By Jolene FarleySigns of spring are all over at Wally’s Nursery, rural Hills. The greenhouses are full of seedlings and in another week or two customers will be lining up to purchase them.Partners Delwyn and Robert Walraven began growing seedlings for Mother’s Day and Memorial Day in the first part of February. In the nursery business for 33 years, the brothers have developed a system of recording when they plant what, and they follow the same growing schedule every year."It’s easier than trying to remember it all," Delwyn said. This year, they planted more than 1,200 geraniums and about 1,000 flats of 12 of other flowers including petunias, marigolds, moss roses, pansies and other varieties."We grow a lot of vegetables, too," Delwyn said. People purchase the vegetables for their gardens and the Walravens sell the produce from the plants that aren’t purchased.Trends and customer favorites in plants and landscaping have changed over the years, according to Delwyn. For example, Wally’s Nursery grows a plant that was a favorite during the Nixon administration. The leaves are shaped and colored like jellybeans. Nixon was supposedly fond of jellybeans. Growing techniques have also changed. Instead of dirt, seedlings are planted in an artificial mix. Dirt can carry disease organisms or unknown chemicals, according to Delwyn.He said some customers ask what to do to attract butterflies to their gardens. Butterflies don’t like wind, so he suggests a wind block or privacy area — or even a shallow pond with some rocks for the butterflies to land on to drink water. "There are certain flowers that butterflies like better than others," he said.Dill and parsley attract butterflies because butterfly larvae like to eat the plants.The Walraven brothers attend landscaping classes during the winter to keep up on what is new in their business. Some ideas at the classes work for this area and some don’t, according to Delwyn. "One of the trends this year is growing the same flowers in pots and sitting them together," he said. By rearranging the pots, homeowners can change the look of their landscaping. Using more grasses for a feathery look in landscaping is also a new trend. "You have to listen to them and say, ‘What is going to work for us?’" Delwyn said.
