Mark Langan from the Mulberry Creek Herb Farm was so informative about the world of miniature gardening that the audience was almost uneasily silent as they seemed to listen intently to Mark’s every word. The display of miniature plants on tables was quite fascinating and was helpful in visualizing the scale of these miniature plants. Tomorrow’s seminar is “Root to Stalk Cooking” with Tamara Mitchell that will guide us on the use of the garden’s bounty.
The Witch Hazel in the garden is blooming beautifully with shades of bright yellow from ‘Arnold’s Promise’ and the coppery-orange blossoms from the variety called ‘Jelena’. So many varieties of this genus called Hamamelis are available today that one could state that these exists in a literal smorgasbord of colors. This genus is quite strange blooming in February in that the blossoms are quite resistant to all but the most severe freeze when the plants are in full flower. At the other extreme are evergreen azaleas in which just a touch of frost in May when they are in full bloom will render the blossoms shriveled and lifeless with the hope of next year of a frost-free mid May. Perennial plugs (as the young plants are called) are now arriving by the thousands from Holland, Michigan to be potted quickly into pots for growing to a larger size before being sold. An arrangement of a mobile bin to hold potting soil and a series of roller conveyors makes for a look of an assembly line when potted plants roll down the conveyor to be tagged, fertilized and then taken off the conveyor to be placed in the greenhouse to be watered in well. This spring, 30,000+ perennials will be processed this way with another almost 20,00 coming out of winter storage. The perennial production is only one facet of the spring operations as the season rolls along. Come get a peak of “What’s new in Perennials” with the final seminar on March 19th. Hope to see you there.
Tom
Tom
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