We are very excited for the Open House & Wine tasting this weekend.

There will be door prizes, favors, friends and more. Make a point to stop by!

Brandi Foods will be catering the event with tasty treats.

This year’s wines are once again from:

They will be pouring the following:

2010_Frisk Prickly Reisling

2009_Stickybeak Caberet Sauvignon

2009_Stump Jump Cabernet Sauvignon

2009_Stickybeak_Chardonnay

Sunday, November 13th from 1:30 – 4:30.

Last year had a great turn out and everyone seemed to have a great time. We will as usual feature door prizes & giveaways. The greenhouses will feature plants of the winter season. We will have on display this year’s holiday collection in the showroom.

The event will be catered by Brandi Foods. Last year’s menu was fabulous!!! Their innovative creations truly raise the bar for catered affairs.

Please make point to stop by with friends for a delightful afternoon. See you there.

We are now carrying fertilizers, organic fertilizer, & pest control products to make your plants grow this summer.

You can choose from Jack’s Classic, a tried & true fertilizer:

Or try Neptune’s Harvest organic fish fertilizer from Gloucester..it’s my favorite.

For those of you that sometimes forget to fertilize…you know who you are…choose some time-release Osmocote. It will keep you covered when you forget.

For some of those pests that find their way into our plants, we’re carrying Bonide products. Including their systemic granules which really prevent a lot of damage the whole season.

We’re doing our best to have everything you need to do your best in your yard this year. Our annual crops are looking very strong right now. The hanging plants a filling in nicely.

Stop by to see our greenhouses. You will enjoy it.

We are also very excited to introduce some fresh organic herbs into our greenhouses. Choose from Parsley, Thyme, Rosemary, Coriander, Dill & Catgrass. They come in a biodegradable pot.

The catgrass is pretty cool! It grew about 2 inches in one day! It satisfies those frisky felines looking for some grass to chew on in the winter months.

In anticipation of our annual Shamrock give away on St. Patrick’s Day, we seeded our pots last week.

This week the sprouts are eagerly breaking through the soil. They’re “going green”.

Don’t dismiss the therapeutic value of strolling through a warm greenhouse filled with the vibrant colors & sweet smells of spring. It can really turn your day around. Stop by, just to look….

We worked with our bulb supplier to make good choices on strong bulb varieties.

It is really something to watch these plants grow to maturity. If you’re in the area, check out the different stages.

From little sprouts

To little plants

To budding flowers

These are ready to be cooled in the cooler, then to your vase at home. YOU CAN NOT BUY A FRESHER TULIP ANYWHERE!!

Here is a row of boxwood trees in Mercury Glass for a contemporary look. They start out in the small Julip sized glass to the left and progress to the Mercury Bowl on the right.

Here is a more fun traditional style boxwood tree with lights.  The red & silver combo has been popular so far this year.

This is an example of the more rich looking shades of gold style.

Finally here is a row of the more traditional, smaller boxwood trees. This is the version we make the most of.

Boxwood trees have been a customer favorite here at Curran’s ever since I can remember. We have been experimenting with shipping these boxwood trees nationwide for the first time this year. We have been successful in shipping our boxwood kissing balls & thought people would want to send Curran’s quality boxwood gifts to their loved ones.  Hopefully this new direct ship program works out. It’s nice to know what to expect when you place an order.

The Greenhouses are full….

the front showroom has been transformed into a shimmering winter wonderland,

We have some unbelievable plant specials!!!

Phalaenopsis orchids for $19.95

Calla Lillies for $19.95

Be sure to stop by.  There will be prizes, hors d’ouevres, and, of course, a sampling of wine from Old Bridge Cellars.

They are a very large bulb that produces a beautiful and impressive large flower.

The final product is a popular holiday item for us.

And now for story time….The Amaryllis gets its name from a story from Greek mythology…..There was once a beautiful shepherd girl that fell in love with a shepherd named Alteo who was as handsome as Apollo & as strong as Hercules.  As rugged as Alteo was, he had an affinity for flowers. Amaryllis, despite all of her charm & beauty, was unable to win the love of Alteo.  His heart was as cold as ice. He said I will only fall in love with a woman who brings me a new flower, one I have never seen. Heartbroken, amaryllis consulted the Oracle at Delphi for advice. The Oracle instructed her to take a sacred arrow with her & drive the arrow into her heart at Alteo’s door to win his affection.  She followed the instructions only to be left bleeding at the shepherd’s door. She repeated the ritual nightly for 29 days. On the 30th day, she once more plunged the sacred arrow into her heart. On this night, however, something miraculous occurred. From the pool of blood on his doorstep a beautiful, unique & new flower formed. Amaryllis called to Alteo “Come Alteo, here is the flower you desire!!”.  Alteo came to the door & saw the beautiful flower, then saw the wounded Amaryllis & the kissed…. Isn’t that romantic?

That, as far as I know, is how we have the name Amaryllis. BTW it’s 80 degrees in the greenhouse this morning.

I really love this lemon chiffon.

The orchids can be encouraged to rebloom fairly easily. Just cut the spike off about 1/2″ above the second “node” to promote a new offshoot.

Up close, the open flowers resemble a rose. There are slight variations on the petals that create very interesting colors.

My favorite color is this orange one.

We are running a special on these Reiger Begonias this week – $8.95. Stop by & check them out.