At Long Last

Our Display Gardens—still in color last week

Here we are at the end of October and our most frequently asked question is: “What stays in bloom the longest?” 

For the answer we turned to our educational Display Gardens. These experimental beds allow us to monitor plants in a variety of different growing situations, including those plants that stay in color all the way to frost’s bitter end. These are some photos we took of the gardens just last week—they’ve turned up the following cultivars that are still blooming as hard as they did at the peak of summer: 

‘Princettia^® Light Pink’

Last year we introduced the unique Princettia^® series of poinsettia hybrids in vibrant shades of pink. We were happy with their performance so we’re bringing them back again. If you’re looking to stock a pink poinsettia, this is the one to choose; it’s safe to say you will not find a hi-def pink like this anywhere else. 

‘Princettia^® White’

Princettias^® have also attained a clean white when most other whites have a creamy yellow cast. This true white bract is the base upon which the breeders built their vivid range of pinks. As opposed to some spotted and flecked art style poinsettias—like ‘Premium Picasso’, for example—Princettia^® pink is distributed throughout the bracts evenly and smoothly. 

We used Princettias^® to create a number of lush, dense tabletop and desktop displays last year. They’re compact and bushy so they easily fill a space, and they stay at an unobtrusive height, around 6–12 inches tall. 

Our pretty Princettia^® poinsettias are available in the 5.5-inch pot.

For those who are getting a jump on the spring season: the deadline for our Early Order Discount is November 30th.  Orders submitted on or before that day are eligible for the discount. We recommend placing an Early Order to ensure that you get the material you need; simply call the office, fax, or email your order today, or use the Early Order screen on our website.

Now, we’ve been talking a good bit about poinsettias already, so it might appear we’ve forgotten what day it is—not a chance. Autumn décor is all around to remind us that today is Halloween: mums are lining steps and walkways, fall combos are hanging from porch rafters, Matrix™ pansies and Magic asters are brightening beds—with a side helping of colorful kale for good measure. 

Inevitably we all wind up with some finishing touches that must be applied, so as you travel from job to last-minute job, please do so safely—and keep an eye out for roaming trick-or-treaters. This is true even in the daylight hours; some of the littlest fairies and monsters we know start celebrating early in the afternoon, before it gets too dark.

May you encounter only treats on this enchanted evening, and no tricks—except perhaps for the occasional Great Pumpkin sighting.