Impulse of Spring
Debbie Teashon
Pastel tulips, puppies, kittens, lambs, and oh don’t forget the bunnies; all signs that spring is here. My greenhouse is full of living things that are having growth spurts, some clear up to the ceiling, and my garden is coming alive. Oh my! My camera is whirring off photograph after photograph of life returning to the dead-look-alikes.
Here on the west coast we had spring one day ahead of the east coast. They celebrated the New Year earlier, but we have spring! Nice to be a step ahead in time, even though it happened technically at the same time our spring came early on the 19th. How cool is that?
Warning! Preachy-mode on
Spring in the gardening business means hectic schedules, and plants flying in and out, hopefully most out the door and home to happy customers. Grocery and box stores get into the act, selling their flowery plants quickly; many of them tend to be one season wonders, sold while in flower to sucker entice the customer to buy on impulse. Grown to perfection for those impulse buyers, the optimum health of the plant is often secondary. Annuals are pushed into blooming early so the plants will catch the eye of the unaware shopper. I don’t mind this if I want a few primroses or pansies to place in a decorative basket temporarily by the door. However, for the garden I want to be sure my plants grow in a way that insures they will live up to their full potential, either as an annual for one season, biennial for two, or perennial for many seasons. Their full potential shouldn’t be sitting in a four-inch pot stacked in racks by the grocery store entrance. When you plant them in the garden, they are unlikely to grow or continue to bloom for long.
This is where buying from reputable nurseries is invaluable to gardeners. Nursery owners, who love their plants, grow them well and offer only the best for their clients. Buy your fertilizers, chemicals (better yet, get off the chemical yo-yo round) and whatnots from the box stores if you must; but buy your plant material from locally owned nurseries who know what will grow best in your garden. Better yet, buy all your garden needs from your local nurseries. Not only are you buying locally, but helping your own community in many ways, while thanking your hardworking nursery people for providing you with well-taken care of plants.
Preachy-mode off
Moreover, just to be clear, I don’t always practice what I preach. Above impulse buy is a harlequin blue bicolor primrose.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton
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