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Business & Tech

Potomac Garden Centers Get Ready for Spring

Edibles and environmentally safe products are filling the shelves of Potomac garden centers as they prepare for the spring season.

A quick drive by Behnke Nurseries on River Road or Good Earth Garden Market on Falls Road bears witness to the fact that spring is almost here. The lots, which seemed bare during the winter, are now blooming with color as the nurseries’ spring selection becomes available.

Trees, shrubs, pansies, mulches and top soils are filling up the empty outdoor areas at Behnke Nurseries and Good Earth as they prepare for Potomac gardeners.

Jenine Thomas, Retail Manager at The Good Earth, said bright colors will be a hit in Potomac this year.

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“Color in the garden is always important to our Potomac customers,” Thomas said. “Every year we like to make changes and this year we are planning a color corner. We have put in walkways and have built arbors. The area will be filled with container gardens and big colorful tropical plants.”

Container gardens are popular with Potomac customers, so Good Earth keeps a variety of pots in stock year-round with varying plants, colors and combinations, Thomas said. They range in price from $19.99 to $59.99, she added.

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Alex Dencker, Manager of Behnke Nurseries’ Potomac location, said gardeners should think about picking up deer repellent this year. With deer in the area, it is common for them to eat new growth on trees and shrubs — something that deer repellent can prevent, Dencker added.

Another top trend this year is edible plants such as fruit trees, blueberries and vegetables, Dencker said. Behnke’s will stock plenty of edible trees and plants to meet the demand including at least three varieties of fig trees, peach trees, apple trees, pear trees and nectarine trees, he added.

Good Earth also carries fruit trees and vegetable seedlings.

Behnke Nurseries and The Good Earth are also staying on top of the growing demand for environmentally safe products by offering customers the option of organic top soils, mulches and environmentally safe solutions to the pest and disease problems that are often found in area gardens.

Right now is the time to purchase and plant summer bulbs such as dahlias, tuberoses, gladiolus, and lilies, Dencker said. He recommended getting them in the ground as soon as it thaws for a beautiful summer garden that will come back year after year. Both centers have large selections to choose from.

Mother's Day is the time to purchase annuals for summer gardens and they will be in abundance at both centers. Thomas said annuals provide gardeners with the most effective way to add masses of continuous color to the garden. Red geramiums, pink begonias and white impatiens are their biggest sellers at Behnke Nurseries and are always on the shelves, Dencker said.

Both of the nurseries have landscape design departments.

“Now is the perfect time to make an appointment with our staff, because by May the landscape department will be very busy,” Thomas said.

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