It's the middle of February, and for those of us with cabin fever, the thought of spring and its blooming flowers are all that keep us going. From now until the time we can put our hands in the garden dirt and plant the first primroses or pansies, many of us are dreaming about sunny days spent outdoors.
Members of the Eaves family of Sunnybank Farm don't have to wait -- they're already working around the clock in 13 greenhouses, cultivating thousands of geraniums, pansies, impatiens, market packs of annuals of all kinds, and countless perennials.
Carroll Eaves' passion for growing things goes back as far as he can remember -- to the years he and his brother grew plants to show at local fairs.
He began growing field mums on his Crouse Mill Road property nearly 18 years ago, when he moved his family to Carroll County from nearby Frederick County, where he and a partner had owned a similar business.
A handyman and a former electrician, Mr. Eaves, with his wife, Rosalie, and his son Steven have built almost all the greenhouses and renovated the adjoining farmhouse themselves. The property overlooks a winding creek, and it might be one of the prettiest sites in our end of the county.
When I visited the Sunnybank Farm on a blustery day, it was 20 degrees outside, but the minute I walked into the greenhouse, the sweet smell of plants and soil and the warmth of the sun coming into the transparent walls made it feel like the first warm day in May.
Mr. Eaves gave me a tour of the greenhouses, primed for the 2,000 flowering baskets that will hang from overhead pipes, and thousands of plants that line long tables, awaiting the first eager customers who begin stopping by as early as St. Patrick's Day.
In one of the greenhouses, Ms. Eaves and her friend Kathy Andrews were transplanting seed geraniums, poking holes in the soil and transferring the plants to larger containers. By day's end, they will have transferred more than 10,000 plants.
Sunnybank Farm is located at 1300 Crouse Mill Farm near Taneytown. Information: 775-2153.
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The gardening enthusiasts of the Silver Fancy Garden Club aren't waiting for the first official day of spring, either.
The club's gardening and conservation activities are showcased monthly meetings held throughout the year. Today's meeting looks ahead to planting a perennial garden, and lifelong gardener Maxine Dixon of Taneytown will share her tips and strategy on getting a perennial garden to prosper.
Mrs. Dixon has been a Silver Fancy club member since the early 1980s.
She's also involved in a gardening therapy program for the residents of Carroll Lutheran Village's health center.
Ms. Dixon, Anita Skiles and Shirley Prutch share their love of gardening with the residents, encouraging them to plant flowers in containers tall enough for them to reach while sitting in a wheelchair or using a walker.
Ms. Dixon and her garden therapists are excited about a long-range project at Carroll Lutheran Village -- the planting of wildflowers throughout the wooded area that surrounds a walking path near the health center. Day lilies have been planted at the entrance to this path; the planting of wildflowers will be started this spring.
Club president Pat Fisher says that other activities for the club's 23 members include: tours of historic sites and gardens and meetings that encourage year-round gardening, and building and maintaining blue bird boxes.
Information: 756-6825.
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Families in the Taneytown area whose small children have been past participants in the Parent-Infant-Toddler program are invited to join a play group that will meet weekday mornings starting Feb. 24.
The play group is a chance for children, ages 3 and 4, who have outgrown the younger group, to play in an informal setting filled with all kinds of toys and get a chance to play with other kids, too.
Parents of developmentally delayed children can feel isolated, says Linda Standiford, the parent coordinator of the Parent-Infant-Toddler Program, and this is a chance for parents and children to get together.
Ms. Standiford says that the play group is very informal and the time between 10 and noon is flexible -- arrive when you can and stay as long as you want.
The play group will meet at the Families Learning Together trailer at Taneytown Elementary School on Kings Drive. Information: 876-4750.