Parks Brothers Greenhouses

Picture Courtesy of Wikipedia

Once upon a time, in the Orient far away, a Queen was born.  Her name?  Camillia.  No delicate flower, Camillia was known to flourish in cooler months, boasting stunning colors and dazzling onlookers clear into April.  But one day, she grew tired of her surroundings and decided she wanted to see the world.  So in the late 1700s, Camillia left the Orient and headed out into a brand new world.  Today, she’s making an appearance right here in our very own Greenhouses. 

Camillias are woody perennials that perform best when planted in the Fall.  They prefer a slightly acidic, well-drained soil.  If you have Azaleas, you can create a life-long friendship when you plant the Camillia close by.  They also make excellent container plants.  Now I know, it’s tradition to immediately fertilize your plants as soon as you get them in the ground, but the Camillia is a light eater and would prefer that you not feed her until Spring.  Avoid over-feeding her as well, because she has been known to pout and refuse to produce as many blooms.  She’s not an avid swimmer either, so try to keep her on higher ground.  Since it’s difficult to purchase sunscreen for shrubs, you may want to plant your Camillia in a shady spot to avoid burning her foliage in the full sun.  Camillias should be pruned immediately after their blooms fade and new spring growth begins to flower.  Heavy mulch, two to three inches thick, is recommended since they are not a drought tolerant shrub.  But while all the other flowers go on strike during those bitter winter temperatures, your Camillia will proudly stand against the winds and supply your garden with lasting color.

Now don’t dally.  The Queen is waiting.  Be sure to stop by and see her soon…

For more information on Camillias visit The American Camillia Society.

Costume?  Check.  Flashlight?  Check.  Giant bag to fill up with free candy?  Check!!!!  I’ve even got a back-up bag too just in case my first bag gets full.  Now I just have to decide if I want to trick-or-treat on Saturday or Sunday???  Or maybe I should just go crazy and trick-or-treat both nights for double the sugary delights!  That’s right, cuz this year Halloween falls on a Sunday and depending on where you live, you might just get the chance to celebrate Halloween for two nights instead of just one.  And you don’t have to limit your Holiday Fun to just trick-or-treating.  There are plenty of Haunted Houses, Fall Festivals, and Halloween Parties to keep that Holiday Spirit going clean thru the weekend.

But whichever ghoulish activities you decide to attend, remember your safety rules.  Carry a flashlight.  Only visit well-lit houses in familiar neighborhoods.  Double check all candy and goodies before letting the kiddos dig in (and be sure to swipe a few candy bars for yourself for taking those lil ones door to door all night long).  Stay on the sidewalks.  And avoid unfamiliar pets.

Now for those of you that are more into giving out the treats rather than going to get some treats, you will be sure to entice more trick-or-treaters your way with lots of festive and unique decorations that you can pick up right here at Parks Brothers.

If you still need help deciding which night you want to get your scare on, check out 5 News for the 411 on when and where all the fun will be taking place.

See you at the Greenhouse!  And Happy Boo Day!!!!

Ahhh, feel that crisp cool breeze, stock up on that Halloween candy, and take in that stunning view as the leaves begin to turn shades of gold, orange, and red…  I don’t know about all of you, but after that ultra-hot Summer, I’m thinking Fall has never looked so good!!! 

The inferno-style heat really did a number on our landscaping here at the farm.  But with the cooler temps ahead of us, we’re sending those sad old spring flowers packing and bringing in some fresh new faces to liven things back up.  And with Halloween less than a week away, it’s high time to transform your yard into a spooky playground for all those trick-or-treaters coming your way.  Don’t worry, we’ve got all the Fall Decor you will ever need right here on the farm.  Our Retail Girls have been busy lil pumpkins and have created a whole greenhouse full of fanciful characters for your Fall Scene.  And our pansies, violas, snapdragons and mums are in full bloom, eagerly awaiting a new garden to call home.  We also have wheat straw, corn stalks, gourds and pumpkins to complete your Fall Make-Over! 

Don’t forget that Fall is the perfect time to plant new trees.  And in honor of the perfect tree-planting season, we’ve slashed our prices on all our fruit trees by 40%!!! 

So grab your garden gloves, drag out that spade, and let’s transform our gardens one pansy at a time!!!

I like pansies almost as much as I don’t like mums.  They have all the attributes that mums lack and their only drawback is that they don’t like it hot.

What other flower can you plant that will last for seven to even nine months?  You can plant them in September (if it cools off early enough) and they’ll look good until April or even May (if it doesn’t get too hot).  In additions to that, you have a lot of vibrant colors to chose from and here in the south if the winter is mild enough, they will bloom all winter long especially if you live in Zones 8-9.

The biggest challenge to growing pansies it the timing.  When will your sales peak?  Last year it was late October.  This year we needed them all ready the third week of September.  Next year, who knows?  So much goes into determining how many to grow and when to try to have the pansies ready.  We rarely have perfect weather for growing them so we are constantly either trying to keep them short, bushy and blooming or pushing them to hurry up and bloom while simultaneously growing the perfect plant.  Our growers and waterers do a great job doing this, and we have great crops of pansies each year.

So this year, with the hot summer two things happened.  First, the heat impeded the pansies uptake of nutrients which put all of our crops a week or two behind.  Second, the heat cooked everyone’s flower beds so EVERYBODY wanted them replaces as soon as possible.  These two conditions led to what I call The Great Pansy Famine of 2010 also known as “Shoot, we’re sold out of pansies and the next crop won’t be ready for another 10 days.”

But it looks like the famine may be nearing the end.  We have parts of tow crops of J6 ready with one more coming on that will be ready in about 10-14 days.  Plus two more crops of #4 pansies.  We also have #6.5 and #12 mums that are still in Bud or are Cracking some color with a few that have some Light Color, plus the ornamental cabbage and kale to go with all of them.

We got some help today planting pansies at Tate Elementary School.  Becky, David and I got there early.  Beck and David did all the heavy lifting.

Then it was time for the kids.

It’s Okra Season!  And if you’re like us, you’re picking it left and right.  And after frying it day after day, we thought you might like a new recipe for your okra.  This is Claudette’s Special Okra Salad.  It’s simple, refreshing, and oh so delicious!  Happy Eating!!!

Ingredients:
Chopped okra, enough for one meal
Corn Meal
3 or 4 slices bacon
One or two fresh tomatoes
1/2 onion

Directions:
Fry okra with corn meal, drain on paper towel
Fry bacon, drain on paper towel
Chop tomato and onion
Mix all ingredients together and serve

If you have a favorite summertime recipe, send it to us.  We would love to feature some great recipes on our website.  You can submit your recipe to golden@parksbrothers.com.  And if you have a photo of the dish, send that too.

See you at the Greenhouse!

New this year from BALL are three varieties of Black Petunias.  Apparently they got a lot of attention at the OFA show and one variety, Black Velvet, won the Greenhouse Grower’s Industry Choice Award. 

Here are the new varieties Black Velvet (left) and Phantom:

And Pinstritpe:

All of these are supposed to have a more mounded growth habit similar to regular petunias.  I think these will be better suited to container growing but they may also do well in the flower bed. 

So what do you think of these new additions to the petunia market?  Is this something that you will want to plant in your garden or patio pots?

We are trialing these this fall.  I think they will be pretty good for fall color and Halloween flower bed and container patio decorations.  We are trialing them in both gallon and #10 deco pots. 

My personal opinion is that they are better suited as accent color to combination planters and baskets.  I think I can come up with some pretty cool color combinations with these petunias.  I will have to see how well they do in the flower bed. 

Here is a picture of the petunias we have growing now.  We will plant some more next week.

It wasn’t easy choosing between our entries, but we have finally declared a winner!  Congrats to Tina for her Flower Garden entry!  Don’t forget to come out and claim your $20 Gift Certificate!  See you at the Greenhouse!!!

Yes, it’s Summer.  Yes, it’s HOTTTT.  And yes, we are plum crazy to already be planning for the Fall in the middle of a heat wave.  But hey, what true gardener isn’t a little crazy?  While we relish in the spoils of our current crops, somewhere in those wild brains of ours, we are already deciding which veggies we’re going to plant next. 

Fall Tomatoes are just like regular tomatoes, except you harvest them in the Fall clear to the first frost.  The plants are slightly smaller than what you’re used to, but fear not, they are hardy little things and will grow up to be just as big as those other tomato plants you know and love.  Fall tomatoes need lots of water, especially during the drought-like conditions we’ve been having lately.  They also need a little lime in their soil.  To prevent Blossom-end Rot, Septoria Leaf Spot and other viruses, you will want to spray your tomatoes with a fungicide beginning the first week you plant them and once every week thereafter.  This is the prime-time to plant Fall Tomatoes.  We have a few varieties to choose from, but they will go fast.  So be sure to come see us soon. 

And while you’re here, you might as well check out our End of the Season Summer Sales!  Hanging Baskets, including Breath-taking Ferns, are all on clearance for just $7.00 right now!

See you at the Greenhouse!!!

***Picture provided by Burpee Home Gardens***

Hey all you gardeners, it’s time to show off your skills in our first ever Flower Garden Showdown!  Grab your trusty camera and take a spectacular shot of your flower bed creations.  Then drop it in an email to us complete with your name and phone number, and you just might win a $20 gift certificate to Parks Brothers.  All submissions will be showcased both on our blog and on our facebook fan page.  Our non-biased office staff will be selecting the winner on July 9th.

 
1st Submission – Becky Whitlock

You can email your submission to golden@parksbrothers.com.  Please put Flower Garden Showdown in your subject line and don’t forget to include your name and your phone number. 

No purchase necessary.  Gift Certificates must be picked up in person at Parks Brothers.  Winner will be notified by phone.  Must be 18 years or older to enter.  One entry per household please.