Sign up for our free Seed Starting seminar this Saturday.
Hello, again!
I tend to organize my office every January; this year was no different. It’s always a good time to reflect on our company's history and its legacy. Some years I’ve gone through our old nursery catalogs. They were a yearly publication for which we actually ‘cut and pasted’ (hot glued) text onto physical boards to send to the printer. The catalog contained information on most of our nursery department’s offerings for the year. It's interesting looking back at what has changed and what has stayed the same.
This year I came across some of our old newspaper ads and articles from the Wichita Eagle that were published in the late 70’s and early 80’s. These pieces featured three generations of Johnsons - my grandfather, Orie; my father, Harold; and the three long-haired Johnson brothers (Wes, Linden and me). In one of the articles, Dad talked about the changing trends in the garden. Plants for year around color were his projections - blooming foliage to be enjoyed outside in the summer and indoors under plant lights in the winter. He loved spending time at the store; he mentioned that, ‘It looks to me like camping and boating are a lot of work. I think I’ll just hang in here and help the boys keep this place going.'
Orie’s first love was truck farming - raising fruits and vegetables for local markets. I do remember the last crop he grew; it was a 100’ row of Rocky Ford cantaloupe that he grew behind his home next to the store. When the writer asked Orie (then 85 years old) when he planned to retire, he said, 'I’m too busy to worry about it.' Orie did stay busy at the store, during the spring bedding plant production season mostly. His favorite spot in the store was in the greenhouse sowing seeds for our transplanting crew. Starting in the fall, he would take Santolina cuttings from the “W” hill, which is the present location of the Mid-American All-Indian Center. In January, he seeded our cole crops first, then summer vegetables and annuals. Following Orie’s seeding schedule, now is a great time to get your seeds started for your garden.
We have everything needed at the stores or online from growing media, trays, heat mats and more to help make your seed starting a success. We also have a great selection of plant lights for either maintaining your flowering plants that you’ve brought inside, as Dad suggested years ago, or to get your seedlings growing indoors.
When asked about plans for the future, Dad said, 'We’re grateful for the support from the neighborhood and the city of Wichita. The boys have some ideas they’d like to try out.' We're thankful to still have the support from our wonderful city nearly 100 years after Orie set up his small plant stand at the corner of Douglas and West St. in West Wichita. If you're interested in learning more about Johnson's History, you can check it out here!
This Saturday, we've got a free Seed Starting Seminar happening at both Johnson's locations at 11:00am. If you've ever been interested in getting your garden started early, this would be a great opportunity to learn how! You can sign up online or at the store.
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
