A Note from Scott and Marsha
December 5, 2019
Ok, seriously. Where did November go? I'll tell you where it went. It flew by while we were all behind paint brushes, Christmas paraphernalia, ribbons, bows, duck tape, Gorilla glue, hammers, drills and that is only to name a few. We even built a pallet tunnel. WWWHHHAAATTTTT??? Yeh. I had the crazy idea for a pallet tunnel so the Christmas train could roll through it for our Winter Fun Festival this Saturday. If you have kids or grandkids and you miss this Saturday, it's your own fault. If you don't have kids, borrow some. Because Olaf and Elsa are coming along with the Winter Wonderland train, food trucks, arts and crafts vendors and more. It's going to be a blast.   And this is why I love my people . They legit get behind the harebrain ideas I come up with and simply, build it for me. SMH. I don't deserve them.  

In other news, some of you allow us to service your lawn year round through our maintenance division. We've had some staff changes this year as we said goodbye to Nate Young, who actually has been back between classes selling Christmas trees at the garden center!   It must be love . But we did bring on Dylan Sechler to fill Nate's shoes. There are a couple things that already make me partial to this guy.  

First, he is from Pennsylvania which is where I grew up as well. He graduated from Penn State and I grew up a big Nittany Lions fan.  The other thing that makes me partial is Dylan is an Enneagram 8, just like me. If you aren't familiar with the Enneagram, it is basically a personality test that identifies your positives and not-so-positives and helps you as well as others understand you better. In a nutshell, Dylan and I are awesome. Ok. Fake news. The bad news is "eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive" blah blah blah with more bad stuff that I hate about myself. HOWEVER, at their best they are "self- mastering, [and] they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring." Boom. Not bad at all. And if you really, really want to read more about 8s, you can judge us by reading here: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-8

Sometimes, due to our nature, we 8s battle. The best part about an 8 to 8 battle? Elf costumes, hence the picture. Ownership does have some positives. For example, when I tell Dylan we are wearing elf costumes in the field for December, and he says no.

And I respond, "I'm sorry, did you just say NO to me?"  Challenge accepted . 

He responds, "I'm not wearing elf costumes."

I simply say, "You'll get used to it." And off I went to JoAnn Fabrics with my mom and in a few days, she whipped up some pull-overs.  Did I make him wear it out in the field? I'll let you decide.  

I hope all of you have a chance at some point to meet Dylan. He doesn't meet a stranger. He is engaged to be married next year and his fiance is simply adorable. I think if you meet him, you will see what I see and be smitten as well. And if you aren't, you can tell him because we 8's can handle it! 

What is your Enneagram number? Honestly, we love to know because it helps us understand you, too! Hope to see you this week buying all things green as we fly through Christmas trees, wreaths, garland and more. And hopefully see you Saturday on the train! More details are in the link below.  
UPCOMING EVENTS
THIS SATURDAY, 11am-6pm
 Join us for a winter fun-filled day. You will find fresh Christmas trees, wreaths, poinsettias, garlands, gifts and more for you to purchase at the Garden Center. Fun activities will be going on all day, starting at 11AM! Kids can ride the train to the North Pole , get their faces painted , and enjoy story time with Elsa and Olaf .  We’ll have food trucks , carolers and of course the bar will be open for some adult fun as well. You can shop in our Arts and Crafts Market from multiple vendors. We will end our event with a Christmas Tree lighting at 5:30PM. You don’t want to miss this event!  
Saturday, Dec. 14, 2-3PM
We know what you are thinking...peaches in December? Not peaches... mandarin oranges and pecans . The Peach Truck will return on Saturday, December 14 from 2-3PM with satsuma and kishu mandarins that are juicier, sweeter and easier to peel than common clementines. They will also have bags of shelled pecans that will be perfect and delicious for your holiday baking! The bar will be open and it'll be a fun afternoon for everyone. (Olaf will probably stop by to say hello as well!)
JUDY'S HOUSEPLANT PICK
Cyclamen is a popular holiday plant known for its beautiful and unique foliage as well as blooms. Enjoy cyclamen during this season, and then when the plant starts to go dormant, you can store it in a dark, cool place for a couple months, and then pull it out, soak it and it should bloom again! You can find out more here .
GIFT CARDS
If you have a plant lover in your life and you aren't sure what to buy them for Christmas (or their birthday, or President's Day), consider an FGS gift card! You can purchase a gift card for any value, and they can be used for any of our divisions! We now have made it easier than ever to get a gift card by adding a gift card page to our website. Get your FGS gift card today!
TREES, WREATHS AND GARLANDS
We still have many fresh Fraser Fir Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands and poinsettias in stock, but they are selling quickly and once they are gone, they're gone ! Come out this weekend and get your fresh holiday decor. Since our Winter Fun Festival will be going on Saturday, there isn't a better time in December to come for a visit!
READ OUR BLOG
We love to help you bring your holiday green, red and white home and keep it healthy by sharing tips and best practices in our blog. Now that colder temps are here to stay and winter is right around the corner, don't forget to take care of your houseplants. How you care for houseplants in the winter is a little different. Find out what and why in this post . In case you missed it, find out how you can best care for your fresh Christmas trees . We also have tips for taking care of your poinsettias . Make sure your holiday plants look and perform their best!
REFRESH YOUR LANDSCAPE
With the holidays right around the corner, you may be looking at your home and wishing your landscape looked better, or that you had that stone patio or firepit to entertain on. Stop wishing, and contact us for a design consultation and find out what it would take to make your dream landscape or hardscape a reality. We would love the opportunity to work for you.
NEW!! FOLLOW US!
We post daily to Instagram and Facebook to keep you up to speed with the latest information about what we are up to, what's in stock, or all the fun we're having!
We recently added a new Instagram account @fgslandscapes exclusively for our landscape and lawn maintenance divisions. Please follow us to keep up with all the fun we are having over there as well!
For Garden's Sake | 919.484.9759| www.fgsdurham.com