As Mother's Day Approaches

Hello everyone!  Mother's Day is on May 9th this year.  If you're looking for that perfect gift for Mom, we are here to help.  We're staying open late today, until 8 pm to offer you a Stress-Free Shopping Evening.  Our personal shoppers will be on hand to help you select a gift Mom will love from our huge selection of gorgeous flowering plants to unique and special decor pieces.  And don't forget we also have gift certificates available and free gift wrapping as well. And as Mother's Day approaches, I would like to share with you a personal message from Garden Supply owner, Deborah Ramsey, that is near and dear to our hearts. Having lost her mother to breast cancer a few years ago, Deborah is dedicated to helping raise funds to find a cure for this devastating disease. To that end, she has spearheaded a special "Gardeners for the Cure" team to participate in this year's NC Triangle Race for the Cure.  I hope you will all join along with us, as together, we can truly make a difference.

And now a message from Deborah:

Many of you remember and participated in "Gardens for the Cure", a peek into some of our customers great gardens and an annual fundraiser for Komen for the Cure. This was a grass roots event Keith dreamed up to honor my Mom, co-workers, and customers who were battling breast cancer, to raise money, and more importantly awareness, about this disease. This event usually occurred around Mother's Day and as that weekend approaches, I'm reminded of her and everything the Garden Tour represented to us.

I lost a most valuable person, my Mom, to breast cancer a few years ago and while I didn't lose sight of the fight to continue working with our local affiliate of Komen for the Cure, I could no longer muster up the energy to host another Garden Tour. Quite honestly, it was too painful because she was so closely tied to the spirit driving this event.

For some, when you lose the person you are fighting for, it knocks the "fight" out of you. For others, it spurs them on. I have been treading water for awhile now but again, as Mother's Day approaches, I am reminded...because I still have a sister, a Dad who misses his wife, a brother longing for his Mom, a mother-in-law, a sister-in-law, a daughter, niece, friend, co-workers, and customers who are not yet immune to this disease.

My Mom would tell me when she would come in to wake up her morose teenager, "Debbie, you have a choice about your day, it can be a happy one or a sad one, but it's your choice." Needless to say, those words still ring in my ears each morning as I get up. I can choose to fight or flee, and I am choosing the fight in earnest once again.

I had the opportunity last week at a luncheon to raise money for our local NC Triangle Komen for the Cure affiliate, to hear Nancy Brinker speak again. A woman who 30 years ago made a promise to her dying sister to do everything she could to fight this disease, raise awareness among women, and end breast cancer. Talk about a grassroots movement... her, a few friends in her Dallas living room, and now one of the top-rated charitable organizations in the country. Komen for the Cure has funded over a billion and a half dollars to cutting-edge research.

She hasn't quit, I thought and neither should I. By now many of you may be thinking I am going to do the "Gardens for the Cure" again...not yet...baby steps. I want to be part of a well-oiled machine - The Race for the Cure - the largest foot race in NC and the single largest fundraising event Komen puts on each year. I want all of you to join our team "Gardener's for the Cure" because gardener's are passionate people.

I promise you a great team t-shirt, a fun after-the-race party and as an extra incentive, a 12% discount card you can use on the rest of your purchases this calendar year. It's my way of saying "thanks" for helping me get back into the fight to end breast cancer. Follow the link to our team page  http://nctriangle.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/DUR_NCTriangleAffiliate?team_id=133021&pg=team&fr_id=1702 if you can't be there on race day, you can "Sleep in for the Cure" and still get all the bennies.

My Mom who lived in Florida at the time, came to our race here once and I had the privilege to walk with her. Since I carry her each day in my heart, she has been in races since, and we still "walk together".

I hope you will join "us" this year and walk to honor your mom, grandmother, aunt, wife, sister, daughter, friend and co-worker.

I can't think of a better Mother's Day gift!

-Deborah

Thank you everyone!  Hope to see you soon at the garden center, and join me back here soon for more snippets from the garden.

Stress-Free Shopping Evening

Mother's Day is May 9th this year, only 5 short days from now.  If you're looking for that perfect gift for Mom, we are here to help.  We're going to extend our hours this Thursday, May 6th to offer you a stress-free shopping event.  Our personal shoppers will be on hand until 8 pm to help you find that perfect gift item.  With our huge selection of unique and beautiful decor pieces and flowering plants, you are sure to find just the perfect gift for Mom.  And don't forget that we offer gift certificates, too. Special free gift wrapping will be available. Here is a stunning flowering classic that is sure to capture Mom's heart.

From Monrovia gardens, this glorious Itoh Peony is reminiscent of grandma's cutting bed but without the fussiness sometimes associated with the plant.  Itoh Peonies are a cross of an herbaceous peony with a tree peony.  The cross combines the best traits of both parents: great vigor, large distinctive flowers, strong stems and long-lasting blooms. The sturdy flower stems of the Itoh Peony require no staking.  This variety, the 'Sequestered Sunshine' Itoh boasts large, bright canary-yellow blossoms with showy stamens.

Also available is this 'Cora Louise' Itoh which offers large, semi-double blossoms that are white with striking dark lavender central flares.  The flowers have a soft, pleasing scent.

Our third beautiful Itoh Peony is the 'Kopper Kettle' variety with copper-orange flowers that have a darker center and occasional yellow streaks.

I'm sure Mom would be pleased with one of these beauties!  And we have many more lovely options including a bounty of blooming annuals and perennials, fabulous container plantings all ready to go, beauty products from Tyler Company, and fabulous boutique items from the Greenhouse.  Stop by and let us help you make this Mother's Day one to remember!