Cardboard boxes are piled half-way to the ceiling in the Gift Shoppe. Some of them are empty and some full of gift and garden treasures. There are birdhouses with brown, picket fences. There are red, white, and blue gazing balls made of tile and arranged like the American flag. There is a flock of metal birds preening in anticipation of spring. Everywhere you look there is something to see and wonder at.

Outside the snow covers the ground, but you can hear the drip, drip of water as the warm sun melts the ice off of roofs and tree branches. Birds are singing and we imagine the crocuses are beginning to slowly inch toward the surface of the ground.

This will be a busy week for us as we continue to fill containers, unpack boxes of plug trays, and work on the new showcase greenhouse. Many of the geranium baskets are planted already; however, the fillers such as lobelia, verbena, diascia, and nemesia still need to be added. Also, the 3000+ petunia combination baskets will get their start this week. It’s a really fun time of year and we are looking forward to the annual Behind the Scenes Production Tour on March 11^th when we can show you much of what goes into the planning.

Have a fabulous week!

–Jake (jmertins@ebertsgreenhouse.com)