Fishes & Rams, Lions & Lambs: They Say...

The old adage says that if March enters like a lion, roaring and blustery, it exits like a lamb, meek and gentle, and vice-versa. The Bible (Isaiah 11:6) says the lion shall lie down with the lamb. Woody Allen says the lamb won't get much sleep.

DOWN ON THE FARMS

Florida

Has the weather been harsh in your neck of the woods? Well, in Pensacola it's been mild even by Panhandle standards, knock wood, which means our flats are in terrific shape. So if your winter was nasty, let us ship you a chunk of ours. Your starters will hit the ground running and sprint to a beautiful finish.

Pennsylvania

Last week, as we've done for several years, we hosted a group of Professional Gardener students from Longwood Gardens. Our thanks to their prof, Jeff Jabco, for arranging the tour. It's always good to interact with intelligent young people who share our enthusiasm for horticulture - especially the guy with the landscaping degree who loves designing with our signature crop, ornamental grasses. Keep 'em coming, Jeff!

RANDOM USELESS FACTS DEPARTMENT

In like a turkey, out like a bride: March always begins on the same day of the week as November and ends on the same day of the week as June.

WHAT'S HOT

Copacetic Coreopsis

Breeders have remodeled numerous genera in recent years, and some of their best work has focused on Coreopsis. Good old "tickseed" (do you know anyone who really calls it by that allegedly "common" name? We don't.) will never be the same.

Darrell Probst detonated the Big Bang (TM) series, a game-changing group with spacey names. On current availability, we've got good numbers of 'Cosmic Evolution' and 'Cosmic Eye', plus just a few trays each of 'Galaxy', 'Mercury Rising' and 'Red Shift'. Bring 'em down to earth in your pots for a quick finish and early-summer sales.

Itsaul Plants roars up in the Cruizin' series. Take a road trip along 'Route 66' to 'Sunset Strip' with classic 'Jethro Tull' blasting from the stereo. 'Route 66' shows good numbers now; the others will catch up in a few weeks.     

HORTISCOPE

Pisces: You had your turn last month. Now you're hanging around til the 20th? Haven't you heard that fish and guests stink after three days? Swim away before we start picturing you fileted and grilled, with a lemon dill sauce and a nice sauvignon blanc.

Aries: Do something extraordinary on your birthday - wait, what are we saying? You're extraordinary every day! The ram is clearly the Zodiac's handsomest, studliest denizen, yet you make those lesser signs feel like equals. Be proud of your humility.

Ramfish: No ifs, ands or butts, you're the Rambo Trout of the heavens and you're destined to make a big splash this month. Beware of worms.

TRAY BON!

Nothing dresses up the late spring garden like Aquilegia. Ours are not your grandmother's columbines -- a "common" name that people really DO use - except for the bright red native A. canadensis, which is your great-great-great grandmother's columbine. We're grooming over 300 trays of compact Origami, double flowered Clementine®, cheerful Songbird and elegant, graceful, big-bloomed Swan varieties. There's still plenty of time to get them bulked & blooming. They've been held cool for sure first-year flowering.

EPILOGUE

Did you know this was once the first month of the year? True story. The ancient Romans reset their calendar in spring, which, come to think of it, makes more sense than freezing one's fundament off in Times Square in the dead of winter.  

Here's hoping you make it past the ominous ides (3/15) to whenever spring erupts in your arena.