Residents pitch in to help unload truck
PLAINS — The work of unloading a large delivery to the Mangy Moose on Friday went quicker than usual thanks to the generosity of three residents who stopped to help.
Ken Jones, Howard Martin, and Wayne Rummel drove by and saw the delivery truck in front of the Garden Center late in the afternoon. They offered to help unload 200 plats of flowers, shrubs, and other varieties of plants.
Shauna O’Brien, the owner, said that the truck was originally supposed to arrive earlier that morning from Helena, but experienced some sort of trouble along the way. As a result, by the time the shipment did arrive, it was almost time to close.
That’s when Jones, Martin, and Rummel stopped to help.
“This is why we live in the town of Plains,” O’Brien said. “People help each other when help is needed.”
O’Brien said business has been good this season. Pansies, Petunias, and Marigolds are the most popular flowers. Hanging Baskets are always in fashion, too. They are among the Garden Center’s most popular items. Inside the greenhouse, they line the walls.
As for Friday’s delivery, O’Brien said it is the fifth or sixth large delivery of the season.
“We’re so full we can’t fit them all in,” she said as she marked multiple-page checklist. “We’ve got a tons of new shrubs, trees, and ornamental grass.”
All told, the delivery totaled close to $4,000.
O’Brien was grateful for the unexpected help in getting everything in the greenhouse. She said they arrived and departed as soon as the work was done, just like that.
Her young children, Hunter and Ellianna, played among the flowers as O’Brien double-checked the inventory and gave directions to other employees on where to put everything.
She is optimistic about this spring and said that gardeners are beginning to tend to their yards and gardens now that the weather has warmed up.
According to local legend, she said, the best way to for a gardener to tell it’s safe to plant flowers and shrubs, is when the snow melts on Baldy Mountain. It’s otherwise known as “The Heart of Baldy Mountain” because of its heart-like shape.
“That’s what I’ve always heard,” O’Brien said about the legend. She added that she is unaware of the story’s origin. “Supposedly that’s the time to do it.”
On Friday, there was still little remnants of snow, but that may soon be all gone in the next few weeks.
When asked if O’Brien has any tips for local gardeners this season, she said that slow-release fertilizer is the way to go.
“It’s the best invention,” she said, playfully adding that it might rival computers.