December 4, 2025

It's never too early to lay in a supply of birdseed. You never know when the DC region might experience a Nor'easter snowstorm that shuts everything down for a few days, and your feathered friends are depending on you to make life easier for them. Here, from the window of our former home in Maryland in February of 2010, we have two male cardinals, a junco, and a white-throated sparrow perched on a potted laceleaf Japanese maple. They are staged to come in under an overhang, where the snow wasn't as deep and where we had set out sunflower seeds.

Speaking of birds and snow, we were privileged to take a trip to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, and Antarctica in November. I remember when Stephanie's mom Sonja came back from an Antarctic trip, and she was raving about it. I thought, what is there to see besides ice? It turns out that the ice, snow and glaciers are beautiful, but for me, it was all about the birds. We saw eight species of penguins, a half dozen species of albatross, and lots of others for my bird life list. The photo is from the Falkland Islands. It's a Gentoo penguin picking up a chunk of mud to add to a small ground nest, which at the time his mate was sitting on. He just went over, tapped it onto the side of the nest, and then waddled back to get more mud. I thought I would include it as a "bow" to all of you who have been kind enough to read my writings over the years. ~ Larry Hurley, Garden Writer

Over the years, if you came to Behnke Nurseries to buy shrubs, trees, or your Christmas tree, chances are you met Helmut. For me, Helmut has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, from the time I was a little girl living in that old brick house on the nursery, all the way through adulthood.

Helmut came to America as a young man from Germany to work for my grandparents. We had an apartment in our basement where many of the men from Germany and Holland stayed when they first arrived. Helmut was one of them. I can’t remember exactly how long he lived with us, but eventually he moved into his own home and started a family.

As far back as I can remember, he ran everything in the woody plants department; he was the buyer and the manager, choosing the plants, caring for them, and helping customers find just the right tree for their yard. It was a big responsibility, and he carried it with such dedication that people came looking specifically for him.

And for me, whenever I stopped by the nursery, it was always his big hug that I looked forward to. With no father in my life, I was blessed to have many good men around me growing up, my grandfather, my uncles, Helmut, and others who were always there.

A few weeks ago, Linda reached out, and I was able to go see Helmut and say goodbye. Helmut was one of those people you carry with you, part of the fabric of Behnke’s and part of my own story.

We have a few articles on our website about Helmut, and I wanted to share one from 2011. Just click on the green boxes below. And that little girl Helmut is holding below? That is me!



Helmut wasn’t just part of the nursery; he was part of my family. Rest in peace.

I will be still doing craft shows in 2026. Check out our websites event calendar for dates

Some of my favorite moments in this little shop have been sharing ornaments and treasures that bring back memories, those special pieces we unwrap each year with a smile.

I still have a small number of Old World Christmas ornaments and Egyptian Museum Glass pieces left. When they’re gone, I won’t be restocking them. The links are below if you’d like to take a look at what remains.

Even though the emails are ending, you can still visit my online shop anytime through the Beyond Behnke’s website. I’ll continue offering Fairy Garden pieces and other items there throughout the year, including our German ornaments and nutcrackers, and Quilled Greeting Cards.

Thank you for being part of this community, whether you’ve been with me since the early days or just joined along the way.

~Stephanie 🌿

The last photo below is of Albert and Rose Behnke's home on Behnke Nurseries in the 50's, with the "The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs " sign right out front. I now have the sign at my home. For my entire life, it hung at Behnke's. Maybe you saw it when you visited the nursery back in the day. ~ Stephanie