Laurel Nursery: One-stop shopping for all your gardening needs
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Patty Heese has seen gardeners’ interests change in recent years.
As part of the family at Laurel Nursery on Route 30 in Latrobe, Heese will still stock all the expected offerings of top-notch annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees beginning with the spring growing season in April and May.
But the biggest growth spurt for her is in the year-round houseplant market.
Heese now stocks a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse that contains a complete line of the new and trendy houseplants.
She also has a 1,000-square-foot warehouse complete with everything a gardner will need for a successful houseplant — metal, ceramic and plastic pots, soil, insecticides and fertilizers.
“For years now, we have seen the resurgence of houseplants,” Heese said. “It’s a throwback to the 1970s. It all goes in cycles.
“Younger people don’t always have yards. They are taking these plants and bringing them into the home. It’s the bread-and-butter of our winter business. It’s crappy outside, and they can do something with the plants on the inside.”
Heese said the top houseplants for the current buyers are:
• Succulents: The plant has been popular now for a few years. It’s fun, super easy and has several varieties to choose from.
• Peperomia: It is a resurgence of an old favorite, featuring compact plants with interesting leaves.
• Snake Plants: This is an old-school plant with cool new varieties available. The selling point could be that it thrives on neglect.
• Pilea: This plant is easy and versatile. It features both trailing and upright options.
• Philodendron: This is an old standby of house plants. It’s super easy to care for and can tolerate many light situations.
• ZZ Plants (Zamioculcas zamiifolia): This is a fairly new entry to the houseplant world. It’s a unique plant that is hard to kill.
• Aglaonema: This is another old-school plant with new cultivars available.
• Calathea: This plant features interesting striations on the leaves and can grow in low light applications.
“We also keep a wish list if a customer is looking for a specific plant we do not have,” Heese said. “We look for those requests and try to find them for the person.
“We also offer all our knowledge of how to care and grow the plants. We can answer all your questions. If there is a problem, just bring the plant or some leaves into the shop, and we will work with the customer to find the right solutions.
“You can even email a photo to us and we can tell if the problem is from something complicated to the over- or under-watering of the plant.”
Spring is not that far away, and Heese said that they will start stocking plants and shrubs as the weather allows.
“We watch with the frost,” Heese said. “We don’t like to cover the plants (to protect from the frost). We get our shrubs and cold crops in April, and then, when the weather breaks, we get our annuals and baskets.”
The nursery currently has seed starter kits for those who like to grow their own plants inside before moving them outside.
The nursery also features a large gift shop and boutique with offerings that range from flags and wind chimes to purses, jewelry and clothing.
Until the weather breaks, please check their Facebook page at facebook.com/LaurelNurseryLatrobe/ for store hours.
Sponsored by Laurel Nursery.