are increasing the usage of more bio-degradable pots. Realistically speaking, our industry still uses a huge amount of plastic, and will likely continue to do so for a long time. But using more Earth-friendly pots certainly helps (and they look cool, too!).

»  Plastic Recycling :: We are always looking for ways to recycle the plastic film that covers our greenhouses. It is difficult to find a company that can recycle or use our plastic, but we keep trying. Look for a plastic pot recycling program from W.W. in the future as well.

»  Biological Pest and Disease Control :: We are constantly exploring new ways to use Earth-friendly methods to control any bugs or diseases we encounter. Increased use of "good bugs" (e.g. predatory mites/ladybugs/wasps which feed on bad mites and aphids) have produced good results in recent years within our greenhouses. Organic-based products which control fungus, mildew, and other diseases are also being tested. These methods of control decrease the use of sometimes damaging and dangerous chemicals, which is especially important in a garden center setting.

»  Organic Products :: We offer many organic fertilizer products, suitable for vegetables, roses, and any other annual or perennial you have. Try them sometime, you may like them!

»  Paper Bags :: Service is something that has not changed at W.W., and we remain one of few garden centers in the area who package up your plants for you upon checkout (if necessary). During checkout, we are increasing the use of paper bags to package up your plants instead of using plastic trays. Sometimes a plastic tray is needed for strength, but using biodegradable/re-useable bags when possible instead of plastic is just another way we are helping to reduce landfill waste and energy use.

Now you know some of the things W.W. has been doing to be responsible in our community and world. Come join us at W.W. Greenhouses...

»  2/25/08 :: 2008 Perennial Catalog Announcement ::

In an effort to reduce costs and keep our prices in check, along with reducing paper waste, we will not be producing a color perennial catalog this year. Therefore, our active mailing list customers will not receive a catalog in the mail as in the past.

However, we are offering two alternatives to obtain a free perennial listing :

1) as always, our perennial catalogs/listings of the varieties we plan to carry in our Hudsonville garden center are posted online here for you to view or download (2008 edition is now posted, with revisions happening periodically),

and 2) as usual, we will be sending out a coupon in April to our active mailing list customers... if you would like a B/W perennial listing sent to you, simply call or email us and we will mail you one.

By doing this, only catalogs will be sent out to those who truly use/need them, and overall cost and waste will be greatly reduced. We know this may be disappointing to some of you, as we have always had good feedback from our catalogs in the past. But costs have risen dramatically over the years and we did not feel that charging a fee would be an option. So, we think a simple black/white listing will satisfy the needs of most, especially when we have so many color photos available online to view throughout the season.

We appreciate your understanding in this decision, and we value your comments here if you wish. Thank you, and we look forward to serving you all in 2008!

»  2/1/08 :: January Perennial of the Month ::

There were no correct entries submitted for our January Perennial of the Month contest, so our contest will be held over for another month, with our gift card prize going up to $25. It shouldn't be a hard one for most of you, see if you can guess it here.

»  1/2/08 :: December Perennial of the Month ::

With an easy one for last month, we had many correct entries. The first to enter and win our $20 gift card however, was "beccajs85" (Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'). Congratulations and the rest of you may try again for January by clicking here!

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