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Monday 9am - 7pm Tuesday 9am - 7pm Wednesday 9am - 7pm Thursday 9am - 7pm Friday 9am - 7pm Saturday 9am - 7pm Sunday 9am - 7pm

Merkel Gardens

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United States
Chelsea, MI
Merkel Gardens

After over 40 years of serving Chelsea and the surrounding areas with quality plants, we have decided to retire. in November and December.

UPDATE: After over 40 years of serving Chelsea with quality plants we have decided to retire. We will still offer Christmas wreaths, grave blankets, etc. A big thank you to all of our customers. It is the people who we will miss the most. In 1981, George Merkel fulfilled a lifelong dream of farming as his full time job. He and his wife Nancy have built Merkel Gardens into a successful green house

and truck farming operation. In 1997, his daughter Margaret and her husband Bill Stech joined in the business. We currently operate 4 greenhouses and grow many varieties of annual and perennial plants. We sell both hanging baskets and flats. We also fill customer furnished pots complete with dirt. We can offer expert advise on the growing of our plants since we are the ones that raised them from seed. With all of our plants, satisfaction is always guaranteed. Our produce includes everything from basic vegetables to many exotic Asian vegetables. Our more “basic” vegetables include green beans, tomatoes, eggplant, kale, pickling cucumbers, potatoes, melons, carrots, pumpkins, squash, broccoli, collards, and Swiss Chard. Our Asian vegetables include bittermelon, bokchoi, edible gourd (cucuzzi), and wintermelon. Our season starts early with asparagus, rhubarb and strawberries. The remainder of our produce comes in late July to early August and ends with brussel sprouts that are still available in December. Our bedding plants are usually available a week before mother’s day and we sell bedding plants throughout the summer. We finish our bedding plants with mums in the late summer. We also supply wreaths, grave blankets & center pieces for the Christmas holidays.

04/23/2024

Although we are closed for the spring and summer, please remember us when you are looking for winter greens in November and December.

10/29/2023

Thank you all for a great last season. Now that our flower season is over, please be reminded that we will not be doing flowers again in the spring. However, we will still be doing Christmas greens, so if you need anything this holiday season, please let us know! You can message us on here, call us, or email us. Again, thank you for letting us help you with all your flower needs over the past 40 years!

06/16/2023

Still plenty of beautiful flowers to choose from! And if you’re wondering why the farthest back greenhouse is blocked off, it’s because there’s nothing left in it. Our vegetables have been moved to the front between the deck and back door. Happy planting!

05/25/2023

In case you were wondering...

05/13/2023

Just a friendly reminder that we are open tomorrow for any last minute shopping for our mothers! See you 9am to 6pm.

05/03/2023

Besides being open for the season, today happens to be Garden Meditation Day, so if you happen to stop by to meditate, just try not to trip over any hoses or block anyone else's way. Happy flower shopping!

05/03/2023

We didn't mean to leave you hanging. We were just looking for a better day, and even though it's not quite sunny or warm, at least it's not snowing like it is in the UP.

04/30/2023

Please understand that we hate to do this, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, we are pushing back our opening day to Tuesday, May 2. We are deeply sorry to disappoint anyone who had plans to come see us tomorrow. Also, have you seen the weather forecast for the next few days?! Rainy and cold. There's even a chance for snow on Tuesday! What a typical Michigan spring we're having. Again, we're sorry to disappoint, but we hope to see you very soon.

04/30/2023

We're just kidding about this one. 2 more days to go!

04/29/2023

We know who you are and we see you, but don't worry, you've just got 3 little days to go.

04/27/2023

If you are looking for a pest (both large and small) resistant plant, give lobelia a try. While slugs and snails may eat it, most other animals, including deer, prefer everything else in our greenhouses. Lobelia has a strong, to***co-like scent, which tends to keep most animals away from it. Coincidentally, it is also known as Indian to***co. The more you know. 4 more days!

04/26/2023

In French, Chenille translates to caterpillar, which makes sense for this fun, furry-looking plant. And like it's brightly colored namesake, it is also toxic to humans if ingested, so don't eat it. 5 days!

04/26/2023

According to folklore, snapdragons were thought to offer protection from witchcraft. And they even smell like bubblegum. It's a win-win in our opinion. 6 days to go!

04/24/2023

Lantana can produce up to 12,000 seeds from one plant in a year. No wonder it's considered an invasive w**d in Australia! We are down to one week people. Don't wet your plants just yet!

04/23/2023

The greenhouses are filling up and we're seeing some annual visitors. If you didn't know it, garter snakes, or gardener snakes, are also known as the gardener's friend. A good friend they are because they eat grasshoppers, slugs, grubs, and other insects. They are definitely something to welcome to our garden. If you see one of our snake residents, don't fear them, but rather let them go on their merry way to do their job. Now if only we had something that would eat our deer. 8 days!

04/23/2023

Dianthus comes from the Greek words "dios" meaning god and "anthos" meaning flower. Essentially, it's the flower of the gods. 9 days left!

04/22/2023

If properly cared for, Hostas, which already require little care, will live to be 30 or more years. They also symbolize friendship and devotion which makes since because if the plant gets big enough, you can separate it and give some to your friends. 10 days.

04/21/2023

As we all know, April showers bring May flowers, but do you know why a thunderstorm is so good for plants? The electrical energy given off during a lightning strike causes Nitrogen atoms in the air to separate, making it much easier to fall into our soil which mixes with other minerals to help plants grow. While Nitrogen is readily in our air, plants can't absorb it that way. Instead, they absorb Nitrogen in the form of Nitrates, which do form naturally in the ground through a rather disgusting process we don't want to discuss right now. Lightning strikes just speed up the process and access to Nitrogen. 11 more days.

04/20/2023

Calibrachoa, or million bells as we all know them, are originally from Brazil and a few other locations in Latin America much like petunias. At one point, these two were related, but later on, scientists decided to give calibrachoa its own separate genus. 12 days!

04/19/2023

Did you know flowers have genders? When impatiens first bloom, they're male, but when the pollen shell sheds, they become female. 13 days!

04/18/2023

Begonias are related to pumpkins, squash, gourds, cucumbers, and melons. The flowers of tuberous and wax begonias are also edible with a citrus flavor and a crisp texture. You could brighten up a salad with them or just leave them for the bees to enjoy. 14 days to go.

04/16/2023

Did you know that in the Roman era, it was widely believed that eating thyme either before or during a meal would protect you from poison? The more you know. 15 days. The thyme sure is flying.

04/15/2023

Did you know that petunias are related to tomatoes, potatoes, and to***co? In fact, the name "petunia" comes from the South American word "petun" which means to***co. Nothing we would want to roll up and smoke though. 16 days.

04/14/2023

Happy National Gardening Day! Considering this beautiful weather is supposed to end on Sunday until the end of next week, you might not want to put too many things in the ground quite yet. Frost is still very likely! 17 days to go!

04/14/2023

Wow! We never thought yesterday's post would get so much attention so quickly! We're grateful for all your love and support over the years. A few things to note if you didn't see some of our comments in the last post:
*Christmas greens will continue for the next few years (no date set on that yet).
*Margaret (our green thumb extraordinaire) will still be around to help make gardens beautiful even when the greenhouses aren't.
*We have flats of pansies right now if anyone wants some early flowers!
Fun facts: The name pansy comes from the French word, penser, which literally means "to think." Also, pansies have been used to treat all sorts of ailments since the 16th century as they have anti-inflammatory properties. You won't see us rubbing pansy petals on our arms anytime soon!
Though, we will hopefully see you 18 days from now. :)

04/13/2023

Aloe us to remind you that we will be opening on May 1st. Bay leaf it or not, this will be our last year in operation. We have heard that things get better with sage, and we have been in this for over 40 years, so it's about dang thyme! We know this is a big dill, but we want everyone to romaine calm! You all have mint the world to us, so don't kale our vibe. Lettuce make this our best season yet!

07/02/2022

July is upon us, but we want you to know that you can still poppy-n anytime! If you can't find anyone to help you, you may find yourself thinking, "What in carnation?" But romaine calm! Just green and bear it because July is self-serve month. And you can't plant greenery if you haven't botany. So let's offer you some encourage mint: we have lowered our prices! That includes hanging baskets at $10 each. If you don't beleaf it, come check us out! Our plants need a good home and they're rooting for you!

Address

142 Van Buren Street
Chelsea, MI
48118

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 7pm
Tuesday	9am - 7pm
Wednesday	9am - 7pm
Thursday	9am - 7pm
Friday	9am - 7pm
Saturday	9am - 7pm
Sunday	9am - 7pm

Website

http://merkelgardens.com/

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