Cover design by the lovely Sarah Baker, from the potato prints of the lovely Vanessa Keith WHEN TO VISIT US AT BAKER’S ACRES - ALEXANDRIA… MARCH Friday, March 21st - Opening Day 9 - 5 Monday through Saturday 10 – 4 Sunday APRIL 9 - 7 Monday through Friday 9 - 6 Saturday and Sunday 10 - 2 Easter Sunday MAY 9 – 8 Monday through Saturday 9 – 6 Sunday 8 pm – 10 pm Saturday 24th ‘Extravaganza’ See page 4 for details 10 – 4 Memorial Day, Monday 26th JUNE 9 – 7 Monday through Friday 9 – 5 Saturday and Sunday JULY 10 – 6 Monday through Friday 10 – 4 Saturday and Sunday Closed July 4th After July 4th: 9 - 4 Monday through Saturday 10 – 4 Saturday and Sunday Hours may vary during this time - Please call ahead. AUGUST 9 - 4 Monday through Saturday 10 – 4 Saturday and Sunday Hours may vary during this time - Please call ahead. SEPTEMBER 9 – 5 Monday through Saturday 10 – 4 Sunday 10 - 2 Labor Day, Monday 1st OCTOBER 9 – 5 Monday through Saturday 10 – 4 Sunday Monday 6th - Close for Season (maybe) NOVEMBER Working our fingers to the bone producing through MARCH plants for 2015 HEAT ALERT When temperatures are 90º or higher, we reserve the right to close and seek out air-conditioning. Be sure to check our Facebook page for events, information, and special offers. Sign up for our email newsletter on @ www.bakersacresgreenhouse.com Two Internet Plant Forums Dave’s Garden (www.davesgarden.com - $15) and GardenWeb (www.gardenweb. com - free) are two very fine Internet sites with tons of information and scores of forums to connect you with gardeners from all over the world including central Ohio. Highly recommended. IN ONE YEAR AND OUT THE OTHER 2013 was a pretty good year, personally speaking. Hope yours was also. Here’s a few interesting tidbits from the last twelve months. In the obituary column, we are sad to report that Chuck Foley, the inventor of the popular game, Twister, passed away at age 82. It was his dying wish that the handles of his coffin be painted different colors and the pallbearers had to spin to see which handle to grab, resulting in many strange and precarious positions. That crazy Chuck! Have you noticed lately that a lot of women, especially morning TV personalities, have been wearing dresses with large blocks of black and another solid color? Is it just me, or do they look like they just stepped off the bridge of the Starship Enterprise? There’s been a lot of talk this past year about the Canadian Tarzans. Apparently a lot of people are upset about this and I don’t blame them. Everyone knows that all the Tarzans have been American, from Johnny Weismüller to Ron Ely. Okay, maybe there was that Frenchman Christopher Lambert later on, but definitely no Canadians. I tried to talk about the Tarzans with my kids but they just tell me it’s time to get a hearing aid. Kids, what do they know?! And don’t get me started on all the school problems caused by the Gum Lobby. Have you looked under those desks? The recent Winter Olympics were pretty exciting and featured the oldest Gold Medal winner ever in skiing, Bodie Miller, at age thirty-eight. Ooh, thirty-eight, that’s really old. I have socks older than that. Speaking of the Olympics, poor Bob Costas was stricken with a raging case of conjunctivitis. A similar thing once happened to Frank Sinatra. For about a three week period in 1962, he was known as Ol’ Pink Eyes. Justin Bieber (a Canadian, no less) was in the news again for making a fool of himself, as was singer Miley Cyrus. There is much speculation by show biz insiders that they are indeed the same person. They are both about the same size, same age, same nut job personality, have basically the same face, and no one can ever remember seeing them in the same room together. At least that’s what I heard on Abscess Hollywood. In a weird carjacking incident in South Africa, three gun-toting men jumped into a car driven by a young woman who then panicked and drove her car backwards, smashing into a brick wall, which just happened to be filled with bees’ nests. This did not amuse the bees, who then proceeded to fly into the car and attack the bad guys. They were last seen running down the road screaming and waving their arms wildly about their heads. All the bees were given little tiny Certificates of Commendation. This year’s new plants are pretty darn cool, if I do say so myself. Perennials include a true perennial everblooming Digitalis called ‘Polka Dot Princess’. The flowers are sterile which results in a very long blooming season and no pesky seedlings. There are two new Dianthus, the sweet smelling ‘Scent First Sugar Plum’ and ‘Scent First Coral Reef’. Again, all summer bloom. For new annuals we have a couple dwarf kangaroo paws, Anigozanthos ‘JoeJoe Orange’ and ‘JoeJoe Yellow’. There is a wonderfully named Caladium, ‘Frog in a Blender’ and much buzz about the annual foxglove, Digiplexis ‘Illumination Rose’. New veggies feature the grafted tomatoes - heirloom varieties grafted on a very hardy, disease resistant root stock. This winter has been a nasty one for sure but it has to end sometime and spring will arrive sooner or later. We’ll be ready for you when it does, count on that. MISSION STATEMENT It is our greatest desire to provide our customers with top quality, well-grown plant material at a fair and honest price. We will strive to provide an unmatched selection of old favorites and underused, hard-to-find items, along with the newest varieties on the market. We will eagerly share our horticultural knowledge gained from years of education and experience. Lastly, we offer all this in a spirit of fun and lightheartedness. SPANISH MISSION STATEMENT Es nuestro mayor deseo el ofrecerle a nuestros clientes una calidad de primera en nuestras plantas a un precio justo y honesto. Nuestra compania hace todo lo possible para proveer a nuestra clientera con una seleccion incomparable de variedades favoritas y no comunes, junto a nuevas variedades en el mercado. Gratamente compartiremos nuestros conocimientos en horticultura obtenidos por una educacion y experiencia con nuestra clientera. Y finalmente ofresemos todo esto en un espiritu de alegria y felicidad. SUSPICION STATEMENT Apparently, we are constantly being monitored for suspicion of illegal activities by the CIA, NSA, FBI, DHS, FCC, MSNBC, IBM, NFL and quite possibly the ASPCA. Someone is probably watching me write this goofy paragraph as well as watching you read it. To know this at least makes me a little more concerned about personal grooming. EMISSION STATEMENT Last year’s elections resulted in copious amounts of gaseous emissions but it was nowhere near the output from our big yellow dog. Please, someone help us! SUBMISSION STATEMENT Our radio ads, our email newsletter, this catalog, and even our greenhouse music are all filled with subliminal messages designed to force you to submit to our will. You will buy plants until your car is full. You will tell all your friends about us. You will think we look like movie stars. Just kidding! We really don’t do that……..or do we? APPARITION STATEMENT Apparition is a fancy word for ghost. That reminds me of the couple who had a ‘Sixth Sense’ open marriage. They were both free to see dead people. INTERMISSION STATEMENT This intermission may be used at any time during the reading of this catalog. Feel free to use the restroom facilities or visit the snack bar for refreshments. When the house lights are dimmed, please return to your seat in a timely manner and resume reading. Thank you, The Management. TITIAN STATEMENT As any good student of art will tell you, Titian was a famous and influential painter from the Italian Renaissance period known for his brilliant use of color. He was a member of the 16th-century Venetian School, often donating his paintings for the PTO fundraising raffles. RE-MISSION STATEMENT The act of certain people redefining ‘Mission Statement’ over and over, ad nauseum. OMISSION STATEMENT Due to space limitations again, this year’s Omission Statement has been omitted. That’s Bouquet By Me! Yes, this is the name of my Cut Flower Business and YES, I can provide you with stunning, one- of-a-kind bouquets for your wedding, special occasion, or any other of life’s rites of passages! YES, I grow all the flowers myself without the use of chemical fertilizers! YES, I have unique varieties you won’t find at the florist, including native Ohio wildflowers! I grow them, cut them, arrange them and deliver them to you! And YES I have more vases and mason jars than one person should ever have that you can use! Call or Email me, Sarah Baker, for more info and pictures....614-746- 2248 [email protected] TEE SHIRT TUESDAYS For years, folks have wanted to buy our tee shirts. Well, now you can. And if you wear it on a Tuesday in March, April, and May, you’ll get 10% off your purchase. This cannot be used with other discounts or coupons. As of catalog printing time, we don’t yet have a price, but it will be reasonable and well worth the investment – and it’s good for two years. Why, the prestige alone should make you want to get one. THE BIRTHDAY CLUB “You say it’s your birthday. Happy Birthday to you!” We are happy to announce the birth of the Birthday Club.