Fall color is here...does it really matter where your purchase your mums, pansies and violas from?
Are you buying the same thing from a local garden center as you are from a big box store? The answer is a resounding NO!
Supporting a local business is a good enough reason in and of itself to go with the local garden center...
BUT...there are two other very important reasons as to why you should avoid the box stores and ALWAYS buy your seasonal color local.
First of all, local garden centers buy from local growers. Local growers obviously work in the same climate as we do, thus their seasonal color is going to be grown in the same climate in which it’s being planted. Because of this, it will survive and thrive much better than something that is brought it from a climate that is hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
Many big box stores are not going to do buy from local growers. They often buy from large suppliers located all over the state or quite often all over the country.
Secondly, these big box stores have one goal in mind when ordering seasonal color: for it to have the biggest, brightest blooms as soon as it hits the shelves!
How do they accomplish this? By purchasing from vendors that will pump the color full of potent chemicals to make it pop at just the right time. While it does make the flowers look great right now, it significantly lowers the life span of the color and reduces recurring blooms.
Local growers have the long term game in mind, and their goal is to give you a quality product that will last an entire season.
There are local garden centers all over, so there are no excuses! Buy local!
