What are the opening hours?

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

https://www.facebook.com/444853688982084/

Colony Floral & Greenhouse, 201 Colony Avenue, Kinsley, KS (2024)

12/04/2023

Thank you to the many people that attended our open house, it was a wonderful busy day!
Door prize winners are;
Janell Herrman- Large poinsettia
Cindy Stiebe- Christmas cactus
Denise Priest- gift certificate
We still have a great selection of poinsettias, giftware and silk arrangements, so stop and shop!

12/02/2023

Today is the day! Our 62nd Christmas open house!
This is always a sentimental day for me as I remember being a little girl during open house and the Christmas season here at Colony.
Some of my special memories are of when we sold live Christmas trees and dad flocking some of them. I recall some of the ornaments that were sold here in the 1960's and 70's that are now very desirable on Ebay. The food is kind of funny compared to today, the big thing back then was donut holes, so mom served donut holes and coffee. Our dear friend Lee Smith who once owned Kinsley Floral came in the evenings leading up to open house, and she and mom would design beautiful silk arrangements. Of course, there were the poinsettias which now days would most likely not even sell due to the traits of the variety, but at the time were beautiful and a novelty. Being a child, everything was magical to me, and I loved that we had the "Christmas store." I wish I had pictures, sadly there are very few.
Well, I don't want to get too caught up with the memories, other than I cherish the faces from the past who have now faded away and I look forward to familiar and new faces of today, so come celebrate with us!!

11/29/2023

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse, except these friendly little guys.
We are gearing up for our 62nd annual Christmas open house this Saturday the 2nd!
Not only are these friendly fellows available, but also many other creative arrangements as well as candles, fresh greenery wreaths, Christmas decor, Christmas cactus, wind chimes, and just arrived a big selection of bird feeders! Oh...and did I forget to mention poinsettias?? There is much more than what is mentioned, you'll just have to stop in and see! We also have a bargain table full of gifts with not a thing over $5.00!
Free gifts, door prizes, refreshments... come celebrate 62 years with us this Saturday!!!

11/27/2023

The season of Advent begins this year December 3rd.
The purpose of Advent is for reflective preparation of the birth of Christ. Each week beginning the fourth Sunday before Christmas, a candle is lit until they are all lit on Christmas Eve. The color purple during Advent represents royalty, with each candle meaning love, peace and hope. The pink candle represents Joy.
This would be a wonderful new tradition to start at home during bible readings of the Christmas story or for private meditation and prayer.
We have Advent taper candles and holders at Colony and also a nice selection of pretty nativity glitter domes, which didn't photograph well.
Our 62nd annual Christmas open house is this coming Saturday December 2nd, we hope to see you!

11/25/2023

It's small business Saturday!
Nothing like snow to get everyone in the Christmas spirit and we are open all day come snow or shine until 5:30. Not only do we have poinsettias but also, pretty Christmas cactus, decorated in a festive pot (two sizes) or without decoration.
Shop the bargain table where nothing is over $5.00!
The store is full of Christmas spirit so stop in do some local small business shopping and make your home beautiful for the season or find the perfect gift!

11/17/2023

Poinsettia watch;
Hard to believe but it's the end of the poinsettia growing season with everything I can do for them finished. Now it's just a matter of monitoring temperatures to deepen the red and keep them watered. Fertilizing has now stopped, because at this point fertilizer will mature the bloom and I don't want that. Time to look at the sea of red and enjoy! They now are ready to be sold just in time for Christmas decorating.
Not going to lie, this was a challenging crop with the unrelenting heat, but they finished well and are huge!
This is a good time to remind everyone of our 62nd annual Christmas open house December 2nd, also I am now open all day on Saturday until after Christmas, so if you're looking for Christmas spirit, you'll find it here at Colony!

11/13/2023

Poinsettia watch is a few days late, and this is why!
So many special memories were made Saturday and Sunday, and that's what it's all about for me here at Colony.
A special thank you to Jasmine Strecker, her energy and creativity is amazing! And also thank you to the many people who came to have their pictures taken, may these memories last a lifetime.
The poinsettias performed on que, and now on to Christmas!

11/08/2023

My friend Laci Taylor came in the store yesterday and chose these fresh flowers for her room, then snapped this pic when she arrived home.
Isn't it so creative and beautiful?!
Thank you for coming to visit and sharing your picture Laci!

11/03/2023

We've come to the final generation of the poinsettia empire built by the Ecke family.
Paul Ecke III was born into the family business in 1955. And like his forefathers, grew up and learned the business. Paul remembers his father's office being 20 feet away from the greenhouses and his dad always working.
He attended Colorado State University and achieved a bachelor's degree in horticulture and MBA at Duke's Fuqua school of business. He joined the business in 1987 and up to the 1990's Ecke had 90% of the poinsettia market due to their secret grafting technique that created a fuller and longer lasting plant, and with this technique were able to patent the new varieties they developed. But trouble was looming...About two months after Paul III bought the business, he opened up a scientific journal and there was an article from a grad student who had stumbled upon the grafting technique, then published it. Paul stared at the journal in disbelief and realized this was very bad news for the Ecke Ranch. In a news article he said, "it would be like someone figuring out how Apple encryption technology worked and publishing it."
His heart sank not knowing what the future would hold for the company and his family. Once the secret was out competitors were off and running, and for a while all was well while competitors perfected the grafting technique, which took about five years. Then came the rise of major box stores, and the box stores wanted poinsettias, the competitors great in number and size, were happy to supply huge growers with cuttings saturating the market driving the prices down making poinsettia growing less profitable to medium and small growers. Ecke began to diversify into spring bedding plants and also moved his poinsettia growing to Guatemala to cut cost. It wasn't long when Paul III looked around and could see his family business colleagues selling their business to big consolidator companies. Ecke was one of the last men standing that was a breeder, producer supplying growers. The handwriting was on the wall, with so many factors converging at once. On the personal side, Paul III stated that he wasn't seeing his kids and didn't want his son to continue the heritage out of obligation, so in 2012 Ecke sold.
A Dutch based group bought the company, who now does their own research and breeding, they do still offer Ecke patented plants, but those varieties are soon fading. As for the ranch, a small portion is still there and now produces ornamental sweet potato vines, it is unclear if the family home remains, and the huge acres of poinsettia fields and greenhouses are now nothing more than memory. Paul III's son became an engineer of an aerospace company, and as of today it is unclear what Paul III is currently doing and has possibly simply retired.
Ecke patented plants are still being grown at Colony, every year I try a small amount of new varieties to possibly find a replacement for my favorite variety.
The Ecke family tugs at my heart, so much of the story most of which I had to edit, reminds me of my own growing up and I wish I could have seen the Ecke Ranch. I will leave this story with a quote said many times by my dad..."nothing is forever."
As of now, the Ecke plants at Colony are changing quickly! And it's a good thing, they have an important event next weekend with the photo sessions!

10/27/2023

Poinsettia Watch;
Last week we left our history lesson with Paul Ecke Sr. This week I'll tell you about the man that during his era of ownership, skyrocketed poinsettias to the official Christmas plant.
Paul Ecke Jr. was born into the Ecke family business in 1925. He learned and grew up with poinsettias but felt called to duty and served with the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War. When he returned from his service, he began preparing himself to take over the family business by achieving a horticulture degree from Ohio State University in 1949. While working with his father, he could see the future of poinsettias was not to sell them as cut flowers but to expand selling the cuttings to greenhouse growers across the nation and Europe, in 1963 Paul Jr. took over the business and with affordable air shipping prices instigated his vision. He began by growing poinsettias not in fields but in greenhouses and recruited the brightest plant breeders and horticulturist he could find into the business, together they developed a secret grafting technique that made poinsettias not only last longer but also introduced desired color traits and growth patterns. THIS was one of the most important achievements in the history of the poinsettia.
Still the poinsettia was not widely known as the Christmas flower. Knowing that the main market for flowers are women, he had the idea to provide poinsettias to women's magazines for their Christmas additions, of course that meant he had to figure out how to get them to bloom off season since the magazines took pictures in the spring for Christmas, but soon he did figure it out and the plants made their debut in full color of the magazines. It was instant success, but Paul Jr. had even bigger plans! As fate would have it, just at that time, television had gone to color from black and white, with the Ecke Ranch being in Encinitas California, he took the bright red plants to the set of the Johnny Carson Show and local news sets, you can imagine seeing the beautiful poinsettias in full color for the first time, and again the success advanced the thought of them as a Christmas flower even further, BUT it was one very famous singer that promoted it into the official Christmas flower and his name was none other than, Andy Williams! For those who are too young to remember, Andy Williams was famous for his Christmas specials and was one of the most popular vocalists during the 60's and 70's. Millions of people across the nation (including me) watched him perform on his beautiful and elaborate sets in full color every Christmas, and Paul Ecke Jr. made sure Andy's sets were filled with bright red poinsettias. From the first color episode, that was it! And everyone wanted poinsettias!
Paul Jr. was a man of excellence and always made people his priority. He loved his family and his family business and had the motto "we never give up." He took the Ecke Poinsettia Ranch to next level with his selection of excellent breeders, horticulturist and tech advisors. No grower was ever too small for them to return a phone call with growing advice, of which, I was blessed to be one. Paul Jr. mimicked the time in the 1960's and 70's of my own dad here at Colony, perhaps part of the reason I am so fond of their story.
Paul Jr. passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2002, in his obituary, true to his character, instead of "in leu of flowers" which he didn't like, in his tribute it was worded..."send flowers to someone you love."
Next week I'll tell you about the fourth and final generation of Eckes, his success and sad end.
At colony, poinsettias continue to become more and more red. They look great and are going to be big! Will they be ready for the photo sessions in two weeks? Stay tuned!

10/26/2023

Spoooooks!!
Are you planning a Halloween party or get together this weekend?
These cute arrangements are perfect for your table, or maybe you just want to make someone smile. Modestly prices at just $17.50 for the vases and $25.00 for the Jack-o-lantern and ghost candy dish. When the flowers are gone, you have a keepsake! The boo sign letters light up and is battery operated, very impressive in the dark. The trinket dishes would be a cute touch on a spooky table runner.
We are open Monday-Friday 8:30-5:30 and Saturdays until 1:00 so don't be scared, stop in and see us!

10/20/2023

Poinsettia watch;
Now I will begin to tell you the story of the wonderful Ecke family that took the poinsettia and made it the official Christmas flower. This will be rather difficult for me to edit because their story is so interesting and detailed, I've always felt I had somewhat of a relationship with them, perhaps because I grew up in a family business as well. Ecke poinsettias have always been known to be the very best around the world and I'm proud that from year one Colony has grown Ecke plants.
Albert Ecke came to America in 1902 from Germany with his wife and four children, with one child by the name of Paul that will be the next generation of the Ecke Ranch. Upon his arrival to California Albert began to buy land and planted melons and tomatoes on one section and poinsettias and mums on the other. At that time poinsettias were grown strictly as cut flowers and were not hybridized at all. In 1915 Albert bought more acres to plant poinsettias even taking a loan from the bank and the crop was a complete failure. They used money from a dairy they started to finance another crop and it failed as well. But in 1917 luck was on Albert's side having a successful crop and he sold the blooms at Christmas time. He then realized he could make more money from cut flowers than vegetables, and from then on grew and sold cut flowers and shipped them to certain parts of the U.S.
In 1919 Paul Ecke Sr. took over the business after the death of his father Albert. The successful poinsettia crop of 1918 allowed Paul to purchase even more acres dedicated to growing poinsettias in Encinitas and had the idea to grow them as a greenhouse crop having success doing this himself as a potted plant, and, he could supply the cuttings. In the 1920's he would pack cuttings in his suitcase and travel the U.S to greenhouses teaching them how to grow them, the problem was, no one associated them as a Christmas flower and had limited success. In 1925 Paul Jr. was born and Paul senior had "grown" their poinsettias to almost 1,400 acres. Over the years, Paul Sr. had many accomplishments in the floral industry and passed away in 1981.
Up until 1963 poinsettias still were not well established as the Christmas flower and were mainly grown outside as cut flowers to be shipped to florists across the country. All of this is about to change with Paul Jr. and my favorite part of the story, so stay tuned!

The poinsettias at Colony are pretty much on track. After using negative DIF to stop their growth earlier, now I may have to use positive DIF a few days to advance them a bit due to a photo shoot Colony is hosting with a professional photographer in November. I'll be monitoring this closely for a few days then decide. Otherwise, this crop looks fantastic!

10/16/2023

Happy Monday and happy Boss's Day to all the bosses out there!
If you're looking for a gift for your boss, how about a succulent pumpkin? You'll have to hurry on these because this is all I have. Or maybe a wonderful Milkhouse candle or fresh flowers.
Give me a call and I'll help you find the perfect gift for your boss.

10/13/2023

Poinsettia watch;
What do poinsettias have to do with the Smithsonian Institute??
Poinsettias are native to Mexico, near the present-day city of Taxco, and were cultivated by the Aztecs. The brilliant red color became known as a symbol of purity and the bracts (the red leaves) were used as dye and the latex (the white sap) was used as a fever reducer.
Joel Robert Poinsett was serving as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico in 1825 and saw the plants growing on the slopes of Taxco, being a botanist of great ability, he sent some of the plants to his home in South Carolina and distributed them to his friends including John Bartram a nurseryman who then sold them as far away as Europe in the 1830's as euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. The common name for the plant quickly became poinsettia in honor of the man who introduced it to America. At this point in history the poinsettia was not yet known as the Christmas flower.
Joel Poinsett was a member of the Smithsonian Institue in its formative years and was the driving force of it becoming a national museum. In his honor every year at Christmas, the museum is decorated with a profusion of poinsettias.
The poinsettias at Colony are on schedule with the red becoming more visible every day. AND now as predicted almost 30 days after critical day length, we now have visible bud! In the picture it's very tiny at the end of the ink pen, remember the yellow center is the actual flower.
Next week I'll begin to tell you of a remarkable family and story that took the poinsettia and turned it into the Christmas flower we all love, so stay tuned!

10/12/2023

If you're looking for beautiful autumn silk arrangements, stop at Colony!
Also, we have a new shipment of Aspen Mulling Spices. Aspen has been around for a long time and with good reason, it's delicious! Just mix with warm apple cider, cranapple juice, wine or any of your favorite autumn beverage for a tasty treat. One carton makes one gallon, or you may mix it by the glass. It's getting more difficult to find but Colony has plenty.
So much to see at Colony!

10/10/2023

We still have mums!
This year the mums were a little late blooming due to heat delay, But they are big and beautiful now.
These mums are winter hardy, and if you want them to come back, plant them in the ground full sun and mulch them good for winter. If you like them big and bushy for fall just keep them trimmed 4 inches until the 4th of July.
Hurry limited supply!

10/06/2023

Poinsettia watch;
Look what we have here, see that tiny bit of blush on the close up? That's called first color, and now the transformation to the beauty we all know and love begins!
First color is the direct response to the increasing shorter days and because of the shorter days the chlorophyll in the leaves is fading and exposing the red that actually is already present but was not visible because of the green of the chlorophyll. This is a time that I find the poinsettias very unattractive as the green begins to fade looking almost chlorotic. However, this stage will not last long and they will become more and more red with each passing day now.
The shade cloth has been removed, which they found a little stressful, the second fungicide applied, a furnace has been lit, and fertilizing has resumed. All the major hurdles have been accomplished. Now day and night temperature monitoring begins, though with the cooler weather won't be so difficult to regulate.
Next, while the poinsettias are growing, I'll begin to give you some history about poinsettias with a remarkable story of a family who turned them into the official Christmas flower.
Stay tuned!

10/04/2023

Hope to see you at the Fall Shopping Stroll this evening from 4:00-7:00.
Today is a gorgeous autumn day and the store is full of beautiful and creative giftware, silk arrangements, candles and more! How about these awesome succulent pumpkins?! These are real pumpkins and live succulents and are easy to care for. When fall is over, just take them apart and plant them.
Stop in for some punch, snacks and good shopping!

09/30/2023

Please join us for the Fall Shopping Stroll this coming Wednesday October 4th from 4:00 to 7:00 P.M.
We have so much new and fun merchandise to offer, you have to stop in to see it all.
See a sneak peek of Christmas and of course all our beautiful fall silk arrangements and decorations, AND the popular succulent pumpkins will be ready to go!
Take 20% off storewide!! IF, IF, IF, you pay with CASH or CHECK only! Discount does not apply to plants, succulent pumpkins, fresh flowers or balloons.
Stop in for some autumn punch, a snack and some great shopping, we hope to see you here!

09/29/2023

Poinsettia watch;
Let there be light!
If you've ever driven by the greenhouse and noticed big black cloths on the rooves, that is called shade cloth. Shade cloth is used in the late spring and summer to decrease light intensity and help keep the greenhouse cool. It's available in varying percentage of weave depending on how much light you want to decrease. the cloth is placed on the roof mid-May after I have the growth I want on my spring crop, then removed early October. If not for this cloth, the greenhouse would be unbearably hot, even with coolers, and the light intensity would burn the plants.
This is the time every year, removal of shade cloth is debated a LOT according to the weather forecast, and this year is no exception with our high temperatures.
In order for the poinsettias to turn red, not get too tall, and continue their growth on schedule, it is vital that it be removed at the right time around the first of October. Having said that, removed too soon when the weather is still unseasonably hot could damage the plants.
I am prepping the plants now to be able to handle this major transition by watering them a few times with clear water and no fertilizer. Poinsettias photosensitize by converting fertilizer, water and carbon dioxide into glucose (sugar.) When the cloth is removed the heat and light intensity will cause some leaf burn due to the sugar in the leaves, a little of this is normal so I just want to minimize the damage. Fertilizing will resume a few days after removal when they have become accustomed to the light.
Another part of the growing process that people are usually confused about is the dark nights that they require. While they require bright light during the day (at least 3,000 - 5,000 candle foot), at night once the sun goes down no artificial light can be allowed, or they will not turn red. One thing I find interesting about this is that moon light does not affect them.
A modern problem with retaining dark nights is streetlights! Especially the new LED streetlights. This has been a major concern for me with two of them being near the greenhouse and one directly across the street! Thankfully our friends at Midwest Energy have agreed to NOT replace the old streetlight across the street to LED so I can continue to grow the poinsettias, otherwise, my growing days would be over!
Dragging and pulling shade cloth is a heavy and cumbersome job twice a year, so I'm grateful to my husband Brian for doing this for me so we can all have poinsettias for Christmas! Thank you Brian!

09/22/2023

Poinsettia watch;
As promised, on Tuesday something wonderful began to happen with the poinsettias. I know you are squinting your eyes to try and see it, but at this point you would need a microscope.
Lets start with some basics that you may know. Many people think that the red leaves of the poinsettia is the flower. The red leaves are not the flower but are what is known as the bract. The flowers are the little yellow centers.
So, what happened this week? This week Tuesday night to be exact, the poinsettias experienced what is known as critical day length, this is when the night length reaches 12 hours and 20 minutes and with each passing day, the nights become longer. Poinsettias are long night plants and once this "critical day length" is reached the poinsettias are triggered to initiate flowers. At this point, all of this is happening microscopically in the meristem on the tip of the plant which is responsible for cell division and where the buds develop. In 30 days, the buds will appear to the naked eye.
This is also the time for even MORE temperature monitoring. The desired day temperature is below 80, which for the next couple of weeks could be a challenge. Consistent temperatures above 80 degrees could cause what is known as heat delay, and nobody wants a late poinsettia. Optimum night temperature is at 68 degrees while they are still growing, remember this night temperature also helps ward off fungus, later that will change. I haven't lit a furnace yet, but that is coming very soon.
Everything is on track, and they are looking great! And now they are beginning the process of becoming the Christmas flower that we all know and love.
Next week I'll tell you about light intensity, and a job that is not pleasant for my husband but is vital for another reason that makes poinsettias what they are known for.
Stay tuned!

09/20/2023

Just in time for crisp autumn days and nights, a new shipment of Milkhouse candles and melts!
This fall and winter season they hit it out of the ballpark with their new awesome fragrances, which made it very difficult to choose, so I just ordered most of them!
If you aren't familiar with Milkhouse, they are a clean burning mix of soy and beeswax with a nonlead wick. They are highly fragranced and are known for their unusual scents.
I won't list them all, but here are just a few; Sunday Morning, Rake, Pile, Leap, Harvest Wine Cellar, Autumn Orchard, First Snowfall, Farmhouse Christmas, Winter Walk, Coastal Autumn, Cedarwood Cabin, Brown Butter Pumpkin...and more!
Stop in and experience them in person and find your new favorite!

09/15/2023

Poinsettia watch;
This week the poinsettias received their only dose of pesticide.
The main pest that attacks poinsettias is whitefly. Greenhouse whitefly was the common species up to 1986 then came sweet potato whitefly which was MUCH more difficult to control. Whiteflies insert their mouths into the leaves and suck the sap from the phloem causing mottling of the leaf and eventual death of the leaves and plant. They lay their eggs underneath the leaves and swarm the plants.
Unfortunately, sweet potato whitefly became prevalent the same year I became owner of Colony when I was an unexperienced grower. I was grateful to have advisors for this battle, and at the time, treatment required suiting up in a hazmat suit with respirator and spraying with a myriad of chemicals up to three times a week! Thankfully a new chemical became available in the mid 1990's that is still used today to not only control but kill this pest in every stage. This chemical is in granular form and is systemic, which means it is applied to the soil and taken up through the roots to go throughout the entire plant in one simple application for the season! I happily and easily make this application remembering the difficult days, and I have to honestly say, if not for this chemical I probably wouldn't be growing poinsettias today.
I also have the growth under control with the help of the dwarfing chemical and the negative DIF technique. I probably will make another light application of dwarfing next week. I'm very happy with this crop so far, they look fantastic in every way, and I can't wait to see how they finish. On Tuesday something wonderful will begin to happen and I'll tell you about that next Friday so stay tuned!

09/08/2023

Poinsettia watch;
Whoa! Hold up there big boys!!
This week the poinsettias had a growth spurt, too much of one. This was caused by our continuous hot days, and I believe another factor I won't get into, they are about a week advanced in height and I want to get that stopped now, so it's time to dwarf them and implement what is called negative DIF.
Dwarfing otherwise known as PGR (plant growth regulator) is a vital chemical application for poinsettias to control height, it may be applied as a spray or a drench, I prefer drench to be more accurate. Measuring the chemical at mixing and application is extremely important and this is one of the applications that I triple check my measurements, and do not get distracted during any of the process. Too much dwarfing and the plant can be stunted and deformed, not enough and it just simply won't work, and the plants would be stringy and tall. Other benefits of dwarfing are greener leaves, stronger stems and increased resistance to stress.
Another technique I'm using along with dwarfing this year is negative DIF. Did you know that all plants grow just right before and at sunrise? So, if I want to stop stem elongation, I come to the greenhouse every morning 30 minutes before sunrise open all the vents and turn on all the coolers and lower the temperature to 60 degrees and hold it there for at least an hour to three hours. I will do this for at least a week, maybe two. The opposite technique called positive DIF is just before sunrise turn the heat up to 80 degrees and hold it. Positive DIF is used to advance the growth. Both these techniques also require a bit more coffee for this girl.
The plants and roots look fantastic, and the leaves are huge, height control is always a challenge, and challenge is what I like about this crop when you see the reward.
Stay tuned, another vital application will be made next week, then something magical is going to happen with them!

09/01/2023

The meme that is frequently found on Facebook "flowers don't compete, they just bloom where they're planted." is absolutely not true, especially when it comes to poinsettias.
In nature neighboring plants do compete for light, and the plant that elongates the fastest can position it's leaves to intercept the most sunlight. Poinsettias are especially susceptible to this competition because in the light color spectrum, they absorb red light and reflect or transmit far-red light and they will respond to this competition by elongating their stems, this is termed as "light quality response." What does this mean? It means that it's very important to space poinsettias properly as soon as possible to reduce stem elongation so the plant won't grow too tall. Having said that, chemicals called "dwarfing" or PGR (plant growth regulator) will still have to be applied in the coming weeks, but both these techniques go hand in hand for the desired height of the poinsettia. Later I'll discuss the roll that day and night temperatures play in height control.
this week poinsettias have been spaced to their final growing position, and everything is on track. This will be a busy month for them so stay tuned!

Colony Floral & Greenhouse