Our Top 10 Gifts for Mom

If you don’t know what to give Mom this year for Mother’s Day, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Even though it was very difficult to narrow down, we’ve put together

Garden Valley’s Top 10 Gift Ideas for Mom:

1. Million Bell Mixed Hanging Basket

These beauties are filled with vibrantly stunning colors that will leave the mother in your life absolutely SPEECHLESS! 

How to care for: Million bells like FULL SUN, so place in a sunny location. Water when hanging basket is light in weight. As a general rule: every other day during cooler days, and every day during the warmer days. To get rid of dead blooms- shake the hanging basket a few times and blooms should fall off. You can also trim the bottoms of the basket to encourage healthy new growth.  

2. Succulent 

With a variety of shapes and sizes, it might be hard to decide which one to get. They make the perfect addition to any covered, outdoor spot or any window that receives bright, indirect light. 

How to care for: They need about 6 hours of sun per day. If the succulent has never been in direct sun, gradually introduce it to full sun, or provide a sheer curtain to protect it from the harsh light. Water soil directly until water drains through the bottom of your pot. Make sure that your soil dries thoroughly before watering again. Too much water can send these plants spiraling down fast. Soil is also important for succulents, and you’re going to want to choose a Cactus mix, which we have available at all of our locations. 

Jenna Marie Visuals

3. Monstera

With show stopping, giant leaves and beautiful, big branches, these indoor plants are sure to leave her jaw dropping for DAYS. 

How to care for: Monstera needs bright to medium indirect light, and does not like intense, direct sun. Water once every week, and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. 

4. Herb Garden

Has the mom in your life been talking about how she wishes she had an herb garden? Well this would be the perfect time to pick out a large pot and grab a few herbs to fill it with. Fill with Rosemary, Parsley, Lavender, or any other herbs she might enjoy cooking with. If she needs to learn how to start her own herb garden, you can find more info here.

5. Overall Planters

Okay, how DARLING are these overall planters?! Not only will your mom love them, but they’ll make a great addition to that landscape that just needed “something interesting”. Grab her favorite flower to fill the planter, and this gift will for sure make your mom forget all the things you’ve ever done to disappoint her. 

6. Tea Roses

With a beautiful assortment of bloom colors, you will never go wrong with these stunning flowers. 

How to care for: Tea roses need plenty of sunlight, at least 6 hours per day. Water every week, sometimes more depending on your soil and if it’s in a pot or the ground. When watering, avoid getting blooms and leaves wet, as this can cause diseases. To prune old blooms, cut to the last leaf on the stem. Prune the entire plant during the dormant season, which is winter/late spring. 

7. Rieger Begonias

From creamy yellows, to vibrant pinks and reds, the blooms on Rieger Begonias are sure to leave Mom feeling happy and joyful this Mother’s Day.

How to care for: These begonias like a place with partial shade. If growing indoors, place in a spot that receives bright, indirect light. These begonias like well draining soil. Make sure that the soil dries well in-between waterings. 

8. Butterfly Bush

If you want Mom to feel super special this Mother’s Day, you’ll definitely want to consider the Butterfly Bush. And they hold true to their name, because these bushes will attract butterflies from all over your neighborhood! They bloom from Spring to Summer, but their ever-green foliage is beautiful even without the blooms.

How to care for: Butterfly bushes like full sun or part sun with well draining soil, so remember this when planting. When newly planted, make sure to water often until the roots have taken hold. After this step, water only when there are big dry spells between rain. 

9. Mixed Container

If you’re low on time and don’t know have a clue on what Mom would want, maybe take a look at our beautiful mixed containers. Absolutely no work for you, and you get to enjoy the beautiful mix of flowers and foliage all season long!

10. Garden Valley Gift Certificate

And if all else fails and you’re just completely stuck on what to give the mom in your life, a Garden Valley gift certificate is always a good option. Give her the gift of shopping at a beautiful store full of beautiful plants, and you can’t go wrong this Mother’s Day.

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Along with gorgeous flowers, we also offer a huge selection of pottery and soil, making it a
one stop shop for you this Mother’s Day!
Let us know what you got Mom this Mother’s Day by using

#gardenvalleyfarmersmarket

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NEW NEW NEw

We now have a new app that features a loyalty program to earn points for future purchases, as well as a to-go produce ordering feature that allows for easy ordering and pickup! Download today and start being inspired!

Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to visit with us, come by any of our five North Carolina locations. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook, Youtube, or our Instagram. And if you’re wanting to check out our other recipes and blog posts, or are needing more inspiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team

5 Reasons to Support Local

Whether you're wanting to add some color to the pots on your front porch steps, or wanting to plant those juicy tomatoes in your garden, there are many places you could buy these plants. But where is the best place to go? Sure, you could turn to your mass merchant store, but maybe this time, think more locally. If you have a local garden center, like Garden Valley Farmers Market, often times they offer a very wide variety of amazing plants/produce. So, without further ado, here are five reasons why we think you should support your local garden center:

1. Knowledge

Local garden centers, like Garden Valley Farmers Market, have a passion for all things gardening. Whether that's with the choices/varieties of colorful petunias that are hand picked by our owners, the fresh zucchini we just got in stock from our local farmers, or the tropical Hibiscus that's just perfect for North Carolina summer heat, knowing and learning what each plant’s needs are is very important to places like ours. Local garden centers tend to stay up to date on local weather and the specific climate zone they are located, which helps give you the accurate information that sets you up for a successful year. We can help you in deciding which flowers, shrubs, and vegetables to plant that will not only bloom, but thrive here in central North Carolina.

2. Quality

Quality is most important to us, and here’s why:

You get what you pay for. Local garden centers like Garden Valley invest in quality products, materials and supplies, which can sometimes be a bit more expensive for you, the consumer. But the phrase, "you get what you pay for", could not hold truer for us. There is much time and investment given to the plants and produce, including regular fertilizing of the plants and a constant pruning/dead-heading of the flowers in order to keep the plants healthy and at their prime.

Unique Selection. Local garden centers can also provide unique materials that would not normally be found at a mass merchant store. These items are hand picked by our owners in hopes that you will enjoy them just as much as they do.

Hint: It’s Not Consignment. Did you know that most local garden centers actually own the materials on the lot. It's bought and paid for, not purchased on consignment where it can be sent back if it doesn’t sell like in a lot of other bigger retail companies.

We want you, our neighbors, to succeed. Remembering that your success equals our success, is what makes the quality of the plants much higher at a local garden center. And it’s what makes our relationship with our community that much more important.

3. Customer Service

Shopping at local garden centers, like Garden Valley Market, can also mean that more personal attention is paid to the customer. Personal relationships are made and "regulars" become part of our gardening family. Locals can often provide the best tips and tricks as well, allowing us to learn more and share with our local customers. And we, at Garden Valley, LOVE the relationship and trust that is built between you and us.

4. Local Economy

Supporting local also means supporting your local economy. It's choosing to allow your funds to stay in your local community. And when you're purchasing your plants and produce from your local farmers market, you're purchasing and supporting your local farmers and growers in North Carolina too. We can't think of a better way to support your neighbors, friends and family.

5. Unique Community

One of the best parts of supporting local is something that you, the customer and consumer, can really enjoy. You get to keep a one-of-a-kind business, well, in business. And in return, you can experience the unique character that it brings to your local community. This can also increase your community’s tourist attraction, which means more money for your local economy. And, it's just plain FUN to go and get lost in the plants, get to know your gardeners, and enjoy the unique community that it brings to your life, and those around you.

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Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. We also offer free online produce ordering and pickup for NC locals! If you’re wanting to visit with us, come by any of our five North Carolina locations. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook, Youtube, or our Instagram. And if you’re wanting to check out our other recipes and blog posts, or are needing more inspiration, follow us on our Pinterest.
We’d love to have you join us in our journey of
planting better,
eating better, and
living better.

Love, Garden Valley Farmers Market

5 Ways To Attract Pollinators To Your Garden

The birds, the bees...

and the butterflies: these are just a FEW of the many pollinators on this earth that serve such a secretly beneficial and beautiful purpose on this earth. But why do we need to make an effort to attract them to our gardens? Because pollinators are responsible for three-quarters of the world's food crops and many of the foods that we enjoy on a daily basis would not be existent without them. Because plants can not exist without the process of pollination. And plants are what's responsible for the air that we breathe and the food that we eat. So yes, pollinators are extremely important, because without them, our life as we currently know it, would not be. 

Did you know…
+ that some bees travel up to 3 miles just to visit your flower garden?
+ that hummingbirds can visit up to 1000 flowers each day?

Crazy, right? And with all of this work that they do, they need our help, and there are some things that we can do to give them an extra boost to their day.

So here are five tips on how to attract
pollinators to your garden:

p l a n t a n a t i v e g a r d e n

A native garden is basically just a garden filled with plants that are naturally found growing in your region. For example, honeysuckle is a naturally occurring shrub/bush that grows here in North Carolina, so adding that to your garden this spring/summer would greatly benefit your pollinators!

Also, some bees are what's called "specialists", meaning that they can only feed their larvae the pollen from a specific native plant. So without these plants, the bee colony would not survive.

If you're wanting to attract more hummingbirds, aim for tubular and long shaped blooms with your flower choices, something like Daylillies or Petunias.

c h o o s e t h e c o l o r

Did you know that these hard working species are actually attracted to certain colors?

To attract bees… bees LOVE purple and blue flowers. Some great options, that we do carry at Garden Valley Market, would be Lavender, Petunias, and Verbena. 
To attract Hummingbirds + Butterflies… we recommend colors of red, yellow, pink, and orange! Butterflies LOVE Lantana, and Hummingbirds love Petunias, Fuscia, and Lillies!

p r o v i d e w a t e r + r e s t

With how hard working these pollinators are, you better believe that they need a place to rest and refuel, and providing these places for them to do so is going to keep them coming back! They all need a place of still water to drink from. You can add some pebbles to a bird bath to make a great landing place for the insects so they won't drown.

a v o i d i n s e c t i c i d e s

Did you know that insecticides actually kill pollinators? KEEP So you might be TRYING to kill those pesky bugs eating your plant, but you're actually harming those beautiful butterflies and busy bees in the process. And insecticides are one of the reasons that the bee population has decreased to greatly!
So instead of going to insecticides first, try and google some natural alternatives and see if those work first. (There are also great organic options online that are safe for the environment, as well as pets and humans.)

k e e p t h e w e e d s

It’s early spring and we’re super excited to get our lawns looking fresh and green again… but maybe think twice about removing those dandelions and other weeds growing! Because these weeds are often the first flower that the pollinators source from when not many blooms have started yet! Instead, let them grow a tad bit longer until your garden starts coming along.

Let us know how you attract pollinators to your yard by commenting below!

We have MANY varieties of flowers for you to choose from at our stores, and a unique and beautiful selection of different shapes and colors. So come get your beautiful flowers grown just for your pollinators at home.

Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to visit with us, come by any of our five North Carolina locations. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook, Youtube, or our Instagram. And if you’re wanting to check out our other recipes and blog posts, or are needing more inspiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team

How To Grow French Marigolds

F R E N C H    M A R I G O L D S

It’s no big surprise that    f r e n c h m a r i g o l d s    hold the top spot in the floral department, and there’s MANY reasons why: they don’t require much attention to thrive, are easy to prune/deadhead, are deer resistant, they produce big, bright blooms from the Spring to Autumn, and they make great companions to your vegetable garden. 

COMPANION PLANTING

Marigolds are great for companion planting with vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, potatoes. Why? Because the deer hate the smell of them and so do certain insects that can be harmful to your plants. Plant these to deter any pests away. 

GREAT FOR POLLINATORS

The beautiful, show stopping blooms definitely stop the show for butterflies and bees. The nectar from these flowers makes a great source of food for important pollinators, and will also attract them to the other flowers in your garden. 

SOIL + WATER

These are seriously some of the easiest flowers to grow, because they have such a great adaptability to soil content. So if you’re choosing to plant in the ground, don’t worry about what type of soil you have, just plant them and watch them grow. The only thing worth mentioning about the soil content is that they do like it on the drier side, so don’t overwater them. 

LIGHT

Give these lovelies a TON of light. They love basking in the sun, so make sure they get at least 8+ hours of direct sunlight daily.

Don’t forget to leave us a comment below and let us know your favorite things about Marigolds!

Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to visit with us, come by any of our five North Carolina locations. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook, Youtube, or our Instagram. And if you’re wanting to check out our other recipes and blog posts, or are needing more inspiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team