Frankenmuth

"Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the Spring and ends in the Fall is missing the best part; for gardening begins in January with a dream." – Josephine Nuese As we put our gardens to rest for another planting season, the most anticipated time of year arrives. Planning season! You read that right, planning season not planting season. This is the time of year where we evaluate what worked and what didn't, what sparked conversation and what was "blah." The canvas is empty and it is time to add the color, textures and shapes! We travel to trial gardens, other cities and botanical gardens looking for the inspirational pieces that will mold the Frankenmuth landscape in 2019. Did you know our City Beautification Committee has been fundraising and planning Frankenmuth's seasonal displays for over 60 years now? When you think traditional Frankenmuth and look back at pictures from the past, you can't help but notice red geraniums and red petunias. They were a staple and to be honest, from the 60's to the early 90's that is about all that was available for sale. It's almost 2019 and our palate of plant material has increased tremendously and so has our color selection. Frankenmuth's 262 signature hanging baskets lining our streets sparkle in the sun during the day and are highlighted by our street lights in the evenings. They are a staple and can be a huge compliment to the plants on the ground. And we're unveiling to you the 2019 hanging basket combinations! This year the theme is "Big and Bold." In the past we have tried many new plants and combinations to only find out the tried and true petunia still makes a big impact with a lot of color options. This year we are going to focus on those traditional BIG six foot hanging baskets full of right in your face color, literally! On Weiss Street we will be featuring giant white and pink petunia flowers. Mixed in are a few purple verbena that compliment the inner colors of the petunias. In the past few years we have split up Main Street in sections to feature different combinations and break up the 2 mile drive. In 2019, we plan to break it up into two sections instead of four to make the impact more Bold. Starting at the North End of town up to Genessee street you will see the busiest of the hanging baskets combo. Purple and Red have been very popular in the past and this year we are going to throw in a very vibrant pink! As you keep driving south, from Genesee all the way past the river you will see a very bright and pink streak of color. This combination features some of the largest petunia blossoms on the market and is simply going to be a WOW factor in this stretch. We get many compliments and questions from around the world asking how we get our baskets so big and lush. We usually skirt around the question as we obviously can't give away all our secrets but we definitely don't mind sharing with our own residents so as we can have some of the greatest looking porches. We like to use the KISS principle, Keep It Simple Silly, when managing our plants. Use 18" hanging baskets so there is a lot of room for the roots to grow. More roots mean bigger plants. Give them 2 gallons of water twice a day so they stay well hydrated. Finally, fertilize them with a water soluble fertilizer (something comparable to a miracle gro) only when they need it. Look closely at the leaves... when the veins are darker green than the outer part of the leaves, it is time to fertilize. Remember plants can take up fertilizer quicker through their leaves than they can through their roots so don't be afraid to put the water-soluble fertilizer onto the leaves. Just make sure it is not a sunny 90 degree day as the fertilizer will burn up the leaves! Now you know all the secrets to growing monster hanging baskets and you have the insider scoop to the combinations for next year, so on that next blustery afternoon, get out your imagination cap and start dreaming of what you want your garden to look like next year! The Secret to Spring in Little Bavaria As we put our gardens to rest for another planting season, the most anticipated time of year arrives. Planning season! 14

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