A Yearly Adventure

Who can resist a garden catalog that looks like this?

Last Friday two of my sisters and I went on our annual visit to several greenhouses. Our youngest brother always gives us a sizable gift certificate complete with a catalog for Bluestone Perennials in Madison, Ohio. He also sends one to our out of state sister so she can shop on line or by mail.

Sugarloaf Greenhouse 

Elaine and Suzanne arrived by eight o’clock and shortly after we took off. Our first stop was an Amish greenhouse that is one of our favorite places; Sugarloaf Greenhouse in Parkman, Ohio. I didn’t buy as much as they did because I live close enough to go there more often. Still, I couldn't resist buying some petunias - the hanging kind for pots, a clematis, parsley, basal  and some snapdragons. I spent time talking to the older woman, who runs the greenhouse with her husband. We discussed the bad weather we’ve had and the tomato problem, although hers hadn’t suffered from wilt. For the last several years, her young granddaughters have been taking over on the sales counter.

Suzanne checking out bedding plants.

After we left there we stopped just up the road at an Amish bakery to buy some fresh baked goodies to sustain us. There were two adorable little ones playing outside; a little girl about four years old and her little brother, who is almost two. I didn’t get my camera out in time, but a man, maybe their father, was plowing the field next to the bakery with three work horses pulling the plow or disc. I’m always cautious about taking pictures because Amish don’t like having their pictures taken. It’s against their religious beliefs.

From there we wandered towards our main goal which was Bluestone Perennials, traveling past Amish farms with clothes drying on the lines, farmers working the fields and children too young to work playing outside.

I'm heading in pulling a wagon to fill up with plants.

We went through the small town of Madison to Madison on the Lake and finally arrived at Bluestone Perennials. It’s a very large business employing many with numerous greenhouses supporting a mail order business as well as local and not so local customers. I really, really, really planned to stay within the $75.00 gift certificate, but unfortunately in spite of the several shrubs and rose bushes, two trees and many flowers I’ve already bought this year not including the dahlias and cannas I dug up from last year that still need planted, I went over that limit. And I still need to buy all the annuals I want to plant. Somehow Elaine got all our flats of flowers to fit in her Honda.

I'm following behind my sister taking the picture.

When we left there we went to Geneva to have lunch in a nice little restaurant; A Cup of Joe. I ordered a senior sandwich and a cup of soup and my bill came to the whopping total of $4.26. That included a dill pickle, too. We looked at the breakfast menu and couldn’t believe the low prices for breakfasts; one was under $2.00 and would have been enough for me. Of course, we left much more than 15% or 20% tips.

Our trip would not be complete without a walk on Lake Erie’s beach. This year we went to Geneva’s State Park for our walk. The sun had disappeared so it was cloudy. As always, Suzanne and I walked the beach looking for rocks. I brought home five and she brought home three or four.

The End of the Commons General Store 

Our final stop almost always includes the End of the Commons General Store in Mesopotamia. It is the oldest general store in Ohio and has enlarged much since I first started going there years ago. It was also one of the first registered on the National Historical sites.  It’s now owned by a man and his wife and their family, who left Cleveland some years ago for a simpler life for their children. Many of the employees are Amish, and there are hitching posts nearby for Amish customers. They have a large variety of products for sale in multiple wooden-floored rooms. One room has a very old player piano that customers can listen to if they contact an employee to play it for them. I only bought a greeting card and ate a small bowl of their delicious ice cream; butter pecan, while I waited for my sisters to finish checking out every item in the store. Tour buses often include this store on their route. Of the houses that surround the commons, only two are less than one hundred years old. I had a great aunt who lived on the commons and now her granddaughter lives there. At least she did, but I’m not sure if she still does.

All in all it was a pleasant day in spite of the fact that it started raining while we were in the store, but it stopped raining before we got back to my house. As soon as I unloaded my plant purchases from my sister’s car, they left. I went in and thought about where I can find spaces to plant everything I bought. The good thing about an excursion like this is that there will be reminders in my garden for a long time to come of this day.

Here’s an aside apropos to nothing written above. Today is National Chocolate Chip Day so go have a chocolate chip cookie to celebrate.

What kind of yearly excursions do you look forward to?