Designers at The Gentle Gardener declare:
“Green is the New Pink”.
The Gentle Gardener creates sustainable
design with
Flowers, Plants and Pots…
In every colour…….
For Gardens, Events and Gifts as Pleasing to Nature as to the Eye.
Sustainability
is the seed from which The Gentle Gardener has grown for over 12 years.
Our Mission is to support you in your personal stewardship of the Earth
in your own garden. Guiding Principles direct the growth of this
small, Green business:
• Approach gardening holistically; provide garden design services, materials and knowledge to harmonize plant, animal and human habitats with healthy soil and water life.
• Connect people with place in a distinctively American style, by offering the work of local artisans and growers, complemented by a diverse mix of the finest craft from around the world. Feature American craft, materials and native plants. Reuse and recycle close to the source.
• Empower the gardener with knowledge of more gentle gardening methods, and encourage mindfulness in the practice of gardening.
• Encourage biodiversity and create habitats in gardens.
• Strive toward sustainability in all aspects of business and design, so that the elements of the system work in harmony with each other to minimize waste and work.
• Create beauty. Call forth body, mind and spirit to "Walk in Beauty."
We are grateful that, at long
last, ‘Green’ is
finally on our lips, in our hearts and, well, “IN”.
For
our friends the permaculturalists, iconoclasts, conservationists,
holdouts, preservationists, Luddites, purists and the truly Green
among us, there is ‘Green-Washing’ aplenty to rail against
just now: household cleaners made of expensive, high-embedded-energy,
corn-based ethanol, for a recent, egregious example. But for those
of us trying to put the brakes on our bad habits and be kind to our
Mother, Earth, there are things we can do NOW, every day, that protect
and defend the planet for our children. As a wise person once said: “Don’t
Let the Perfect be the Enemy of the Good”.
So what can YOU do? What is ‘Green’, anyway? Here are a few simple steps:
Get educated, as a community . The most fundamentally Green thing you can do is substitute smarts for loads of energy. I will be speaking with other green-fingered folk at the ‘Green Matters’ lecture series on ‘Smart Landscaping’, Wednesday, 20 February, 6pm, at the Charlottesville Habitat for Humanity Store. Visit http://cvillehabitat.org/news.html or call 434 293 6331 to register. Get there early ( 5pm ) for good seats and great eats. Carpool, as parking fills early. The Gentle Gardener will announce its own March-April organic gardening, flower arranging, container gardening and landscape design workshops and local producer/grower events on this date. Visit our website at www.gentlegardener.com to register, or come in.
Buy locally, sustainably, organically grown ….from a LOCAL retailer, not a catalog, website or big box store.
Show a little love to the Planet this Valentine’s Day and beyond: Indulge someone special with a bouquet of earth-friendly cut flowers . We feature pots and vases made from renewable materials, too!
Call The Gentle Gardener 540 832 7031 or email Floral Design Manager Jennifer Maney at flowers@gentlegardener.com for blooms that are not only sustainably grown, but also simply beautiful:
USDA ORGANIC ROSES IN ALL SHADES OF PINK:
VIRGINIA-GROWN TULIPS, $12/BUNCH.One Dozen, beautifully arranged in a hand tied bouquet, $40.
Half Dozen, $25.
A simply sweet Single Stem, $5.
Vased arrangements of all kinds of ‘green’ flowers, in every colour, to the Charlottesville area, $75 and up, plus delivery. Reservations now being accepted by phone 540 832 7031, fax 540 832 7032, or email above.
Want to learn how to arrange flowers in a fresh new style?
Sign up for Jen’s workshop on Fresh Cuts, California Style. Email flowers@gentlegardener.com.
Want climbing and shrub Roses
with their ‘roots on’ for
an even more sustainable gift?
We are now taking reservations for 2 gallon heirloom and David
Austin English roses for your garden, available late April 2008. Visit www.gentlegardener.com
or call 540 832 7031.
Plant Trees: Native trees,
shrubs and perennials. Most plants sold by The Gentle Gardener
are delivered straight to your site for maximum health and energy
efficiency. Trees shade and protect you, the soil and other plants.
By now you know that trees help offset the carbon dioxide each
of us pours into our air. Second graders know trees as their ‘Breathing Buddies’. We are only beginning to
understand the enormity of the contribution to rainfall by trees.
Without trees, soils parch, temperatures rise, humidity drops and
a ‘tipping point’ is reached that makes breaking a drought
much more difficult.
We are taking orders now on plant materials for delivery or pickup
at The Gentle Gardener.
Ring 540 832 7031 for assistance in planning and custom ordering
the best trees for your site; come by to prep the soil with our pre-season
sale on organic gardening supplies. Deposit required for all custom
orders.
To be Green is to be water-wise, and to do so you must PLAN. Initial Landscape Design Consultations are now being booked at www.gentlegardener.com to help you create a sustainable landscape plan. The Gentle Gardener has designed native plant gardens, drought-tolerant gardens, gardens for butterflies, birds and dogs, roof rainwater catchment systems including rain barrels, cisterns and rain gardens. We look forward to helping you create your vision in your garden, or for your Earth-friendly wedding or event.
Have a green Spring!
Virginia R. Rockwell, VSLD
