Spring Planting in Full Swing

The pots, flats and baskets have been filled and the planting for Spring has begun at The Green Thumbs.

Hanging Baskets filled and ready to be planted at the Ridge Ripe greenhouse location



Flats of 4.5-inch and 3.4 inch pots, 4-packs and 2-packs filled and ready to be planted at Green Thumbs greenhouse location

 The clients fill the pots, flats and baskets just prior to the arrival of the plugs that we plant to grow our Spring bedding plants.

Norman Carter (left) and James Ward work at filling flats of 4-packs

Randy Holiday inserts tags into the pots of Ruellia (Mexican Petunias) he has just planted

Michael Boles looks on as Kathy Hemingway inspects his handiwork of planting lantana liners

Janet holding a Zonal Geranium liner that will be planted in an 8-inch pot

The first of the plants to be planted for Spring are the Geraniums and the Hanging Baskets of Wave Petunias.  Pictured above you can see the size of the Zonal Geranium liners that we receive to plant in 8-inch pots.

Janet holding a Scaevola (Fanflower) liner

Above is a photo of Janet holding a Scaevola liner, that is among some of the other earlier plants that we start for Spring.  The Scaevolas (Fanflowers) are planted around the same time that we also plant some of the other larger, and more slow-growing Spring bedding plants, such as Ruellia (Mexican Petunia), Plumbago, Cuphea, Lantana and others.

Shockwave Petunia liner that will be planted in our Hanging Baskets

Lantana Liner that will be planted in 4.5-inch pots

10-inch Hanging Baskets just planted with Shockwave Petunias

You can see what the Hanging Baskets look like right after they have first been planted.

Randy Holiday putting tags in the pots of Ruellia he has just planted

Randy Holiday is pictured above placing plant tags in the pots he has just planted with Ruellia (Mexican Petunias).

Zonal Geraniums at Ridge Ripe Greenhouse on March 1, 2011

Here is a look at the 8-inch pots that were planted with Zonal Geraniums on February 7.  This gives an indication of the amount of growth over a four-week period.

Hanging Baskets of Shockwave Petunias planted one week apart

The difference in one week of growth in indicated in the photo above.  The baskets with the larger petunias were planted one week prior to the baskets containing the smaller petunias.

Ivy Geraniums grown in 4.5-inch pots at Ridge Ripe Greenhouse

Ivy Geraniums are another variety of Geraniums that we grow.  These trailing Geraniums are being grown in 4.5-inch pots at our Ridge Ripe greenhouse location.

Zonal Geraniums grown in 4.5-inch pots

Other than the popular red and salmon colored Zonal Geraniums that we grow in the larger 8-inch pots, we also grow red, white and pink Zonal Geraniums in smaller 4.5-inch pots.  These geraniums were photographed approximately 2 weeks after planting.

Hanging Baskets at Ridge Ripe Greenhouse on March 1, 2011

The Hanging Baskets are beginning to show some progress in the growth of their plants.  These baskets were photographed on March 1, approximately 3 weeks after having been planted.

Michael Boles (left) and James Ward planting 'Firecracker' Salvia in 4-packs at the Green Thumbs greenhouse

Another round of planting begins on March 2, with the arrival of more than 3,000 plugs of annual Spring bedding plants.  Michael Boles and James Ward are pictured above, planting 'Firecracker' Salvia in 4-packs at The Green Thumbs greenhouse location.  Pictured on the table in the foreground are trays containing the plugs as they are shipped to us - 512 plant plugs in each individual trays.

James Ward with a plug of 'Firecracker' Salvia that he prepares to plant

Randy Holiday holds a plug of a LoGro Verbena that he will plant in 3.5-inch pots

The two photos above give you an idea of just how small our plants are when we first plant them.

Norman Carter (left) and Randy Holiday plant pots of LoGro Verbena

The next round of planting will begin around March 9, when more of our plant plugs arrive.  The next shipment is expected to include Double Petunias, Cosmos and Dianthus.  If you would like to see photos of what these plants will look like when they are ready for sale, click on the "Spring Plants" tab near the top of this page.

Our projected opening date is set for Thursday, March 31.