Greenhouses and nurseries statewide have had a slow start this season, especially after a busy year in 2023. Although owners said they weren't sure why, it might have to do with the cooler, cloudier spring.
"People are holding them back because Mother Nature's telling them to," said Scott Longfellow, owner of Longfellow's Greenhouses in Manchester.
Despite the slow start, greenhouse owners said the interest in gardening that boomed in the beginning of the pandemic four years ago is still going strong, especially among younger people. If the season picks up, they expect they'll continue to have a solid base of customers.
At Ledgewood Gardens in Orrington, owner Karen Ramsey said May often kicks off with sales of hanging baskets and mixed baskets of decorative annual flowers like petunias and geraniums. She sells hundreds of them, which she seeds by hand. Opening day always draws a crowd, and she's seen excited customers so far, though she said she does hope the sun comes out soon.
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