Summer means I'm spending more time at home outside...and that I need to work on sprucing up patio, deck, and backyard with floral color bursts. Eddie, my neighbor who always has to-die-for potted plants and hanging baskets, finally shared his secret source with me: Olivito Greenhouse, where annuals are king, and container gardening's their thing.
Lovingly tended by Ben and Jill Oliveto, the selection, quality, and price is impressive. When you arrive, you're immediately taken by the beautiful setting - surrounded by forest, a bit of Eden at your fingertips. The huge display of technicolor flowers are so hardy you'd think they're on steroids. Walking through the flats of herbs, annuals, potted patio trees, Jill's bloom-filled urns and window boxes, I zeroed in on the enormous hanging flower baskets, nurtured by hand, plucked and pinched since January to grow into the perfect shape...And at $22-$24 each, a real steal - half the price you'd pay anywhere else.
Situated along the old canal towpath, the hospitable Olivitos have welcomed visitors to their homestead - April through July - for at least a couple of decades. Pay them a visit, pick up some dazzling plants to brighten up your home...you'll be glad you did. 813 Union Blvd. Totowa/Little Falls, NJ. 973-785-2386.
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I've gone there for years...bought a Christmas tree there with a rootball and planted it during January thaw. Healthy stuff.