Page 22 - home improvement spring 2012

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2012 HOME & GARDEN MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com May 25, 2012
20
NOW SHOWING NEAR YOU:
What’s new in outdoor
blooms and foliage?
Jan Youngquist visits Connie’s Greenhouse
Looking to enhance your home and not spend
a lot of money? Nothing is easier or adds more
charm than plants. Whether adding a spark of
colorful blooms, striking foliage or graceful vines,
plants make your home more welcoming.
Costs are whatever suits your pocketbook,
from inexpensive flowering annuals to ornamental
shrubs and trees.
We stopped by Connie’s Country
Greenhouse in Latham to get a few
ideas about what is new, or what is old
and good this year.
Connie
Burgett
runs
the
greenhouse operation with husband
Greg and assistance from son Elliot.
Elliot also runs his own landscape
business on the side.
Connie’s grows a wide variety
of annuals and perennials. The
greenhouse also offers the most
popular herbs, shrubberies and
ornamental trees.
In earlyApril the greenhouse was a
rainbow of colors from floor to ceiling
with geraniums, impatiens, petunias,
begonias, lantanas, herbs, marigolds,
zinnias and much more.
In a far corner, hibiscus, great for the patio
with their large tropical peach and yellow trumpet
flowers, were shouting, “Summer’s here!”
If you askConnie, “What’s your favorite?”
she’ll quickly steer you to her Calibrachoas.
“Calis,” she calls them. The
petunia-like plants bloom up a
storm and are easy to care for.
Long, trailing stems are especially
nice in hanging baskets or planters
and great either alone or in
combination with other plants.
The newest Cali varieties,
called Superbells,
(http://www.pwcertified.com/
pwcommon/files/pdf/Superbells.
pdf) offer compact growth, are
heat-tolerant and disease-resistant,
and come in spectacular colors
that bloom all season. Cali blooms
also attract hummingbirds.
But then, Connie looks around
and with the same enthusiasm says
she likes all her “Proven Winners.”
(http://www.provenwinners.com/)
Proven Winners are best varieties chosen
for performance -- vigorous growth, vibrant
or unique. You’ll get more blooms, better
growth and disease resistance.
Connie uses Proven Winners brand in her
combination planters and baskets. Proven
Winners also come as 4 1/2-inch pots. Look
for the special tag:
And then Connie looks over and sees her
wave petunias. She loves the new colors,
like chartreuse. Could petunias get more
charming? Yes, with more range of color:
brighter and bolder to softer, and delightful,
multicolored flowers such as black and
purple.
Connie Burgett