Green with Envy: Colour Paradise is an Oasis in the middle of Winter

It's Week 10 at Colour Paradise Greenhouses in Mannheim. And that means it's time to start planting tomato and green peppers from seed so they'll be ready for the customers who will flock to the greenhouse in May and June to buy them for their own gardens.

“Our work schedule is determined by the week,” says Denise Huck, owner of Colour Paradise. Week 1 is the first week of January, and although the business is closed to the public during the winter months, work at the greenhouse continues year round.

While most people are busy shovelling snow, things are green and growing at the greenhouse, with plants arriving daily. The 2,142 Boston ferns that will be sold at Colour Paradise during the summer have now been transplanted from 3-inch pots into hanging planters. “We actually start the Boston ferns here in October,” says Huck. “They're big enough now to be transplanted into bigger hanging baskets.” Beginning next week (Week 11), staff will start assembling the 25-30 thousand hanging flower planters that will make their way onto the decks and porches of homes throughout the region. The staff at Colour Paradise certainly earn their green thumbs. “A lot of companies use automation for planting,” says Huck, “but we're not at that point yet. We do all of our planting by hand.”

Being in the greenhouse at this time year following weeks of snow, ice and unpredictable winter weather is like stepping into an oasis. “The temperature stays around 68'F right now,” says Huck. “But while the greenhouse can give the plants heat, it's really the sun we count on to get the plants growing. We've had so many cloudy days this winter, it's easy for things to get behind.”

The passion that Huck and her staff have for all things green is easy to see, and they're always happy to share their plant knowledge. Stopping by a table of mandevillas, which are now being trimmed to encourage the plants to fill in, Huck points out they are also being 'trained' to wind properly in their pots. “Mandevilla vines always wind counter-clockwise in North America,” she says with a smile. “We help train them by winding them in the proper direction on the planters. Every couple of weeks we'll go through all the mandevillas and continue to train them so the entire basket fills in.”
 
Of the more than 3,000 different varieties of plants that customers will find at Colour Paradise each year, 75 to 100 of them will be new varieties or feature new colours. For instance, Huck says this year they will have a new variety of shade impatiens that is downey mildew resistant (a blight that caused retailers to drastically reduce or eliminate their stock of this once garden staple). There will also be lots of new varieties and colours of petunias, including one called Holy Cow – a new spotted variety. And when it comes to colour trends for plants this year, everything's coming up coral – which is the Pantone Colour of the Year. “The plant industry really follows the colour industry,” say Huck. “People follow the colour of the year when choosing their outdoor furniture and accessories, and they want plants that will compliment it. So coral will be big for 2019.” For Huck, Colour Paradise is more than just a business, it's also a family affair. She learned the gardening trade from her parents who were plant wholesalers, and now her children – Jenny and Nathan – also help out in the operation.

“They've had several snow days this winter, so I brought them and some of their friends to the greenhouse to help out,” Huck says. “They managed to get 42,000 pots ready for planting during the last couple of snow days. And they'll be back to help out during March Break too.”

It's a big help for the greenhouse as they gear up for this year's opening day. Which leads to the question their customers are already asking: when will Colour Paradise open its doors?

“We'll be open on Monday, April 1st – which is not an April Fool's joke!” says Huck. “Our customers can check out our website to follow along with what's happening.” Although April is too early to start planting backyard gardens, Huck says people will be able to pick up Easter plants such as hydrangeas, and hardier flowers like pansies. And for anyone looking for an escape from the cold, April is also a perfect time to stroll through the aisles of Colour Paradise, and dream of the sunny, flower-filled summer days that are on their way.