Grand Rapids – Spring officially arrived Tuesday just after 8p.m. Now, many people in West Michigan are thinking ahead to the upcoming gardening season.

“In Michigan the way it works is we go right from winter to nice weather,” said WZZM 13’s Green Thumb, Rick Vuyst. Vuyst has a lot of work to do. When he’s not helping customers at Flowerland, Vuyst is taking advantage of this unusually warm spring, getting ready for the peak season in gardening.

“A lot of this is nursery stock that will be set out on display over the next week or two. He says it’s a crucial time for roses. Right now hundreds of roses are planted, taking root under plastic bags so they don’t get cold.

“By Mother’s Day, mid May towards end of May, they’ll be fully foliating and flowering,” said Vuyst.

Before any greenery or flowers make their way to Flowerland, baby buds are still in their nursery at Glass Corner Greenhouses. “They’re just pieces of stems, we put them in the soil, we root them. Any where from 6 to 8 weeks and then we sell them all over the United States,” said Niles Riese.

Millions of young plants are handled with care on these movable racks under warm lights. “It’s an extremely busy time of year for us,” said Riese who has been working 12 hour days lately.

The precious buds should be blooming at a store near you by mid April and May.
If you cant garden, but still want spring flowers, you can get fully potted plants with newly designed soil so it ships well. “If that box gets tipped upside down all those plants will stay right inside,” said Justin Mast. Mast is an entrepreneur with a blooming idea. He’s using special soil from the Netherlands that holds together like foam. He launches his business Bloomscape.com May 1st.

Glass Corner Greenhouses are growing the plants and flowers that will be shipped in one piece to customers across the country.
So as Spring has officially arrived, the experts say there is still a lot of work to be done before people can enjoy the blooms of the season. They suggest if you have time enjoy it too, it’s a fleeting season in Michigan.

source : www.wzzm13.com