The warmer than usual weather the past couple of months has been a blessing and a curse for area greenhouses, as owners say phones have been ringing consistently with customers inquiring about plants.
At The Growing Place in Aurora, co-owner Michael Massat said there were even pleas to open the store for the season earlier than usual, with people “dropping in since February and saying ‘Hey it’s warm – let’s go do spring.’”
The Growing Place was planning to open April 1. In the end, the owners elected to open last Thursday.
“I know that our customers have definitely been anxious for us to open, probably a lot earlier than we normally would have,” Massat said. “It doesn’t necessarily work with plants and planning for them because there are growth times, and they can’t just be manufactured early.”
“With all the warm weather we definitely got ourselves the chance to get ready for customers a little bit earlier,” Massat said.
In Montgomery, co-owner Mary Ann Kutkick of Schaefer Greenhouses likewise has been receiving a deluge of calls and cautions gardeners to hold their horses.
“We’re already getting calls for tomatoes and peppers and wanting to know where everything is,” she said. “It’s crazy but it’s still too early. You’ve got to be careful even though some of the big box stores are putting product out. The nights have still been cold. People need to wait. You can’t do anything outside yet except clean-up work. We suggest people hold off for a couple more weeks and vent their frustration down the road.”
Melissa Petrole, operations manager at Countryside Flower Shop and Nursery in Elburn, also spoke about the unseasonably warm weather over the winter and said heightened interest in getting started out in the garden “is the same here too with people knocking down doors.”
“But the plants haven’t grown. They’re not quite big enough and it’s not warm enough to put them outside yet,” Petrole said. “We’re trying to grow more of them ourselves. It makes for better quality and it’s less expensive for us, and we have the greenhouse space.”
Gardening received a significant bump during the pandemic, and that trend has held steady over the past couple of years.
Massat said despite more free-time options for people today, many new gardeners have stuck with it since the pandemic ended.
Michael Massat, co-owner of The Growing Place in Aurora, said the nursery and greenhouse opened a little early this year due to customer demand as well as the unseasonably mild weather over the past couple of months. (David Sharos / For The Beacon-News)
“Near as I can tell, people have come to enjoy it and become regulars,” he said. “New gardeners were generally younger people or young parents. The tried and true have always been older people, but younger people who weren’t particularly exposed to it in their upbringing have found out about it on the internet and are looking for some way to get out of the house.”
Massat said the biggest increase across the industry “is house plants. Having stuff and bringing some of nature inside – it’s still a small portion of garden center business, but it’s the fastest growing.”
Christa Bormann, a general manager for Heinz Brothers Greenhouse in St. Charles, who has worked there 23 years, says “gardening is still going strong for people.”
“Those who have kind of gone inside are now heading outside as well as outdoor gardeners flipping as well,” Bormann said. “People like seeing the outside greenery come in and having the increased oxygen.”
Kutkick said “gardening is strong again.”
“There are always peaks and valleys, but it’s still quite strong. People are into the green movement and growing their own,” Kutkick said. “They’re more aware of nature and bringing out the best they can in their yards for pollinators, bees, the hummingbirds. I think there is still a strong potential for the whole garden movement and there are plenty of small space gardening opportunities for people to plant a few things and get a weekly taste of goodies.”
Bormann said she has seen a big increase in vegetable and herb gardening.
“I think vegetable gardening is still increasing. Not as much as the first year of COVID, but we still see a general increase for people that did start recently by adding new beds and trying new things,” she said. “For those who have children – parents want to show them how food is being grown and also take a little more responsibility for what they’re eating.”
For those looking to join the gardening movement, Kutlick offers some advice.
“I love to be outside in the garden with the fresh flowers. I’m excited every year with the new varieties and so many available and I suggest everybody try a few,” she said. “You don’t have to go overboard. You want to have that beauty. There is something that brings such joy and a sense of calm to your outdoor spaces if you can just get out there and work the soil. It’s the best you can do for your health and your heart.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
