Serenity Gardens sprouts new growth
By MICHELLE BOSWORTH
Staff writer
In the dead of winter, when most gardeners are suffering from a severe case of "digging-in-the-dirt depravation," Jana Dalke is happily planting, watering, and fertilizing thousands of plants.
With two greenhouses located just west of their home at 190th and Limestone, Jana and her husband Dale, enjoy the pleasures of springtime temperatures and green shoots emerging from the soil even in the midst of a Kansas winter.
Their wholesale venture, known as Serenity Gardens, provides a variety of plants for nurseries in Hillsboro, El Dorado, and Wichita.
Jana cultivated an interest in horticulture with her first job at Johnson's Garden Center in Wichita when she was a junior at Valley Center High School.
She began by doing "grunt work," filling grass seed sacks, planting, taking care of customers, and running the cash register. She worked there throughout her years in high school, and continued her horticultural education at Kansas State University, Manhattan.
In May 2000, Jana returned to Johnson's and worked as a grower. She decided what plants to grow, took cuttings of herbs, mums, geraniums, etc., and planted seeds and perennials. By the time she left Johnson's a couple years later, she had become responsible for more aspects of the business.
Making the decision to step out on her own, Jana began a wholesale growing operation. Since she wanted more peace and tranquillity, she named the budding business Serenity Gardens.
"Before I had a plant planted in my greenhouse, I had 75 percent sold by pre-order," said Jana about that first year.
Dale had built a small greenhouse several years before. Although it had been moved several times, it still served them well for the first few years of their operation.
During this time, a daughter, Jessi, and son, Eli, were born. Eli suffered from colic, and in the midst of sleepless nights and long days spent with a crying infant, Jana did something unusual to lift her spirits
Arriving in pieces on a semi truck, this greenhouse was much larger than the first. Dale did the dirt work and plumbing. Hired hands raised the framework and put up the fans and heater. Dale and his friends stretched the plastic over the ribbing and secured it. His father, Dan Dalke, helped put in the electricity.
When completed, the new greenhouse sported a temperature control system that automatically turned on fans and opened louvers to cool the greenhouse or kicked on the propane heater to warm it.
Filling the greenhouse is "a big guessing game," said Jana. "Every year I learn more about what to grow."
Mainly she focuses on one-gallon perennials, hanging baskets, and combination planters. She faxes customers an availability list, and they order what they want. April is her busiest month, with weekly deliveries. Dale helped cut down on extra trips by constructing special shelves in the delivery truck which allows them to transport more plants.
Nurseries aren't the only outlet for the plants they grow. Garage sales, one-day sales at their home, Lehigh's Memorial Day festivities, Peabody's farmer's market, and Hillsboro's Arts and Crafts Fair offer opportunities for Dale and Jana to display and sell their colorful living handiwork.
Serenity Gardens, rooted in a desire for peace, growing from a mother's admirable reaction to a colicky baby, and blooming in a couple's ability to use their talents to nurture, is in the business of growing life. In the dead of winter, when most plants remain dormant and the cold wind blows, Jana works in her cozy greenhouse, burying her hands deep in the warm dirt.
