When most people think of Michigan. . . they think of cars.

And, sure. There is that. But. . . Southwest Michigan is more famous for being the Bedding Plant Capital of the World!
And, what does that mean for me?
Why, it means I'm in Fat City when it comes to high-quality plant material! It means that I live smack-dab in the middle of some of the best nurseries in the world! And it means that I look forward to Opening Day for all my favorite nurseries with the same kind of passion that fuels. . .
- Hunters awaiting the opening of "gun season."
- Fisherman looking forward to "The Trout Opener."
- Shoppers camping out for "Black Friday."
It means that I collect my Opening Day announcements and Early Bird coupons; it means that I mark dates and times on my calendar; it means that my friend Sandie and I have many strategy discussions over coffee; it means . . .
ROAD TRIP!
Even though we have plenty of WONderful nurseries right here in Kalamazoo, Sandie and I traditionally start the nursery season with a road trip to some of our favorite remote nurseries. This year was no exception, as we hit the road bright and early Saturday morning . . . discount coupons in hand!
First stop. . .

Hidden Grove in West Olive, Michigan.
Grab a cup of coffee, and come along with us!

Hidden Grove is a wonderful nursey with high-quality perennials

fun little garden tchotchkes and beautiful pots

and aisle after aisle

after greenhouse after greenhouse

of great plants for every spot in your garden! They also have great demonstration gardens out on their property, although it's a bit early in the season to really explore them.
They also have the most stunning array of succulents EVER.

This is only one of several rows of succulents. (I may have had a bit of a falling down in the succulent sections.)
They also have a gorgeous selection of begonias. I think I'll take . . . THIS one!

Next, we swung over to WW Greenhouses, which is probably my first-love when it comes to nurseries. (Our first house was less than a mile away from this place. I spent many an afternoon, dragging Toddler Erin and Baby Brian through WW!)

WW's tagline is "The Perennial People" . . . and they aren't kidding! They have a great selection of perennials, native plants, pond plants, and annuals that will just knock your socks off!

WW always EXPLODES with color.

Their greenhouses go on for acres! They do a wonderful job with demonstration gardens -- both inside and out.



Their hanging baskets and containers are inspiring! The best I've seen -- and, trust me, I've seen a LOT of great hanging baskets at various nurseries in the area.


They even have butterflies and birds. It's just a delight.

(The Japanese Forest Grass came home with me; sadly, the Red Admiral did not.)
And here's the funny part. We weren't going to buy anything at WW. We were just goiing to look.
Oops.

Here's Sandie with her cart! Mine was significantly less full, but still. . .

We definitely pushed the limits of Sandie's new Prius -- and have dubbed it the Official Flower Wagon of All Road Trips!

Now. . . if only the weather would warm up so we could get rid of the frost warnings!