It is summer, but soon it will be Labor Day, before we know it, time to deck the halls. With this in mind, I want to share a new discovery with you now so that you can plan ahead as we approach the holiday season.
Have you visited a place multiple times only to stumble upon, completely by accident, something new? Last year, during our annual trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania a few weeks before Christmas, my husband pulled over onto the non-existent shoulder on a two-lane road to navigate a u-turn.
“What’s up?,” I asked him.
“I saw a sign back there I want to see again,” he explained.
We were alone on the road. There were no homes, not even an Amish farm in sight. “Frysville Farms. 80,000 Poinsettias.,” he read.
“Whoa! That is a lot of poinsettias,” I marveled. “Do you think that’s right?”
“I guess. I saw the sign and as I kept driving, I debated going back to reread it.”
“Let’s go!,” I excitedly encouraged.
We didn’t come upon any further signage for our destination, but I put the name into my phone GPS to direct us. We kept driving, surprised by how far away that single sign was from the farm. Finally we pulled into their mostly-empty parking lot.
Entering the bright greenhouse, we were met with a large space, the majority of it filled with poinsettias. It was stunning. And a little overwhelming. Our good friend, Linda, was with us; she and I went one way and Mister Rain the other. The first thing Linda and I looked through were hundreds of Christmas tree ornaments. She described many of them to me and as is my way, I also used my sense of touch to examine a few. I chose a lighthouse for our tree and a kayak for my best friend.
Moving on to other types of holiday decorations, I noticed a Santa in a sleigh with leads attaching it to his reindeer. I took a picture so I could see it more clearly, liking it even more once I enlarged it on my device.
Making our way between the rows of poinsettias, the incredible array of red, white, cream, and pink stretched across long tables. In addition to these traditional colors, there were non-traditional varieties such as hot pink and dark pink.
Hanging baskets of poinsettias were suspended from the ceiling above the tables. There were also holiday greenery arrangements with long pine needles, broad dark green leaves, red berries and pine cones.
I was tempted to buy one or two, but these plants are deadly to Piper if he should ingest. I will stick with my safe artificial version, but this place was a delightful find.
There were several train displays throughout the greenhouse, elaborate and enchanting.
Finally I reconnected with my husband, standing in a corner by himself. “I’m waiting. A guy is checking on a price for this barrel cactus,” he explained. He loves cacti and has always wanted one of these round-shaped prickly plants. He had a number in mind, and when a Frysville associate returned and quoted an amount $20 less than his limit, his “I’ll take it” was immediate.
Leaving his bargain at one of the checkout areas so they could box it up for a protected transport home, I took Mister Rain to see the Santa and reindeer I had not stopped thinking about. It turned out that it had caught his eye too. I asked him to look it over to make sure it was in good condition, then we took it to join the cactus. I knew the perfect place for it at home.
As we carried our fun purchases to the car, we all agreed we would return the following year.
Yes, it’s July, but during the holiday season,Frysville Farms and its colorful poinsettias is a true hidden gem in the farmlands of Lancaster. No need to check your list twice, this place is festively nice!
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