We get calls this time of year asking if we have certain varieties of plants. This is especially true with heirloom tomatoes and peppers. Yesterday we had a customer ask about San Marzano paste tomatoes and our response was “Hey, it’s early enough in the season…why not?” We got online and checked with one of our suppliers and the seeds will be here by Thursday so we can have plants ready in time for Memorial Day. THAT’S the kind of service you have come to love and enjoy at Mohican Gardens & Conservatory. Personal. Friendly. Customized. The type of attention to detail that you won’t find at the big box garden centers and huge greenhouse complexes. Don’t take it the wrong way—we’re not saying they shouldn’t be in the plant business. We’re saying plants are a way of life for us at The Gardens. We love plants. We love talking to our customers. And we love doing whatever it takes to earn your trust and keep you coming back year after year. Need a specific variety? Let us know soon. We’d be happy to source the seed and get them started for you. And if we can’t find it, we will happily refer you to one of the other fantastic greenhouses in the area. Yes, we do regularly refer customers to other places that can help out with things we might not be able to stock—like mulch or apple trees. In keeping with the “dropping names” theme of this post, here is a list of some of the tomatoes and peppers we are growing for this season:
TOMATOES: Abe Lincoln, Amish Paste, Beefsteak, Best Boy, Better Boy, Big Boy, Brandywine Yellow, Bushel Buster, Celebrity, Early Boy, Early Girl, German Johnson, Grape Red Plum, Hillbilly, Jubilee Yellow, Larry’s Favorite, Marglobe, Marianna’s Peace, Mortgage Lifter, Roma, San Marzano Paste, Sun Sugar Yellow Cherry, Super Sweet 100 Cherry, Tumbling Tom Cherry…
PEPPERS: Black Pearl, California Wonder, Carolina Reaper, Dad’s Favorite Pimento, Early Jalapeno, Garden Salsa, Grand Bell Mix, Habanero Red, Hot Anaheim, Hot Hungarian Wax, King Arthur, Onyx Red, Poblano, Red Bell, Red Hot Cherry, Sedona, Serrano Chili, Sheepnose Pimento, Sweet Banana, Sweet Gypsy, Trinidad Scorpion, Yellow Bell…
The other day we had one of our regular customers come in to find a hanging basket and patio pot that she needed for an event next weekend. After selecting the patio pot, we went looking for a basket that would complement the pot. Once we pulled a few down and found the perfect shape, she commented that she wished the patio pot was fuller (we had expected it to be one that was ready for Memorial day, so the plants were fairly young). My response was “Shall we fix it together?” We can and will do this. Add a flower to an existing pot. Replant with a plant that has more blooms or buds. Or, as in this case, start from scratch and build a custom planter. When she heard that we could do this, her eyes brightened with excitement and we proceeded to select the perfect blend of flowers and fillers to create the ideal planter for her porch steps. It turned out beautifully, and she promised to come back in a couple of weeks to get the rest of her garden plants. And we’ll be ready to help her out when she returns.
While we are talking about service, we wanted to introduce you to a couple of the people who make it all happen at Mohican Gardens. In addition to our family, you will be greeted by one of our three seasonal employees: Judy Rafeld, Marissa Lamp (our intern from OSU-ATI in Wooster), and Phil Reeder.
Judy has been with Mohican Gardens since its earliest years when Lorie Ambrose started the business. She’s been a mainstay every season, helping manage the place when we are not available. She is a florist by trade and she is fantastic at helping people select the right plant for a specific problem area in your garden. If anyone knows the answer to a question, it’s this lady. And she’s one of the nicest people you will ever meet!
Marissa is a Greenhouse Management student at the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. She has worked very hard this season learning how we do things at Mohican Gardens and especially enjoys getting out into the flower beds as the weather improves. It’s a perfect fit, since she hopes to work at a botanical garden in the future.
We’re still working on getting a photo of Phil, since he is only working one day a week. Phil has been with us for several years on a part-time basis since his retirement from the Mohican Lodge. A background in horticulture makes him a huge asset in the greenhouse!
We will continue to offer a wide variety of plants at the greenhouse and at Local Roots in Wooster. Let us know if you have any specific requests and we’ll do what we can to fill your needs. Until next time…happy gardening!