Winter/Spring 2008
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NEWS FROM SUMMER HILL Winter/Spring 2008 50 years - WOW! OUR INTRODUCTIONS Time goes by fast when you’re NATIVE PLANTS Over the years, we have intro- having fun - it certainly doesn’t seem duced to the trade many new varieties as though 50 years have passed since Fifty years ago when I started - some that we discovered and some I built a little greenhouse and started Summer Hill Nursery, Taxus was the that were discovered by others but not Summer Hill Nursery. How fortunate I king and Rhododendron the queen in grown for sale. Here is a list of these was to know some of the great nurs- the nursery industry. I’m sure someone plants, plus a list of their origins and erymen of the generation before me - was growing what we now think of as short descriptions. Jim Wells, Case Hoogendoorn, Martin native plants, but I don’t remember any Acer japonica ‘Branford Beauty’ Van Hof, Hendrik Verkade, Lud Hoffman listed. I also don’t remember exactly A seedling from a tree at Ernie Egan’s and so many others willing to share when I realized that Clethra gives good Nursery that was collected by Nick their knowledge of propagation, grow- summer color and Ilex verticillata can Nickou. This is a mounding spreading ing and new plant discoveries. I could be spectacular in the fall. However, we maple with an Acer jap. ‘Aconitifolium’ tell stories for hours about how the started growing some along with Azalea type leaf. nurserymen of that generation helped viscosum. We were one of the first to Acer palmatum ‘Harriet Waldman’ me and contributed to the success of grow “native plants” and have expand- This is a very interesting Japanese Summer Hill Nursery. ed our numbers dramatically over the Maple that has variegated leaves and years. striking pink new growth in mid sum- A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY However, the question always aris- mer. It’s believed to be a seedling of A. When I started the nursery back in es - what is a native plant? One that palm. ‘Oridono Nishiki’ that was found 1957, I envisioned a field growing nurs- grows in your area or one that grows by Phil Waldman of Roslyn Nursery ery operation similar to the one I had near your area and survives your and named for his wife. been working for before I started my weather conditions? There are plants Andromeda polifolia ‘Breton Blue’ own. We rented some land and planted that grow in the Southeast and are Mike found this one in a bog on Cape Taxus, Tsuga, Thuja and Juniperus. It hardy in New England. Perhaps they Breton, Nova Scotia - good blue color wasn’t too long before deer let me were here before the last ice age and on a very low growing plant. know this was not going to work, with haven’t moved back this far North but Azalea ‘Hot Frost’ Our propaga- the exception of junipers and hem- are surviving happily at the right alti- tor, Rick Carlson, found this variegated locks, which they seemed to leave tude of the Allegheny Mountains. sport of Azalea Hot Shot. It will be intro- alone. Below is a list of native plants we duced in the summer of 2008. At the time I started, there were are growing. All are from the East Azalea mollis ‘Lemon Twist’ Mike only three other container operations in Coast, most from the Northeast and found this yellow flowered Azalea mol- New England. Cliff Corliss was growing some from the Southeast. I’ve added a lis with twisted branches when we grew a few plants in wire mesh containers few words on where they should be A. mollis from seed. that were made of hardware cloth with used, etc. Azalea mucronulatum ‘Bright a tar paper lining. Gerry Verkade in 1. Acer pensylvanicum This is an Pink’ We found this one here in a New London had quite a few contain- understory tree - it has green bark with group of A. mucronulatum liners but ers, using metal cans they bought from white stripes. The variety ‘Erythrocladum’ can’t remember where they came from. Lorio Corporation, and Arie Rader was has pink bark with white stripes - very It’s a darker pink than A. mucronulatum starting to fool around with some con- striking. ‘Cornell Pink’. tainers at Imperial Nursery. At Summer continued on page 4 continued on page 3 Hill, we tried a thousand containers our continued on page 2 1 first year (1958), all Pyracantha, which gave us expert information. I think of was popular at the time and hard to dig John Ahrens from the Connecticut for B & B. Since we had no knowledge Agricultural Experiment Station who of how to overwinter them, they all did so much work with us on herbi- died. Not too long after that, we learned cides, and John Shred who, in the their roots died at 20° above zero, and early years, helped us with our insect we had only protected them with snow problems. In general, the Connecticut fence and felt paper. Experiment Station has been able to In our second year we grew other answer many of our questions and has plants, as well as Pyracantha, in con- solved problems for us over and over tainers increasing the number to two again. We can’t thank the entire staff thousand. The containers went along enough for their help through the with landscaping, which did bring in years. some income, and the field growing I can’t say enough about the operation, which had nothing large employees we’ve had over the years, enough to sell. Overwintering contain- especially the ones that have stayed ers continued to be a problem until Ken with us for a long time. Of our 25 or so Reisch at Ohio State came up with the full time employees, 14 have worked at idea of covering plants with plastic for Summer Hill for more than 10 years - of the winter. I learned about this at a these, 6 have been here over 25 years Plant Propagator’s meeting, and when Mike in the 1960’s and 2 for more than 30 years. This loy- I came home, we took some plants possible. He was never able to get his alty to Summer Hill has made it possi- from the barn where we were overwin- wholesale nursery off the ground and ble for us to produce high quality nurs- tering them that year, covered some devote full time to growing, because he ery stock and for me to really enjoy the with plastic, and realized it worked. had monetary problems and had to nursery business. These and all our After that the container operation keep landscaping. Since I was still newer people are not only employees expanded, growing more and more single and living on about $5.00 a but friends, and I really appreciate their varieties and covering them first with week, I felt that I could probably handle effort to make us the best. plastic that was held up with cement this so I gave up the landscaping and Of course, most important are our blocks and snow fence, then graduat- increased the container production part customers. Many of our first customers ing to A-frames which were used by of the nursery in order to bring in dol- are no longer in business, but we have many nurseries throughout the country. lars faster. some that have been buying from us Finally, we went to the typical quonset By the end of the 1960’s, I had to for 45 years or so. Young’s Nurseries in hoop house. I’m not sure if it was his make the decision of whether to make Wilton, CT comes to mind, as well as own idea, but Dick Vanderbilt of Conard the nursery much larger or continue the Rosedale Nurseries in Hawthorne, NY. Pyle preached the value of using hoop same size and just try to get better. We started selling to Mahoney’s in houses to all of us in the container Since I could see the specter of work- Winchester, MA when Paul only had business - it is, of course, now stan- ing in the office rather than working one garden center. There are others, dard. with plants ahead of me if we became too many to mention, that have been It’s funny how little things can much larger, we have kept the nursery good customers for over 25 years. The change the course of your life. After I basically the same size since approxi- original owners and buyers may be had been in business a few years and mately 1970. We have added some long gone, but the businesses continue was buying some plants for a land- area but not a considerable amount. with us. We thank them, as well as our scape job from Dick Van Heiningen, he We have, however, added many, many newer customers. It is great working mentioned that if I really wanted to new varieties. with you, and we hope to do so for have a decent wholesale nursery, I Over the years, our success can many years in the future. should give up landscaping as soon as be attributed to a lot of people who - Mike Johnson Summer Hill Nursery, Inc. 888 Summer Hill Road Madison, CT 06443 Phone: 203-421-3055 FAX: 203-421-5189 www.summerhillnursery.com Spring Hours: 7:30 - 4:30 Holly Johnson - V.P. Sales & Admin. John Nassif - V.P. Production Betty Allen - Office Manager Mike Johnson - Newsletter Editor, etc.