IXONIA, Wis. — The weather in Wisconsin is starting to show some early signs of spring.
For local greenhouses and nurseries, this time of year is the busiest season. Ebert’s Greenhouse in Ixonia is preparing to open in a few short weeks for the season, so it’s all hands on deck.
Inside the greenhouse at Ebert’s, you may think spring has already arrived. With balmy temperatures and flowers just starting to bloom, opening day is right around the corner.
The team at Ebert’s has been hard at work since February planting and tending to tens of thousands of plants as they prepare to open for the season.
“It’s a lot of work to make sure the flowers, plants are top quality,” Ebert’s Greenhouse owner Mark Ebert said. “A lot of work goes into it. So, this is probably the most stressful time of the year.”
Ebert said the spring planting season is always a big undertaking, as they have tens of thousands of different types of plants to prepare.
“We’re running in every direction,” he said. “We’re planting, were moving plants, were hanging baskets, we are just all over the place.”
Ebert’s grows and sells a majority of its own locally grown products. Long-time head grower Jason Wenninger said this time of year is a sprint.
“As a grower, it’s nonstop for the next four or five months,” Wenninger said.
Wenninger said he’s been focusing on cutting down on chemicals being used on their products and going a more natural route.
He said the weather has been beneficial for growing this season. The sunny days have made a big impact on plants.
However, he said their biggest hurdle has been the strong winds that have kicked in earlier than normal this year.
He said strong those winds can cause parts of their greenhouse roof to blow off, which, if unattended, can cause damage to all their plants they have worked on for the past month or so.
Overall, the team has been working around the clock to get things planted and cared for before customers come in April.
“There is a lot invested in these plants,” Wenninger said. “Of course, we want the plants to look good when people come here. We love the wow factor, but we also want customers to be successful at home. Not being over-burdened with having to fertilize and all this other stuff.”
Ebert said they have over 15,000 hanging baskets, around 40,000 small boxed plants and tens of thousands more that are being prepared.
He said it’s a labor of love, but he’s proud of all the work his team does year after year.
“It always seems like a huge task to get everything ready for opening, but they come together all of them,” Ebert said. “And by opening day, it’s looking pretty good. They are phenomenal, a great group of people.”
Ebert’s opens for the spring season on April 15.
