Fall/Winter 2011 Newsletter

Can you believe that this past season marked our 14th year in business? I keep recounting, just to make sure! It has been a meandering journey with many surprises along the way, but it hardly seems like it has been 14 years.

A garden is ever changing and evolving and looking back over the years, it is apparent that we have evolved, as well. We've tried countless different plants and garden products - some good, some not so good. We've hosted various events and workshops that we hope you have enjoyed. We've met so many wonderful people, many of who we now count as dear friends.

This past season has been no different. We continue to refine what works, get rid of what doesn't work, and try new things to feed our passion...and yours.

Inspired by the loss of Sue's dad last December, we wanted to do something in his honor. After all, he has been an integral part of making In The Country what it is today. We were very proud to donate a portion of our Spring Open House sales to the Buchanan County Relay for Life. This would not have been possible without your support. Thank you!

One of our biggest changes in recent years has been our foray into selling hostas and other plants online. This certainly is not one of those internet millionaire stories you hear about in the news, but we never dreamed this area of our business would grow as it has in just five years! It has not been without challenges and set backs, but I think we are getting the potholes in this path smoothed out. The 2011 season has been our busiest mail order season, yet, and we are ever grateful to a few special family members who jumped in to help us pack dozens of orders at a time back in May!

As the brilliant leaves drop from the trees marking the passing of another season, In The Country Garden & Gifts is in the midst of a new beginning. With 14 years of experience behind us, our "if we would have known then, what we know now" list is quite long. We love what we do. We love you, the friends who support us and allow us to continue doing what we love. We hope to be able to continue down this wonderful, winding path for many more years, so we have decided that the time is right to relocate our business.

Many factors played into this decision, but our ultimate goal is to put into place all those things we have learned over the years. The new In The Country will be less labor intensive for us and more enjoyable for you. Our new location is just a couple miles from our old location on a paved road, so it will be much easier to find...and no dusty gravel roads!

Follow along on our progress over the winter by joining our In The Country Facebook page or keep checking The NEW In The Country photo gallery.

Bigger greenhouse, bigger outdoor growing area, bigger gift shop, all with more convenient access. Oh, and a large, established display garden with plenty of room to expand! We are very excited about the possibilities this big step has to hold. We thank every one of you who has stuck by our side through the past 14 years and hope you will join in our excitement when we open at our new location in the spring of 2012!!

In the meantime, get a taste of what spring will bring by browsing through our 2012 catalog of hostas and companion plants.

Sincerely,
Josh & Sue