With apologies to our favorite board game, Clue, it’s time to get this gardening game started! Let’s take a quick look at some of the exciting changes in store for our friends when we open the doors for spring on April 1:
First off, you’ll notice a change to our look inside. We’ve added a “pergola” over our checkout counter as a way of offering more shade and protection from the condensation for our employees and sensitive electronics. This should be especially helpful for our newer customers who have often asked us “where do we pay?” Now, it will be quite obvious where to check out! This was a father/son project with lots of great input from Benjamin. Now that we’ve started with the construction, we just might be adding even more. Time will tell if we can keep the momentum going…
Another new feature this year is our Succulent Zone, just to the right of the checkout pergola. It will focus on these super-trendy hot weather performers. Take a look at the huge variety of shapes, colors, and habits of these beauties. We’ve even planted some pots for inspiration (or purchase!). Pick the ones you want and then take them to our potting “shed” to plant them up. As always, you can leave the mess with us. Oh, and we’ve also added “succulents by the strip” which includes smaller varieties that work well for party favors or place settings at weddings. They come 10 per strip for $30, which makes each plant only $3.00.
We’ve increased our number of hanging baskets this year in anticipation of a fantastic demand for our #1 seller. Variety is key, and we have many amazing combination baskets to choose from. Pricing remains the same as it has for the last three years—just $17.99 for a 10″ basket with up to NINE different plants!!! Got a shady yard? Take a look at our trailing coleus, begonias, ivies, or shade-tolerant combination baskets. Full sun? No problem! Most of our hanging baskets include varieties that LOVE the sun! And if you are looking for something a bit larger, we have a nice variety of deluxe wire/coco-lined hangers to choose from. You might also like our new half-cone hanging baskets that work well right up against the house. We will share pictures once they fill in a bit more.
This year, Keith and Mary went shopping for perennials and came up with some nice new additions. In 2019 we are offering three varieties of hardy garden mums that can be planted in your flower beds this spring for late-summer and fall color. The best part? You won’t have to replant them next year! They will come back over and over, unlike the big “fall mums” everyone gets in September. Don’t worry, we’ll still offer fall mums for those of you that just need a quick splash of autumn color!
Early spring vegetable starts will be available in April. We have a nice selection of broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and brussels’ sprouts. We’ve also got kohlrabi and okra started. We will also have onion sets and seed potatoes ready for those of you already tilling up your gardens. Even though this winter seemed to linger quite awhile, the number of you out looking for these early season favorites has amazed us. Pricing remains the same for our 6-packs at $2.39 each, or a full tray for $12.00.
We learned a few things last year. Number one is that you NEVER want to run out of tomato plants. To that end, we have MORE started this year than in the past. It will be a nice mix of heirloom and traditional tomatoes with some new varieties we’ve not tried before. Who knew there was such a fan-club over Better Boy and Best Boy??? These will be ready, along with the peppers, later in May. And, speaking of peppers—we’ve got a whole bunch of that Ambrose tradition of “Dad’s Favorite Pimento” plants this year. If you haven’t discovered this little sweet pepper, you are in for a treat. Small, flat and red, Dad’s Favorites are perfect for snacking on right out of the garden. Of course, our favorite way to enjoy them is to cut out the seeds and stem then stuff them with cheese and broil them. Yum!
Judy and Phil are back this year! We do have a new face greeting our customers through May. Her name is Marissa, and she is an intern from the Wooster campus of OSU-ATI where she is studying greenhouse management. She has been a fantastic addition to our team and works hard from the time she gets here until she leaves for the night. There is so much to learn at Mohican Gardens, but Marissa is up for the task! Ask her about her favorite plants…then, tell us since we’ve not been able to pry that information out of her yet. We think she likes them all!