February 7th

Octorara Orphie did not see his shadow, and confirmed what we herwe at the greenhouse already knew...Spring is just around the corner! 

We have been seeding like mad in the propegation house to bring you new selections of perennials in the 4" size.  We have also started transplanting a bit earlier than in previous years.  Due to the mild winter, a lot of our perennials under cover have already broken dormancy. My gardening friends may be raring to go, but our challenge now is to hold back the plants a bit so they don't all bloom in March!

I was interested to see botanic gardens in England were also concerned about this year's spring season after an unseasonably dry spring, then cool, wet fall induced a lot of spring bloomers to flower prematurely.  You can't second guess Mother Nature, I supose, just roll with the punches, and enjoy forsythias in October, snow drops in January, and digitalis in March!

 

December 3rd

We are now closed for the season, but there are several projects we are workng on that I'm very excited about. 

After a trip to the Tyler Arboretum, this summer, we were inspired to build a butterfly house across from greenhouse 8.  Look for in-ground beds, and your favorite butterflies next spring and summer. 

We also finished a whimsical green roof dog house for resident canines Zeke and Kimpa.  So far the kids play in it  more than the dogs, but oh well.  Filled with sedums, sempervivums and ice plants, it fits nicely into the landscape across from the store.

This time of year holds for us a chance to rest, repair things around the farm, and reconnect with friends and family.  We wil you all a blessed Christmas season, and see you in the Spring!

 

October 10th

Leaves are starting to change colors, asters are blooming, the oranges of pumkins dot the landscape and front porches, ornamental grasses are in their glory:  fall is in full swing!  We will be open until November 1st for your fall planting projects, or if you are looking for some mums for fall decorating.

There is a great  "birdwatching for beginners" trip this Saturday October 15th at the Lancaster County Park.  Contact Roger Stoner at 717-393-9030 to sign up and for more info. 

Longwood Gardens annual pumkin display is amazing as ever, many of the other local gardens have fall programing as well.  Get outside and enjoy the fall,  winter will be here before you know it!

 

August 31st

School starts this week.  Liam, our newly minted kindergartener, is so excited for the big yellow bus to pull up each morning.  We just brought the fall mums in, and the newsletters went out today.  Fall must truly be here.

 

Last week we dug over 1000 azaleas and rhododendrons for fall and next spring.  Some lovely deciduous azaleas and small leaf rhododendrons will round out our list.  Our new crop of 4" perennials are also now ready.  We started planting them the last few weeks of July, amazing how fast they grow this time of year!   They will either sell this fall,  vernalize over the winter in a 25F greenhouse for potting into gallon containers for spring sales, or be sold in 4" next spring. 

We are also painting the store this week, so don't be disturbed if you see all the shelving in the driveway!

Happy Fall!

 

August 1st

We had a nice gentle rain tonight, and I'm hoping the hottest days of summer are behind us.  Are your flowers looking  little peaked?  Don't be suprised if some of your annuals are not flowering heavily right now.  Many plants such as bacopa, verbena, osteospermums, linaria, and nemesia to name a few, take a break when the mercury heads above 95.  A little fertilizer and temps back in the 70-80 will bring them back.  Don't give up.  Try some heat lovers like pentas, or lantana if you have a hole that needs color for a special event.

 

We need your help!  Both this Saturday August 6th, and the next, August 13th from 9-5 we will hold a tomato taste testing at the store to determine which of the 25 varieties of tomatoes we grew this year are keepers and which are better off on the compost pile.  Want to try a 'Mortgage Lifter', or a 'Box Car Wille'?  Is 'Evergreen' just a little too wierd?  Are heirlooms really tastier?  Come help us find out!

 

 

June 29th

News letters went out on Friday, if you haven't received one yet and would like to, please send us an e-mail at groffsplantfarm@epix.net

We are cleaning up and preparing for our open house Saturday July 23rd.  We've already sold several tickets and are looking forward to a fun day of production tours, tomato taste testing, and a a tour of Carol and Carl's geodesic dome home.  Mom joked that it was just the thing to get dad to finish some projects around the house.

Butterflies are out in full force in the flower beds, they seem to really like the Mexican Sunflowers and Heliopsis, and yesterday  I saw a whole nesting of monarch eggs hatching on the Asclepias.  What a fun sight.  A school tour was over yesterday and we saw red aphids lining the stems of summer sunflowers with an army of lady bugs ready for lunch.  It's great what you can find when you take the time to look.

 

May 24th

What a funny Spring!  After a cool start we are having a great season.  Mother's Day Saturday we broke our attendance record.  Things are calming down here, though we are still planting annuals, perennials and shrubs to be well stoked with your favorites through the year. The Perennial Plant of the Year bench has gotten quite a few postitve comments.  Those selected winners are a great place to start gardening with perennials.

We have been working in our flower beds, and so many beautiful plants are blooming now, the baptisias, poppies, geum, geraniums, iris and amsonias are bright spots of color. 

So many of you have asked what our favorite tomatoes are we decided to do a taste test this year.  We planted one of each of the 25 kinds we grew this year.  We'll have an open house and taste test this summer.  Look for more details coming soon. 

April 9th

The sun seems to be peeking out again after more rain last week.  The weather man seems cautiously optimistic, and we're filling our benches as fast as we can.  Expect to see most everthing out by next weekend.  Our production houses are full to bursting, to ensure we never run low of what you are looking for, but please feel free to call with specific plant questions.  We are still updating  our plant directory, so look for new signs coming over the next few weeks.

 

Our vegetables are looking great for early season gardeners.  Radicchio and the lettuce mixes have been popular.  We are looking forward to our Vegetable gardening Q&A next Saturday from 10-12.  Seasoned gardeners, and newbies alike are welcome.  Let's learn from each other. 

 

March 27th

We are so excited for the season to begin! March may be going  out like a lion, but tomorrow we begin filling the perennial and the shrub benches.  This year the 4" shade perennials are in their regular spot, but you will find the sun 4" perennials on newly constructed benches in the sun perennial section. Greenhouse #3 is now totally devoted to an expanded herb selection.

The pansies are fully hardened off and blooming away in front of the annual area.  Spring veggies like lettuce, cabbage, brocolli, cauliflower will be out in the next few days.  I'm anxious to try a new orange cauliflower called 'Cheddar'.

My husband, the dog lover, also has a new puppy, Kimpa.  Don't forget to give her a few pats on your next visit.

Happy Spring!

 

January 15th

There are still a few inches of snow on the ground, but my mind is on spring.  I seeded over 120 flats of perennials last week and was excited to see the first ones germinating yesterday.  I am always so happy to see those first bits of green!

This morning, the Atglen Garden Club invited me to speak with them.  I had such a good time sharing some new plants with fellow gardening enthusiasts.  If your garden club is ever in need of a speaker, or would like to come for a behind-the-scenes tour, please let us know. 

Spring is still a ways away, though my mind is drifting there, I'm going to hunker down with a good book and enjoy the last few weeks of winter.

 

 December 20th

We are very excited about our new website.  There are a few major changes.  The articles are now searchable and we have posted our perennial and shrub sign database.  We also have ben working on a facebook page, so feel free to check that out as well.  If you have any questions please to contact us.  Hope you all  have a blessed holiday with your families and we'll see you in the spring!

 

 

November 8th

We have now been officially closed for a week. Many of you have inquired what we do with all the perennials and shrubs we have left at the end of the season. This is actually a busy time for us, as we take everything off the benches, and take it back to the production areas, cut back the perennials and trim the shrubs, and put them in covered greenhouses with minimal heat. These plants stay dormant until the spring.

This is also the time when most of the building projects occur. Look for increased bench space in the sun perennials next spring. We will also be working on our watering systems to be better stewards of our resources and our time.

We have also had several questions about gift certificates. We offer gift certificates in any amount for the gardeners on your list. You can either mail us a check with instructions and we'll mail you back a gift certificate, or if you are in the area, stop by. You can generally find someone until about 3 most days. Or call ahead with when to expect you. 717-529-3001.

Have a great winter, and see you in the spring!

September 1st, 2010

Fall must be here. My son started school today, mums are getting ready, and the Solanco Fair is only 2 weeks away.

I know you've heard it a million times, but fall really is the best time of year to plant shrubs, and perennials with the soil temperatures still warm and the air temps cooling off. Usually the fall is when it starts to rain again. After this dry summer, some cooling autumn rains will be a blessing.

Many of our new shrubs are now available for planting. We have three varieties of highbush blueberries we're particularly excited about, new rhododendrons, and of course, the lovely purple-berried beauty berry.

This is also the time of year to get the weeds in your garden under control. Perennial weeds like Canada thistle will be knocked back with some good treatment, and annual weeds should be pulled or sprayed before they set seeds and become a major problem next year. See Dad's 8-23 article on weeds for more info.

For those of you still toiling away in the vegetable garden, there is still time to plant some lettuces or spinach for a fall crop. After putting up over 60 jars of pickles and I-don't-want-to count how many tomatoes, I'm about tired of the vegetables, but I am enjoying my flower beds.

The fall sedums and asters are just starting to bloom, and the butterflies are having a field day on my lantana, agastache and heliopsis. After a hot summer, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Happy Gardening!

July 10th, 2010

Thank God for the rain! We've been very dry the last few weeks and this will certainly help. However, we still have quite a few annuals left. Therefore the sale will continue until Tuesday, July 13th. You get 1 free flat of annuals, any additional flats $5. Selected daylilies $5, 4" perennials are half price. We have reserved one greenhouse of fresh, beautiful annuals to fill any late season needs.

We start growing a fresh crop of 4" perennials this week, which will be ready for sale in late August. Our shrubs which we propagated this spring are becoming ready for sale. This week we brought out oak leaf hydrangeas, mountain laurels, crape myrtles, and some other interesting new plants.

Happy Gardening!

Thanks,

Kris Barry

June 18th, 2010

Please excuse our website. We’ve been having technical difficulties, and as I’d rather be in my garden than slaving over the website. It isn’t perfect. I appreciate your patience.

June 12th, 2010

I picked my first tomato yesterday and I have peas coming out my ears!! Strawberries are about over, and daylilies and coneflowers are starting. Soon the blueberries will be here. If you ever get bored in the garden, wait a few days, and it'll all be different.

My son loves to find hoppy-toads, as he call them, in the garden and so do I. I need all the help I can get battling the slugs, grubs and other insect pests toads like to eat. To encourage toads in the garden, leave some medium stones, or old upturned clay flower pots in your garden beds. to give them a bit of shade from the sun, and hold moisture. If you like, many decorative toad houses can be found on the internet. Either way, place these toad refuges in a shady spot near a source of moisture (natural or man-made) and enjoy new garden allies.