By Esther Leggett

Harrison Road, (Wayne County Road 2) one of the southernmost east-west roads in Wayne County, is a beautiful drive all by itself. It winds around the gorgeous countryside, through one Amish farm after another. No matter which season it is, you'll be treated to many unique scenes.

In the spring, the farmers along Harrison Road are glad to be out in the warm breezes turning the soil and getting ready for planting. Just a quarter mile off US 250 in Mt. Eaton, Harrison Road will take you by the Mt. Eaton Greenhouse. For goodness sake, pull into the parking lot and take a look around.

The Mt. Eaton Greenhouse has been around a long time -- 20 years, in fact -- supplying the gardening needs of the local folks and of some living as far away as Michigan and West Virginia.

"We started our business because my husband Roy and I needed a little extra money," said Lovina Yoder. "We had a 100-acre farm and nine children. But when we began selling plants, we never dreamed it would become this big of an operation."

Today Mt. Eaton Greenhouse has 15 individual greenhouses, each 20 feet by 100 feet. Each greenhouse contains specific types of plants, so if you go with your shopping list, you'll know exactly which one to peruse and which ones to ignore (unless, of course, you want to wander around ALL of them and find things you didn't even know you wanted for your garden!).

Hanging baskets are available in both 8" and 10" pots in the following varieties: Calabrachoa, Double Impatiens, Ivy Geraniums, Fuchsias, Supertunias, Mini Me Petunias, New Guinea Impatiens, Non-stop Begonias, and combinations.

Potted plants, some in 4" and some in 5" pots, are available in Rex Begonias, Scented Geraniums, Martha Geraniums, Black-eyed Susans, Bacopa, Daisies, Calabrachoa, Scavola, Supertunias, Trailing Verbena, Ivy Geraniums, Begonias, Asparagus Fern, Sweet Potato Vine, Caladiums, and Geraniums.

Bedding plants come in Alyssum, Begonias, Cosmos, Coleus, Dianthus, Gloriosa Daisies, Dusty Miller, Impatiens, Ice Plant, Hypoestes, Lobelia, Marigolds, Nierbergia, Petunias and Wave Petunias, Pansies, Salvia, Snapdragons, Verbena, Zinnias, Mimulus and Dahlias.

Perennial vines available are Clematis, Honeysuckle, Trumpet vine, Bittersweet, Boston Ivy and Pink Silverlace.

Of course not all your gardening is for show. Some is for eating! At Mt. Eaton Greenhouse, you can find 50 different varieties of tomato plants, 35 different types of pepper plants (including many hot ones), cabbage, broccoli, seed potatoes, onion plants and onion sets, strawberry plants, Concord grapes and other garden seeds in bulk.

A nice variety of boxed roses, herbs, ground covers and perennials are also on display.

So what are the hot items these days?

"Probably Wave Petunias, Proven Winners, potted plants and the combination baskets we make up," Lovina said.

Besides the seeds and living plants available, you can also find many decorative accents for your garden plus humming bird feeders and wind chimes. You'll also find a wide variety of soils, compost, mulch, fertilizers, garden dusts and sprays, gardening tools, and, well just about everything else you'll need for your vegetable and/or flower gardens.

Oh yes. And the Mt. Eaton Greenhouse has these wonderful flat green carts for you to put all your plants and paraphernalia on (they hold way more than your arms could carry). You can just wheel your purchases to the check-out and then right on out to your car. Very convenient!

Find your way to Harrison Road and get all your gardening needs at once. Job done. Well, except for all the planting you still have to do!

Mt. Eaton Greenhouse -- 15172 Harrison Rd., Apple Creek, OH 44606 (just 1/4 mile off US 250 in Mt. Eaton); no phone; hours: April thru June, weekdays, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., & Sat., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; July thru March, Mon. thru Sat., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; always closed on Sunday.

Just a few miles west of the Mt. Eaton Greenhouse, still on Harrison Road, you'll fine Schlabach Furniture. You won't want to miss this one, for sure.

Owned by Fannie and Jonas Schlabach for the past 10 years, this family furniture store is located in a remodeled chicken coop! Jonas has been a timber cutter, but switched occupations so he could be at home more. He went from cutting wood to selling it!

Although the building has no electricity or phone, of course, it's certainly not void of wonderful customer service. You'll be met with a friendly smile, for sure. You can take your time to look over the large quantity of furniture in the showroom, and you won't be pressured in the least.

"Our family offers our customers some of the best quality handcrafted furniture around," Fannie said. "We have found the quality of locally made items to be much better than many brand names, and we have many local suppliers that are excellent craftsmen. Even though we don't make the furniture 'in-house,' we can 'stain-match' anything someone brings in."

For example, if you have an existing piece of furniture and want another piece to match, Schlabach Furniture can handle the job.

They can have most anything custom made, "in case our customers don't see exactly what they want," Fannie explained. "Sometimes things have to be made to an exact measurement."

So just what types of furniture will you find at Schlabach Furniture? The list is nearly endless, but for the sake of the story, here goes: furniture for your bedroom and dining room, hutches, entertainment centers (and they fit all the new-size TVs, too), computer desks (with room for all your gadgets), roll-top desks, children's furniture (including doll cradles and doll high chairs), end tables and coffee tables in more styles than you thought possible, gun cabinets, bar stools, wash stands, knee-hole desks, pie safes, curio cabinets, deacon's benches, rocking chairs (traditional, gliders and hickory styles), cedar chests, hall/clothes trees, dry sinks, Hoosier-style cabinets, outdoor furniture (including maintenance-free poly models with stainless steel parts AND cup holders), and endless smaller items. You'll also find a small line of sofas and recliners.

On the wall, you'll find wooden clocks in the shape of Ohio and the United States, with individual counties and states, respectively, inlaid with different woods. Very unique! There is also a large wooden picture of the United States with a precision-cut hole on each state so you can insert the state quarters! If you've been collecting those collectible coins and just have them gathering dust, now you have another option!

Fannie and Jonas's son Daniel said they have many visitors from all over the country, including Michigan, West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, California and Alaska.

"And just yesterday," he said, "we shipped furniture to Hawaii!"

Some people come to Schlabach and buy a whole houseful of furniture and have it shipped home. Some come and fill up their truck.

So if you're ready to get some new quality, Amish-made furniture for your home, don't forget to travel on down Harrison Road to Schlabach Furniture. Check the hours listed below, but remember, on Friday nights, when most other furniture stores are closed, Schlabach's is open late until 8 p.m. So after you've gorged yourself at one of the many area Amish-style restaurants, take Harrison Road to find a showroom full of great quality furniture.

Schlabach Furniture -- 11463 Harrison Rd., Apple Creek, OH 44606; hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and open late on Fri. until 8 p.m.; closed Sun.; location: west of Mt. Eaton, east of Wooster, south of US 250.