Storyteller's Corner

“Tis the Season…”

                                                           by Collette

When my family’s greenhouse operation was up and running, the weeks before the holidays through Christmas Eve were frantic and filled with long, arduous days. Invariably sometime between Thanksgiving and the Sunday following, there was some kind of weather event. If we lost electrical power due to an ice storm, a greenhouse full of poinsettias was damaged in a matter of minutes. Many times we used a gasoline tractor hooked up to a generator to keep the houses warm. We utilized a snow blower to remove snow along the edges of the houses. Ropes were slid back and forth on either side of each building to remove heavy snows from the tops of the plastic covered hoop houses.

In the beginning when my husband was still learning about the growth of the plants, we did have a problem or two. We had a request for a particular variety of poinsettia that first year. Although gorgeous plants, these flowers needed to be planted very early in the season because ours did not bloom until Valentine’s Day that year. Thankfully, we never experienced that accident again.

Moving them out and transporting them was the biggest headache of all. In the beginning we used a green utility van to move them to various shops. Unfortunately, its heater was not as good as it should have been. I remember insulating the cargo door with blankets and old bed spreads to keep the north wind from freezing the plants. When my husband had to wear insulated coveralls, boots and gloves while driving, we knew we might be in trouble. He had to break ice off the door to remove them when he got to his destination, and we lost several pots of flowers.

Returning from a trip to Wichita on the old 96 Highway during an ice storm, a semi-tractor trailer stalled at the bottom of one of the many hills on that road. Each time the driver tried to go up the hill, he slid back down to the bottom. Eventually there was quite a lone of vehicles behind him (including our van) waiting to ascend. This was before cell phones, so I kept up on my husband’s progress with a “cb radio” because they were stuck there long enough to worry about whether he might run out of gas.

Despite the travails involving the weather, the beauty of the houses filled with blooming poinsettias was breath-taking. Being able to decorate churches in our area (many times donating the flowers) was such a fulfilling experience. People often sent us pictures of their churches filled with his plants. It was such a gift to be able to grow them. That time was one of my favorite memories about the Christmas season. I hope you take the time to cherish your own memories during this time. Blessings to you all.