Fine-Looking Forsythia!!

Forsythia, long a harbinger of Spring here in Connecticut, is doing its usual thing! Waves of yellow dot the landscape around town and in our nursery. We have 4 varieties of Forsythia in stock, including Lynwood Gold, Meadowlark, New Hampshire Gold and Kumson. Kumson is especially showy with green and gold variegated leaves and will tolerate a bit more shade than the other varieties.

Forsythia are extremely fast-growing and fill in an area of your yard in mostly sun, quite nicely. If left to their own devices, most forsythia will develop long, arching branches which eventually weep over. They are extremely hardy to cold, even at the bud stage in Spring, and are one of the most reliable plants in the landscape.

Remember with Spring flowering shrubs like Forsythia, it is good to practice renewal pruning from time to time in order to have a nice dense-looking plant. Forsythia bloom on old wood, so it is necessary to leave some old growth on the plant when pruning. Not a fan of the Forsythia pruned into a neat hedge, but to each their own!

We have plenty of Forsythia in full bloom to choose from, so add a splash of yellow to your landscape! Come visit us and see!

Survived Another One!

On an all too frequent basis here along the Farmington River, we are experiencing floods on an almost annual basis, since the '100 year flood' of 2007.

2011 has been no exception.

Earlier in March, we were once again deluged. The record-breaking piles of snow melted, the rains came, and we found ourselves underwater once again. Ugh!

We are constantly reminded in this business that we must respect nature and there are some things that we can not control. The river is powerful and we try to respect her and listen to her. We are unfortunately experienced at surving floods... and so we survived another one!

Happily, we are putting that nightmare behind us and gearing up for Spring!!

Brugmansia in Quito

Quito's Botanical Garden is a wonderful place to spend several hours. There is an amazing collection of orchids, succulents, bromeliads, cacti, grasses and other plants from highland areas (paramo) and cloudforest alike found here. All regions of Ecuador are represented and many plants are endemic to Ecuador.

Pictured here are some impressive samples of mature Brugmansia or Angel's Trumpet. The photo on the right is Brugmansia versicolor, a small tree or bush reaching 10-16' in height, bearing flowers that are 12-20" long. These flowers open white and age to pink, peach or apricot.

The picture on the left is Brugmansia arborea. Wow! Loaded with blooms, it was so cool to see these plants in their home country!

Angel's Trumpet is part of the Solanaceae family (tomato family). All parts of the plant Brugmansia are considered toxic and if ingested may prove fatal.

F.Y.I. Brugmansia can easily be grown in Connecticut for an impressive floral show on a seasonal basis (summertime). These plants thrive in fertile soil and average humidity and can survive moderate frosts. They do best in partial shade to full sun. Brugmansia will survive light frosts, moderate frosts will do significant damage to the plant.

Protea

While traveling in Ecuador...a Protea seen in the Botanical Gardens in Quito. Protea is a genus of plants which belong to the Proteaceae family. Named in 1735, Protea are found throughout parts of South America and Southern Africa.

Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg

Pictured here is a typical Colonial Williamsburg-style decorated wreath. This particular wreath is found outside the seamstress shop and is adorned with colorful balls of stuffed fabric. The woman dressed in period costume is a reminder of times past and the hardiness of our ancestors! No North Face down jackets or fleeces in the 18th century! Hope everyone's holidays were Merry!

Support Simsbury

Pictured here is the 2010 Simsbury collectible ornament. It is the second in a series of ornaments, designed by Simsbury resident Susan Singer. The 2010 ornament features a likeness of the Drake Hill Bridge of Flowers just down the way from us here on Riverside Road. We sell the ornament here at the Nursery, as well as the 2009 ornament portraying our fellow inhabitant, the black bear! A portion of the sales of this year's ornament benefits the Simsbury Land Trust!

To us, this bridge symbolizes a couple of different things. Firstly, it memorializes the past...back to the times when Riverside Road was much less traveled and the Drake Hill Bridge could only accomodate traffic from one side at a time. It was a one lane bridge, in other words.

Secondly, now that this bridge is strictly for pedestrians, and filled with gorgeously growing planter boxes and well-tended hanging baskets and perennial gardens during the Summer and Fall, we find it to be a peaceful spot.

The bridge tends to attract active community members who like to bike, walk, boat, or just hang out and enjoy the view from the bridge. More recently, we've seen some wedding ceremonies happening there as well. It represents a peaceful spot, filled with the natural beauty that is found everywhere in our Farmington Valley, with a real community feel!

Christmas!

Our Christmas Shoppe is open and has been in full swing for a few weeks now! Hence, the lack of new posts on this here blog. The Warner's elves are busy decorating, cutting and tying on trees and creating beauty all around them! Our store is filled with goodies...

See here a picture of our first dusting of snow, arriving last Friday night and leaving a perfect light blanket on our greens, trees and wreaths!