It's that most wonderful time of the year. Just about the time I am 100% certain that nothing could ever possibly turn green again, much less bloom, Holy Cow! Everything springs to life and it's show time!
The next thing I know I am daydreaming about flowers and shrubs...and making optimistic trips to my favorite Garden Center, Hillermann Nursery and Florist.
My parents owned a nursery and garden center business for many years. We kids were out of the nest, but we loved coming home during this time of year to help sell plants at Gladden Garden Center. It was a true family business involving our parents, we kids, the grandkids, our grand-mother, and our cousins. Customers would come from miles around and line up to buy my Dad's plants. The Early Girl Tomatoes were a huge draw. Dad's slogan was "Great Gardens Begin at Gladden's".
In the dead of winter my parents would start the seedlings in the greenhouses, and pray. If all went well, and the heating system held, the tiny plants would soon start peeking through the soil. During that time, flats would be freshly filled awaiting the seedlings to reach a proper size. Come about February, it would be time to transplant those seedlings into their respective flats. And soon the greenhouses would come alive, and provide an almost tropical escape from the dead of winter. And just about the time you thought it would never be spring again, flats, overflowing with flower and vegetable plants, would start flying out of the Garden Center to be planted in gardens near and far.
Dad was in his glory. The Garden Center was his second career, his dream job. This was a very labor intensive enterprise, and when family members were not available to help, which was most of the time, Dad employed young neighbors to help in the Garden Center. He never seemed to have trouble finding good help, because everyone enjoyed working with Dad. In addition to being a really good gardener, Dad was really great with people. He treated his customers and employees with great respect and generously shared his knowledge about growing plants and gardening. You would always learn cool stuff by hanging out with Dad, and he made the learning fun. The Garden Center became a hub for the community, where gardeners came to trade secrets with one another and brag on their gardens. Gladden Garden Center was eventually closed due to my Dad's health, and that was a sad time.
Over the years, we've had several chance encounters with Dad's various employees from the Garden Center. And, those encounters have confirmed our greatest suspicions about Gladden Garden Center. Dad was not just growing flowers and vegetables all of those years.
He was apparently busy growing the young men and women who worked in the greenhouses and the garden center, as well. He turned Gladden Garden Center into a place where young people could learn a good work ethic and cultivate winning habits and attitudes. We continue to hear stories about how he gave young men a chance to work when others had given up on them and that he encouraged them to go for their own dreams. They have their own families now and several own and operate their own businesses. The famous Early Girl Tomatoes and such were the obvious product. The habits and attitudes the young workers picked up as they helped to grow them, not so obvious. Unlike the Early Girls, it can take a while to see how it all turns out.
What's in Your Garden? Take a moment to look over your garden.
