Bulk House Flowers offers top rated plants for indoor air quality.
Daniel Duncan and his wife Tammy opened their business in April of last year. Daniel raised tobacco for years and once he got out of that, he did a lot with the local Farmers’ Market. When he retired from Southwire, he opened his Bulk House Flowers business. “It was an amazing first year,” said Dan. “We saw a little bit of everyone. From those tending their own vegetable gardens to businesses looking to brighten their space.”
“Dan built this whole greenhouse by hand,” said Tammy. “Over a 3- or 4-year period before he retired. It was pay-as-you-go, so we didn’t have to go into debt to build it.” The green house is 200 ft. X 24ft. with a specialized, wood-fed furnace they purchased from Arkansas
“The hardest part is the wintertime, when Dan has to get up several times during the night to put wood on the fire,” said Tammy. The wood releases as much carbon as the tree it took in, which is almost zero pollution.
“After Dan retired last year, we had a great season for the 2 months we were open,” Tammy said. “He’s always had a green thumb, no matter what he touches. Me? Not so much. I’m just like, tell me what you want me to do next.” Tammy used to work for Edward Jones and just retired recently from Raymond James in Owensboro.
Plants for Air Purification
“Succulents are really great air purifiers,” said Dan. “You need about two plants for every 100 square feet. We have some of the top 20 plants for air purification. Aloe Vera plants and spider plants are good. If a person smokes in their house, they’ve got to have a succulent,” he said.
Dan recommends Kalanchoe “Fang” plants for smokers. 
“This plant is the best air purifier there is. They are easy to grow and you don’t have to take care of them. Just keep them watered and let them dry out, then water, then dry out, and keep the cycle going. If you forget to water them, they’re not going to die. You can’t kill them, unless you literally let them go dry for a long long time.”
Another advantage of Kalanchoe is if the leaves fall off, you’ve got another plant coming, he says. “I think they‘re cool looking,” said Tammy. The plant has a velvet feel to it and underneath the leaf, it feels warty, she laughed. “Those are called the fang,” said Dan. “They have these things underneath that you can break off, throw in the ground and forget about it and it will start a new plant.”
Not Just for Burns
Aloe Vera plants are known to be good for burns, but Dan says this is also one of the number one plants recommended as air purifiers. He also mentions, if your succulent is not doing well, it’s because you’re taking too much care of it. “With succulents, you actually just need to look at it like you don’t care. They really grow on their own.” he said.
Spider Plants
Dan has lots of spider plants including “curly”. He says these are hard to find, especially in solid green, and they are ideal to take inside your house. Again, these are easy to take care of. No succulent type plants are hard to care for, they’re simple, you can’t kill them.”
Macho Ferns
Macho Ferns and Boston Ferns are good inside the house. Dan said when he started the business, he had asked people what they wanted him to grow, and he has all those requested plants in his greenhouse today. Ferns were the number one request. They also have requests such as Black Mamba Petunias or Million Bells (which are little small petunias), and then of course he has the Inchplant commonly known as Wandering Jew. “Last year we couldn’t even keep it,” he said. “We sold every bit we had, every cutting, and we had nothing left.”
“Wandering Jew is a vine plant you can put in baskets,” said Tammy, “They get really long. If they break off, you just stick them in the dirt, and they grow again.”
Dan and Tammy have Elephant Ear plants and a multitude of other beautiful plants to choose from. Everything is extremely healthy and rich looking. This spring they plan to open again on Sunday, April 14th, but that date is subject to change. Bulk House Flowers is located at 380 Speaks Lane in Lewisport. Hours of operation will be 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday through Friday, closed on Saturdays.
By Linda Dillon
