Spring Kick-Off on March 16th at 12pm with John Kennedy!
5/10 : 10/20 Rule
What is it? "Inside Departments" (including our main greenhouses); when a customer approaches you with 10 feet acknowledge them with a smile, eye contact and friendliness. When they are within 5 feet of you engage in verbal greetings, pleasantries, and the offering of assistance. "Outside Departments" utilize the same approach with the exception of the distance; 20 feet for smile + eye contact and 10 feet for verbal conversation.
Department FAQS
Zone 5 (Lake & Porter County)
No, annuals are plants that don't grow back year after year.
BLUE slip tags indicate a shade hanging basket
YELLOW slip tags indicate a sun hanging basket
FERTILIZER! Recommend Jack's brand fertilizers - 'Blossom Booster' is best for flowering HBs.
Periodic trimming also promotes new growth/branching.
Tip: When customers ask what fertilizer we use, I tell them the Jack's brand is a retail equivalent to the commercial kind we use.
Mid-season you'll start to get comments like this a lot. Down to Earth is different from other annual greenhouses because we are open year-round. We continue to grow crops throughout the season to ensure we always have fresh/quality annuals available for our customers, at times when other GHs are selling out/closing for the season.
Not meant for consumption, though technically they are edible, they have a spicy bitter taste. Since we use pesticides here at DTE, we do not recommend eating ours.
Wave petunias and Supertunias do not require deadheading. They are bred specifically to be self-cleaning. The flowers wilt and dry, and will naturally fall away from the plant.
We put paper plates over the hangers on our thunbergia hanging baskets to deter the plants from vining around the GH line they're hanging on.
Customers sometimes think the plate is there to provide some shade to the HB, however, Thunbergia are full sun annuals.
"What the Tag Says" FAQs
When full sun is the only light level listed for a plant, that means it is going to need at least six hours of direct sunlight to grow and bloom. If you plant in a lesser amount of light, it likely will not bloom and in some cases the plant may not survive. Oftentimes, full sun loving plants also are heat tolerant and some can handle drier soils. Choose full sun plants for your sunniest garden spaces.
When part sun to sun is listed for a plant, that means it will grow and bloom in both part sun and full sun conditions, meaning a minimum of four hours of direct sunlight. Since part sun means the plant needs some heat and intense sun to produce flowers, you would choose a spot where at least a few of those hours were in intense midday sun. Expect most part sun to sun plants to bloom most prolifically in full sun and produce fewer flowers in part sun.
When part shade to shade is listed for a plant, that means it prefers to grow in less than six hours of direct sunlight per day with most of that being the less intense morning sun. These plants often thrive in cooler climates where moisture is plentiful, and they can easily scorch in the hot afternoon sun. Some part shade to shade plants produce flowers, but many are grown more for their decorative foliage.
When sun or shade is listed for a plant, that means it will grow in any amount of sunlight in most parts of the country. Some plants are very flexible about how much sun they need to grow and can handle both intense sun and shade. The color of the foliage or the amount of flowers may vary a bit between light levels, but these plants are beautiful everywhere they are grown.
USDA Hardiness Zones
Down to Earth is a Zone 4 USDA Hardiness Zone (please reference the USDA Hardiness Zone Chart to the right).
Annuals and Perennials vary depending on where you live. If you want a perennial, shrub or tree to survive and grow year after year, the plant must tolerate year-round conditions in your area, such as the lowest and highest temperatures and the amount of rainfall. If you are Zone 4 any plant that is Zone 4, 3, 2 and 1 would be a perennial in your area, anything Zone 5 and up would be an annual. Certain areas of your yard could be hot spots and might be able to tolerate one zone higher.
(ZOOMED IN CHIPPEWA VALLEY VIEW)