Thank you to everyone who braved the rainy weather and came out for Plants & Pets this past Saturday. It’s one of our favorite events of the year, and while it was a soggy morning, we had so much fun seeing you and your fur babies.

I think this event is special to me because it is the brainchild of my daughters Abby and Maddy. A few years ago, we were reading a bedtime story, and I think it was Maddy who said, “Dad, we should take Pearl up to the nursery so that people can come and pet her.” Pearl is our cocker spaniel, who also happens to turn four years old today! My response was, “Honey, I don’t think people are going to come to a plant nursery just to see our dog.” And you’d think that would be the end, but no, she persisted with “but people could bring their dogs to meet her too.” And Plants & Pets was born. Bedtime story time turned into a brainstorming session for what we originally dubbed Plants & Pooches, and we came up with all sorts of wild ideas for how to create the event.

I think it has turned out pretty well, growing each year. For 2026, we’re planning on moving it a little earlier in August, so if you like to plan ahead, mark your calendars for August 8, 2026.

And congratulations to the winners of the Pet Parade. There were fun costumes (both animal and human), great tricks, and just so many cute dogs. I love that each year I learn about a new breed of dog, and this year it was a Karakachan (also known as a Bulgarian Shepherd), which challenged my pronunciation skills! We can’t wait to see what we’ll have next year!

And if you missed the event, don’t worry, we can still help you make sure that your plants and pets can happily coexist. There is lots of information on our website about plant safety for a variety of different animal types, and, of course, we’d love to see you and your furry friend at the nursery – we can help you find exactly what you need for your home and landscape.