Melange: Fernlea Flowers Visit

April's Event planned for the Garden Club was a visit to Fernlea Flowers.. A local wholesale plant business that has been going since 1939. We had a great attendance even tho is was a cold rainy and snowy April day.

I won't yet again bemoan the cold spring and long winter we have endured. Tho I could!

This tour was a real treat as Fernlea doesn't usually give tours but since we were locals and the co-owner 's Father was born in Port Rowan KeriLynn agreed when I asked if it was possible..

The size of the facility and the scope of flowers, herbs , vegetable, and planters grown was impressive. Fernlea supply Lowe's ,Home Depot, Zellers and many more businesses..
Seeding machine line and the 128 plug flat of fibrous begonias.
Finished Tray with vermiculite and fine water spray.

Seed bin

Trays on line passing under roller to dimple peat moss.

128 baby fibrous begonia plants.

The foggy passage from the warm greenhouses to the cool greenhouses. 40 acres of greenhouses.

One of the specialities Fernlea is known for are Icicle Pansies . They have a new variety of pansy developed in Italy for them only called Flamenco which is a ruffled pansy. I have fallen in love with it ..

A planter with succulents only.

Gerberas and more gerberas ....

love the orange so vibrant......

Planter for Easter

Window boxes and pansies.

More pansies

Everyone found something to purchase at bargain prices.....before we had to venture back outside into .....Oh what could that white stuff in the air be?

Still it was a fun event , what could be better then a warm greenhouses filled with bright flowers......promising of spring coming soon.

11 comments:

Pat said...: Never seen how these flats of flowers are mass produced.
Love the tour... 40 acres wow !

Wondering why they have cold greenhouses...guess some plants like pansies need it cool.
The shopping for plants had to be fun also.
I know right now...I'd want everything !

Thanks for posting.; 7 April 2011 at 16:16
Muffy's Marks said...: Fantastic 'field' trip. Now if spring would only hurry up!!!; 7 April 2011 at 17:38
Karen said...: How fascinating to see the process of planting they go through, oh to be that mechanized! The flats of begonias are amazing, too. What a nice break from all of the cold and snow. Those pansies are so pretty.; 7 April 2011 at 21:36
Rosanne said...: Looks like it was a really interesting visit!; 7 April 2011 at 23:02
ZONE F DG TEAM said...: My mom and a friend worked there for a while.; 7 April 2011 at 23:37
Raph G. Neckmann said...: What a huge place! I've never seen so many plants - we're very much small local grown here in Giraffe World. Love those vibrant oranges too - can you get gerberas with giraffe markings on?; 8 April 2011 at 15:14
verobirdie said...: Oh dear, what a weather you had :-)
THis must have been very interesting. I would have loved it.
And the fluffy pansy, I'm in love too.; 9 April 2011 at 06:00
Rosemary said...: Patsi that is right we went from warm where ger, Muffy,beras were growing to the cold greenhouse for the pansies.
Raph I will check on the giraffe marking gerberas.
Vero the pansy is so unusual
Karen, Muffy and Rosanne it was a fun day.; 10 April 2011 at 07:18
Iowa Gardening Woman said...: Looks like a wonderful way to spend a cold snowy/rainy day.; 10 April 2011 at 18:08
Victoria Williams said...: Great looking tour. Too bad Mother Nature slapped you silly on your way out. :-); 13 April 2011 at 12:25
Robin's Nesting Place said...: That looks like a great place to visit! I love mass of colorful gerbera daisies!; 21 April 2011 at 21:34

Thursday, 7 April 2011

Fernlea Flowers Visit

11 comments: