Welcome to our DID YOU KNOW page. This is the page for little tidbits of information about planting, flowers, vegetables and lots more.

---- Tangerine Tango -----

Did you know that the 2012 Pantone® Color of the Year is TANGERINE TANGO ? .And, did you ever wonder, "Who decides this ?"

Well, mainly the fashion industry and other various shoe/ purse/furniture manufacturers. You can also think of the Pantone® color as a trend in what is going to be hot for this year. In fact, here at First Stage Greenhouse we chose this Pantone® color for our website background color for 2012. The "spirited reddish-orange hue offers the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward," according to Pantone's statement.

"Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute¨. "Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy."

Over the past several years, orange has grown in popularity and acceptance among designers and consumers alike. A provocative attention-getter, Tangerine Tango is especially appealing in men's and women's fashion. Fashion designers featured in the PANTONE Fashion Color Report Spring 2012, including Tommy Hilfiger, Nanette Lepore, Cynthia Steffe by Shaun Kearney, Elie Tahari and Adrienne Vittadini, are incorporating this attractive orange into their spring collections. A fun, lively take on a traditional autumnal hue, Tangerine Tango will surely carry through to fall fashion as well.

---- HOSTA: A Funky History -----

Years ago a neighbor cheerfully announced, "My funky is doing really well this year! See?" She pointed to a row of Hosta, which were indeed growing nicely.

I hadn't known until then that Hosta was once called Funkia. It's a well-traveled plant, native to China and Korea, bred for decoration and dinner in Japan, where leaves and shoots are served up as Urui. Fortunately, the sushi chefs didn't get them all. Enough survived for German physician/plantsman Phillip Franz von Siebold (hence Hosta sieboldii) which allowed him to introduce them to Europe in the mid-1800s.

Soon thereafter the genus reached America, where it and another Asian import, Hemerocallis, take turns outselling all other perennials. It's a food crop here, too, if you're a deer. Where we see decorative borders, Bambi sees salad bars.

Recently, sales have been stymied by the infamous Hosta X virus. That's why we do ours from tissue culture on raised benches, so they're clean, safe and legal wherever you are.

---- Hemorocallis -----

Happy Returns', 'Pardon Me' and the original superstar daylily, 'Stella d'Oro', best-selling compact varieties of this top-selling genus. Hemerocallis translates to "beauty for a day," because that's how long the species' flowers last, which explains the common name.

---- Wow Factor -----

It's a proven fact !

Are you considering selling or are you in the process of selling your home or business? If so, one of the first impressions a potential buyer gets is from what he or she sees "outside" of your home or business: its landscaping.

A well-groomed and maintained landscape consisting of annual flowers, perrennials, plants, shrubs and trees is not only going to help sell your property but will surely also be an investment in the property. In Zone 5 plant the proper material zoned for winter such as perennials, shrubs and trees. Throw in a bed of beautiful annuals, a few hanging baskets and some deck planters and it will give your prospective buyer that WOW FACTOR !

Keeping the lawn fertilized and groomed will give you an advantage. Planting many perennial grasses and flowers or even shrubs and trees can add winter interest for you and the wildlife as well. Many winter seasons we have seen birds perched on plants, shrubs and trees looking for that much needed seed or two to keep up its energy level during the cold winter months. And, it can be very uplifting to see that you have planted something that is giving joy to another creature !

No potential buyer wants to see a home or business with an overgrown or poorly maintained lawn and landscape when considering investing in a property. And, it doesn't take thousands of dollars to keep your landscape and lawn looking great. This Spring, start planting some perennials, shrubs and trees, a few at a time and add to it each year. This will definitely increase the value of your asset.

For color all season long (approx. May 1st through Oct. 15th) plant some annuals such as Wave Petunias or a bed of impatiens. Some other easy-to-grow annuals are sun coleus, pentas, scaevola, to name a few.

Come by First Stage Greenhouse and we will be glad to show you some of these easy-to-grow selections and help you incorporate them into any planting ideas you have.

And as always, remember our motto "FLOWERS MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD ™ !