Doug Hensel

March is the month that so many gardeners have been waiting for over the past three months. Spring will officially be here on March 19th. Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday, March 10th, which will give us extra daylight in the evening for gardening. In wrapping up February, last month was relatively kind to us. We … Read more

Here we are at the end of February. Warmer days and longer daylight hours are happening. Our soil temperature is warming. Our plants are beginning to wake up from their long winter nap. Many of our plants are starting to put out new leaves, and some are beginning to bloom—such as our forsythia shrubs with … Read more

 TRY THESE PLANTS AND TURN YOUR BROWN THUMB GREEN February is houseplant month for The Great Big Greenhouse. We pride ourselves on the selection of houseplants that we carry. We have a houseplant for you. Some houseplants are easier to care for than others. Success with houseplants starts with choosing the right plant for you. … Read more

GROWING CITRUS IN THE RICHMOND AREA BRINGS A LITTLE SLICE OF PARADISE Growing citrus plants has been a strong houseplant trend over the past few years. This is very true because people find having citrus plants very rewarding. Citrus is a pretty plant that has fragrant white flowers, pretty leaves, and fruit. The bottom line … Read more

ONE WINTER MONTH DOWN WITH ONE MORE TO GO I am warming up to the fact that spring will be here soon. I am excited, and I hope you are as well. The month of February can be looked at as a transitional month as we head toward March and the beginning of spring. Sure, … Read more

THIS IS A KIND NOTE TO REMIND YOU TO PLEASE LEAVE MY PLANTS ALONE THIS WINTER I wish deer could read. If so, I would post signs asking them to stay out of my yard and gardens this winter. I have already had a few frustrated customers come into the garden center saying how deer … Read more

KEEPING ACTIVE Last week I did a blog on ways to stay fit during these winter months. I want to give you all some thoughts on what we can do this winter to help us stay active and, at the same time, reduce our chore list come spring. One thing to do is to take … Read more

PLAYING WITH PLANTS TO SHAKE OFF THE WINTER BLUES This time of year can be a challenging time for avid gardeners. We must find ways to “play” with plants, even if it means playing with our tropical indoor plants. Making a terrarium is a perfect indoor winter project. Miniature gardens or landscapes can be created … Read more

GARDENING IS GREAT EXERCISE Gardening is excellent exercise, but it’s winter, which leads to spending more time indoors on the couch watching TV. I think I just described myself. If you are like me, you are already looking ahead to the start of the 2024 gardening season. Now is an excellent time to plan your … Read more

FIRST, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!!! I want to start by looking back on December. We were concerned about how dry we had become at the beginning of December. We were abnormally dry. But, on December 10th, we got a great soaking of rain that amounted to over 3 inches of rainfall. Great … Read more