Part of the beauty of my industry, aside from the plants, is that you can never know everything. Gardening tricks, academic answers pitted against practical solutions and the rate at which new plants are thrust into retail certainly keeps you on your toes. My favorite...
There is no question this past winter was one for the record books. A winter that held its grip on us until April, and then came the rain in April and May. Plant material was thrown completely off cycle and storm damage took its toll...
Reeves-Reed Arboretum is a nonprofit arboretum and garden located in Summit, New Jersey. I have personally been involved with this arboretum, in one capacity or another, for over 20 years. Having been on their Board of Trustees for many years, I now serve on...
Magnolia honors the French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638-1715) and there are several that differentiate themselves from “Star” and “Saucer” types. I have a friend who moved to Tampa, Florida and I am always amazed at the color and bold texture his plants afford him. Bright...
Winter Storm Quinn, the powerful nor’easter that hit our area March 6-8 this year, has many of our customers asking about replacement trees. Quinn came just days after another nor’easter devastated much of the Northeast. Macro-scale cyclones, nor’easter gets its name “from the direction of...
‘Scarlet Fire’® This past winter punished many plants. Brutal and lengthy cold temperatures, in early January, coupled with our water deficit from last fall was the recipe for many broadleaf evergreens to succumb to nature’s wrath. Plants simply couldn’t pull in enough moisture to protect themselves...
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University “Founded in 1872 as North America’s first public arboretum, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is a leading center for the study of biodiversity and a cherished 281-acre Boston landscape open free year round. One of the most comprehensive and...
Slow & Steady This past summer, standing in a field of deciduous trees in Pennsylvania, my friend John Stella and I had a conversation that was subjective, yet enlightening. Speaking about different trees and the parasitic problems which can arise on certain ones at...
A perfect sunny day in early November, last year, had me experience one of my life’s great moments. John Mohr, my Iseli Nursery salesperson, invited me to experience, first-hand, one of the finest gardens in the Garden State. Hold on… not just the...