Get out of bed sleepy head!   On Friday, July 6, from 7 to 9:00am, Pine Hill Nursery in Kewadin will be holding a Sunrise Sale! We need to clear out the greenhouses, so you'll get Annuals, Hanging Baskets and Veggies at Half Off and Pottery at 30% Off! We'll also have unadvertised deals and steals for those willing to get up early to snag them!

Annual Plants - HALF OFF!

Hanging Baskets - HALF OFF!

Veggie Plants - HALF OFF!

Pottery - 30% OFF!

All that shopping will leave you hungry and thirsty, so plan to stay for breakfast at the Garden Café. Julie will be serving up a $3 breakfast special of ½ breakfast wrap with fruit and your choice of beverage.

PARIS O LA LA!

When I was in London 6 years ago, I thought I had seen some magnificent gardens (and I did) but oh Paris! Nothing prepared me for the magnificence and the grand scale. The stamp the Royals and Napoleons I and III left on the city is a large one; garden after marvelous garden (and an abandoned, repurposed palace to go with it), square after charming square, and view after stunning view. The longest, the Axe Historique, stretches from the Louvre through the Tuilleries Gardens, the Place de la Concorde,  the Arch de Triomphe to La Defense. You'd need a powerful set of binoculars to see from one end to the other, or a climb up the Eiffel Tower for an arial view.

The Place de Vogses (originally Place Royal) is reported to be the oldest planned square in Europe and the one after which all others were patterned. In its time, it was considered absolute perfection. You see its influence everywhere; symmetry, rows of trimmed trees, gravel paths, fountains and house-fronts all built to the same design. Tucked away in the Marais, it seems rather small and insignificant today considering what came after, but charming and worth a visit, if only to see from whence it all came.

I've always thought it interesting that gardening is as much about man imposing his will on nature as it is about introducing beauty into our surroundings. It's a constant battle waged to keep nature from taking back what man has claimed. I felt this everywhere in Paris, where hardly a tree has gone untrimmed, where plantings are almost always symmetrical, where the gardeners hand is very much in evidence even though he may not physically be present.

This was all brought about by Baron Haussman who, under edict of emperor Napoleon III, demolished much of the medieval city to create the wide boulevards, vistas and squares in existence today. Much later in Chicago, Daniel Burnham (a personal hero of mine) was inspired by Haussman to similarly create a boulevard system (his emerald necklace) around the city which incorporated parks, parkways and gardens. Chicago didn't have an Emperor backing the improvements however, so the system is not quite as grand and is incomplete, though none-the-less significant and beautiful.

I think what struck me, having grown up in Chicago with its prairie aesthetic, was the linear-ness, same-ness and rigidity of Paris. After about a week, I began craving curves, wide open spaces and a little bit of wildness. It was all so civilized. Unlike Paris, in the boulevard and park system in Chicago, the hand of the gardener is usually only glimpsed if you look hard enough. It was just when I needed it that I found the Bois de Bologne, ironically also planned by Haussman, a large park on the outskirts of Paris that had just what I needed. But that's a story for another time!

For more photos of my trip to Paris, see our photo albums on our Facebook page.

IT'S WILD AND CRAZY!

Our nursery-wide scavenger hunt in Kewadin is nearly ready. This year features a fun-filled hunt for plants with Wild and Crazy names! It's a great way to keep the kids busy while you shop or just a fun activity for a morning or afternoon. Why not make a day of it by signing up for a Kids Class, having lunch at the Garden Café, then heading off on a scavenger hunt? You'll find a Café coupon later on in the newsletter.

THIRD ANNUAL CONTAINER CONTEST  

We have received only one entry so far for our Third Annual Container Contest! So take a picture of your most fabulous container and send it in! There are three categories, plus a Grand Prize: Best use of Color, Most Creative Container and Most Unique Plant Combination. Each winner receives a Pine Hill Gift Certificate; Grand Prize $50, Other Categories $20. 

To enter, simply submit your name, phone number, a photo and a brief description of your container including plant names by July 31, 2012 one of three ways:

By email:         alana@pinehill-nursery.com
By mail:           Attn: Alana Haley
                        Pine Hill Nursery
                        886 US 31 North
                        Kewadin, MI 49648
Drop off:         Either Pine Hill location

WINNERS, WINNERS!

No Chicken Dinners, but other great prizes have been awarded in our drawings lately! Here are our winners.

Two lucky men won four tickets each to a Beach Bums baseball game in our Father's Day Giveaway:

            Kewadin: Marvin Orchard (who is planning to take his grandkids!)

            Traverse City: Mr. Thomas

Customer Appreciation Door Prize Winners were:

            Kewadin: Eileen Burgess, JoAnn Todd and Mike Collyer

            Traverse City: Judy Crowe, Marge Phillips and a little girl whose name went unrecorded

Customer Appreciation Gift Certificate Winners:

            Kewadin: Penny Henderson

            Traverse City: Karen Hughes

Congratulations to all our winners!

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS UNDERWAY

In Kewadin we have already Planted Garden Pallets and made Petoskey Stone Necklaces and in Traverse City, the season kicked off with a Fairy Garden Class. Our Garden Pallet Workshop was so popular, we had to add a second one which will be held on Friday, July 20 at 1:00pm.

Following is a list of what we are offering in July. If you are interested in a class or workshop, call and reserve your spot right away as space is limited! 231-599-2824 Kewadin and 231-941-1808 Traverse City. 

For complete details click here.

Wednesday, July 11, 9:00am and 1:00pm
Bim Willow Garden Furniture Workshop, Kewadin

Friday, July 13, 1:00pm
Up-cycle Wine Bottle Workshop, Kewadin

Sunday, July 15, 2:00pm

Leaves That Last Workshop, Traverse City

Monday, July 16, 1:00
Introduction to Lakescaping Class, Kewadin

Wednesday, July 18, 11:00am
Kids Birdbath Workshop, Kewadin

Wednesday, July 18, 1:00pm
Hypertufa Container Workshop, Kewadin

Thursday, July 19, 10:30am
Eastport Private Garden Tour, Kewadin

Friday, July 20, 1:00pm
Plant a Garden Pallet Workshop, Kewadin

Friday, July 20, 6:00pm  

Herbal Happy Hour Workshop, Kewadin

Saturday, July 21 1:00pm
Petoskey Stone Necklace Workshop, Kewadin

Monday, July 23, 1:00pm
How to evaluate your Shoreline Class, Kewadin

Tuesday, July 24, 1:00pm      
Felting Wool Workshop, Kewadin

Wednesday, July 25, 11:00am

Kids Crafts Class, Traverse City

Wednesday, July 25, 11:00am

Kids Bird Feeder Workshop, Kewadin

Saturday, July 28, 11:00am

Petoskey Stone Necklace Workshop, Traverse City

Sunday, July 29, 2:00pm

Let's Rock! Workshop, Traverse City

Monday, July 30, 1:00pm

Introduction to Green Belts Class, Kewadin

Tuesday, July 31, 10:30am

Charlevoix Private Garden Tour, Kewadin

GOOD EATS @ THE GARDEN CAFÉ

The weather has been good to our Garden Café Gardens this season and Julie harvests fresh produce to use in the kitchen every morning. We picked fresh pea pods for munching with hummus and loads of her edible flowers to decorate the plates for our recent Customer Appreciation After Hours event.

We hope you will stop in for a garden fresh breakfast or lunch or just to relax on the patio with an iced beverage and take advantage of the free wifi. The café is open Sunday through Thursday 9am to 4pm, Friday and Saturday 8am to 4pm. 

Click here for a Garden Cafe Coupon!

GET HAPPY!

Plan to join us at both Pine Hill locations on Thursday, July 26 from 5:00 to 7:00pm for our twist on the happy hour at our Second Annual Summer Happy Hour. For just two hours, everyone receives our 30% Employee Discount plus lots of good food and drink. Hope to see you there!

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING 

"Thanks to Sandy and Mona for stellar guidance in choosing nursery stock to plant in honor of my mom's life - it's gorgeous and restful just to browse - a beautiful place!!" Patti via Facebook message

Sandy and Mona were so pleased to hear from Patti. They really enjoyed working with her.

"Just arrived in Charlevoix and had to call to tell you how wonderful everything looks. Thank you Kayla and Mary!" Rhoda via Phone call

Our maintenance crew does a great job and often goes unnoticed. It's so nice to get a call like this from a customer!

"This place is just so wonderful!" "It's never looked better!" "Thank you for a wonderful evening." "The food was delicious!" Heard at our Customer Appreciation After-Hours Events

Sounds like we got a little appreciation too! Thanks. 

Don't miss Jeanine, our very own Garden Diva, Fridays at 10:05 on WTCM AM 580!