Christmas 2007 Newsletter

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10 Years at In The Country

We say it every year and once again, it is hard to believe another year is almost over. Even more unbelievable is that the 2007 season marks the end of our 10th year in business. You would think we would know what to expect after 10 years, but each spring is the beginning of a new adventure. Like a wild rollercoaster ride, the yearly adventures have their ups and downs. We can happily say that for the most part, 2007 was good to us.

Like the last couple years, we had a warm spell in April that brought the garden to life and then a week of temperatures in the teens that turned it to mush. We kicked off the season with our Spring in the Country Open House on Mother's Day weekend and amazingly, the garden had rebounded very well. We decided not to host speakers this year, but we had the best turn out we've had in several years. I'm sure the picture perfect spring weather had more than a little to do with it! We couldn't have been happier with the open house and it was a long overdue change from our standard cold, miserable open house weather!

The following weekend was the second annual Pond Expo hosted by the Eastern Iowa Pond Society. This year was every bit as successful as last! We were a little better prepared this year and brought along a better supply of plants. After two busy weekends in a row, the greenhouse was beginning to look a little sparse...that's a good thing!

Our first ever Hosta & Dessert Social was held in mid June. Having never tried this before, we had no idea what to expect. A few people said they planned to come, but would they? A couple didn't, but many more did! Hosta-holics from all over eastern Iowa and even Wisconsin gathered to talk hostas, buy hostas, swap hostas, play hosta trivia games, and munch on desserts...what a way to spend a day!! About 23 people participated in the hosta swap. There were some beautiful and quite rare plants up for grabs! Despite the sweltering heat, everyone had fun and many were eager to know if we're going to do it again next year. I think it is safe to say the Hosta & Dessert Social will likely become an annual event!

We don't often close the shop during the gardening season, but after the craziness of the spring rush things slow down a bit and it feels refreshing to get away for a few days. That is exactly what we did in July when we headed to Davenport, Iowa for the Midwest Regional Hosta Convention. How crazy is it to take a break from the garden to go surround yourself with more plants and gardens??

As a vendor, we took lots of plants, but also debuted some of our new Hosta gift items. The t-shirts were the most popular, but we also had wooden signs, greeting cards, mailboxes, Christmas ornaments, stepping stones, and even lawn chairs with hosta themed designs! These things are now available here at the shop and we're working on more designs for spring.

You can read all about the Bix Blues Hosta Convention in the Garden Journal and see lots of pictures in the gallery. Next July the Midwest Regional Hosta Convention will be held in Chicago. 2008 will also bring the National Hosta Convention to St. Louis, Missouri. Two Conventions within driving distance...oh, boy!

Normally August is very hot and dry, but this year the rain began falling in early August...and it fell, and fell, and fell. We received 6 inches of rain or more in less than a week. Most of August was a washout and we've continued to receive regular rain all fall. That is good for the garden and should ensure that everything is bigger and stronger in the spring.

We normally expect our first frost sometime in the first half of October and I was hoping the weathermen would be wrong (as usual) when they predicted frost for the middle of September. As luck would have it, we woke up to frosty patches on the lawn on September 15. The first frost of the season came about three weeks early. Technically, it was still summer!

The garden is going to sleep and we are wrapping up the nursery for another year - tucking in the leftover Hostas and perennials, shutting down the ponds, and firing up the furnace in the greenhouse for the coming winter. Our energy is now focused our Christmas Open House. We hope to see you again before the winter break.

Thank you for making 2007 a fun and successful year. We appreciate your continued friendship and support and wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday!

Sincerely,
Josh, Sue, & Jim