5 Plants for Early Spring!

At GrowIt! we stand by the ideal that all men and women were created equal. However, we also believe that all plants were not. Some plants bloom all summer long, but don’t bloom in the cooler parts of spring. Whereas some plants like it cool, but stop flowering in June.

Here are 5 plants that you’ve probably been seeing quite a bit of recently. They perform best in the earlier spring months before it gets too hot. If you’re looking for some last minute color for your gardens, through May these might be ok for you. However, these plants are not going to last all summer… and that’s ok! Basically what we’re saying is: take pictures of these plants when you see them, because they are in their prime now, and they’re only going to decline from here.

1. Hellebores – These early spring blooming perennials are favorites in a lot of collector gardens. Very popular in the Pacific Northwest and are generally hardy up to Zone 5 with some varieties even managing to over winter in Zone 4. So as long as you aren’t seeing temps lower than -15 to -25 degrees Fahrenheit your chances are good at this popping up every year. Some varieties have an awesome lime green bloom color which is not easy to find in the plant world!

From User: luriegarden

From User: indianajones64

2. Erysimum or Wallflower – A great flower for beginner gardeners looking to dabble in those early spring bloomers. Erysimum offers a great range of colors. Also, it’s one of the spring-bloomers that prefers the sunny spots. If you live in a warmer area (not the tundra of the Midwest) you might even see this come back for you!

From User: chaletnursery

3. Bleeding Heart or Dicentra – This perennial has one of the most unique flowers. It actually looks like a heart! Beautiful pink and white blooms year after year. However, they often stop flowering when the summer heat starts setting in.

From User: sidraisch

4. Tulips and Daffodils – We couldn’t leave out these bulbs! While tulips and daffodils are some of the most famous plants across the globe, many forget that they do not last into the summer. This is why tulip festivals are always held in the early parts of spring. Sometimes even as soon as mid-May these will begin to go out of flower. Take photos of these ASAP before it’s too late!

From User: nickflax1

From User: mrsjenclarke

5. Osteospermum – Sometimes referred to just as “Osteos” these can be a little tricky. Most varieties on the market prefer the cooler spring temps over the heat of the summer. However, some companies are working on varieties that can stand up to the heat! Before you buy this one, be sure to check the tag to make sure you know whether you’re getting something for spring interest or something that might last a little longer.

From User: cleigh

Another spring flower of note is Pericallis or Cineraria. You might have seen a lot of these on GrowIt! recently! This is because Suntory Flowers is giving away $200 in total prizes to people who upload a picture of their Senetti brand pericallis onto GrowIt! with the hashtag #SenettiRocks in the comments! One winner will receive $100 and two second place winners will receive $50. How cool is that? You could win some cash for your garden just by uploading a photo!

Be sure to stay tuned as we’ll be getting ready to see even more color in the garden as the temps get warmer! Next time we’ll be talking about all those plants that love the heat!

It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than That!

Over the past weekend we were invited to be a part of Chalet Nursery’s Garden Faire event in Wilmette, Illinois. The first weekend in May is the grand opening of spring in the Midwest. When we showed up to the garden center, it was about a quarter to eight in the morning and there was already a line of people waiting to get inside! It’s clear that people had enough of Old Man Winter and wanted to get some plants in the ground.

We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. It was 70 degrees and sunny for the most part. Also, we were able to camp out next to the popcorn guy so that wasn’t bad either!

Plants looked great as well, and the selection was fantastic. Even though some of the more prominent summer annuals weren’t available yet, the wallflowers looked fantastic and so did the lobelia baskets.

We held a raffle as well! Four lucky people are set to win $25 gift certificates to Chalet Nursery and four luckier people are set to win GrowIt! t-shirts. We also had an AMAZING run-in with one of our GrowIt! fans this weekend as well!

Google Maps, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Youtube.

Those are all examples of mobile apps that are the first thing downloaded when someone gets a new phone. This past weekend, we learned that you can now add GrowIt! to that list!

Last summer while we were doing events in the Chicagoland area we had the chance to talk to a lot of people about what we are doing with GrowIt! Because we are currently only a mobile platform some people couldn’t use GrowIt! from the beginning because they didn’t have a smartphone. Turns out that we left an impression on those folks too!

We actually had one fan stop by – in a GrowIt! t-shirt no less – and tell us that last summer she was unable to use the app because she did not have a smartphone. However, she said that back in December she finally upgraded to an iPhone. Can you guess what the first app she downloaded was? Yep! It was GrowIt! We honestly, thought she was kidding at first but she assured us that she downloaded it right at the Apple Store! How cool is that?

She now uses the GrowIt! app as username “booter13”, and really enjoys helping people identify plants that they have questions about. She said that it’s a lot of fun and that she enjoys spreading her passion for gardening.

At the end of the day that’s what GrowIt! is all about: Spreading a passion for plants. We’re just glad we can make people smile while doing it. It truly was a great weekend capped by an AWESOME interaction with one of our users.

Love Is In The Air… Plant!

At GrowIt! we’re always looking for creative, outside of the box ideas!

Our friends at Plant Jungle have provided us with another fantastic how-to guest blog!

Roses are a traditional Valentine’s day gift, but if your S.O. is not traditional, you may want to get them something that is not as standard as roses. How about a Tillandsia driftwood centerpiece? Or a Tillandsia coral centerpiece? It is the perfect gift for the minimalist plant lover.

Items for customized centerpiece:

*   Waterproof glue
*   Tillandsia
*   Driftwood or dry coral skeleton
*   Lichen
*   Moss
Tillandsia, aka air plant, is quite versatile as it can grow almost anywhere as long as it is in a well-ventilated area. If you want to add moss as an accent, we recommend gluing at a lower area away from the Tillandsia because the moss tends to hold too much moisture which is incompatible with Tillandsia. I solved that conundrum by placing the Tillandsia at the crown or highest point of the driftwood while placing the moss at the bottom. This placement ensures that the excess water will spill from the Tillandsia onto the moss. Therefore, the Tillandsia doesn’t get root rot and the moss gets enough water.

Some things to consider:

*   Soak ocean driftwood prior to gluing the Tillandsia otherwise the salinity may kill the plant
*   Avoid pressure treated driftwood as it may contain copper which is damaging to Tillandsia
*   Reverse osmosis water is best for your plants as it has impurities removed while maintaining trace elements
*   Coral is more compatible with Tillandsia as it is more porous than driftwood. This porosity allows adequate ventilation.
*   When gluing your Tillandsia to driftwood, glue to porous crevices around the crown to allow for water drainage.
*   If your Tillandsia has bloomed, avoid spraying the flower. Just spray the base of the plant.

Caring for your plants:

*   Soak the Tillandsia for 15-20 minutes upon receiving your plant.
*   After the Tillandisa is fully dry, glue and thereafter mist the Tillandsia/moss once or twice a week. In drier climates, you may need to mist the Tillandsia more. Avoid overwatering!
*   If Tillandsia becomes dry, soak for 10-15 minutes
*   Water in the morning as Tillandsia absorbs carbon dioxide at night
*   Lighting: Both the Tillandsia and moss prefer indirect sunlight
*   8-10 drops of water every 2-3 days for lichens

Beside soaking driftwood, this project will take only minutes to complete and will last much longer than flowers!

About Plant Jungle:

Since 1998, Plant Jungle has been providing quality indoor plants and plant design for home owners as well as businesses. Go to www.plantjungle.com to purchase plant tools, plant supplies, live tropical plants, containers, and more.

Is your business in need of decor? Per your business’s aesthetic, we design indoor plant containers as well as provide maintenance for the well-being of your plant. Need some privacy at your office? These cubicle plant containers will provide camouflage from your nosey neighbor:  http://www.plantjungle.com/index.php/planters/cubicle-planters.html

An Update on all of the Updates

We interrupt this program to bring you an update from the GrowIt! studio……

Seriously though, gears have been moving behind the scenes here at the GrowIt! laboratory, and we wanted to take a little time and tell you about a couple big changes that have already happened, or are in the works.

SPEED

If you’ve updated the app recently, you might have noticed a couple things. The most obvious change is that it no longer takes years for plants and images to load! Recently we’ve upgraded our back-end servers (Tech Jargon for “we’ve done some computer coding stuff”) to make your GrowIt! experience much more expedient and enjoyable. Our upgrading process allows your phone to load more pictures at a faster rate than ever before. We understand that your time is valuable, and that nobody wants to spend hours waiting for pictures to load.

QUALITY

This is something that you might not have noticed, but the pictures that GrowIt! captures when you use your camera in the app are better than ever! We’ve upped the resolution of the photos that the app can use. We understand that pictures need to be as clear as possible to show the beauty of the plants you love!

UPCOMING: ANDROID!!!??!?!

The transformation process has begun! Our developers have already shown us multiple screens for an Android version of GrowIt! We’re learning that there can be “translation” difficulties when taking an app from one operating system and formatting it for another; however, we are striving to create an app that offers stellar performance for both iPhone and Android users. Our fingers are crossed (when they aren’t typing furiously) but we’re hoping GrowIt! should be available in the Google Play market in the next few months!

We hope all is well with all of our GrowIt! fans out there. Hopefully the snow hasn’t hit you too hard yet.

Just remember when times get cold; Spring is only a few months away, you can make it, and if you need to see something green to brighten your winter days, GrowIt! has you covered.

– Mason Day, Mustachioed CoFounder of GrowIt!

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Quinoa Stuffed Squash!

Every great recipe starts with great ingredients.

Everyone knows that the best of those ingredients are fresh, local, and if possible straight from your garden!

It’s harvest season and with that comes a surplus of veggies like squash, onions and peppers. We thought we would help you out with an AWESOME fall recipe for:

Sausage and Quinoa stuffed Acorn Squash

Courtesy of Seth’s Amazing Girlfriend Elizabeth!

What you will need:

1 Cup Quinoa (cooked according to package)

3 Green Onions, diced

1 Cup Grape Tomatoes, cut in halves

1/2 Red Pepper, diced

2 Spicy Chicken Sausages, diced

3 TBSP. Fresh Mint, diced super fine

1/4 Cup Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, diced super fine

1/2 Lemon, squeezed

1/2 Lime, Squeezed

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)

Parmesan cheese (Optional)

1 Acorn Squash, cut in half

 Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 375°. Cut squash in half, and remove all seeds and strings. Place cut side down into a baking dish with one inch water. Bake 45min.

2. While squash is cooking, prepare quinoa according to package directions.

3. Wisk together olive oil, lemon, lime, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

4. In a large mixing bowl add green onions, tomatoes, red peppers, sausages and olive oil mixture to prepared quinoa. Mix well.

5. Remove squash from oven. Place in a dry baking dish, cut side up. Fill with quinoa mixture, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place back into oven for 21 minutes, or until heated thoroughly.

6. Serve with love and enjoy 🙂

Gardener’s Note!: Some left over scraps can be replanted for future use! For example if you’re only using the green part of green onions, you can replant the bottoms!

New Friends in the Freedom City

Unless you’re a robot, you probably have a soft spot somewhere in your heart for plants.

There may be plants that you don’t like. Posion Ivy, and Stinging Nettles can be a pain.

Mowing the lawn takes precious time out of your day and those gardens won’t plant themselves.

All of that might be true, but we can all agree plants, for the most part, make the world a better place.

However, it seems that today people are less and less interested in planting things. We are too busy waiting in line for the next gadget, or working our weekends away, and our communities are suffering because of it! We must find a way to resurrect the garden, but who will champion this cause?!!?

This past weekend while Seth was in Des Moines, Iowa celebrating the grand opening of the Greater Des Moines Botanic Garden, I was in Philadelphia, The Birthplace of Freedom, for a gathering of minds. I was lucky enough to be invited to the America in Bloom Symposium. America in Bloom is an organization that works with communities to use flowers to improve cities and towns across this great nation.

    

I was representing GrowIt!, and spreading the news of what we are doing to help get more people interested in veggies and flowers. It was fantastic to be able to share passions and talk with people that have the same goal: More plants in the lives of more people!

There were mayors and city planners from hundreds of communities sharing ideas on how to make America a more beautiful place. Though everyone seemed to have the same overarching goal, there were all sorts of ideas and concepts on how to achieve it. Some felt that we had to reach out to the children in education. Others championed the cause for community gardens, and some felt that the best way to get people involved was through ecological restoration processes with native plants.

I got to tell my story and meet so many people. We talked about using GrowIt! to get community members involved in community plantings. We talked about cities having their own profiles to inspire people to branch out and grow something themselves, or as a means to receive feedback on the items that they had planted.

Overall the weekend was a lot of fun, and we left with some great ideas on how to add some flavor to America.

Learn more about America in Bloom Here: http://www.americainbloom.org

~Mason Day – Co-Founder, GrowIt!

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The Plant Explorers!

We have the great opportunity to meet a lot of people from all over the world through the course of creating and promoting GrowIt! It’s the interactions with different people that really show me how GrowIt! Is making a difference.

Since I was young, my favorite thing in the world has been to meet interesting people and learn what makes them tick and what gets them out of bed in the morning.  I had the opportunity this weekend to act out my passion and meet some very interesting people…and to see a friend’s passion in full swing.

This story starts with my friend at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens, Mr. Kelly Norris.  I will sum him up quickly: he is a kickass individual.  After becoming the director of the gardens, he used his passion and drive to acquire over $18 million in funding to renovate the facility and add 7 acres of outdoor garden space.  This is a wonderful opportunity for all of Des Moines because the garden itself is in the heart of the city.

Kelly had the vision beyond what the gardens current state was; he communicated that vision with passion, built the right team, and then used his drive and determination to make it a reality.  You can read more about Kelly and The Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens by reading the New York Times story HERE.  If you live near Des Moines, make sure to stop by and take a look at it…..and feel free to put up some wonderful plants on GrowIt!.

I was in Des Moines visiting Kelly and his crew over the weekend for their first annual symposium, “plant exploring”.  As I was driving to Des Moines I couldn’t help but envision an Indiana Jones like figure standing on stage with his trowel in one hand and whip in another hand.  He would be excitedly telling us about the time he was in search of a long lost plant that had only been pictured in ancient scrolls.  After hearing 4 wonderful presentations I can assure you that there were no chase scenes depicted in the stories that were told.  However, there did seem to be some amazing similarities in the fact that one speaker, Mark Hachadourian, was in search for plants that had not been seen for over 100 years.  He started his presentation talking about the incredibly exotic plants that explorers from all over the world would bring back to Victorian England.  As time passed on, wars came and went, family fortunes were broken up and massive greenhouse sculptures were lost.  With those lost structures, the plants disappeared as well. The only proof that they ever existed were pictures drawn out by artists.

Mark’s presentation was chalk full of wonderful images of plants that were so exotic you would l think you were looking at a Hollywood set.  But for me, given how much I enjoy people, I found his enthusiasm for unknown plants the most remarkable.  If you enjoy the observing interesting photos of weird and wild plants you might want to check out his book.

I would like to Thank Kelly Norris, Mark Hachadourian and his other speakers: Dan Hinkley, Jim Ault, and Peter Zale for and great day of plant exploration…even if there was no Indiana themed music. Dun dada dun… dun da dun….

Seth Reed – Co-Founder, GrowIt!

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The Basics

Liking plants and being a good gardener are two very different things. The nice thing about GrowIt! is that we don’t care if you’re a great gardener. If you like plants we’ve got something for you!

For those in the audience that fall into that group of plant fans that might not have the greenest of thumbs we’re here to help you out. The good thing about the skill of growing is that (so far) it hasn’t been determined to be a genetic trait. That means anyone can develop a green thumb. Some just catch on quicker than others.

You have to start out somewhere right? What are good plants for rookie growers?

Why don’t we start out with something simple, yet TOTALLY AWESOME!

SUCCULENTS

Do you have a table, windowsill, patio, deck, yard, bowl, or a plastic cup? I thought so. You can literally plant succulents in any of those areas. Succulents come in millions of different shapes, sizes, and colors. These plants store water which means that they are excellent for those that might not be so great at remembering to water! Maybe you’ve heard of some of them like Echeveria, Hens and Chicks, or Aloe.

A lot of succulents stay petite which makes them great for apartment growers that don’t have much space, but still want to green up their abode.

AIR PLANTS

Are you too lazy to water or just the most forgetful person… ever? Then maybe we need to start with something that requires even less attention than a succulent. Recently Air Plants have become very popular.

Why do they call them air plants? They literally get the water and nutrients they need from the air. They don’t even need soil! You can find air plants in all sorts of cool containers. Some even come attached to magnets for your refrigerator.

Are you already growing some of these plants? Share with us on GrowIt!

Anyone can grow plants, you just have to start at the right level!

Get out there and GrowIt!

-Mason Day, Cofounder, GrowIt!

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Why GrowIt!?

We’ve covered the “What” and the “Who” of GrowIt!

It only seems logical that the next step would be to talk about the Passion behind GrowIt!

In order to dig into the subject, we have to ask:

As I touched on in the last post, Seth and I both came from jobs in the commercial horticulture industry. Think of it this way: when it comes to gardening we were brokers of the raw materials. We could describe it further but you’d be asleep by the end of this senten…. Sorry dozed off there!

We were working in an industry that makes the world beautiful. However, one thing Seth and I noticed was that younger generations were missing out on the beauty of plants and the benefits they provide. Kids from the Eighties and Nineties didn’t grow up in the garden like previous generations did. Because of this, plants and the concept of “growing” don’t come natural to most younger people.

Rather, than admit defeat and accept the future of a colorless world, Seth and I set out to find a way to get plants in front of more people. Rather than try to bring young people to the garden, we wanted to bring the plants to them. The Average American now spends around 3 hours a day using apps on their phone, so naturally that had to be our platform.

We see GrowIt! as a way to introduce people to plants and other gardeners. It’s a community where the experienced gardener can share their expertise and knowledge, but also a place where plant rookies can obtain the most basic plant information. It’s our job to connect people of every growing level.

If you want to see how plants are important to you and society, all you have to do is Google “benefits of plants” to see what I’m talking about. We’re discovering new benefits every day. That’s where the real passion behind GrowIt! is. Sure, it’s a fun app to share your photos and brag about your garden, but at the end of the day the goal is to inspire people to get growing. Plants are amazing, and we want to make sure more people know that.

– Mason Day, Co-founder of GrowIt!

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Who Is GrowIt!?

Sure, GrowIt! is an app for sharing plant pictures and rating plants.

However, the difference between GrowIt! and the million other gardening apps out there is that GrowIt! is also about people.

Our mission at GrowIt! is to get more people out in the garden. We want to connect gardeners to other gardeners. We want people that have never owned a plant before to be able to connect to every “green thumb” in their area. It’s time to enhance the Growing Culture by creating a platform for people who want to share and learn about plants.

Today to introduce the People aspect of GrowIt! I ask the question:

We’d like to have you believe that there are a million employees at GrowIt! that drive Segways around the office and play ping pong on their lunch breaks, but in reality GrowIt! is two average guys with the backing of an awesome technical team.

Co-Founders:

Seth Reed – Seth brings stability and hair gel to the GrowIt! team. He’s a man who’s truly embedded into plants. After receiving a degree in Horticulture from the University of Illinois, Seth moved north to the Chicago suburbs where he worked in the commercial flower seed industry for almost a decade. Seth is a true family man, and spends every moment he can with his daughter. Let’s just hope she doesn’t turn out like him :).

Mason Day – Mason brings creativity and a lack of knowledge of anything Pre-1990 to the GrowIt! team. Mason grew up around plants on a small farm and garden center in rural Michigan. After graduating from Cornell University, Mason moved west to the Chicago suburbs to work in Social Media. His primary focus was to develop content for leading plant brands. Though he has adjusted to the “grown-up” lifestyle he does still have the occasional “YOLO!” outburst in the office.

The Tech Team:

Eight Bit Studios – When Seth and I created the concept for GrowIt!, we knew we would need some help. Neither of us knew the first thing about computer coding and programming. We sought to find a development company that was truly the best of the best in the Chicago area, and we found that group in Eight Bit Studios. They are responsible for taking all of your ideas and our crazy concepts and putting them into action. They are also the voice of reason when Seth and I suggest ideas that are simply out of date!

At the end of the day though, the real people driving GrowIt! are the people across the nation (and globe) that use the app every day to help out their fellow growers. For this we thank YOU!