What’s Going on at Behnke’s

March 27, 2009
Larry Hurley
Perennial Plants
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Perennial season is well under way, with both of our garden centers continuing to bring in plants as the weather warms.

We know that for many of our customers, browsing by Deer is a problem. To address that, we have dedicated an area in each garden center to the most deer-resistant perennials to make it easier for you to shop.

At our garden center in Beltsville during the coming weeks, we will be setting a large display of our Baysafe Plants–species and horticultural selections of species (sorry for the jargon, I just can’t help myself) that are native to Maryland for gardeners that would like to plant native plants.

This will be a display that will include our offerings in woody plants, again to make your shopping easier. Combining woody plants and perennials in a display may seem like a natural, but for us it’s like mixing oil and water, or Rush Limbaugh going to lunch with Nancy Pelosi.

Both garden centers have Stepables in stock. This is a perennial ground cover program that offers interesting choices for planting between flagstones, and so on. For more information on the plants offered, a “how many do I need calculator” and so on, visit their website at www.stepables.com

We carry the best of the varieties offered, and the selection varies from week to week. If you have questions on whether we have the Stepable in stock that you need, email me at Contact Us with “perennial” somewhere in the header.

It’s a good time to plant, with the soil a little drier than usual, it’s easier to dig than it normally is at this time of year. Get your perennials off to an early start with a visit to Behnke Nurseries.

by Larry Hurley, Behnke’s Perennials Specialist

Larry Hurley

Larry Hurley worked at Behnke Nurseries from 1984 until the business was composted in 2019, primarily with the perennial department in growing, buying and sales.

Before landing at Behnke’s, he worked as a technician in a tissue culture lab, a houseplant “expert” at a florist shop, and inventory controller at a wholesale nursery in Dallas. With this and that, ten years passed.

When his wife Carolyn accepted a position at Georgetown University, Larry was hired at Behnke’s for the perennial growing department and garden center at Behnke’s Largo location.

In 2021, Larry and Carolyn moved back to Wisconsin to be closer to family and further from traffic. After 37 years in a shaded yard in Maryland, he is happy to have a sunny lot where he can grow all sorts of new perennials, if only he can keep the rabbits at bay. He also enjoys cooking, traveling, and the snowblower.