New Year, New Plants: 50% Off Houseplants, Cactus & Succulents.
Hello, again!
The first of the year is production time at the garden center. Our production greenhouse crew is busy getting ready for the 2026 gardening season. Many of our plants have a production cycle of 10-12 weeks, so timing and staging crops is important. Other plants we offer for sale take more time from production to their final planting place - months and sometimes years is how long we care for these plants.
Perennials in the nursery take more time to mature than annual plants. For example, we’ll start potting our flowering roses later this month and finish them in April. Our ornamental grasses from start to finish can take up to a year to mature. Flowering jumbo bougainvillea baskets have been tended for several weeks at this point to finish as we have warm summer temperatures.
On the other hand, some nursery stock can take years to grow. Growing a seedling to a 2” diameter tree can take years. Most improved plant varieties are grown faster from cuttings or grafting to get clones of the original plant and replicate desirable characteristics such as flower color, fall color, growth habit, disease and insect tolerance or any other characteristics that gardeners desire.
Propagation of plants by seed and cuttings is a fun hobby for me. I remember starting a silver maple from seed in grade school. I wonder, is propagation still a trade taught to kids in schools these days? Reproducing plants from cuttings is easy as well. Take a short 2-3” stem piece from a Swedish ivy, and it will grow into a mature plant in short order.
Grafting plants, on the other hand, is more involved. Many times a cutting from a woody plant struggles to make a viable root system to survive. While the foliage portion (the scion) carries the desirable characteristics we want to carry forward, its root system can be weak. Fusing the scion to a compatible plant with a dependable root system is what is done to propagate many conifers and deciduous trees for the landscape.
If you’d like to give grafting a try, sign up for our Grafting 101 Workshop at our west store ONLY on Sunday, January 25th at 2:00. Each participant will graft their own Juniperus virginiana 'Taylor'. This workshop includes root stock, juniper scion, grafting knife, binding, sealant, pot and soil. We will tend your grafted juniper until it is ready to plant in the spring.
If you’d care to create your own Bonsai, signup for our Bonsai Workshop scheduled for Saturday, January 17th at both Johnson's locations. Create your very own bonsai during this hands-on workshop. We'll provide everything you need, including the plant, pot, rock, soil, copper, grid and pruners. It's the perfect way to bring a little more relaxation into your day!
Stop by the garden centers; our greenhouses are newly restocked with a fresh selection of Florida foliage plants to brighten up your indoors. Now through January 11, in celebration of National Houseplant Day, all houseplants are 50% Off. Our seed starting supplies are also in stock now for starting your own garden plants for the 2026 gardening season.
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
