Spring! Yay!

Yes, it's officially Spring, dear gardeners. My neighbor's pastures remind me of Ireland, they're so green, and he's let the ladies out to graze. I love to see his holsteins enjoying his good grass and hear them bawling. So polite, too. They wait quietly in line at the barn when it's time for milking.
Besides the lush green growing things, black flies and peepers outside, today both male hummingbirds were in the greenhouse, zipping over our heads. I have yet to see the Mrs. Hummingbirds, but they won't be far behind.
Mother's day is next week-end, another sign of Spring, and we have beautiful, reasonably priced gifts for your flower-inclined mom. The Martha Washington geraniums are stunning this year, as well as our new products: SunPatiens and Alstromeria. And don't forget gerbera daisies. They are in bloom and gorgeous in all different shades. If mom likes hanging baskets, we have many varieties to choose from, in 10" and 12" baskets, for sun, shade or any combination thereof. As well as all kinds of annuals in six packs and four inch pots, and beautiful planters. We will be open our regular hours 9AM to 5PM all week and Saturday too, and Sunday 10PM to 4PM for those last minute Mother's Day shoppers. Please stop in and get a load of all the color in the greenhouses. And who knows? You might just see the hummingbirds.

Our vegetable seedlings are growing by leaps and bounds. The big house, #2, is full and a carpet of green. Thousands upon thousands of peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, celery and brussel sprouts. Which are gaining in popularity, I'm glad to see. Those frozen ones you get in the grocery store are to blame for the brussel sprouts bad rep, I think. From the garden, they're incredible. We've started seeding the squash and melons, and have marketmore cucumbers ready for sale. Mr. Schmevin has made up some wonderful garden bowls--12 to 13 vegetable plants in large terra cotta bowls. For those of you without the room or inclination for a veggie garden, we've now got you covered. And, the patio tomatoes are doing great. Some have blossoms already! If you're hankering for an early tomato, they can't be beat.

Folks are starting to get their vegetable seedlings now, and though it is officially Spring, please be careful! Don't be too eager to plant your veggie seedlings. Though some nighttime temps may be in the high 40's and low 50's, it's still too early to put those tender babies in the ground. The soil temperature should be 65 degrees for veggies to really take off and thrive. I don't plant my garden until June 10th every year, no matter what, and if you saw that humungous tomato in an earlier post, you know my garden does all right. So, if you've bought veggie seedlings already or plan to soon, keep putting them out during the day and under cover at night. It is a pain to haul them inside and out, but it's more painful to have to buy seedlings twice because they died. Gardening takes patience, even before you till the soil and plop those plants in the ground. With the punctual arrival of the hummingbirds, I know Mother Nature is sticking to her regular schedule. And you know what they say about fooling with Mother Nature...

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's that time of year again. Greenhouses are getting full and blossoms are opening. The tomatoes--or at least the first wave of them--have come off the germinator and will be ready for transplanting in a few days. We'll have patio tomatoes in one gallon pots, six pack tomatoes, and single plants in 4" peat pots. All the old faves, like Big Boy, Beefsteak, Big Beef, Celebrity and Early Girl, and Glamour, as well as those tasty little cherries we love to snack on. Sungold, Super Sweet Million, Sweet 100, and back by popular demand (drum roll, please!) Yellow Pear. Yay! Welcome back, Yellow Pear! Folks who love you have wondered where you were.

  

Also, some really cool heirlooms: Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Green Zebra, Amish Paste and Black Krim. Lots of peppers too, both sweet and hot, like Ace and Bell Boy, Cayenne and Sweet Banana. And some with more exotic sounding names, like Chocolate Beauty and Garden Salsa.

We're also growing a new-to-us broccoli, Arcadia. We'll have Packman, of course, the standard early Broc, but Arcadia is one I requested. I hope it receives rave reviews from customers so Kirby will keep it on the list. Harvest is a bit later in the season, but the last year I grew it, I had a head of broccoli 17" across. I kid you not. If you like to freeze broccoli, this is a great one. Tight, compact heads, and they can get massive. Whoop!

Here's a pic of one of my faves, Osteospermum. Who wouldn't love this cheerful daisy? It's great in planters, windowboxes, hanging baskets and the landscape. Lots of blossoms, shiny foliage, and it just keeps blooming and blooming all season long.

The pic below is of the first Torenia Purple Moon blossom. It's always one of the first to show color in the greenhouse, and since this photo was taken, they've gone crazy! They've filled out their pots and are a mass of color, both in baskets and on the bench in 4" pots. I'm waiting for the hummingbirds to arrive. They love these.

Here's a pic of House # 3, the six pack flower house. Since this was taken, we've filled it to bursting and the hanging combination baskets are starting to come alive with color and greenery.

Yep. It's definitely that time of year. Johnny's Seeds for this year have arrived and the display rack is in the process of being set up. We've been busy transplanting and organizing houses in preparation for opening for retail April 21st. Wholesale customers can call or stop by anytime. Don't forget to come see us Maine Greenhouse Day--we'll be giving away 4" patio tomatoes to our retail customers.

 Happy Spring! :-)

Speculation

To wonder about stuff is part of the human condition. Natural. Totally normal. And incredibly fun. Here are just a few of the things we speculate about at work, from the mundane to the slightly wackadoodle:

When will we see the first robin?

How many weeks before the just transplanted morning glories are not only wrapped around their neighbors, but twining around the benches too?

What day should I pick for this Spring's "When Will Kirby Shave his Beard" pool? We all lost that one, by the way. With that weird March heat wave, Kirby's face-warmer was gone early, surprising us all.

Or, maybe he knew we were placing bets and decided to foil our plans. That could be... Yeah!

On the other hand, he could have just listened to the weather and known about the heat wave. Oh, well. There's always next year for the pool. 

As we watch plants grow, fill out their pots and put on buds, we wonder about color and size of blossom, how it will look in the landscape, how big it will grow, if customers will be as fascinated by its potential as we are.We love trying out new flowers and veggie varieties. Half the fun is the anticipation, the ten to twelve weeks of speculation then "The Reveal"--when the plant comes into its own and shows us what it's really all about.

A new flower we're excited to see open that's just budded is Alstromeria Inca, in a variety of colors. Check out the pic of it below, ;-) It's the cause of much fascination by the greenhouse crew. We predict it will be stunning.  

We've just finished transplanting the seedlings for the Co-operative Extension's Wacky and Wild garden. Muuuuch speculation and interest among the crew on what those plants will look like. I hope our friend Kate sends pics when the garden is in its full glory. The varieties have such interesting names: Pumpkin on a Stick, Frosted Explosion Grass, Castor Bean, and Hairy Balls. Heh. With such intriguing monikers, we might just have to take a field trip and go see the plants for ourselves.

Here's some cause for speculation for you. These are veggies from my garden last year.

This is one big Big Boy tomato! 

Is it a boy...or a tomato? It's...Tomato Head Boy!

 Affectionate carrots. Or, what happens when you neglect to thin them one more time. 

Speaking of carrots, I heard a story the other day about a man who ate so many carrots one winter, his skin turned orange. Could this be true?

Hmm. I wonder...

Here are some pics from early  last month at Ellis's Greenhouse. The ivy geraniums and fuchsias had been transplanted mid January and at this time were starting to take off and grow their little hearts out. :-)

Check out the four inch ivy geraniums on the bench. They're starting to fill their pots nicely.

Many of the baskets are pre-finished for other growers. Pre-finished baskets are a win-win for everyone. Growers who don't want to start heating their houses for just one crop in January save on fuel, and growing them keeps me out of trouble for the month of January. We'll grow anything, and put it in any style basket you want. This spring, please visit our friends we grew pre-finished ivy geraniums and fuchsias for and see how beautifully their baskets turned out: Foss Farms, Hutchings Greenhouse, Ledgewood Gardens, Leaves n' Blooms, Francis Family Farms, Rockwall Gardens, and Rideout's!

More prefinished baskets--Warren Foss's-- and trays upon trays of baby pansies, dusty miller, vinca, calendula and verbena, awaiting transplant.

Fuchsia, just starting to cover the pot with its foliage.

More pansies, up close and personal. :-)

A cute little brachycome blossom. The first in the greenhouse at this time, so of course I had to take a pic! Brachycome is new for us this year, and I'm excited to watch it grow and become a big show of color.

Today will be busy. Lots of folks picking up their pre-finished baskets. The greenhouse season is truly under way, all across Central Maine. Make the rounds this spring for your perennials, fruit trees, shrubs, vegetable seedlings and bedding plants and check out the hardy, beautiful stock everyone has!

Goings On This Spring

It's your lackadaisical blogger again. Sorry about the hiatus! Life and gardening do get in the way of social networking.
Ellis's Greenhouse is once again starting transplants for the Master Gardener Program at the University of Maine Co-operative Extension. I love this. It's so interesting to start seeds for plants I haven't seen before, as well as old favorites. Last year, the Master Gardeners had several gardens, and from the pictures, courtesy of Kate Garland, they did beautifully. Check this out:

Fabulous, huh?
 And this year, they're doing it again! I can't wait to get the seeds for this year's garden--the Wacky and Wonderful Garden. Already I'm curious, and will keep you updated on the strange and amazing plants you'll be able to see at Roger's Farm this summer.

Here's a link to the University of Maine Extension's gardening programs.
http://umaine.edu/penobscot/programs/gardening/

If you're a gardener or thinking of starting your first garden ever, I'm sure they have something to interest you.  And check out the rest of the site for the Co-operative extension. Loads of good information at your fingertips!

Maine Garden Day is coming up in April, and will be held at Lewiston High School. The Co-Operative Extension will be holding  many workshops, on everything from gardening and making pickles to chainsaw use and safe operation--which our Kirby Ellis will be conducting. You go, Kirb!
Please check out the link to Maine Garden Day:
http://umaine.edu/gardening/maine-garden-day/

It's a great opportunity to gain knowledge, and of course, have fun.

Thank you, Kate, for the pictures and links!

Maine Greenhouse and Nursery day

Greenhouses and nurseries all over Maine are inviting you to join them on May 1st, this Saturday. Come and preview plants for your landscaping and gardening projects, check out what they have to offer. Customers are already asking for vegetable plants, so you might want to pick up your favorites to avoid the rush later on. Check out the links in the column to the right for more information.
And the weather, so I've heard is supposed to be beautiful. What better way to spend a Saturday! Yeah, maybe you could be mowing your lawn instead, but it'll be there when you get back. Besides, you'll find all kinds of ideas to get your creative juices flowing, from hardscape to landscape, flowers to vegetable gardening. And ya know, the more flower beds around your house, the less grass there is to mow. That's my motto, anyway.
At Ellis's Greenhouse and Nursery, we're offering giveaways of Johnny's Seeds and patio tomatoes in 4" pots. Our hours are 9 AM to 5 PM, and our staff will be happy to answer any questions you have on gardening.
Hope to see you there!
Mary:)

Lust

That title got your attention, huh?
Well, I'm not talking anything hot, wild and steamy, but the forbidden fruit, people. This blog is G-rated.
Apples. Imagine crunching into that firm red flesh, having the sweet-tart taste of Cortlands or Macouns you've grown yourself explode in your mouth. Plums and cherries so succulent you need a napkin to wipe your chin. Juicy raspberries warm from the sun. Blueberries almost big as your thumb crowning golden
pancakes with rich amber syrup...
Okay, now I'm hungry. Are you salivating yet?
If you're a gardener, you understand this lust, the dream of going out in comfy sweats and picking apples in your own yard to make a pie your mother would envy, putting your own plums into the kids' lunchboxes with the peanut butter and jelly. Or--can you imagine!--having your kids excited to eat that plum because they picked it themselves? In a world of 'I want Cheetohs and Burger King', that's a good one.
You know if you're a gardener, with a little digging and some patience, the dream can be yours. Even if you've never gardened before and have a small yard, you can satisfy the lust for fruit. Self-pollinaters are great for that because you only need one tree. And the blossoms are beautiful and attract honeybees, which need all the encouragement they can get because of the die-off.
Here's the self-pollinating varieties we'll carry this year, grafted onto hardy standard stock and reasonably priced:
North Star Sour Cherry
Santa Rosa Plum
Stanley Prune Plum
Blue Jay Blueberry
Elliot Blueberry
Heritage Raspberry
Darrow Blackberry
And for those of you who desire a small orchard, check out these varieties at Ellis's Greenhouse and Nursery:
Red Delicious
Cortland
MacIntosh
Empire
Liberty
Honey Crisp
Snow Sweet
Yellow Transparent(You could be eating apples in August with this one.)
Macoun
Sunglow Nectarine(Yes! This one will grow in Maine.)
Bartlett Pear
D'Anjou Pear(Mmm. Pear tart...pear crumble...pears in thick syrup on vanilla ice cream.)
"Ack! They all sound so good, what do I choose?" you're wondering.
For just plain good eating, try Red Delicious, Macoun, Honey Crisp or Snow Sweet. I try not to have apple prejudices, but I gotta tell ya, I'm convinced---The apple in the Garden of Eden that seduced Eve? It was Snow Sweet. Talk about lust... One bite, and you'll find it hard to blame her for any of that 'sin' stuff.
If you're thinking of freezing or canning apples for pie, or fresh for pies, Cortland, MacIntosh, Empire or Liberty are tops. For sauce, any combination of all the apples above will do and be the best sauce you've ever tasted. I promise.
So what about those of you who would love to see beautiful blooming shrubs brightening your landscape? I'm one of those people too. What can I say? I garden, therefore I lust. Especially since the snowplow wiped out my bridal wreath spirea...what is it with the winters in Maine? Do we really need all that snow?
Here's what we have so far for shrub fanciers:
Hydrangeas
Purple and white Lilacs
PJM Rhododendrons
Bridal Wreath Spirea
Van Houttei Spirea, White
I'll keep you updated if more are added, and check back here for links to show you just how easy it is to grow your own fruit trees and shrubs you'll enjoy for years to come.
Mary:)