Hot Plants for Hot Summer Days

The normal cycle of plant availability has been one of great plants in the spring and then slim pickings through the summer until mums arrive. This is mainly due to the fact that growers produce huge quantities of plants for the spring and push them out of the greenhouses by the end of May. This allows the growers to recover from their busiest season, do maintenance and repair work on their facilities, and not have the plants suffer in the extreme heat that greenhouses produce in July and August.

As in all parts of our culture, consumer wants have changed. People are spending more time at home during the summer. Some who vacation early in the summer come home and want to replace the spring plants that have suffered while they were away. Others have seen the plants that graced their patios, porches, walkways, and decks lose their vibrancy.

Kremps has added a new line of summer flowering plants and changed its production schedule to offer lush, beautiful, hanging baskets and patio pots to its customers in the Philadelphia region. The new line, grown by Steve Kremp at his Churchville facility is being well received by Kremp customers at their store on Davisville Rd. in Willow Grove and on its website, www.kremp.com. To be able to provide high quality plants that will not only survive the area’s summer heat, but thrive because of it, Steve Kremp selected certain varieties of the heat lover’s collection from Syngenta, including-
Verbena
Flowering Vinca
Lantanna
Lobelia
Diplademia
Goodenia
Centradenia
Angelonia
And many more

The plants are all ones that can take the heat and thrive in hot humid summer conditions. They should be placed in full sun or partial shade. Most spring plants like 75 degrees. These like high temperatures, which is rare. They will fill in the time from spring until the mums take their place in the fall. In addition to a full color range, there are many different textures and shapes to create beautiful combinations.

Grown in larger pots, which hold more soil, than normally used for spring plants, they should only need watering once a day, even if placed on concrete or asphalt. Fertilize every watering with a weak solution or as directions suggest with regular fertilizer.

An extra benefit is that since no heat is required during their production period, these hanging baskets and patio pots sell for less. There are hundreds on display at Kremp Florist 220 Davisville Rd. Willow Grove. In addition to homeowner’s purchases for home décor, these plants are great summer gifts that will be well received by all.