April 1st is opening day at America’s Best Flowers and we can’t wait for you to walk through our doors.  The fresh sights and smells of growing plants will put you in the mood to think about gardening.

Gardening 2011 starts with Al leading a Veggie and Fruit Gardening workshop from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, April 2.  This is a great opportunity for gardeners of all experience levels to get a jump on the season.  We will provide free soil for your seeding flats and a work space for you to plant the seeds of your choice.  We’ll even clean up the mess.  All you do is buy the flats and seed packets.  This year we have dedicated 40 feet of our new slat wall to seed racks, providing you with the greatest selection of seeds ever.

Our schedule has never been so packed with fun-filled activities for you and your family.  Please mark your calendars for our April events.  The very popular Herb Class with Mary Lynn Haugh will be Saturday morning, April 9 at 10 am.  Stop out the weekend of April 16 and 17 for our Open House featuring free hot dogs and popcorn.  And be sure to bring the children in your life to our annual Free Community Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 23.  Watch future newsletters for more information.

The term ‘green’ has taken on new meaning, especially in the catch phrases that fill the pages and mouths of current media.  Historically the term ‘green industry’ has been used to refer to those of us actively involved in the growing of plants.  Now the definition has broadened to include anyone with the slightest connection to preservation of our earth.  America’s Best Flowers has always been committed to growing in a way that has the least impact on the environment.  This year we are taking it a step farther, by returning to the most basic principles of natural plant production.  Our herbs and vegetable transplants will be grown in our own customized soil mix (which you can buy!) and fertilized with compost tea made right here in our greenhouse.  Everyone gets a little buggy now and then. But this year America’s Best may have gone a bit overboard.  We are actually buying a fresh shipment of good bugs (beneficial insects) every week.  To find out why, read on.

When Ed and Carol Knapton gave me the opportunity to help them implement a beneficial insect bio-control program at their greenhouse operations, I was excited with the progressive changes that the owners and management of America’s Best Flowers were working towards.  These new ideas are for more natural products to give their customers more sustainable choices for their gardens that are kid safe and pet friendly.

To transition the garden center with these new changes, many new processes had to be put in place, such as establishing a population of beneficial insects that would naturally fight off the invasion of pest insects on vegetables, herbs and flowers.  As a biologist by training I found that this opportunity was a great chance for me to assist America’s Best Flowers in some very exciting biocontrol methods.

Before coming to work for Ed and Carol I had gained experience in biological control and native plant restoration while working for an ecological consulting firm that worked to rehabilitate natural resources throughout the Great Lakes region.  I have always had a love for gardening and plants since I was brought up in northern Michigan in a family that were avid gardeners of vegetables and flowers and also hobby naturalists and sportsmen.

I am very excited to help implement all these new changes that will have a direct benefit on all our customers with the help of all of the great staff here at America’s Best Flowers.  I look forward to talking with customers more about the new naturally grown program and answering any questions that you have about our methods and ideas.

-Tim Norman
Grower/Biocontrol Specialist at America’s Best Flowers

America’s Best Flowers has a few select openings on our team for the 2011 gardening season.  Our friendly staff is a diverse group of interesting, knowledgeable and fun-loving individuals. If you have a background that includes basic plant knowledge, plant watering skills, and/or retail sales, we would love to hear from you.  An ideal candidate would be interested in returning on a seasonal basis for years to come.  We offer a beautiful, smoke-free work environment and a generous employee discount.  You may occasionally be lifting up to 40 pounds.  We do require our staff to work on weekends, including both Saturday and Sunday through May.  If you would like to be part of our special family, we ask that you call us at 222-2269 for a short telephone interview and to set up a time to come out and apply.  We look forward to hearing from you.