Crighton's Florist & Greenhouses - Prospect, PA

Perennial Flowers from the NorthEast

crightons — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:22:00 GMT

We here at Crighton's Florist & Greenhouses, western Pennsylvania, were asked to create a casket spray and matching foot spray in early July. The requirements were that they be of summer flowers. We had learned the deceased was from a farm and loved her rural life. Besides going to our refrigerated floral coolers, we also went with knife in hand to the perennial beds. Her family was presented with phlox, several types of hosta leaves and flowers, Queen Anne's lace, sweet peas, purple coneflower, and privet, along with the carnations, lilies, gladioli and delphinium we had purchased. The REALLY fresh flowers had been carefully hydrated and cooled prior to their use. It was just a treat to be able to satisfy the family when they were so vulnerable by being the florist with greenhouses and perennial beds.

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Happy Pansy Planters

crightons — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:11:00 GMT

Instant good feelings. Flowers and plants help us manage our stress

and our need to give to others. Check out our website

www.crightonsgreenhouse.com to see some of our offerings. We will

personally deliver to zip codes 16051, 16052, 16101, 16102, 16105,

16057, 16061, 16025, 16027, 16029, 16001, 16002, 16038, 16023,

16127, 16033, 16037, 16063, 16053, 16117, 16045, and 16039.

We have our own greenhouses, florist shop and farm market here

Prospect, PA 16052.

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Newspaper Seedling Pots

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:19:00 GMT

In our greenhouses, we grow a number of bedding plants in "peat pots"--small pots made from pressed peat moss. Unlike plastic pots, these are completely biodegradable. All you need to do is dig the hole and drop the entire pot into it. Easy, and environmentally friendly.

If you don't have peat pots handy, Eric from Japan has a neat origami trick for making planting pots from newspaper. You can see the article at http://www.geocities.com/newspaperpots/. The site is currently offline since it exceeded its bandwidth limit, so you may need to check back.

(hat tip: Lifehacker)

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Custom Hanging Baskets and Porch Planters

crightons — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 13:29:00 GMT

It's still a little early for annuals to be outside in our area, but our greenhouses are warm and filling with hanging baskets and trays of annuals. The big box stores are stocked with empty hanging baskets and porch planters. If you've found the perfect planter or basket, don't wait to plant it! Bring it to us now, and we'll plant it for you. We'll fill your planter with our BioComp Growing Mix, and a selection of annuals and spikes perfect for your container. When the time is right to hang the baskets, yours will be lush and full right from the start!

We're located in Prospect, PA, and convenient to New Castle, Ellwood City, Butler, Evans City, Zelienople and surrounding areas. Visit us in Prospect at 130 Main St, or call us at 724-865-9371 for more information.

Below are some examples of hanging baskets and planters we've done in the past. Click on the image for a larger view.

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Better for You, Better for Us

crightons — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 20:18:00 GMT

This year of growing flowering plants and vegetable transplants

has begun in a safer manner for you and me in our greenhouses.

We have found a composted growing media that is so much more

environmentally friendly than that which is used conventionally. It is

called BioComp Composted Growing Mix and among other

ingredients such as peat moss, it contains shredded peanut hulls.

Things are growing with leaps and bounds and we are very pleased.

The product contains natural agents which reduce the need for

insecticides and fungicides.

You may purchase the mix from us at our shop in Prospect, PA

for your own growing needs. We are using it exclusively in our

planters, hanging baskets, pots and flats. Join us in our efforts

to reduce the use of chemicals in the world of horticulture.

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Since We're Talking About Funeral Flowers,

crightons — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 19:47:00 GMT

We, Crighton's Florist & Greenhouses,www.crightonsflorist.com, also deliver to Evans City, PA 16033. We create sympathy flower arrangements for the

two funeral homes, Boylan Funeral Home and Kinsey-Volz

Funeral Home who are both wonderful with their service and

caring. Again we offer throws or afghans, wheat sheaves,

wallhangings, plants, dish gardens and traditional floral

arrangements. Our website is www.crightonsflorist.com.

If a person needs custom design, we will do all we can to

accomodate their request.

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Funeral Flowers and .....

crightons — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 19:33:00 GMT

One of the towns Crighton's Florist & Greenhouses service near us is Zelienople, PA 16063. We create and deliver sympathy flowers for the two

funeral homes, Boylan Funeral Home and Glenn-Kildoo Funeral Home.

Besides arranging traditional baskets of flowers, standing sprays, vases, and

table flowers, we offer throws or afghans, wheat sheaves, and wallhangings.

Plants and dish gardens are always popular and practical as well. You will

find selections at our website www.crightonsflorist.com. We will do variations and always try to listen to any special requests.

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Pansies in Container Gardens

crightons — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 19:21:00 GMT

Cool spring weather and colorful pansy faces can really turn on the color

on your deck or patio. We here at Crighton's Florist & Greenhouses,

www.crightonsgreenhouse.com, are talking to and growing on our new

crop. Some are in terra cotta oval shape planters, 12 inches in size, the

others are in typical 'peck' market baskets of white. Pansies are mixed

faces and colors, mixed pastels, solid yellow, blue with faces, and the

popular viola Ultima Morpho.

If you have a container, we specialize in custom planting. Bring it to us

and we will plant it and grow it on until you need it. This is a wonderful

idea for centerpieces!!

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New arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map reflects warmer climate

admin — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 15:03:00 GMT

With several inches of snow on the ground, and freezing rain this morning, it's hard to think that spring is near, but our little groundhog friend slightly to the east said we'd have an early one this year. Over the past hundred years, the earth's climate has warmed, and that has changed what plants and trees can be grown in our area. Their press release reads, in part

Nebraska City, Neb. – Much of the United States has been warmer in recent years, and that affects which trees are right for planting.

Based on the latest comprehensive weather station data, The National Arbor Day Foundation has just released a new 2006 arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map which separates the country into ten different temperature zones to help people select the right trees to plant where they live.

The new map reflects that many areas have become warmer since 1990 when the last USDA hardiness zone map was published. Significant portions of many states have shifted at least one full hardiness zone. Much of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, for example, have shifted from Zone 5 to a warmer Zone 6. Some areas around the country have even warmed two full zones.

Our area is now a solid Zone 6, and previously we were considered Zone 5. This means some plants you may not have 20 years ago because the didn't "do well" can now be planted here. At Crighton's Florist and Greenhouses, we grow most of what we sell, and carry a large selection of second year perennials (with a wide selection of hostas). Being the grower means we have in-depth knowledge of how to best plant and care for what's growing in your garden. Visit us online at www.crightonsflorist.com, or stop by our shop when it's time to plan your spring garden, and we'll be happy to help!

More information on the new hardiness zone map is available at http://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm.

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A Unique Gift

crightons — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 17:26:00 GMT

The Butler Basket - is a cool tote bag filled with edible products made in Butler County, Pennsylvania! Our county is special and we want you to know that. The items currently filling the tote are coffee from Kiva Han in Cranberry Township, chocolate covered pretzels from Barkus Chocolates in Butler, a variety of spices from Con Yeager Spice Company in Zelienople, a Buttermilk Cookbook from Marburger Dairy in Evans City (we couldn't put their milk in the tote), spice spreads from Herbal Delights in Saxonburg, fresh potatoes from McGowan Farms in Prospect, those wonderful Simply Sweet Onions from us, Crighton's Florist & Greenhouses in Prospect, and Buckwheat Flour Self-Rising from Zanella Milling in West Sunbury. The Butler AgriTour Product Alliance is selling these and may be reached at 1-866-856-8444 or visit http://www.buybutlerbrand.com/. And the cost? Only $39.99 plus shipping. How many people you know would appreciate such a unique collection of foods? The buckwheat flour for example became famous the year there was no summer in Butler County. All the farmers' crops failed but they knew buckwheat would grow in a cool short season. And so we became known as the Buckwheat County! Order now - as you read this! It is wonderful.

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Remember the "Florist Who Grows Onions"?

crightons — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 14:42:00 GMT

The Pennsylvania Simply Sweet Onions are in!!! We are florists who also grow acres of vegetables, including the new PA Simply Sweet Onion. You will find a photo in the Photo Section of these Blogs. They are sweeter than Vidallia onions, mild, and delicious. They are excellent raw in salads, make wonderful onion rings, carmelized onions, meat loaf, whatever! They even keep well at about 40 degrees F. We do ship them and we can be reached at jcrighton@aol.com.

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Seasonal Transition

crightons — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:45:00 GMT

Your first fall (autumn) arrangement!! When does this happen? Your first customer to request one - why?

When do your secondary schools begin the new term? Football games? Pie night? What in your area influences the change?

Here in western Pennsylvania it definitely is the beginning of school. Yet even into early October we will have requests for 'summer' flowers in arrangements, particularly sympathy pieces. There appears to be a great tug of war letting go of summer and admitting fall is arriving.

Open for comments - anyone?

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Baby Mums

crightons — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 17:24:00 GMT

We are growers of chrysanthemums, both in the field and in the greenhouse. They come to us from our supplier as tiny cute little cuttings (even baby plants are cute!) which need tender loving care. As you will see in the photo, they are surrounded by an electrified chicken wire fence to keep out their enemies: groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and turkeys and deer. These animals find them either tasty or just interesting to play with. They pull the tags out, dig in them, bite them and knock them over.

Mums grow best at natural temperatures out of doors here in Pennsylvania. They are driven by the length of the day in terms of footcandles of light. Natural light makes them bloom for the fall period. Actually breeders have worked with their genetics and they will begin to bloom late this month and others will bloom in September and October.

As florists we often go to far reaches to please customers. During 911 when the planes were grounded, the thought had passed our mind that perhaps we would have to use what we had on hand in terms of flowers for a bride that weekend: MUMS. As it turned out we didn't have to do that but I have had to explain carefully the reason for 'we must reserve the right to substitute flowers if. . .' in our wedding contracts since that fateful day.

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What Kind of Florist Grows Onions?

crightons — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:05:00 GMT

Pennsylvania still depends greatly on agriculture as a business. Used to be most of the florists had many glass greenhouses attached to their shops. In those houses they grew all their own roses, carnations, snapdragons, freesia - many of the basic flowers in yesterday's arrangements. Since the market has become a global one, all that has changed.

This florist, Crighton's Florist & Greenhouses, happens to be located on a small farm in Prospect, PA and has greenhouses in which we produce potted blooming plants. We also grow hanging baskets and bedding and vegetable plants for sale at our shop. The farm is Class 1 soil, some of the best in Pennsylvania and is perfect for producing fresh vegetables.

In the summer we have tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, green beans, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, endive, beets, and many more. However, our most important crop is the PA Simply Sweet Onion. It is a large sweet Spanish type, tastes better than the Vidalia onion and is trademarked and rapidly becoming an important crop in the state.

We have many farmers in the area near us and when called upon, we include vegetables in their floral arrangements. Be it birthday, get well, or sympathy, it is common for our shop to do what is asked as best we can. We also have many perennials from which we can create a beautiful custom 'wildflower' arrangement like no other!

We offer free walking tours of our place in season: greenhouses in the spring, fields in the summer, flower shop year round. Check this blog again for pictures and an up date on our fall mum crop in the field!

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