Spring is Here! Open House!

We waited and waited - spring has finally sprung - and quickly!

After out-waiting what seemed to be an endless winter, a few really warm days have blasted us into spring.

Both our star magnolia and forsythia went from barely showing any color to fully blooming in about four days! Even John commented on the magnolia~it was like a magician threw a magic scarf over it, repeated a few magic words and when he whipped the scarf off, Ta~Da - a tree in full bloom. The same thing in the gardens. I've been looking for weeks for signs of new growth and saw a few, but coming along very slowly. Then the warm weather and when we starting cleaning up the gardens, all kinds of new growth had emerged.

I finally got our perennial plants moved outside on april 3. That‘s fairly late~usually we try to have them moved outside by the time the greenhouse opens. But since we were still having nighttime temps in the 20's the first week of April, we had to wait.  I’m still working on potting the later crops of annuals. The first ones are sizing up nicely and should look good in May.

l'm so impressed with our customers. Those that came during the warm spell all said, "l know it’s too early to plant a lot of things, but” and most picked out a few perennials to have something to get them started. Some customers like to just come, get a plant list and stroll around to give them ideas and tide themselves over till the weather moderates. It used to drive me nuts when I worked in garden centers and they‘d have stuff out for sale 2 months before you could safely plant it.

l caught myself thinking I was behind schedule when the Warm weather hit. Then I remembered it was just the beginning of April, no matter what the temperature said. I thought some of the plants in the greenhouse were small, but all it takes is a few warm and sunny days and everything just pops.

Our Open House will he held Friday & Saturday April 26 and 27 from 9am to 5pm.

Landis Valley Herb Faire is May 10 & 11.

Spring Weather (?)

l laughed while reading the weather section in the newspaper. It talked about a cold snap damaging peach buds down south. The funny part was the ending -"Most people look forward to spring mildness as soon as the season begins." That‘s an understatement. The calendar says spring and it feels like spring workwise, but the weather certainly isn’t cooperating this year. Even John is complaining about the continued cold weather. I asked if he wanted to put down the skids next to the greenhouse and he said no, too early, He was right, since we had that couple inches of snow and we had to shovel by the greenhouses.

But inside, it's really looking like spring. The greenhouses are rapidly filling up. l’m potting each new batch of seedlings as they mature, and dividing perennial stock plants. They say cool nights make for sturdy, stocky plants so that‘s a benefit.

I see a few things pushing new growth in the gardens, but not as much as I would generally see. Chives have had new, green shoots for about a month. l see new growth on burnet and sorrel and snaps. Our star magnolia has big, fuzzy buds. The flowers usually bloom in April. I'm hoping they don't start too early this year. Magnolia flowers are always susceptible to spring freezes. There's not much sadder, horticulturally speaking, than a magnolia full of blooms blackened by a late freeze. Keeping my fingers crossed.

The continued cold weather has reminded people that's it*s too early for planting yet. I had to discourage a few people who came in mid-March and Wanted to buy plants that had just been potted. They're happy in the greenhouse for now. Sometimes, people want to take home baby plants and keep them inside a month or so. I always point out that they*ll size up much better in the greenhouse‘s ideal conditions. Not only are baby animals irresistible, baby plants are too!

Greenhouse officially opens TOMORROW - April 2. 

Think spring?

Spring Green!

Since we dodged the big snowstorm, I'm hoping We've rounded the corner and it's full steam ahead to spring. l'm glad we didn't have to shovel 8“ of snow, but they sure forecast the wrong storm for us. I really feel like I’m in the midst of spring preparations. Greenhouse #1 filled  up fast, so now I've moved plants into #2.  The greenhouses go from completely empty to packed full in a short amount of time. Takes a little longer to empty them out.

And of course, with the nice weather, people come out and are anxious to buy plants. It's still too early to plant pretty much everything, even perennials. The ground is still cold and wet and we’ll have cold nighttime temperatures for quite awhile yet. Of course, annuals can't be planted until May. Also, the  plants have just been potted for a short time. They really need to  establish in the pots and remain in the greenhouse where they can happily size up in the ideal environment. I always encourage early birds to look around and take a plant list so they can plan. People sometimes want to buy the small plants and keep them at home, but of course, they‘ll do much better in the greenhouse for a couple weeks.

The herb shop is still open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9-5 until the greenhouse reopens April 2. Then we begin spring hours ~ Tuesday through Saturday 9~5 and Wednesday evenings until 7pm.

I see other signs of spring outside, too. Lots of buds forming on the trees. When l was young, my sister and I shared a giant box of crayons. One of our favorite colors was spring green, a yellowish-green that is the color of so much new spring growth as it first emerges. I always think of the color when the neighbor's weeping willow starts pushing new growth-an exact match to spring green!

One day, there were dozens of birds scattered throughout the yard - all robins. Lucy stalked a robin in the yard one day. She usually doesn't bother, since she's long figured out they can just fly away. But this one had its back to her so she got close before it flew. It‘s not the same as a squirrel or a rabbit, but it will do in a pinch.

Can it be spring?

It's beginning to look a lot like spring around here. There are numerous trays of little seedlings in various stages of development. Some have germinated and are just poking through the soil. Those planted the earliest are filling out the packs and looking like mini versions of the adult plants. Some, like lavender, are wonderfully fragrant even in their young stage. So far, l've only filled pots with soil in the greenhouse, in anticipation of planting.  Soon, starter plants will arrive and along with the mature seedlings, planting will begin in earnest. 

There's always one day in March when everything breaks loose and spring just charges in. Then it's non-stop busy throughout the season.

There are definitely some toads hibernating is the corner of the greenhouse. On sunny days, when it gets very warm in the greenhouse, they sometimes poke their faces out of the dirt - to cool off, I guess. I've seen two at a time there, but there are some other holes in the dirt, so there may be more than two. l'm glad they wintered over happily there.

At last check, all my outdoor upright rosemarys still survive. The creeping rosemary died off in January, but that wasn’t surprising as it seems to be the least winter hardy. It's still worth growing, for its habit and also the fact that it blooms so readily.

The spring newsletter will be out in a couple weeks, so keep an eye open for that. The shop remains open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 to 5 through March. This year, the greenhouse opens April 2, and then we begin spring hours and are open 5 days a week through December.

We finally get our basement/family room completely put back together (it was flooded in fall 2011.) Luoy's happy because now she has her choice of places to relax - sometimes up, sometimes down. She always sleeps in the same place when we go away. A creature of habit for sure. 

2013 Plant List

Get ready for SPRING!  Our greenhouse opens in April.

Our plant list for 2013.  Just click on each page to open, then print and peruse at your leisure!

Enjoy!

Before the super cold weather arrived, I was checking out the gardens and I found some surprises. The witch hazel was in full bloom in mid-January, which is earlier than its expected February bloom time. Horehound was fresh and green and I saw a few small green comfrey leaves and some green growth under the old on St John's wort. Now we'll see if the blast of Arctic air puts everything back to its winter mode.

 It's a good test for the winter hardiness of those Rosemary types that claim to be winter hardy. We planted our newest variety, "Paris" this spring and will see how it fares. It really is an extended stretch of cold weather that does in rosemary. The plant I feel has the best chance of survival is a regular species rosemary. It survived last year's mild winter quite well and is nice and big. A bigger plant means a bigger root system which means a better chance of surviving really cold weather.

 The first batch of spring seedlings is growing quite happily under lights in the basement. Nearly all seedlings look identical when they first germinate. The second set of leaves, their "true" leaves, are when they start differentiating themselves. I love to go back and check on their progress. As I start more varieties, I like to test myself and see if I can identify them by their leaves alone, without checking the tags. I usually do pretty well. One variety already started is a new lavender. Mini-Blue, which is the second type we grow from seed. The other is Lady.

 I've been enjoying our "slow" time of year, although it's coming to a close. In February, I start seeds every week, and the first starter plants arrive mid-month. Supplies arrive at the beginning of February, and once they do, I can start filling flats of pots with soil.. That gives me a head start as the seedlings develop - I can pop them right into the pre-filled pots as they are ready to be potted. It's a very pleasant chore on a sunny winter day as the greenhouse heats up nicely as long as the sun shines.

Let's say it's spring!

We're back after our holiday break.  Hope everyone's holidays were merry.  Sales were steady through December and we appreciate everyone who visited the farm.  In talking to people, I was interested to find that we are not the only ones who focus on stocking stuffers.  Growing up, we loved them, even more so as we got older.  Finally, my mom made "boodle bags" to handle the overflow.  We still exchange stocking stuffers (and gifts) with my sister who lives out of town.  Several customers mentioned that they also really liked and focused on stocking stuffers in the families.  Stocking Stuffers rule!

Also, yes, we are open.  Many people think we close after the spring season or are closed all winter.  Actually, we're open five days a week, Tuesday thru Saturday from April through December.  After our holiday break, the shop is open three days a week, Thursday thru Saturday 9-5 through March.  When the greenhouse opens in April, we go back to five days a week.  In the winter, people shop for gifts, supplies, since they might have more time for projects, dried herbs and spices, ditto for cooking, oils, soaps and lotions for relaxing and soothing dry skin, teas for relaxing and warming and books for dreaming of spring.  Our herbal and garden calendars are now half off.

I enjoyed the snow we had.  The snow melts off the greenhouses and must be shoveled away from the sides so it doesn't  push in on the plastic.  One thing I've noticed since we've had the greenhouses is that it usually snows at night.  So, it was nice that it snowed during the day.  It wasn't too much and it was easy to shovel.  Lucy enjoyed herself, of course.  With her very short hair, I'm surprised she likes cold weather, but she does.  Loves to chase snowballs.

I did my first round of seeding early in January and the first batch of seedlings are in the basement.  Only a couple of flats - pansies and a few early perennials, including a new type of lavender grown from seed.  So, spring has officially started here!