Orban’s Nursery open house set for Saturday. Need we say, the poinsettias look spectacular
Orban’s Nursery shipped 16,000 poinsettias to its single largest customer, Publix Super Markets, on Monday.
That’s out of 194,000 that Tyler Orban and his crew grew this year, a blazing red crop that seems especially vivid, brilliant even, this season.
On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the public will get a chance to see for themselves during Orban’s 30th annual open house and drive through event at 9601 Ninth Ave. NW.
It doesn’t cost anything to drive through the nursery, but most will want to stop and buy a plant or two at the annual after-Thanksgiving Bradenton tradition. In addition to poinsettias, succulents and annual flowers will be for sale.
The open house will take on a bit of a festival atmosphere with 24 vendors and a food truck on site.
In past years, the public had only one shot at buying directly from Orban’s and that was during the open house. This year, Orban’s has added a retail operation on the north side of the property that is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, at least through the end of the year, Orban said.
Orban’s first rolled out the retail operation during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic when many landscapers and garden shops temporarily closed down.
The retail operation may be appealing to some who want an Orban poinsettia, but would prefer to avoid the open houses because of virus concerns, Orban said.
With Publix retailing the poinsettias, they can be found in their supermarkets in many states.
The Orban family got into the flower business in 1914 in Medina, Ohio. Originally, the family had a flower shop. A few years later they started their nursery operation.
Family patriarch Bill Orban started growing poinsettias in the 1940s and moved to Bradenton in 1952, originally operating out of a garden center on Holmes Beach called “The Flower Garden.””
Tyler Orban, the fourth generation of Orbans to run the nursery, follows in the footsteps of his great-great uncle, Martin, grandfather, Bill, and father, Marty.
The Orban family rallied behind Tyler to carry on the operation of Orban’s Nursery last year after his father, Marty, died following a long bout with cancer. Tyler had been at the helm of the company since 2016 due to his father’s failing health.
Ashley Wiser has worked at Orban’s seven years, potting plants, driving, and other tasks.
“It’s a great family business. I really enjoy working here,” she said.
For more information about Orban’s Nursery, visit http://www.orbans.com/ or call 941-792-8717.
