Dowagiac greenhouse selling autumn flowers

Published 11:26 am Monday, October 2, 2017

The dark red of a crisp apple. The rich auburn of falling leaves. The vibrant orange of a newly carved jack-o’-lantern.

These are the iconic hues that most associate with the autumn season — though green thumbs have long known of other shades that only come to life this particular time of year: a spectrum bright yellow, vivid fuchsia, soft amber and pure white, created by the pedals of the Chrysanthemum flower, known by most as simply mums.

From now through the end of fall, Dowagiac’s Creekside Greenhouse, located at 324 Pokagon St., is offering people a chance to pick up some of these fall flowers, which may spruce up their home garden or add a splash of color to their patio or interior this season. Visitors may purchase a small pot of mums for $10, or a large pot for $14.

Creekside Greenhouse, owned by local residents O’Larry and Mildred Collins, has been selling the fall flowers every autumn since the business opened 18 years ago, O’Larry said. The couple begins planting mums every summer, in June and July, and places them up for sale in early September, when the flowers begin blossom.

“Customers typically flock to the greenhouse to purchase mums this time of year, when the flowers’ colors are at their peak, O’Larry said. “The flowers should last throughout the rest of fall, up until it starts snowing.”

Among those who frequent the greenhouse this time of year is Dowagiac’s Sharon Collins — no relation to the owners, she said — who stopped by Creekside on Thursday to purchase some mums for her and her husband’s front lawn, she said.

“I really love the colors when they are fully blossomed,” she said. “They really pop. They really capture people’s attention when they are driving by your lawn.”

Sharon said she is a regular customer of Creekside, where she purchases daylilies and other types of flowers that she uses to landscape her lawn throughout the year. For Sharon, it is not just the greenhouse’s selection of plants that makes her come back time and again — it is the type of service she receives from the owners

“They [O’Larry and Mildred] are the friendliest, warmest people I have ever met,” she said, while O’Larry helped her load up her vehicle with another batch of mums.

For hours and more information, people may call Creekside Greenhouse at (269) 414-2120.