Open House season is nearly here and for the official opening this spring, a big color display by the entrance makes a grand impression. Even for garden centers that do not host an event, throwing the doors open for spring with a big splash of color will help to set the mood. 

Right now we have an excellent crop of Red Tulips just opening up, so they should have a long shelf life beyond the holiday. These are the classic Dutch style tulips people expect in spring, and we have enough to make an impact from the roadside.

Generally speaking, red always sells well and tulips are a good crop to put out as a door greeter. If you need to make a big statement, ask our salesman, John, for the details.

We have some really nice Azaleas in our 6-inch green pots for the upcoming spring holidays. The best of the batch this week is Azalea ‘Sima Pink Splotch,’ a plant that you don't see very often. It has a light pink flower with very strong pink edges in the petals that give it a strong rose-like look. It's a really rare Azalea, and we are particularly proud to grow a good crop of this one.

Jean Hot Pink is our best vibrant hot pink azaleas for that traditional Easter look. Large look, solid coverage of color, a classic example of the holiday Azalea everyone expects, and this is a nice crop.

A charming crop we have this week are the Spring Violas, with our best selection in 306 market baskets, 1203 trays and 10-inch color bowls. We grow the Sorbet series of violas, which give our Johnny Jump-Ups a beautiful range of light and dark blossoms. We also have a good selection of mixed colors and solids in white, orange, blue and yellow.

Although we sell them as annuals, Johnny Jump-Ups are really short-lived perennials that overwinter easily in Cincinnati. They naturalize easily and need almost no care to succeed. We see them around the neighborhoods, woven into gardens or sometimes escaping into the lawn as light ornamentation.

Offer a selection of pansies in different sizes. Pansy is the crop that opens the spring season, and people are ready for color—let them decorate with flats or bowls and offer a nice mix of flat sizes for those early warm spring weekends. Our online availability has the specific inventory details.

• 1203 trays
  (12 trays of 3 cells each = 1203)
• 1801L trays
  (18 trays of 1 large cell each = 1801L)
• Six-6 inch green pots
  (6 pots of 6-inch plants)
• 306 trays
  (3 trays of 6 cells each = 306)
• 10-inch color bowls
• 10-inch hanging baskets