We can’t begrudge Sally and Tobi von Trapp a well-deserved respite from the intense marathon of running their von Trapp Greenhouse for the last 41 years. They announced this summer that this was the last year they’d run their retail operations on Waitsfield Common and after 41 years, they’re entitled to a break.
But there’s a lot we’ll miss about our annual treks to the greenhouse. In addition to the beautiful annuals, perennials, hanging baskets and vegetable starts, we’ll miss the anticipation of that first trip to the greenhouse each year.
Thinking about wandering through the aisles of the greenhouses and between the greenhouses has been as much fun as actually doing it. Watching the faces of people as they pull their plant trollies around has been as much fun as pulling our own trollies around.
For the most part, everyone is in a very, very good mood when they’re buying flowers and plants. What’s not to like about buying flowers and veggies? People pick up and examine plants, looking for buds and stalk strength, holding flowers next to each other to see how they’ll look if planted side-by-side.
We’ll miss people consulting with their fellow shoppers on what to buy and we’ll miss the ability to ask Tobi and Sally and their staff about the properties of the plants.
We’ll miss the sheer joy of impulse shopping, buying an extra hanging basket, too many tomatoes, too much broccoli and too many begonias. We’ll miss the scent of walking in the potting greenhouse that was full of geraniums and dipladenia. We’ll miss being in our own gardens and deciding we need just one more perfect plant and going to get it on Waitsfield Common!
And the display gardens! It’s been so much fun to take people to the von Trapp Greenhouse as if it were a point of interest (it has been) and show them the display gardens.
It’s been a great run and we’re lucky to have been able to enjoy the experience for so many years. And don’t despair, there will be pop-ups and other opportunities including, hopefully, a Mother’s Day hanging basket sale next year.
