Colorful sea of poinsettias, support of local business brought shoppers to Orban’s open house

Amid the seemingly endless rows of vibrant red leaves, Judy Asper stopped and encouraged her friends to pose for pictures.

“We told them it would make for a great Christmas card picture,” Asper said. “You never see this many flowers in one spot ... it’s just awesome.”

They weren’t alone. Dozens of others could be seen in just an hour’s time lining up in the greenhouses, taking family pictures and selfies.

Asper has been going to the Pointsettia Open House at Orban’s Nursery for about three years. The sea of colored flowers brings her back, and this year, she brought friends who were going to experience the nursery for the first time.

Asper said the sale is mostly the same as she’s seen in years past, just without the large barn the sale is usually held inside. The more than 30-year-old barn’s roof was torn off during Hurricane Irma, and this year a white tent stood in its place.

As customers entered the nursery, they were handed a piece of paper with a typed out message telling customers about damage from the storm, and noting that the color was behind this year because of the extra work created by the storms.

And though color was behind this year, Tyler Orban, whose father owns the nursery, said they had new colors — a pink and a white Poinsettia — for sale this year. They plan to bring the new colors back in the future.

Orban said customers for the 27th Annual Poinsettia Open House were steady throughout the day, though business was a little slower than in years past.

Hundreds of customers spent the morning picking out their purchases, chatting with other vendors that set up tents of their own at the Open House and casually wandering the aisles of the sales tent. Some left with arms full of plants, stuffing them into trunks and back seats of cars, while others left with their one signature plant.

Bob and Mary Beth Tollise left with a couple flowers of their own. It was their first trip in nearly 15 years.

Bob and Mary Beth said they live near the nursery and saw damage from the tornado and Hurricane Irma that affected Orban’s Nursery. They came to Saturday’s event to support the local business with a “good reputation” after the storm while picking up flowers for an upcoming party.

“It’s gorgeous,” Bob Tollise said. “It’s heartbreaking to see the damage, but we’re counting our blessings.”

This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Colorful sea of poinsettias, support of local business brought shoppers to Orban’s open house."