Martha Rial, Post-Gazette photos A few of the many hanging baskets featuring petunias, million bells, bacopa, lobelia and phlox dress up the porch at Roselea.

By Susan Banks
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette There is no downside to writing about gardening, especially when you love it. However, there are moments when I will admit to having a war of conscience.

	Greg Wilson plants himself among the annuals he grows at Roselea Farm Greenhouse in Moon. Click photo for larger image.

Last year, when I happened upon a small greenhouse at Roselea Farm in Moon, I knew this was going to be one of those moments. The truth is, I really didn't want to share this great little find with other gardeners.

But once you talk to Greg Wilson, who is wonderful in a way that precludes you from keeping him a secret, you know you have to do the right thing.

Tucked into a corner of the 31-acre farm are two greenhouses Mr. Wilson built at the behest of Nancy Mills, who, with her husband, Dick, owns the old estate that sits on Coraopolis Heights Road. There he grows plants for her lovely gardens and porches, with enough left over to sell. It's been a good deal for all involved, and this year, their third in operation, he and construction partner Duane Pritts built the second greenhouse to expand the business.

When the nursery opened last Saturday, the hanging baskets were immense -- so big that you almost need a truck to take them home.

Mr. Wilson grows his plants with lots of tender loving care and no growth inhibitor, which many nurseries use as a way to keep plants in bounds while they are still in the greenhouses. He also feeds them with a dilute solution of plant food, a balanced 20/20/20, at about 100-to-1 mixture, every time he waters, which, of course, is every day.

He grows unusual types of common bedding plants, including some tropicals, veggies, perennials.

"I try to get things nobody has," he says.

Which is the only way to compete with the big box stores. Right now, he grows about 100 types of potted annuals. He sells no flats.

This year, he'll have tulip geraniums, which grow taller and have larger flower heads than the more common zonal geraniums.

He's also got a geranium that is a cross between a large-leaf geranium and an ivy geranium. Other plants include 'Black Knight' delphiniums, which he says are the only ones that will grow well around here, passion vine, phlox, astilbe, tomatoes, herbs, nemesia, petunias and lots more.

He also does herb baskets and will plant custom containers for those who bring in pots, but call first. His hanging baskets range in price from $27.95 to $55. These are fiber or moss baskets, 12 inches or larger.

The hanging baskets are overflowing at Roselea Farm Greenhouse. Click photo for larger image.

Wilson wasn't always in the plant business. First, he owned an antique business in Harmony, where he specialized in early country antiques. It was there that he met his wife, Kim, a collector. He also runs a restoration business with Mr. Pritts, in addition to his nursery enterprise, and, in his spare time, builds custom furniture and wonderful one-of-a-kind birdhouses from salvaged materials.

"I build birdhouses for people, they are all my own creations," he says. "From salvage pieces, stuff off a log cabin, barn siding, stained glass. They are fancy to primitive-type styles."

Though he was always a gardener, he picked up some tricks when he helped a man who owned a commercial greenhouse, giving him a background in greenhouse operation and some exceptional growing skills. Then he met Nancy Mills, who approached him about putting his home on a garden tour, and you might say it was karma. He did some restoration work for her in her home; she asked him to build the greenhouse on her property, and off they went.

No matter how insanely busy he is, Mr. Wilson is one of those people who exudes positive energy. "I can't wait to get up in the morning. You are only here once, so you might as well enjoy it," he says with a broad smile.

He and Mr. Pritts, a man of few words but evident skills, work from sunrise to sunset daily. Most days, you'll find Mr. Wilson walking the rafters of the greenhouse by 7:30 a.m. He does it at least once a day so he can water the hanging baskets that are moved up higher as they grow. On the other days, you'll find him on a job somewhere for Wilson Restoration and Du Right Construction.

The construction business is enough to keep both men busy, but Mr. Wilson seems to find a special joy in growing plants. He hand-plants all the plugs and seeds in the early spring, then must tend to them daily after finishing his other work. Luckily, he has a wife who is very tolerant of his busy schedule.

Mrs. Wilson is a talented woman in her own right, doing garden design in addition to making up wreaths and seasonal items to sell in the greenhouse during the holidays under a business called Garden Thyme Accents.

Like most good gardeners, Mr. Wilson is more than willing to help others. His mantra for his plants: Water and fertilize daily, and give them a good shearing when they get leggy. If you treat them well, you'll have fabulous-looking plants right up to fall, he says.

Then, you might want to take another trip to the greenhouse and pick up a few bushel basket-sized chrysanthemums.

Roselea Farm Greenhouse is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Look for the sign at the end of the driveway at 1474 Coraopolis Heights Road, Moon, directly across the road from Montour Heights County Club.

The greenhouse is open until it sells out of plants, normally mid-June. It reopens around mid-September for chrysanthemums, and about two weeks before Christmas for poinsettias, Christmas cactus, cyclamen, wreaths and other decorative items. Information: 412-375-7205.