The Grass is Greener in Brown County

Tanner and I took a little trip to Brown County this week. We spent a couple of days at the Brown County Inn and did some exploring and a little shopping. The first thing I noticed was the difference in the grass. It's green in them there hills! And the Magnolias, Mock Orange, Forsythia and daffodils are all blooming. It was a nice little get away. We even mangaed to do a bit of fishing at Brown County State Park. Didn't even get a nibble!
Of course I had to stop at one of my favorite greenhouses on the way down. Elsbury's Greenhouse and Garden Center in Hope, Indiana is a great place to spend the afternoon. They've made a few changes since I lasted visited. The herb house has been moved and is exceptionally organized and labeled. The perennials were still inside one of the many hoop houses and they looked great. I think the first trip to a nursery each year is like seeing old friends! They have a great variety growing. According to the spring newsletter Elsbury's buys over 100,000 rooted cuttings, 60,000 unrooted cuttings and 150,000 starter plugs. They will produce 20,000 potted geraniums, 7,000 hanging baskets, 23,000 potted herbs and on and on it goes. Additionally, each time I've been there the service has been exceptional. So do yourself a favor and take a little trip south on highway 9 to Hope, Indiana. Say 'Hi' to Dave Elsbury for me.
The trip to Elsburys leads me to my first confession. Yes, only a few days from making my annual vow of not buying more plants until blah, blah, blah....I bought a few plants. But it was Elsbury's! Not too many. I picked up a bleeding heart (Dicentra) variety called 'Burning Hearts' that is more tolerant of sun than other varieties. I also grabbed three pots of Dianthus 'Fire Star'. A beautiful red variety that grows up to 8" and blooms from Spring to Autumn.
So there you have it foks...in record time I've broken my annual vow. Now it's time to find a place to plant these babies!