No Flowers, No Problem

Flowers are a rare sight for us in early March.  Our tiny plants are no where near blooming yet and if they are, we quickly pinch them back. (This was a heartbreaking duty for me as a child.)  So, no flowers yet.  But through the lack of actual blossoms there are suddenly new "favorite" plants.  Plants that are so full of colorful foliage and texture that they can stand on their own.  Who needs flowers, anyway?

Any guesses how "Cobweb" sedum got its name?  The name of the "Polka Dot Plant" is equally as literal:

So many shades of green!  The colorful foliage makes for an impressive landscape:

Of course, these little guys are pretty...

Just don't forget the foliage!  

-Anna Mary

Throwback Thursday

When we stumble across pictures like this, it starts to sink in- we've been doing this greenhouse thing for a long time!  

Miriam (in purple), Sarah (in back) and Anna Mary (in blue)

Fast forward to this year and we're still assembling trays.  The big difference between then and now?  Age, of course!

Working Hard?

There's so much to do!  Thankfully Beiler is willing to help out as needed- today that meant sleeping in the heated greenhouse on a bed of Sarah and Ang's coats.  A pretty rough day in the greenhouse, don't you think?

Here We Go Again!

This week officially marks the beginning of "Greenhouse Season"! While we have been keeping ourselves busy with greenhouse-related activities for the last few weeks (some of it technically taking place in the greenhouse) this was the first week of planting.  And these strange little guys are what we have been working on:

They don't look like much just yet!  Actually, they're pretty special- these bulbs are the very beginning of our caladium crop for the year. These guys traveled from the sunny caladium fields of Florida to Pennsylvania on a heated grower truck.  Like all of our plant shipments it is essential that they're kept warm during transport- it's so important that the boxes are labeled according to their needs.

And these are only the beginning!  There will be oodles of teeny-tiny plugs, tubers and bulbs arriving next week, and the next, and the next... spring must be on the way!

Poinsettias 101

"So just how often does my poinsettia need watered?"  That's probably the most common question (and very valid, too!) posed to us this time of year.   There's two answers to that question, the long and the short.

Of course, the long answer is a little more fun!  You get the bonus of a little context and history, like knowing that the poinsettia plant is a euphorbia native to Central America.  Another common euphorbia is one of our spring staples, Diamond Frost.  Historically, the Aztecs extracted dyes from the poinsettia and used its white milk for treating fevers.  It wasn't until the early 19th century that the poinsettia was "discovered" and brought  to the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett.  (In addition to propagating and becoming the namesake for the poinsettia, Mr. Poinsett also served as a U.S. minister to Mexico, a member of the House of Representatives, and was a co-founder of the predecessor of the Smithsonian Institution.  And yes, his list of notable accomplishments continues!)

So even though we associate the poinsettia with Christmas and cold weather, it's actually a relatively drought-tolerant plant from Central America.  Of course, it does need water!  Maybe it's time for the short answer...

The short answer?  Not too often.  Water the soil well and then let the soil dry out before watering again.

Best of luck with your poinsettias!

Seeing Stars

There are oodles of gorgeous poinsettias to be found in December! Two of our current favorites are "Cinnamon Star" and "Marble Star". A far cry from the traditional red poinsettia, they're too fun to not share with you!  

They're each certainly a conversation piece- and a pretty one, too! Tradition tells us that "Nothing says Christmas like a red poinsettia!". But the fun and funky colors have something to say, too... perhaps "Happy New Year!"?

Open House Day

To all who came out today for our annual Open House- thank you!  It's always so nice to see so many old and new friendly faces in the greenhouse.  We had a wonderful morning and hope that you enjoyed it too!

If you entered your name into the door prize drawing, you could be a winner!  Cross your fingers, the winners will receive a phone call from us early next week.  Good luck!