It’s finally started as semi trailers of stock have been arriving in which the load has to be unloaded in a reasonable amount of time to avoid extra shipping charges. All the stock will be taken into our movable roof structure of 23,050 sq. feet to avoid temperatures lower than 20ºF as the trailer is kept at 45ºF to avoid the stock from going through a “heat” and on the opposite end of the scale, the plants are not used to the lower temperatures until later.
In early to mid April. What a job it will be to move the stock out to be displayed with balled and burlapped stock being healed in the fine gravel beds. Exciting this year will be the display of about 60 varieties of Magnolias from Brotzman Nursery in Madison, Ohio. Some are budded or grafted but most are on their own roots so no need to worry about suckers from the understock.
In another 6 weeks the annual flower house will open along with the perennial house all the while planting for future crops is still going on as well as the planting of trees and shrubs for July, September and even next spring of 2022.
The twelve thousand tulips planted last fall are finally high enough (about two inches) to be sprayed with Deer Stopper to prevent them from becoming deer salad.
Exciting too is the addition of 130 perennial flowers, dozens of new annual flowers and several trees and shrubs will make a quite intriguing scene to all the customers looking for anything “new”. Unfortunately there will be some price increases in stock as shipping costs have increased by as much as 30%. Most of the reasons that I have heard is that there is a critical shortage of trucks so that we are going to ship stock in a dry van (non-refrigerated) so that the weather across the country from Oregon must be monitored before shipment so that no temperature drops lower than 25ºF which could damage the stock. So much to deal with!
The witch hazels in the display garden have been blooming since mid February and will continue to bloom into May. For sure, witch hazels are one tough shrub!
Tom