Whether you're looking to start or expand your garden this summer, or if you're just in need of a fresh flower arrangement, Dan Schantz Greenhouse has you covered. Read on to get tips from greenhouse president Patrick Flanley and become green-thumb inspired!
Patrick Flanley
President, Managing Partner
Tell us about the transition following Dan Schantz's retirement, and the business's decision to maintain the name.
Dan Schantz has been in the Valley for over 50 years. I have been a part of the company for 43 years and many of my partners just as many. The residents of the Lehigh Valley associate with the name Dan Schantz, so we felt there is no need to change the name.
How do you uphold the status as one of the top wholesale growers in the country while still staying true to family values?
We have been committed to wholesale growing with the same values for years and see no need to change.
The greenhouse only offers products when it's time to plant them. Tell us the importance of that. What should residents be looking to plant this July?
We want to make sure we do all we can to make all gardeners, amateur and professionals alike, succeed. July would be the time to start fall vegetables and to maintain your bedding plants.
What are some of the most common plant-related questions you get from customers?
1. Which is going to come back each year: perennial or annual? Most customers think annual means every year. We explain that perennials usually have smaller bloom time, anything from a week to a few months, but will come back each year. Most annuals provide color all summer till frost but need to be planted each year. Most gardens are best with a combination of both annual and perennial.
2. Which hanging baskets can go under a porch where it is shady but still bloom all summer? We show them fuchsia, begonias, impatiens and New Guinea impatiens, just to name a few.
3. Does this plant bloom all summer? Most customers want flowering annuals that don't need maintenance to keep blooming. We try to pick out the easiest self-bloomers and counsel the customers to fertilize every three weeks for annuals.
4. Where are your sun annuals? It is easier to show them the few annuals that won't take all-day sun—most annuals will thrive in full sun if watered properly while first being established.
What's something that readers might not know that you offer?
We offer designer dish gardens, a large selection of pots and planters for indoor and outdoor. Our highly creative and innovative floral designers will be happy to help with all of your cut-flower needs (pick-up only).
What's new or on the horizon for the greenhouse?
We are constantly trialing the newest plants in the industry so we can give our customers the easiest and best varieties for our area. Automation is always on our mind to become more efficient with less labor. We're also always keeping a close eye on demand to see if we must expand our growing facilities.
2031 29th St. SW, Allentown | 610.797.2774 | danschantzgreenhouse.com
