The arrival of fall does not mean that gardens can no longer have flowering plants.
“The mums are just starting to bloom,” said Hampshire resident Cheryl Linnemann, who owns Prairie View Farm Market. “We have 8-inch mums in decorative pots so that customers won’t have to repot them before placing them on their porches and decks.”
Linnemann said that they are providing 100 mums for the Women’s Service League of Hampshire’s annual mum sale. It will be held at Prairie View on Saturday, Sept. 26.
In addition to mums, other plants available at Prairie View include Kickin’ Aster, which Linnemann describes as a “powerhouse of fall color,” and ornamental peppers that brighten fall landscapes and floral arrangements.
Prairie View, along Illinois 72 in Hampshire, offers a variety of items to spruce up the home and garden for fall.
The market grows and sells annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, container shrubs and roses. It also sells vegetable and herb garden plants and supplies in the summer along with home grown sweet corn, tomatoes, lettuce, and other vegetables and fruits.
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“We usually sell sweet corn until the first frost,” Linnemann said. “Broccoli and cauliflower are available through the fall along with apples, potatoes, onions and squash.”
Linnemann said that bushel baskets brimming over with plants such as kale, Coral Bells and Rudbeckia have become popular sellers this year.
Prairie View offers other local area businesses a chance to sell their wares in its garden center. Items include: honey from Eberly’s Honey Hill, Hampshire; Uncle Dougie sauces, marinades, rubs and seasonings, and Dreymiller & Kray bacon, sausages and cheeses.
For the first time, Prairie View has been selling pies baked by Hampshire resident Evie Bicknese in the Prairie View bake shop.
“I’ve been baking pies for 60 years,” Bicknese said. “I was taught by my mother, Louise Henning. Over the summer, we sold strawberry rhubarb, cherry, blueberry, Dutch apple, peach praline, and cream pies. We are now adding caramel apple walnut, pumpkin and pecan pies.”
Linnemann said that the annual Ladies’ Night at Prairie View will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 4. There will be farm market items for sale along with food, music and local vendors.
Prairie View was a semi-finalist in the national 2014 Independent We Stand, Independent Small Business of the Year Award.
“We were voted in by our customers,” Linnemann said. “We hope to be in it again this year. The voting starts next week.”
Prairie View will remain open for the fall season until Sunday, Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.