By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
Westborough – “We'se growing again. I's just thrilled to have greenhouses again.”
Larry McGoldrick's excitement over the spacious new greenhouses behind the main store at The Green Thumb garden center can hardly be contained. The 15,000 square feet of glassed-in space means he can once again grow most of the plants he sells.
The Green Thumb suffered a devastating loss at the end of January 2011, when the heavy snowfalls of that severe winter collapsed all of the center's greenhouses overnight and buried its inventory of pots and supplies, 10 days before the first plants would have been started. With the help of friends in the nursery business in southern New Jersey, McGoldrick was able to get the inventory he needed for last spring's season, but it was all displayed outside with no shelter from chilly weather or heavy spring rains.
“The word “challenges” would be an understatement,” he said. Plants had to be continually trimmed and watered by hand, and the hanging baskets that are a Green Thumb staple sat on tables and on the ground, so the growing plants kept needing to be cut back. The labor costs were enormous.
But over the winter, McGoldrick ordered state-of-the-art greenhouses from the Dutch manufacturer Venlo. “The Dutch have been and still are the innovators of the horticultural industry.”
In March, the new greenhouses went up, the construction aided by early spring's mild weather, perhaps Mother Nature making up for the damage caused the previous year.
McGoldrick is particularly grateful for the support and encouragement he received from Westborough town officials and the professionalism of the town's building inspector, Tin Htway, in getting the project completed in time for the spring planting season.
The new greenhouses are taller, over 18 feet at the three peaks, so they permit plants to be hung in two or three tiers, the ones ready to buy at the lowest level where shoppers can see them, and baskets still growing at higher levels, all levels covered by an automated irrigation system, eliminating the need for hand-watering. The height and light that come in permits McGoldrick to grow more plants without needing additional greenhouse space.
The roofs open at the center peak to cool down the greenhouses. McGoldrick noted that capability lets him “harden off ” annuals, getting them used to the New England climate as they mature, so they do better in customers” gardens than plants that have been shipped into the area fully grown from Southern climates.
Walking into the vast, bright, open space of the greenhouses, customers are greeted by a riot of bright colors and a huge selection of flowering plants. Many are grouped on tables, easy to see and to load on a shopping cart. There's a huge choice of hanging baskets overhead with flower combinations in almost any color scheme imaginable. There's also a large assortment of herbs and vegetable seedlings.
Another area for flats of annual flowers is just outside the greenhouses. It has no roof, though shade cover can be pulled over it when the sun gets hot, and it also has an irrigation system.
“We can grow our plants again. It's where I want to be,” McGoldrick said with obvious satisfaction, standing in the middle of bright geraniums under his glass roof.
The new greenhouses are not The Green Thumb's only attraction. Last year, the center opened a beautifully landscaped 18-hole miniature-golf course for families to enjoy every day of the week, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., weather permitting.
The centerpiece is a waterfall made of boulders quarried in nearby Northborough that creates a stream and flows into spray ponds. Specimen shrubs in a variety of colors dot the landscaping, complemented by flowering trees. In one section, topiary animals, flowers and figures will delight children. Daylilies, hydrangeas, ornamental grasses and annuals for color complete the scene. (The plants are labeled so if golfers see one they really like, they can purchase that type in the garden shop.)
Children can also enjoy the free playground and pet the goats in their pen next to the main store. An ice cream shop in the store offers a huge variety of flavors.
Ski Barn, a local ski retailer, sets up shop in The Green Thumb's retail barn from September through April, then moves out to make way for the spring and summer flower season, a deal that benefits both retailers during their off-seasons.
The Green Thumb garden center and miniature golf course is located at 187 Turnpike Road, on the westbound side of Route 9, and is open seven days a week. For additional information, call 508-366-7478 or visit the website, www.thegreenthumbinc.com.
