What is your favorite local nursery to visit?

Pirl- we should gt a gang of us to go back with our knee-stained dungarees, dirty fingernails and brown wiped all over our faces! That's what I look like most of the year!

Ivy - it's when I'm happiest.

ditto!

same here!

Was not impressed with White Flower Farm. Pricey and nothing special - though I was there in the Fall. Matterhorn in Rockland County is a fantastic place to visit, but don't buy anything. Check it out for ideas and go elsewhere. They are beyond ridiculous. I once asked if there would be a late season sale, to which a really snobby employee said 'We don't do sales'. Twombly in CT is very nice. I've been there twice for trees and shrubs. It's a long hike for me but was worth it. In Orange, the General's Garden in Warwick is very good as well. Having said all this, I rarely buy stuff at nurseries anymore, except for veggies and odds and ends. I even buy most of my annuals online. Happy Gardening!

Victor

Would you say Twombly was worth an hour and a half drive with a five year old and a cranky husband? I've always wanted to go there.

Ivy,
I first read your post as: "a five year old and cranky husband" What a difference the word "a" makes! Good chuckle to start my day!

Sometimes I wonder...which is the child...

You are not alone.

Ivy,I had the foresight to leave the children and the spouse at home. It took me about that long to get there as well - maybe a bit more. Both times I've been there,I was just picking items up. I did not have the time to look around, though I wish I had. Had to get back to my cranky group!

Victor

hello, I am new to Dave's Garden. I have loved gardening for 20 years or so and now it's good to read the messages here in this nifty site. I read in an earlier message that Blue Meadow in Montague was closed; in South Amherst there is a terrific place called Andrews Greenhouse and they also have an extensive catalog. I have a damp/ wet area in my garden and got some Bog Salvia and Monkshood and Trollius there last year and went to get some more this week. wonderful plant place and this is a great site. bye.

loveslilacs- Amherst is a wonderful place! I have loved visiting ever since I worked on a play about Emily Dickinson- we went on a field trip to her home. There is so much to do there, and it is a beautiful town. Thanks for the info about Andrews!

We just took a trip to The Fantastic Umbrella Factory in Ninigret, R.I. and discovered that all their chickens and peacocks were killed by wild animals over the winter. Just thought I would let people know....They still have gorgeous plants!

loveslilacs: Welcome to DG from Long Island! I'm sure you'll enjoy the people and all the knowledge to be found here.

Welcome lilac!
Do monkshood & Trollius like bogs?
Dave

Oh my gosh - that is AWFUL about the Umbrella Factory! That male Peacock has been there for years. I suppose the wild critters had to eat this Winter. What a shame - I hope they will be replacing their birds. It just wouldn't be the Fantastic Umbrella Factory without the birds!

I agree. We were pretty upset when we got there. My daughter cheered up when she got to feed the sheep and emus. We also saw a bunny, so that helped. I hope they get more birds over the summer. I guess I should've asked someone!

I stopped in at Maynard's nursery in Old Saybrook the other day. It was my first time there. They had some interesting varieties of plants & flowers. Lots of new ones! We picked up a specialty Fuschia, that has pale pink outer petals, & deep purple centers. But the flowers are about 3 times larger than regular Fuschias! Just an amazing variety. They also had the biggest New Guinnea Impatiens blossoms I had ever seen too. I don't know where they get their plants, but it was all top quality - & decent prices too.

One of my favorite parts of gardening - visiting nurseries. Why not? The smells, the plants, the other gardening nuts - staff & customers, and the shopping - what a combo! In CT, my favorites to visit include:
- Twombly's in Monroe for its winter interest display gardens. A little unkempt last trip, but this is a wonderful nursery specializing in trees and shrubs. They work with the NY Botanical Garden. Not inexpensive, but choice.
- White Flower Farm in Litchfield - go for the experience and in gratitude for their wonderful catalog. WFF's set in a gorgeous New England town, with white clapboard houses with their black shutters. WFF planted a remarkable 500' border a year or two ago. Greenhouse of magnificent tuberous begonias makes you think you've left the planet (check first, as I'm not sure it's still there). Last visit I was shocked to find they had removed gardens near the parking lot, but gardening means change & I can't wait to see what's coming next. Expensive, but the setting is magnificent. WFF is the first place I saw hostas planted as ground cover, rather than heads of lettuce lining a sidewalk. And there is the old white garden backed by a stone wall. Great restaurants in town.
- Oliver in Fairfield - the plantings take me away - beautiful, huge old hostas, trees and shrubs. Beautiful metal garden sculptures (don't look at the price tags), choice shrubs, trees, hostas and alpines. No bargains here, either, but what a treat for the eye and spirit.
- After making the rounds, I head for Home Depot, where just this week I saw Dawn Redwoods and last year, Coral Bark Japanese maples. They get deliveries on Tuesdays in Danbury, so timed right, my visit might yield a treasure or two.

If only, welcome! Thanks for the info. I haven't been to WFF since they put in the new garden.
Dave

Thanks, Dave.

Decided to check on the WFF border & found it's 280', not 500.' It was designed by Fagus Garrett, an associate of Christopher Lloyd of Great Dixter in the UK. Don't look for pallid pastels, this border is a riot of bright colors - different from a lot of NE gardens.

Small, but very nice garden shop - my beloved garden clogs are from there.

Hmm. I feel a drive coming on....

If only there weren't so much to do in my own garden.

Hi, ifonly! I love your name! WWF border is really something else.

hello again, white flower farm is supposed to be wonderful. I haven't gone as yet, but people rave about the variety, setting and quality. Yes, trollius and monkshood love my boggy back yard. They like to stay on the drier edges when they can. Suggestions for the soggy bog? ajuga, blue flag iris, cardinal flower are all there, but would love more ideas. bye

Sedges Cannas, Astilbe, Filipendula and Taro (Elephant Ear) all like wet soil...and I think Primrose like it wet but with running water if you have an area like that. Arum lily, ferns, Corydalis and Lobelia Siphilitica(blue) all like damp, moist places. There are shrubs as well- Rhodies, Sweet Box,Elderberry and some Dogwood shrubs like these conditions, too.

Just a note to anyone interested- Fantastic Umbrella Factory will be getting more birds this summer. I spoke to the owner the other day, and he says they will try again.

Over in GardenWeb in the New England Forum we had a great thread on Garden Centers and Nurseries to visit last year. Many people contributed favorite places they shop and had a lot of great comments. During the winter I consolidated the thread into a PDF document. If you'd like a copy, you can find it here:

http://www.gis.net/~sash/Garden/GW/Fav/FavNurseriesGW.pdf

Enjoy!

Sue

Jack in the Pulpits are good for boggy spots, & they have season round interest. The weird "flowers" then the clusters of bright red berries.
I also use Columbine, Impatiens & Umrella Palm. I dig the Umbrella Palm to bring indoors in Autumn, but it adds height & form. Lily of the Valley also fare well in shadey wet areas.

My favorite nursery is Seven Arrows at the Seekonk/ Attleboro line in Mass. It's more of an"experience" than a plain nursery. I haven't been there in years because it's just not convenient. They sold mostly herbs years ago, but looking at their web site now I see more perrienials.They had a dianthus I have never seen before or since called Clove Pink. It's a frilly pink that has the most intensive fragrance of any pink that I know! It forms a silvery mat like ground cover, but is not invasive. I can take a picture if anybody is interested. They have all sorts of stuff going on there.Talking about it makes me want to make the time for a trip... http://www.sevenarrowsfarm.com/

Sue, Thanks for the PDF document!

Risking offending someone, as much as I love WFF's catalogue and enjoyed my visit to see their garden (even before it expanded)..
I find their plants very expensive and good but not great.
If memory serves, they had a limitted selection at their nursey too.

I just got a $ 50 gift certificate from WWF! What to buy? So many choices! Maybe I will wait until their Fall sale and buy everything! I agree that WWF is pricey, but the rose I bought is thriving in my neighbor's yard - so I have to give it to them for great roses - even better than the J&P roses I bought.

J & P has given me more disappointments than delights.

Enjoy your certificate!

Yankee, Here is a great place for roses http://www.chambleeroses.com/shop/index.cfm?action=ViewDetails&ItemID=270
If you are interested there are others I learned of on the rose forum.

Great site, Dave!

Dave47 - thanks. I grow all "my" roses in my neighbor's yard. The wild rose I brought from my other neighbor's house over to the rose neighbor is budded. It has the sweetest old fashioned pink tea rose blooms! Maybe it will bloom before I take off for vacation next weekend and I can post a picture.

I ordered 5 roses from Chamblees for the first time this spring. They came in big pots (1 gallon?) with healthy good sized plants for low prices. It would be expensive shipping if you only ordered 1. I think I learned of them from Zuzu (THE rose expert)

Personally, I may never bother with another hybrid tea rose. It was great fun to learn about roses that bloomed more & were easier to care for.

thanks for the information and for the Chamblees site; great!! I also have switched to growing shrub roses and have been really happy with them; mostly when they are still with me in the Spring.

Yeah! I've really started to look for roses for a variety of purposes. Ones that take some shade, climb, etc.. Edmond's roses is supposed to be very good too but they are done taking orders right now. Here is another good site. I believe they have over 1300 roses!
http://www.classicroses.co.uk/

House By The Side Of The Road in Wilton, N.H is great. It's huge, the prices are fair and the sales staff is very knowledgable. I often spend hours there and they even have free coffee, popcorn and cookies. They're open year round though I've never been there in the winter.

That sounds like a great place, Audrey. I think nurseries in northern New England are more homey in a way.

You reminded me of a place we stopped at near or in Brattleboro, VT. once a few years ago. They had greenhouses and tons of Azaleas, and they sold their own cheese and cider as well. A family run operation I believe. I brought home a very robust Azalea. Does anyone know the name or if they are still there?

Ivy1. It was most likely Walkers Farm on Rt 5 & 10 between Brattleboro and Putney. Also up a beautiful drive up RT 30 (15min from Brattleboro) is the Newfane Nursery and next door is Duttons farm stand. You can do a short cut across the mountain between Rt 5 & 10 to Rt 30. Both terrific spots and owners. And just down RT 30(south towards Brattleboro)take the road to South Newfane to Olallie day lily farm, which is a treasure owned by the Darrow family and a herd of Border collies. Patti

wow-I haven't heard the name Brattleboro in a long while. We would drive through there on our way to Stratton for skiing when I was young. We would stay in Jamaica at a B&B owned by a little old lady named Mrs Perry. She made the best oatmeal!

bbrookrd- Walkers sounds right.

Border Collies! My 5 year old daughter would go there just for them!