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“Mother Nature is making sure we get our April showers in,” said the owner of Exquisite Environments, a garden center and landscaping business at 1351 Stillwater Road.
Owners of three local garden centers said the cool weather, and in Wednesday’s case, cold and wet weather, has left residents frustrated that they haven’t been able to get planting as early as they have done in the last few years.
The earlier and warmer springs the area has seen the last few years got people accustomed to the idea that they could place more cold sensitive plants and flowers into the garden sooner, the owners said.
But gardeners are taking a risk by planting too early, said Marshall Condon, owner of Eden Farms Nursery & Garden Center.
“For things like tomatoes and impatiens, it is just too cold to plant them yet,” he said. “We always tell people you are taking a chance if you are planting a lot of that sort of material before May 15 and this year the proof is in the pudding.”
Meanwhile, Joseph Galluzzo, owner of Joe. G Nursery at 508 Glenbrook Road, joked that the cold weather may send him back to his native country of Italy.
“I come from southern Italy next to the Mediterranean Sea. It’s very warm there,” he said with a laugh.
He, like Condon and Wells, urged patience. He advises people to have a little patience instead of planting early and then coming back to him if their tomato plants get hammered in an early May frost.
Gardeners should wait until at least Mother’s Day before planting more fragile plants, Galluzzo said.
Wells said after a couple of nice days, people will be able to get out into their gardens.
“As soon as the weather really breaks, people are going to be out sprucing up their yards,” he said.
"People are itching to get out,” his sister Lori Russo added with a laugh.
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