After Christmas, and before Spring, Martin Garden Center carries a number of Spring transition plants that help us get to the time when we can begin planting our beloved spring plants. These transitional plants keep us in blooms while we wait, not patiently.
Making it worse, in the South Carolina Upstate, we often see 70F weather in February, which we often call Fake Spring. Regardless, when customers wander in looking for “Spring” plants, we have that covered with our spring transition plants including Cyclamen, Blooming Bulbs, Primrose, Ranunculus, Pericallis and Osteospermum (Marguerite Daisy).
Cyclamen is one of the earliest of the spring transition plants. They begin appearing near Christmas … sometimes as early as Thanksgiving. They remain available through Valentine’s and then sell out by the end of February. Cyclamen are cool season bloomers and they are well suited to the Upstate’s mild winters. They are hardy to below 26F, but don’t push your luck. Bring them into the garage if it gets too cold. Cyclamen will keep producing blooms if deadheaded regularly, until the temperatures increases at which time, as a spring transition plant, it is time to move on.
Cyclamen hate the heat and will bloom out early if kept inside. However, as they are a much needed pop of color in a dreary winter, many customers buy them for a short duration houseplant.
Primrose is a short-lived perennial in the upstate, and is also considered a spring transition plants. They arrive from our vendors where they have been greenhouse grown so that they are in full bloom in mid-February. They are usually sold out by early-March. Our customers love Primrose, as it is one of the most cold tolerant blooming perennials, outside of bulbs, and the pops of Primrose color are the harbingers of Spring. Most of our customers buy primrose as annuals just to get them through until Spring. We recommend when the Primrose have bloomed through, plant them outside in a part-sun environment and wait until next year.
Ranunculus is a tender bulb in the Upstate that absolutely loves the cooler weather. We receive these greenhouse grown plants from our vendors and they are covered in blooms mid-February through mid-March and the blooms are stunning.
Pericallis Senetti
Marguerite Daisy is a perennial plant in the Upstate that is grown in the early spring as a transition plant. These greenhouse grown daisies become available in the beginning of March, and are usually available through
Grasses etc