Celosia ‘New Look Scarlet Improved’                            Ball Seed

Brilliant scarlet red flame-like flowers maintain shape and color thought summer, weather resistant, drought and heat tolerant.  Grows 2’ x 2’. Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ in background, Portulaca ‘Happy Hour Banana and Fuchsia’ in front

Portulaca ‘Happy Hour Orange’                                      Ball Seed

Fast spreading annual groundcover great for sidewalk edges.  We liked the soft papaya orange color best.  Heat and drought tolerant but not cold tolerant

Begonia ‘Whopper Red with Bronze Leaf’                                  Ball Seed

Extra-large bright red flowers on dark, bronze glossy foliage, 2’ tall and wide, adaptable to wide range of conditions. Drought and sun tolerant, excellent heat and cold tolerance, heavy non-stop blooming spring to late fall. Ipomoea ‘Sweet Caroline Light Green’ in background

Impatien ‘ Super Elfin Salmon Splash’                             Ball Seed

Compact and uniform growing plant 12-14” tall with extra-large, early flowers, pale salmon with darker eye that becomes more prominent as flower ages. Combines well with other colors especially lime green and blue colors

Petunia Debonair Dusty Rose                                           Ball Seed

Bicolor petunia in soft shades of rose and cream which change color with environment – darker rose in sun and more cream in shade.  Profuse bloomer in landscape with excellent weatherability.  Great contrast plant

Ageratum ‘Bobuleta’                                                       Plant Peddler (UW River Falls)

Tall ageratum, 2-3’ with excellent blue color, cut flower, containers, attracts butterflies, good weatherability. Also available in white.  May have  new name this year

Hibiscus ‘Mahogany Splendor’                                        Ball Seed

Dark dissected foliage looks like Japanese maple.  Very adaptable to sun or shade, wet or dry soil. 4-5’ tall and wide, more open in shade, dense and shrub-like in sun.  Use as centerpiece in container or accent in landscape or water garden

Coleus ‘Under the Sun’ Fuseables                                               Ball Seed

Coleus ‘Versa Crimson Gold’ and ‘Versa Lime’ seeds fused together in a pellet. 8-12 weeks from seed to finish.  Grows in shade or sun.  Huge, bright coleus 3 x 3’ for shrub-like effect in landscape or large containers

Torenia ‘Kauai Blue’

Intense dark blue flower, shade loving, heat,  drought, humidity tolerant for containers or small settings

Perennials

Delosperma  ‘Eye Candy’                                                 DeVroomen

Perennial ice plant groundcover grows 2” tall x 12” wide, fast spreading and long blooming from June to October, heat and drought tolerant

Lavender ‘Ellagance Ice                                                   Ball Seed

First year flowering from seed perennial lavender with white flowers, tolerates clay soil to overwinter better than blue. Full, compact plant with long flowering period.

Rose ‘Peach Drift’                                                                Conard Pyle

The next big thing from introducers of Knock out rose.  Low-spreading shrub rose 1-2’ tall, fast growing, hardy, disease resistant, heavy, repeat flowering from spring to fall. Cross between shrub rose and miniature.

Hibiscus ‘Cranberry Crush’            Rose mallow             Walter’s Gardens

Shorter, stronger Hibiscus with stout stems to prevent lodging.  Flowers produced over length of stem, not just at top like older cultivars.  Dark red buds open to glossy, scarlet red, 7-8” flowers blooming from midsummer to fall.  Dark green maple-like leaves with purple overtones. Grows 3-4’ tall x 3-4’ wide

Please visit these suppliers below for more information

Ball Horticultural          

DeVroomen                      

Drift Roses/Conard Pyle          

Plant Peddlar                        

Proven Winners                        

Here we are December 25 and yet to see much snow or cold temperatures.  While we always enjoy a white Christmas I can’t say I mind this mild weather. I’ve actually been doing a bit of yard work that I didn’t quite get to earlier. Somehow I think we’ll pay for this lovely weather later but for now, not bad.

Poking around the garden today I found plenty of things to add to Christmas dinner.  The most delicious being fresh carrots, also baby beets, ‘walking garlic’, which someone gave me, and which I think may be the same thing as ramps, fresh rosemary, sage, kale and English thyme. The ramps taste like a cross between garlic and onions. They have a tendency to take over in the garden so good to pull some now to thin. The woody plants behind the rosemary in this picture are a cold tolerant fig (supposedly) and hydrangea ‘Pinky Winky’.

I took the whole lot of it and presented it to hubby,  ’the chef’.  I don’t think he got the picture at firs tseeingf these dirt covered roots and half dead leaves, but cleaned up and roasted they made mighty fine fare.  After cleaning, peeling and cutting up the carrots, beets and ramps, I slathered a good layer of olive oil over the whole thing.The kale turned kind of crispy so I just crunched it up on top and mixed it all with a little more olive oil,German mustard, balsamic vinegar and burdock vinegar. One of my students, Lisa, always brings some delicious roasted vegetable salad  iconcotion to all out potlucks so I’m trying to follow her style.

My dear husband is making roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and this roast vegetable salad will probably be my favorite part of the meal.  I also made some kick A– horseradish sauce to go with roast beef and salad.

I am also quite enamored of this Alnus glutionosa. Italian or black alder in the off seasons of early spring and winter. The plant is monoecious and the male flowers hang like purpley earrings dangling from fine,thin stems at this time of year.  Notice the tiny females above always leaning in to the male flower.  In spring the male will open and dust the world with pollen. The receptive female above develops into attractive cone-like structures or fruit called ‘strobile’.The males will turn bright yellow in spring wafting with pollen against grey stems and grey skies, about the same time as pussy willow.  I have three trees in my yard which helps produce the most flowers and fruit.  You have to see up close to appreciate this tree.

Sweety cooking, eating, watching football, putting up with me and being a great hubby all around.  I Am blessed this Christmas with family , good health. good food, prosperity and happiness.  I can only hope you find these simple gifts true for your holiday and the year ahead.

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Today I harvest minerals.  On a cold, grey autumn day, soon after the first hard frost, I dig Burdock Actium lappa and Dandelion Taraxacum officinalis roots for tincturing in apple cider vinegar.   I wash them carefully to place whole in a large glass canning jar so I can enjoy their distinct and earthy shapes.  After six weeks I’ll begin to use the cider vinegar/root extract on green salads.  Burdock is known throughout the world for its familiar ‘burr’ seedpods that stick to clothing. It is a widespread plant and common weed found growing throughout Europe and Asia.  It is an important herb in many medicinal traditions where it is commonly taken as a root ‘tea’ or decocotion.  It is useful as a blood or liver purifier and aids the liver and kidney systems. The liver and kidneys also contribute to the functioning of the immune system. A weak immune system is one thing but an overactive immune system is also a source of autoimmune diseases.  When the immune system is in ‘overdrive’ it suppresses too much and shuts down various body systems.  Burdock is considered a superior long term immune system stabilizer helpful in moderating autoimmune diseases such as AIDS and chronic fatigue. Eczema, hypothyroidism, psoriasis are other examples of autoimmune disorders that may be helped by regular use of burdock root.

The chemical artipicrin is present in burdock root in large amounts and has been found to inhibit tumor growth and formation so is used to treat cancer in many cultures. Certain tumors and cancers create an overproduction of cells.  This also makes burdock a valuable antibiotic and fungicide.  Burdock is prized in treating skin ailments including eczema, psoriasis, acne, athlete’s foot and rashes of all kinds.  Burdock pulls minerals out of the soil depths and is rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium, calcium, selenium, phosphorous among others.  The root is loaded with inulin (up to 40%) which helps stabilize blood sugar levels.  Burdock is commonly used to treat diabetes.  Asian cultures eat burdock root as a vegetable which they call gobo. It is thought to bring longevity and sexual vitality.

First year roots are the best. Burdock is a biennial so plants that have flower stalks are second year and not the best as they are very tough and woody.  Even first year roots will be surprisingly large, as much as 6-8” thick at the top.  I can usually only ever manage to get about 6-8” of root out of the ground but it’s obvious the root extends much farther into the soil. Wash the root off with clear water and remove as much of the soil as possible. Lightly peel or scrub the darkest and hardest parts of the root exposing firm white tissue underneath. Some people cut the root in pieces but I prefer to keep the root whole and in its natural state. I quickly pack a canning jar full of fresh burdock root and pour apple cider vinegar over the top to cover.  A couple days later I notice a white sludge material in the bottom of tincture jar – this is the inulin that has precipitated out. I know its kinda disgusting looking but….Shake the jar to mix the inulin back in to ingest. This is the part that helps control blood sugar. The fresh root can also be cut and dried to store for winter teas and decoctions.

Make sure you know you are digging burdock root and not something else like rhubarb which it resembles.  Rhubarb leaves and petioles are toxic!

I also infused slices of fresh burdock root in extra virgin olive oil. I use slices for the oil infusion as I want the oil to penetrate the root tissue quickly.  I’ve tried a lot of different oils but olive is the best.  It does not go as easily rancid as other natural vegetable oils and it’s not too expensive (comparatively).  Olive oil has a very high vitamin content so is an excellent skin tonic in its own right but I will use this burdock infused oil to make a healing skin balm. I’ll combine it with other skin care herbs such as calendula, comfrey and goldenseal to create an herbal powerhouse salve.  I’m trying to use herbs that are calming to the immune system while active against pathogenic disease.

The dandelion was transported to America by early people who knew the benefits of this abundant, easy to grow and incredibly nourishing ‘weed’.  Regular use of apple cider vinegar dandelion tincture creates a potassium rich, anti-cancer environment and is an excellent ally for anyone dealing with autoimmune disorders such as AIDS, Epstein Barre virus and others.  Dandelion is a wonderful liver tonic and helps clear free radicals from the bloodstream.  It strengthens and stabilizes the nervous, glandular and immune systems.  Fall dug roots have high levels of inulin which in addition to stabilizing diabetes and hypoglycemia also helps soothe the digestive tract.  Dandelion can also be used to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The American Indians and Chinese consistently use the entire plant for a variety of ills and as a general blood-nourishing tonic.

Dandelion is certainly easy to recognize and find.  Make sure you dig dandelion from yards that have not been treated with herbicides.  I tinctured several roots along with the burdock.  The two herbs have similar activity and work well together.  The roots can also be sliced and dried for winter teas.  Dandelion flowers are used to make a wine used to ease heartache.  Infused in oil, the brilliant golden blossoms make a healing massage oil which helps release emotions held deep in the tissue. The young leaves can be eaten raw in salads or steamed and eaten as a green. In Europe they blanch the leaves to make them tender by tying them together as they’re growing. They have a bitter taste which stimulates the gall bladder and liver.  Young leaves have less tannins and are less bitter. You can find them almost year round buried in the snow or in a protected spot covered with leaves.  The white milky sap is a discutient which absorbs and dissolves tumors, diseased tissue and abnormal growth.  It can also be used to treat warts.  Apply the white sap from a broken dandelion stem to a wart consistently and it will disappear in a few weeks.  Then you won’t need any more of that dandelion wine to heal your achy heart!

I’ve tried a lot of different methods to infuse herbs in oil.  I’ve also thrown out gallons of expensive oil, with stinking rotting herbs (botulism?) and mold floating around in it! It’s especially difficult to infuse fresh herbs as they add a lot of water to the oil which contributes greatly to the mold problem.  So I’ve come up with a method I like a lot.  I heat the olive oil in an old crock pot on warm and add dried or fresh herbs.  I let the oil/herb mixture get fairly hot and this seems to get rid of the water and sterilize the mixture.  This works even better with freshly dried herbs.  The crock pot infusion sits overnight on low. In the morning I strain it into a glass canning jar.  The best long term results are had with herb particles removed but sometimes its ok to have some herbal pieces remain in the oil just make sure all greenery is submerged completely in the oil.  Pluck any ‘floaters’ off the top so everything is submerged.  This keeps the mixture from molding.  Place a lid on the jar and let steep for six to eight weeks. Check the jars and make sure nothing is sticking up in the air which causes molding. If you see moldy herbs, dense cloudiness and the mixture smells bad – throw it out!

The oil can be used for skin care preparations.  A ‘simpler’ recipe is 2 parts oil to 1 part beeswax to make a skin care balm.  You can also add essential oils such as lavender, geranium, orange, grapefruit or any other.  I sometimes use a combination of perfume oils and essential oils to get some really nice scents I can live with long term.  You can also use other types of ‘brittle’ waxes such as carnauba and candelilla.  Make sure to use food or cosmetic grade waxes.  Save some glass jars from past cosmetics or foods or use small canning jars for your balm.  It’s a good idea to label every tincture and oil and dried bit you create as you think you will remember what all these things are but believe me you won’t.

This is a new perennial we obtained from DeVroomen for trial.  You may recognize it as ‘ice plant’ , the same one that seems to be invading California.  This cold hardy type has a much more delicate texture with small fleshy  leaves and electric bright flowers. It is a very short, perennial groundcover, growing no more than about  3″ tall.  Planted in the spring, each plant spread about 18″ wide in the first season.

We obtained the plants as 72 plug trays in spring.  Due to the continued cold weather  we went ahead and shifted them to 4″ pots and grew them for a few weeks before planting in early June after the soil dried up a bit and temperatures warmed. The series is available in 6 colors, White Pearl, Eye Candy, Strong Red, Pink Ribbon, Perfect Orange and Carmen Lucia.  ‘Carmen Lucia’ performed the best for us overall  this year but we will also be evaluating the plants for winter hardiness next year.  Strong Red was the front runner for vegetative growth and spread early on.  The plants spread quickly to cover a larger area but by mid summer Carmen Lucia had caught up in size and  had the best flower cover of the series.  We have this trial in both irrigated and non-irrigated locations.  Plants benefitted by supplemental irrigation over the summer but over the past few weeks of fall with cooler temperatures and a little rain, the difference in growth and flowering is minimal.  We are hopeful for their winter survival as they are a very attractive plant with great landscape value.

 Plants began blooming in the plug trays and pots and continued to bloom all summer. The heaviest bloom occured in late July but plants did have soem flower cover all summer. Plants continued to bloom during temperatures in the 90s and continued when temperatures dropped to the 50s suddenly for a few weeks in late August.

 This plant has great potential as a drought tolerant, flowering, perennial groundcover.  It is has a dense growth habit which effectively chokes out weeds.  All the colors in the series are attractive but the bright pink of ‘Carmen Lucia’ exhibited the best overall flower color.  We had ‘Carmen Lucia planted near a dark blue butterfly bush and Shasta daisy which gave a very bold look.    ’White Pearl’ was a close second in flower cover and ‘easy on the eye’ as a color that combines well with other perennials.  ‘White Pearl’ was heavily  blooming at the same time as Purple dome aster and Rudbeckia nearby which made for an attractive fall scene.  Since these plants bloom all summer they are useful in adding color to many different combinations. 

Time will tell if this genera is indeed hardy to Wisconsin winters.  Its usually not the cold temperatures that kill off herbaceous perennials  in Wisconsin, it’s the wet spring soil.  Our heavy clay soils become saturated and poorly drained in spring; a condition many herbaceous perennials just can’t tolerate.  This cold, wet spring is usually followed by high heat and humidity in summer.  August to September is often droughty with little rain for 4-6 weeks or longer. Winter survival depends a lot on soil mositure and snow cover.  If we have good soil moisture going into winter and the ground freezes solid,  those minus 20 degree winds can’t blow into the soil pores to kill roots.  A good mulch layer always helps.   Today is a beautiful fall day but we know winter is coming.  I’m glad we have autumn to ease us into the cold days ahead…. 

Dark purple red foliage on a large fine textured plant, Hibiscus ‘Mahogony Splendor’ matures to about 5 feet tall in our 175 day growing season.  The palmately lobed and veined  leaves provide the fine texture, color and overall look of a Japanese maple.  This plant definitely likes warm weather and after a bit of a slow start in spring, took off to become a focal point in large beds and containers.  In full sun the plants grow more compact and formed a tight hedge when planted close.  In shadier sites they grow more upright to spreading. They are a tough plant that can take a wide variety of conditions from hot sun and drought to some shade and even wet soil.  Overall they grow best in full sun with consistent moisture. Which means the heavy clay soils of Wisconsin don’t bother them a bit.  Japanese beetles didn’t attack them like they do most other hibiscus.

They look great with the lime green of Coleus ‘Wasabi, ’another of our trial favorites this year. We also had them partnered with ‘Envy’ zinnia and pink plumed celosia.  We also grew quite a few plants in pots as the ‘thriller’ where they performed well in a variety of conditions from shade with impatiens to sun with lantana and Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ . The dramatic color, height and easy care make them really useful for large containers. We will bring pots into greenhouse this winter and use them as a cut flowers/foliage accents.  Mahogony Splendor is not known for its flower.  Plants in our greenhouse are beginning to bud up though so it will be interesting to see what they look like.  This plant might also be a good houseplant in a sunny location.  Customers often want to overwinter summer tropicals inside and this is one that would work.

Mahogony Splendor is available from Ball Horticulture as seed.   It’s best to sow seed fairly early in the greenhouse.  The total crop time from seed to gallon is about 12-13 weeks.  Best to plant this outdoors in spring as a decent size #1 or larger as the  cool spring weather typical to Wisconsin means this plant won’t get going outside until things warm up. Due to the large size and dramatic color of the plant it can be marketed as  a premium 6″ or #1 container.  

Portulaca ‘Happy Hour Orange’

There are 7 colors in this series, deep red, fuchsia, orange, peppermint, coconut, lemon and banana from Ball Horticultural.  We liked the soft warm papaya shade and vigor of the orange color best.  It looks beautiful with blue shades of petunias or salvia, also works well contrasting with dark red and yellow shades of lantana.  We planted Portulaca ‘Happy Hour Fuchsia’ and ‘Banana’  together in a bed with a backdrop of Celosia ‘New Look Scarlet’ and Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ which made a very dramatic show.  The banana is a dark yellow color flecked with red in the center. This was not only was a very bright and eye-catching combination but also bloomed the entire summer with very little maintenance.  Drought tolerant and sturdy, these plants began blooming in early June when first planted are continuing to bloom now in mid October.  They have weathered a cold spring, record heat, drought, rain and now back to cool again.  No deadheading, no heat stall, no faded flower stalks, no cold damage. Plants, like people, are made better by the right companions. This has provided a beautiful entry piece to our campus.

Portulaca ‘Happy Hour’ had uniform germination and held well in the greenhouse during low light days of spring with no sign of powdery mildew.  We had to keep them in the greenhouse 606 trays a little longer than we wanted to due to cold spring weather outside and they held on beautifully.  They make a colorful and drought resistant ground cover in beds and show excellent tolerance to poor, salty soil next to sidewalks.    One thing we noticed is that they do seem to be very sensitive to cold temperatures.  We had a couple unusually cold nights in early September with temperatures in the low 40s and these did show signs of chilling  injury.

We received Begonia ‘Whopper’ rose with green leaf and red with bronze leaf from Ball Horticultural.  Both were exceptional plants.  The red with bronze leaf was the most striking with excellent contrast between the ultra shiny, dark bronze leaves and bright red flowers on a compact, full plant.  Begonias from seed often exhibit sporadic germination but these pelleted seeds had uniform germination and growth.  We were able were able to transplant all 288 plugs into 606 trays all at once.  Plants held nicely in the 606 even though we decided it would be better to market them as a 4”  or large,r to better differentiate them from standard wax begonias and show off their huge flowers.

Landscape performance was excellent.  We had the’ rose with green leaf’ planted in a shade location with the new lime green ‘Wasabi’ coleus.  They made very attractive and contrasting partners.  Also had this planted with sweet potato vine – both purple and yellow green varieties looked great with Begonia ‘Whopper’ rose with green leaf

The red with bronze leaf was planted in an un-irrigated bed in front of a building.  We were impressed with the adaptability of this begonia to full sun, reflected heat and   inconsistent soil moisture.  We had some very hot weeks this summer and this plant came through without any heat stall at all.  It looked beautiful all summer and now into fall continues to produce non stop blooms under increasingly cool night temperatures in the low 50s. The last few weeks temperatures have dropped into the 40s and plants are blooming better than ever.  We also have some in containers where they have filled out the pot beautifully.  We even used some inside as potted blooming plants with pot covers.  Display life has been very good even in that setting.  Will definitely use more next year in mixed containers.

All our trial plants are planted directly in the ground or in above ground containers.  Most of the trials are planted in irrigated beds but we do have a portion that are hand watered, including the container trials.  Perennial trials are planted in both irrigated and non- irrigated beds.  We also plant some perennials within 15” of sidewalks that receive salt applications for winter ice removal. The perennial trials are ongoing and will evaluate winter hardiness, salt tolerance and garden performance over a three year period.

  The soil in our area is heavy clay with high levels of organic matter.  Fir bark mulch is applied during the growing season but we plan to switch to shredded leaf mulch next year. We evaluate annual seed varieties for greenhouse as well as landscape performance.  In the greenhouse this includes uniformity of germination, growth and maturity for harvest.  We are also interested in annuals that stay compact without the need for PGRs and that hold well in containers at retail.  We grow seeds in a 288 plug tray and shift up to a 606 flat or 4” pot depending on mature size. 

 Spring 2011 weather in Wisconsin, like much of the country, was exceptionally cold and rainy with crops being as much as 2 weeks later than ‘normal’ until about late June.  Cold and rainy is not exactly unusual for a Wisconsin spring but we usually get a few nice weekends to move spring along and drive garden center sales.  Retailers and growers experienced a lot of  plant damage and lost sales due to the cold,  rainy weather forcing early clearance sales and markdowns.  Several retail garden centers described spring 2011 as one of the worst in twenty years in terms of weather and  sales.

 Temperatures in southeast Wisconsin spiked into the 90’s and stayed there for several weeks mid to late July, extending off and on into early August.  Several days saw heat advisory warnings.   The heat was accompanied by lower than normal rainfall for the months of August and September. While not officially considered a drought, conditions were unusually hot and dry.   These high temperatures coupled with low rainfall, meant supplemental irrigation had to be provided to planting beds that normally receive no extra irrigation.  Heat stall and heat/drought related collapse were observed in community flower beds that did not receive irrigation. 

 Temperatures began to cool rather early and suddenly; by the third week of August night temperatures in the low 50s were occurring regularly.  The month of September has been unusually cool with days in the 60s many nights in the 40s.  The first frost warning was given September 12.   The first hard frost usually occurs near October 15 in southeast Wisconsin with warmer temperatures near Lake Michigan. A light frost and cold injury was experienced on warm season crops as early as September 12 in western Kenosha county and into southwestern Wisconsin. 

Most of the plants we recieve are genrously donated by Ball Horticultural.  However since my trip last spring to the California Spring Plant trials we have added a few more breeders and brokers, namely Fides North America (Dianthus), DeVroomen (Delosperma), Walters Gardens (Proven Winners Hibiscus and Leucanthemum) NovaFlora (Drift Roses).

Over the next few weeks I’ll be describing some of the favorites of our 2011 field trials. The main focus of trials this year has been annual since we just began the perennial trials this year.  However a couple perennials performed very well and bloomed the first year after planting, even though some were planted quite late. The perennial trials will carry over into next year as we see which ones make it though a Wisconsin winter!   Stay tuned to see ‘must have’ plants for 2012

Preparation meets opportunity = positive action

Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, begin preparing for something.  Take a class and study hard, make some calls, attend a networking event.  Whatever you choose to do, give it your best effort.  People notice excellence.  The universal law of attraction says you receive what you give.  Make sure everything you do is done with integrity.  Start with the simple things like appreciating you present situation or job and giving it all you’ve got.  You truly never know what will happen next.

As a young Safeway executive, I had a great job but saw absolutely no room for advancement in the company. All the other people above me were about my same age and I was so sure they would be there forever. Being an impatient youth, I quit.  Sure enough 3 months later several of these people left the company and I would have been next in line for a big promotion.  Had I stayed at this company I would be able to retire right now a fairly rich woman with all the stock options I would have accumulated in the booming 80s and 90s. The opportunity was there, I just didn’t see it.  I was also not prepared.   I was not willing to do my best  knowing that excellence pays off .

It turned out alright after all…  I have a great job  and a wonderful, loving family.  I know now, not to make assumptions about what I think will happen. I feel very fortunate that I followed my passion early by studying horticulture.  I’ve been able to craft a very succesful and rewarding career over the years doing it.  Teaching has been the ‘icing on the cake’ of rewarding job experiences.  I continue to strive for excellence, continue to prepare myself to be ready for the next opportunity and keep my mind open to possibilities. I try not force things to happen.  It seems that if an opportunity is supposed to happen, it will have a certain flow.  Things will fall in to place without force and extreme measures.  Have you ever had a situation where you didn’t get what you wanted only to later say ‘Thank God’?  I can think of a lot of them.  When we bought this house on 2 acres I actually wanted to buy a farm!  I wanted lots of land with animals and acres of garden space and the potential to start a farm stand or garden center.  We looked for months but never found the right place - Thank God it didn’t happen!  I can barely manage my 2 acres and little dog!  

Be careful what you pray for, you just might get it!   So often I realize how small and limited my view is.  I don’t know all the possibilities. I really don’t know what is best.  What I do know is that there is a divine power active in my life that guides me to my highest good. Most of the time I just need to get out of the way and let it happen.  Prepare for opportunity with excellence and live in a world of amazing possibilities!

We see a similar concept played out locally at Borzynski Farm and Floral Market  in Sturtevant Wisconsin.  The Borzynskis,  long time local farmers,  have created a wonderful store based on fresh produce, a deli and specialty food items such a hand crafted jams, sauces and other packaged goods.  They specialize in carrying locally grown Wisconsin  product.  Specialty foods and fresh produce make a great cash flow fit with traditional garden center plants in northern locations.  The garden center season begins in earnest in Wisconsin about May and ends in July just when local produce is ripe and ready. Produce and larger size plant material and decorative garden planters carry the store though summer and into fall with pumpkins, mums, corn stalks and caramel apples bringing customers in. Events such as  hayrides, haunted houses and corn mazes attract customers who return with their kids (and our next generation of loyal customers) every year.  Christmas brings trees and wreaths for decorating, apple cider and locally made specialty food gifts. Food is such a natural gift for holidays – no sizes to fit or colors to choose – everyone loves food!  Gift baskets are  a big item for Borzynski, especially for corporate gift giving. Borzynski has rounded out the selling season by incorporating fresh flower design to capture the major spring floral holidays of Valentine’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day, before the spring garden rush begins.  Along with the deli, this  also gives them the talent  needed to sell events at their facility such as bridal and baby showers, reunions.

Below is a picture of a mother/daughter team representing apple butter from a specialty food supplier from Maryland seen at the IGCA show.  Since 1938 McCutcheons’, Apple Products, Inc. has produced old fashioned home style food products. They offer a wide variety of apple butters, preserves, juice-sweetened spreads, , mustards, relishes and more. The products are attractively labelled with the country theme appeal that fits the brand identify of many garden centers. The product lines emphasizes no preservatives and naturally sweetened which is also important to customers.  The label could use a bit of updating and more color but it is a great example  of a unique and locally grown specialty food product, customers are looking for.  Some suppliers provide point of sale display racks, signs and props to support their brand and make it easy for retailers to properly market the product.  A wooden crate display with a  red and white checked sign and a couple of  mini straw bales would really bring out this product on display and help it sell, sell, sell!  I’m getting hungry…time for some toast with apple butter