A go-to stop for gardening needs
Spring has sprung, and a local go-to spot for all your gardening needs is located just off M-22 in Suttons Bay.
Family owned and operated PlantMasters has been growing nearly all of its plant products on-site since they first opened in 1989. Known as northern Michigan’s largest nursery center, the business offers thousands of varieties of vegetables, herbs, annuals, perennials, and tropical plants. Starting in February, PlantMasters staff begin growing plants from seed, utilizing their large greenhouse space all year long. By spring, customers have a wide selection of flowers and vegetables to choose from to transform or add to their own gardens.
PlantMaster Production and General Manager Crystal VanThomme said customers are busy getting their flower beds and gardens ready at this time of year, so they have the store stocked not only with early blooms, but also with essentials like fertilizer, potting soil, compost, and bagged/bulk mulch. They offer bulk soils for pick-up, or they can do deliveries to anywhere in Leelanau County, a service requested daily throughout the spring and summer.
While weather in Michigan can be unpredictable, she said many people start planting outside around Memorial Day, so there’s still ample time to get those garden beds ready for flowers and vegetables.
“It’s basically just kind of after-winter maintenance that needs to be done now until it’s time to put plants outside,” VanThomme said. “And it’s really not the cold temps that affect a lot of things, it’s the frost. The pansies and the violas are a huge hit now because they can go outside and can withstand a light frost and the cold temperatures.”
Besides enjoying being outdoors and visiting greenhouses again, VanThomme said people are looking forward to vegetable plants and buying favorites like tomatoes to get their garden started.
“And right now, I think there’s a big push to do some perennials as well because those are a little more cold tolerant and can be planted sooner than annuals,” she said. “The doors are open, it’s warm and sunny inside, and it’s just a happy place to be, even if you just want to wander around… just taking a walk through the greenhouse is always a good little day trip.”
VanThomme said they have upcoming sales, including one where all mothers receive a free plant on May 10 and 11, that people can stay tuned for to get ready for the plant season.
For more information about plants in stock and current sales, go to https:// plant-masters.com or call 231-271-4769.
PlantMasters of Suttons Bay employee Kathy McAndrew is pictured tending to the many annuals available at the store. Enterprise photo by Meakalia Previch-Liu
