THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408190248
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
It's only August, but visions of poinsettias are dancing in Greg Lonergan's head.
His three greenhouses at Quality Plants out on Indian River Road already are almost filled with small poinsettia plants in green plastic pots and hanging baskets.
Lonergan and his father, Bob, tend to them like babies, misting the little plants every 30 minutes. That day, Lonergan also was off to the airport to pick up two more batches of tiny poinsettia seedlings that had been shipped in by growers, who specialize in propagation, from as far away as California and Colorado.
Over the fall, the plants, depending on the variety, will grow into mature poinsettias, ready for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. However, the holidays don't leave much time for celebration for Lonergan, his wife, Susan, and their three children, because thousands of lily bulbs arrive the first of December and must be planted so they'll bloom for Easter.
``My mom's birthday is the 26th of December,'' Lonergan said, ``and I'm usually planting them on her birthday.''
Such is the life of a wholesale greenhouse grower. But what the Lonergans lack in time for holiday celebrations is more than made up for by the celebratory mood they have in November when they see three greenhouses full of blooming poinsettias.
``It looks beautiful - you talk about a sea of red or other colors,'' Lonergan went on. ``When you see one poinsettia, it's pretty, but you never see that many at one time.''
To get to that point, however, requires hovering over 10,000 tiny poinsettia seedlings in August when holiday thoughts are far from most folks' minds. Actually, the process really starts in January, when Lonergan must order his seedlings in order to get the varieties, colors and quality he wants.
Seedling choices are wide, he explained. Certain varieties are sturdy and are good in public places but their blooms might not be quite as lush. Others are more fragile, but their blooms are prettier and would be good for a home or office.
Then there are poinsettias that bloom in time for Thanksgiving and those that bloom in time for Christmas, not to mention the many colors that now are available.
Lonergan has seedlings shipped in at intervals from mid-July to mid-August. The seedlings are all the same size - grown in little one-inch cubes - but the time of shipment dictates the eventual size of the plant. He wants to grow everything from tiny, mini-poinsettias to hanging baskets to poinsettias that look like trees.
Lonergan mixes his own soil and plants the seedlings in the proper size pots. At first, they are misted on a regular basis to encourage growth. As the plants grow larger, they each get their own watering tube through which both water and fertilizer pass.
Foliage on larger plants cannot be misted in a greenhouse, Lonergan explained. Greenhouse humidity is already very high and too much humidity encourages a fungus to grow, which turns poinsettia blooms brown.
Poinsettias are encouraged to bloom by longer nights and shorter days and the length of day and night in this area in fall is perfect for poinsettias, Lonergan said. Only when he wants to encourage a certain variety to bloom later or earlier does he fool with black cloths or extra lighting.
August also is the time for a little salesmanship. Lonergan sells his plants wholesale, and his buyers consist of businesses like florists and retail greenhouses who are thinking ``holidays'' this time of year, too. Except for a few poinsettias he'll hold in reserve for emergency orders, he likes to have enough orders lined up to be sold out by the end of this month.
Come November and December, Lonergan puts a protective paper sleeve on each plant and delivers them in his van to customers in batches of 200 until his greenhouses are empty (he hopes).
P.S. An Osprey Hike will depart at 2 p.m. from the 64th Street Narrows Parking Area at Seashore State Park today and next Sunday. The hike is free, but there is a $2.50 parking permit. Call 481-4836.
Playing and Learning Long Ago, an afternoon of children's activities such as rolling hoops and writing on slates, will be featured continuously from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Francis Land House. The programs are free with regular admission to the house, which includes a tour of the special exhibit, Once Upon Another Time: Memories of Childhood. Call 340-1732.
Batten Down the Hatches, a photographic exhibit of major storms along the Atlantic Coast, opens Tuesday at the Life-Saving Museum of Virginia, 24th Street and Atlantic Avenue. Call 422-1578. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY REID BARROW
Bob Lonergan tends to thousands of poinsettia plants growing in his
greenhouses at Quality Plants on Indian River Road much like babies,
misting the little plants, below, every 30 minutes.
by CNB