Petals From the Past — Local services in Calera

Having within the previous two weeks had two full truckloads of new landscaping plants delivered and installed I wasn’t sure I was up to the possibility of more plants, at least for this year. Boy, was I in for a surprise! We found with the help of petals from the past staff and it’s only plants we had forgotten about or have been unable to find for two decades. It was so much fun to refined these favorites which have been left at previous homes We had lived, for the next family to enjoy. We also found, to our delight, new varieties of plants which were/are perfect to work in with our existing large bermed street side hedges.

Are what we thought might be an hours visit literally turned into about five hours! Not only was our SUV full of obviously very healthy and happy plants but we also found without exception everything was priced fairly and organized logically. We also found the pottery they offered to be Of extremely high-quality, small to extremely large in size, A great selection of colors all depending on the need. I don’t know about yourself but I love the way beautiful pottery can be used in a formal or informal garden setting.

Something else I did not expect was the amount of beautiful fruit trees. I had been having trouble with a paradise Apple planted last year and espaliered. If you’ve ever espaliered, You know the espaliered structure requires considerable strength, hardiness, and it just flat out Has to look beautiful or handsome on its own – before planting! I explain to Jason that my three paradise apples I Might just lose the tree planted in the center. Within three minutes Jason held in front of himself And Arkansas black apple tree. An apple maturing in our Alabama fall which is so deep red in color it takes on tones of black. Well that’s right up my alley. I learned from Jason that the Arkansas black is completely able to cross pollinate with the paradise apples so that when they are of age they will do just that and produce beautiful apples between the three trees to enjoy through The summer and fall. I also learned I might have a problem with the soil around my apple trees not draining properly Dash so I was able to correct that by using playground sand and vermiculite. This seems to be working beautifully, we are now out about three weeks and the Arkansas black is flourishing with new leaves and is in impeccable condition. It being my first step into growing any fruit tree, I’m realizing how closely they must be watched for so many types of damage by so many varieties of insects, not to mention poorly draining soil! My paradise apples have developed the fuzzy white scale which I was able to manage with water and a light amount of kitchen dish cleaner. No problems with the Arkansas black! I cannot wait to go back this fall for the next full carload of beautiful, in some cases extremely hard to find perennials, like the perennial lantana which in past history I’ve had grow as high as 10 to 11 feet tall but if you shop at one of the local big box stores all you will find these days is an annual lantana which you would be lucky to get to 2 feet in height!...

I have always loved PFTP, but my visit today was disappointing. It seemed like every single soul working there were doing their best to get away from having to help someone as quickly as possible. They wouldn't even look you in the face! We had someone ask us how we were doing, but nobody asked if they could help us, and I asked a young lady about native plants twice, and she would just point in a direction. Wouldn't even ask what I was specifically looking to find One very nice lady saw me bewildered among the plants, after standing in the sun for over an hour trying to flag someone down. Bless her for asking if I needed help. I had a question about a rose, and she introduced me to the man who could answer it. Even Jason seemed in a hurry to get away, walking away while I was still speaking with him. We spoke for a grand total of about 5 minutes.

My goodness! What has happened to the place?

That was the major highlight of the visit. They had very few of the native varieties I wanted, and what was there, wasn't in the best shape for the kind of price point. At least give a discount on the leftover, scraggly plants. I came home disappointed and empty-handed. I don't know what's going on with Petals these days, and think they should hire more people if everyone is avoiding customers. A better idea would be to hire someone that specifically greets and directs customers to staff for help. The sweet lady in the pink shirt made my 3 rating possible. Otherwise, it would have been lower. Just disappointed totally. Photo is my own, and the rose...

Petals from the Past - Peaceful location, Factual information, and Pleasant and Practical Guides!

This was my first time visiting, and the experience did not disappoint. I am a novice gardener, who is eager to learn and eventually grow a green thumb.

My group (about 13 ladies with varying shades of green and other colors :), attended the Grow Your Own Groceries class with a young lady from Boozer Farms (I forgot her name).

Her class was very informative, although more appropriate for intermediate gardeners.

Afterwards, we had a picnic on site, next to a lake (or was it a pond?). It was beautiful!

Perhaps the best part of the experience for me was the staff. A lady named Lisa was more than willing to provide me with information as a novice gardener, and she introduced me to the "Herb Specialist," who provided even more information (I forgot her name).

I highly recommend Petals from the Past for novice and experienced gardeners. I'll be back! Hopefully, with a nice shade of olive or...