We aren't strangers if we share a love of plants and kindness.
Hello, again!
On this summer’s bike ride, it was a damp and rainy trip into Whitefish, Montana. Having only tented in Whitefish in the past, I wasn't too sure what the options were for motels. After messaging my riding friends who were already in town, I found they were staying at The Chalet Inn a few blocks away. Still being spring in mid-June in Montana, it was cold and I was ready for a place to sleep and shower. Here’s what I read online about The Chalet Inn and its owner, Eva:
The Chalet Inn is one of the area’s original hotels built in the 1980’s and is becoming quite a landmark in the beautiful and popular town of Whitefish, Montana. Stop in and meet Eva, who is not only the new owner, but she comes from the Czech Republic and has been renovating this 33 room treasure into the sweetest ‘Boutique Hotel’ in Flathead County. Having a background in photography, a love for the mountains and skiing, Eva’s touch will be ever apparent in each of the rooms.....and her 'European Flare' will not go unnoticed!
Checking into the Chalet, I was greeted by Eva, who was a delight. With her strong Czech accent, she informed me that I could keep my (wet) bike in the room, just please keep it off of the newly painted walls. She offered rags to clean the bike, and if I hurried, she said she’d wash and dry my rain-soaked clothing. Her hospitality was amazing, needless to say. Typically our bikes go into a storage room. When she offered a hose to wash off our bikes, I could see evidence of her love for flowering bedding plants. I assumed she planted spring flowering bulbs for early spring color and offered to send her bulbs to plant this fall. Upon arriving back in the states, I got with our longtime bulb supplier Piet to drop ship a couple hundred bulbs for planting at The Chalet Inn this fall. Naturally Piet threw in a couple of amaryllis bulbs for Eva to enjoy inside during the holidays.
With the recent moisture, it’s ideal conditions for planting spring flowering bulbs (as long as your soil isn’t muddy). We do have a great selection of not only amaryllis bulbs, but fresh tropical plants for color inside your home for the holidays.
As we get closer to mid-November, our stores will be receiving fresh cut evergreens for decorating and fresh cut Christmas trees as well. As you know, our friends the Cartners have been supplying our Fraser fir trees from their family farm in Newland, North Carolina for years. This year the Cartners are supplying the Christmas tree for the blue room at the White House. I think you’ll enjoy the story of the tree and the Cartners' story.
While we’re spending more time indoors, that doesn’t mean we can’t bring a bit of our beloved outdoors in. I hope this season finds you enjoying a blooming amaryllis, Christmas cactus or a fresh cut Christmas tree. Plants are a thoughtful gift this time of year, as well. They really do make the season brighter.
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
On this summer’s bike ride, it was a damp and rainy trip into Whitefish, Montana. Having only tented in Whitefish in the past, I wasn't too sure what the options were for motels. After messaging my riding friends who were already in town, I found they were staying at The Chalet Inn a few blocks away. Still being spring in mid-June in Montana, it was cold and I was ready for a place to sleep and shower. Here’s what I read online about The Chalet Inn and its owner, Eva:
The Chalet Inn is one of the area’s original hotels built in the 1980’s and is becoming quite a landmark in the beautiful and popular town of Whitefish, Montana. Stop in and meet Eva, who is not only the new owner, but she comes from the Czech Republic and has been renovating this 33 room treasure into the sweetest ‘Boutique Hotel’ in Flathead County. Having a background in photography, a love for the mountains and skiing, Eva’s touch will be ever apparent in each of the rooms.....and her 'European Flare' will not go unnoticed!
Checking into the Chalet, I was greeted by Eva, who was a delight. With her strong Czech accent, she informed me that I could keep my (wet) bike in the room, just please keep it off of the newly painted walls. She offered rags to clean the bike, and if I hurried, she said she’d wash and dry my rain-soaked clothing. Her hospitality was amazing, needless to say. Typically our bikes go into a storage room. When she offered a hose to wash off our bikes, I could see evidence of her love for flowering bedding plants. I assumed she planted spring flowering bulbs for early spring color and offered to send her bulbs to plant this fall. Upon arriving back in the states, I got with our longtime bulb supplier Piet to drop ship a couple hundred bulbs for planting at The Chalet Inn this fall. Naturally Piet threw in a couple of amaryllis bulbs for Eva to enjoy inside during the holidays.
With the recent moisture, it’s ideal conditions for planting spring flowering bulbs (as long as your soil isn’t muddy). We do have a great selection of not only amaryllis bulbs, but fresh tropical plants for color inside your home for the holidays.
As we get closer to mid-November, our stores will be receiving fresh cut evergreens for decorating and fresh cut Christmas trees as well. As you know, our friends the Cartners have been supplying our Fraser fir trees from their family farm in Newland, North Carolina for years. This year the Cartners are supplying the Christmas tree for the blue room at the White House. I think you’ll enjoy the story of the tree and the Cartners' story.
While we’re spending more time indoors, that doesn’t mean we can’t bring a bit of our beloved outdoors in. I hope this season finds you enjoying a blooming amaryllis, Christmas cactus or a fresh cut Christmas tree. Plants are a thoughtful gift this time of year, as well. They really do make the season brighter.
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
