Growing or WHAT we do and WHEN we do it using pictures from my picture-newsletter. If these pictures don't open click here. Clicking the picture will sometimes open a bigger picture. Last edited in February 2011.

I am a grower of hard to find plants that I sell retail (most of the plants we sell are in a 7 gallon pot for $30 plus tax but as those that aren't sold right away outgrow their pots we repot them, then use them for propagation and to sell to those few who are interested in larger established plants and dont mind a premium price. Each year for around six weeks we sell plants during our retail plant sale or by appointment afterwards. The rest of the year I am preparing for the next plant sale by creating new plants from cuttings, repotting, fertilizing, watering etc.

In January and February, while plants are sleeping outdoors we prepare for the next season and spend lots of time reorganizing the web site.

Each plant we grow has an individual page for that variety alone linked from one of my catalogs.

A description of the plant is followed by 6 pictures that when clicked opens a larger picture that can be saved as wallpaper or examined more closely.

An inventory picture that shows the available plants either in the field grouped around a plant sign or at the plant sale gathered around the sign (I overwrite this picture with more recent ones several times a year). The sign shows the date the picture was taken, the crop number and the quantity of available plants in the group (in the top right hand corner usually on a green dot if they are in 7 gallon pots).

Sometimes I use a local picture I have taken, as a substitute if I dont have a picture of that variety yet. I can print notes on the picture showing if plants are on order or if we are out of stock.

The next two pictures may vary widely according to the availability but I try to have one showing the plant in a garden and another showing fall foliage. The bottom two pictures may show the fruit, rose hips or seed pod and another showing a pot of cuttings I am rooting. If there is no fruit or I dont have pictures in the garden I'll probably have multiple pictures of what I do have.

Above should show a picture of rooted cuttings. Two labels are on the pot; one showing the date the cuttings were stuck and the other showing the date this picture was taken. Clicking on the picture may open a larger version. It usually takes two years to go from a rooted cutting to an own root rose for sale in a 7 gallon pot.

I divide my catalogs into smaller groups of plants so I can add more pictures.

66) 'WILLIAM_LOBB'_'OLD_VELVET_MOSS' , (1855), ("Classic Roses" Beales, fl:183), 'Duchesse d'Istrie', 'Old Velvet Moss', Introduced by Laffay of France. Semi-double scented flowers that are a mix of purple, magenta, grey and pink. 8x5 feet. Growing well in the Rose hedge near Stewarts (check the newsletter for pictures).

My hand measures 3.5 inches across the four fingers allowing you to determine how large a flower or fruit is. Whenever I'm taking a closeup I hold the flower, branch or fruit which also makes it easier to identify many of the pictures as mine. I dont mind if you use them just so long as you give credit to me and my web site in a foot note.

My rose catalog for instance has one large list of plants but it has also been broken up into numerous smaller catalogs; Disease Resistant Roses (Alba Roses, Gallica Roses, Damask Roses, Centifolia Roses, Hybrid Rugosa Roses, Climbing Roses & Rambler Roses, This allows me to have a closeup of the flower next to an inventory picture of each variety and allows my customers to skim the information they want without having to check each variety page. Clicking on the picture opens a larger, better quality version that can be examined more closely and clicking on the blue link still alows you to look for additional pictures.

As I work among the different plants I take pictures and save them into my picture newsletter. Later I may save some of these pictures as those above; flowerpic, growingcrop, infall, infruit or propagat. We dont sell our ornamental plants like Lilacs and Roses until they flower. Once they start to flower I only overwrite the picture once a year when they are in flower. My plant sale is set up so you can buy them in bloom.

Fruit trees (espalier trained crab apple, apple and pear trees) and shrubs (like blueberry bushes) will be found at the plant sale within a year or two of being potted. Blueberry bushes for instance will be at the plant sale when a year old or more (check the date planted on the side of the pot). Espalier trained fruit trees usually take me two years or more to finish training but I will have many at the plant sale after only one year.

We grow plants that I have determined people probably want, but dont have because there isnt a regular source where they live and their experience with mail order isn't good. What does that mean, you ask? Pinxterbloom Azalea is native to this area but none of the local garden centers have it because they buy the new introductions first (so many of the plants I grow are heirloom). Old Garden Roses often bloom for as little as three or four weeks and many garden centers order roses by how long their season of bloom is, not by how hardy they are (so I order roses because they are hardy and disease resistant first). I ask people to subscribe to my picture-newsletter and tell me which plants from my list they are most interested in (I place extra emphasis in crops that have more interest from my subscribers).

'Purple Glory' Lilac crop # 73. If you click on the picture it will open a larger version so you can see the year these plants were planted painted on the side of the pot and on the sign is a pink label showing the date this growing crop picture was taken (growingcrop073.jpg). We dont sell Lilacs or Roses until they flower proving the variety. You might want to look at my May 1 to 15 issue to see Lilacs in bloom.

I usually start a "crop" of plants in a group of 50 or more. When they are small I plant them in a 3 gallon pot, and paint the year planted on the side of the pot with a crop number that represents that variety. 'Ludwig Spaeth' Lilac for instance is #86.

Initially the crop is grown close together, with the sides of the pots touching, Their pots turned so a picture of the group shows that year and crop number. A metal sign that stands a couple feet above the group, displays the crop number and when a "crop picture" is taken, a label that shows the days date is attached. In this way my customers can see how many of a crop we have and how mature they are. Each month, a new picture is taken of each crop and then saved using the same file name as the picture from the previous month. When the small picture in my newsletter or elsewhere in the web site is clicked it usually opens a larger picture where the labels can be read and the plants examined. Once plants start to flower I start taking closeups of the sign so that the inventory information is easy to read even in the small picture. I use a sharpie waterproof marker to note how many plants I have for sale in the upper right hand corner. Later you will be able to tell how many are in 7 gallon because the number will be on a green dot, 15 gallon on a yellow dot and 25 gallon on a red dot. In the newsletter during May and June you can see many growing crop pictures of plants actually at the plant sale.

We dont sell Roses or Lilacs until they flower. Espalier trained fruit trees, blueberry bushes etc. are usually sold in June and will often have fruit on them. While they are flowering I label those in bloom with a yellow, individually numbered inventory label. The following March those I labeled are re-potted and moved to the plant sale. Roses are stored through the winter pot-in-pot outdoors and usually the 'growing crop picture' is taken while they are stored (when they are not in bloom).

I am growing at least 10 different varieties of double flowered French lilacs that were introduced between 1880 and 1940 from the Lemoine Nurseries but I also have some new ones as well. I carry maybe 14 varieties that are variations on the color purple but have those I consider "the best" representing the other colors. I choose fruit bearing plants based on hardiness, flavor, disease resistance, because they are antique or native. Roses are mostly those introduced before the Civil War but the best disease resistant, very hardy, modern roses are also grown by us and sold when they begin to flower.

I am trying to make my web site as generic as possible. Someday I may have to go for a long period without editing the pages, just overwriting the pictures. This is because of the way software and computers are marketed. If the software I use is discontinued, the process of replacing these pages could become terribly expensive. By planning my comments carefully around the pictures I should be able to continue to over-write the pictures successfully. Maybe some day software marketers will design software enabling me to edit old pages created with an old software but I haven't seen it yet (September 17, 2010).

The best way to see pictures of our different crops of plants is to either go to the web page for that plant or check the picture-newsletter. We pot plants in March, Lilacs flower in April and May, Roses flower in June, Blueberries bear fruit in June, many of the espalier have fruit in September. January February March April May 1 to 15 May 16 to 31 June 1 to 7 June 8 to 14 June 15 to 21 June 22 to 30 July August September October November December

I grew this group of 100 lilacs (above picture) for 5 years thinking it was red-purple 'Monge' which it wasn't (growingcropbluesingle.jpg). This is one reason why I insist selling Lilacs in bloom only. I purchase rooted cuttings from propagators all over the country and sometimes their quality control isn't as good as mine.

Pinxterbloom Azalea Crop (growingcrop075.jpg). Each crop of plants is given a three digit number. A growingcrop picture is taken at least once a year but more often once a month and saved the same way each time overwriting the former crop picture. Click for a larger image.

Crop 151 is Blue Crop Blueberry Bushes (growingcrop151.jpg). We start selling them after 1 year in a 3 gallon pot for $10.

ESPALIER TRAINED FRUIT BEARING TREES AND SHRUBS (apple trees and pear trees being trained to wire trellis).

Crop 195 is Snow Drift Flowering Crab Apple being trained to Belgian Fence (growingcrop195.jpg).

Crop 197 is Dwarf Newtown Pippin being trained to Horizontal T Espalier (growingcrop197.jpg).

Disease Resistant OLD GARDEN ROSES & DISEASE RESISTANT MODERN ROSES (old roses were introduced before the CIVIL WAR while modern roses have been introduced since).

The date in the picture shows month - and year (growingcroproses.jpg). I am placing all the crop pictures for Roses on flowers.yonatan.us/avirtual.htm

Crop 156 'Candle Light' Spiraea for best offer (growingcrop156.jpg).

More pictures of crops will be added later.

CULTURAL METHODS BELOW

Most of our plants for sale are taken through winter outdoors, pot-in-pot (the rest are hardy enough that their roots dont need the insulation that pot-in-pot provides and are just grown in a 3 gallon pot outdoors). Our version of the pot-in-pot growing method uses an empty pot we call a socket pot, inserted in a raised bed of soil or mulch . In fall plants that have been potted in an identical pot at the depth they should be planted in soil are inserted in the socket pot (there should be pictures of the method being used below). This allows me to utilize areas of deep shade for plant storage in winter and easily transfer them to sunny locations to grow in spring and summer.

Pictures of plants growing in the field are saved as growingcrop081.jpg or similar where the number is the crop number shown in my catalog.

Own root roses for sale will be in a 7 gallon pot or a 15 gallon pot (once it outgrows the 7) and say "own root" on the side of the pot.

I add all inventory pictures for each variety on its own web page. When I take a new picture of the same plant I save it the same as I did the old one and the picture changes everywhere throughout the web site.

IF YOU WISH TO SUBSCRIBE EMAIL ME.

I LEARNED LONG AGO THAT "SMART BUYERS BUY IT IN BLOOM!" THAT WAY THERE ARE NO SURPRISES.

YOU CAN SEE THE COLOR with your own eyes AND SMELL THE FRAGRANCE with your own nose BEFORE BUYING.

SO I SET UP THE FLOWERING SHRUB FARM IN VOORHEESVILLE, NY TO BE OPEN WHEN MOST OF THE PLANTS WE GROW AND SELL RETAIL ARE IN BLOOM.

OUR RETAIL PLANT SALE IS FROM MAY 15 TO JULY 4.

Someday I may be open until the end of July because I have now started growing Hibiscus Syriacus to Belgian Fence and they flower starting in July.

AFTER JULY 4 WE'RE OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY WHILE I PROPAGATE MORE PLANTS.

January February March April May 6 to 16 May 20 to 31 June 4 to 7 June 8 to 9 June 11 to 13 June 16 to 25 July August September October November December

IN MAY WE SELL NATIVE AZALEAS THAT ARE OF GOOD SIZE AND CAN BE PLANTED WITHOUT THE ROOT FALLING APART. Check the newsletter each month to see how they are growing and when they will be for sale (then verify in an email).

PINXTERBLOOM AZALEA (R. NUDIFLORUM), SWAMP AZALEA (R. VISCOSUM), ROSEBAY RHODODENDRON (R. MAXIMUM).

I PLANT THREE SEED GROWN RHODODENDRON PERICLYMENOIDES IN A SINGLE 3 GALLON POT AND TRAIN THEM AS A SINGLE PLANT.

I FERTILIZE WITH ESPOMA HOLLYTONE BEFORE THEY FLOWER AND FERTILIZE ONCE MORE AFTER THEY FINISH FLOWERING.

I COLLECT RAINWATER FROM THE BARN ROOF TO WATER THEM WITH BECAUSE OUR LOCAL WATER HAS TO HIGH A pH.

IN MAY & EARLY JUNE WE SELL LILACS THAT ARE FLOWERING OR HAVE PREVIOUSLY FLOWERED.

WE WEED THE POTS BUT LEAVE THE AREA BETWEEN THE POTS UNWEEDED EXCEPT TO REMOVE SPECIFIC WEEDS THAT HAVE SEEDS THAT STICK TO CLOTHING.

THE WEEDS MAKE IT HARDER FOR INSECTS TO FIND WHAT THEY WANT TO EAT (SO THE WEEDS BREAK UP THE MONOCULTURE) WHEN THE PLANTS ARE SMALL THE WEEDS OVERSHADOW THEM A BIT SO THEY DONT DRY OUT AS QUICKLY.

New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) growing in the lilac fields (00009asternewengland091609). PICTURES TAKEN FROM SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 NEWSLETTER.

WHEN THE PLANTS GET BIG THEY OVERSHADOW THE WEEDS AND THE WEEDS DIE BACK.

WHEN THE PLANTS FLOWER I LABEL THEM

After the plant sale those that have to few stems (less than 3) will either be cut back or potted together in a larger pot.

AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN CUT BACK THEY USUALLY REFLOWER WITHIN TWO YEARS AT WHICH TIME THEY WILL BE REPOTTED INTO A 15 GALLON FOR $50.

IN JUNE & JULY WE SELL ROSES.

I GET ROSES GRAFTED ON ROSA MULTIFLORA (GUARENTEED VIRUS FREE ROOTSTOCK REPRODUCED FROM SEED) TO PROPAGATE FROM (AFTER I'VE ROOTED CUTTINGS THE GRAFTED ROSES WILL BE FOR SALE TOO). CHECK THE CATALOG LINKED FROM MY HOME PAGE.

I TAKE CUTTINGS IN JULY.

THE CUTTINGS ARE STUCK IN A MOISTENED ROOTING MEDIUM (FERTILIZED WITH A SPECIAL FERTILIZER THAT STIMULATES ROOTS BUT HAS LITTLE OR NO NITROGEN) IN ONE OF MY THREE GALLON POTS CLEARLY LABELED ON THE SIDE OF THE POT WITH THE VARIETY NAME AND THE DAY THE CUTTINGS WERE TAKEN.

EACH THREE GALLON POT IS PLACED IN A CLEAR PLASTIC BAG THAT IS SEALED TO RETAIN MOISTURE AND PLACED IN A COLDFRAME TO FURTHER PROTECT IT FROM DIRECT SUNLIGHT (THAT COULD COOK THE CUTTINGS) OR WILD ANIMALS.

AFTER SIX WEEKS THE BAGS ARE REMOVED. I HAVE SEVERAL HUNDRED THREE GALLONS WITH ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO FOURTEEN CUTTINGS GROWING IN EACH.

THEY ARE REMOVED FROM THE COLD FRAME EACH SPRING AND THEN KEPT WEEDED, WATERED AND FERTILIZED.

WHEN THEY FLOWER I ATTACH AN INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED INVENTORY LABEL BUT WONT MAKE IT AVAILABLE FOR SALE UNTIL ITS WELL BRANCHED AND LARGE.

CHECK THE ROSE CATALOG LINKED TO MY HOMEPAGE.

MOST OF OUR LILACS ARE DIFFERENT SHADES OF PURPLE, VIOLET, MAGENTA & LAVENDER.

'PRESIDENT POINCAIRE', 'SARAH SANDS', 'MONGE', DARK NIGHT', 'SENSATION', 'ANDENKEN AN LUDWIG SPAETH', 'FOREST KRESSER SMITH', 'LAVENDER LADY',

INVENTORY LISTS ARE LINKED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

BUT I ALSO HAVE SOME WHITE FLOWERED 'KRASAVITSA MOSKVY', 'PRIMROSE' AND 'ROCHESTER'

BLUE FLOWERED 'AUCUBAEFOLIA', 'PRESIDENT GREVY'

PINK FLOWERED 'EDWARD J GARDNER', 'MISS CANADA', 'JAMES MACFARLAND'

This 'Edward J Gardner' French lilac picture is saved as 11318edwardgardner051409. 051409 is the date the picture was taken.

I'm always trying to find old lilacs from the 1880's and 1890's to propagate but I'm willing to add almost any purple, magenta, violet or lavender lilac to the inventory.

The other colors we'll have are only those I consider to be truly outstanding or one or two we're trying out.

Wild flowers are promoted at all locations to provide nectar for beneficial insects and scent screening from damaging insects (00010upperfieldrow01_100109). Scent screening breaks up monoculture making it difficult for damaging insects to find their targets. Click this picture and save as a screen saver.

JULY THROUGH NOVEMBER I'M LOOKING FOR GOOD NODES SO THAT I CAN ROOT SEMI-MATURE CUTTINGS OR LATER IN THE YEAR HARDWOOD CUTTINGS.

I FILL A THREE GALLON POT (LABELED ON THE SIDE WITH THE PLANT VARIETY AND THE DAYS DATE) ABOUT THREE QUARTERS FULL WITH A ROOTING SOIL MIX THAT HAS A FERTILIZER THAT SUPPORTS ROOT GROWTH BUT HAS NO NITROGEN THAT MIGHT FEED COMPETING ORGANISMS.

I THOROUGHLY WET THE SOIL MIX. THEN MAKE HOLES IN IT WITH A PENCIL.

I TRIM THE BASE OF THE STEM BACK TO VERY CLOSE TO THE NODE AND REDUCE EACH SIDE BRANCH OF THE CUTTING TO ONE OR TWO LEAVES SO ITS EASIER TO PACK THE CUTTINGS CLOSE TOGETHER.

AROUND 14 CUTTINGS CAN USUALLY BE INSERTED IN EACH 3 GALLON POT.

THE POT IS THEN INSERTED IN A CLEAR PLASTIC BAG AND THE TOP TIED SEVERAL TIMES WITH CORD SO IT WONT DEFLATE ON THE CUTTINGS AND MOISTURE WONT GET OUT.

EACH BAGGED 3 GALLON POT IS PLACED IN MY COLDFRAME TO PROTECT IT FROM TO MUCH SUN THAT COULD BAKE THE CONTENTS OR ANIMALS THAT MIGHT MALICIOUSLY BREAK INTO THE BAG.

AFTER 6 WEEKS I OPEN THE BAG AND FERTILIZE WITH ESPOMA FERTILIZER REPLACING THE BAG AFTERWARD AND PLACING IT BACK IN THE COLDFRAME. IT WONT BE PERMANENTLY UNBAGGED FOR A YEAR AFTER THE CUTTINGS WERE TAKEN.

DURING THE WINTER ALL MY CUTTINGS GO IN THE COLD FRAME AND THEN GET TAKEN OUT AGAIN IN SPRING. THOSE CUTTINGS THAT PRODUCE NEW GROWTH IN SPRING MAY BE GROWN FOR SEVERAL YEARS UNDISTURBED OR IF I NEED SOME OF THAT VARIETY GET DEVIDED INTO THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL THREE GALLON POT, FERTILIZED AND CUT BACK.

The canes are cut into several pieces with three nodes each on top middle and bottom (01204cuttings120409.jpg). The variety and its vigor of growth usually determines the length of cutting, but each should have a top node slightly above soil to form leaves and two other nodes beneath soil that will form roots in spring.

Further information may be noted on with a paint pen on the side of the pot.

The following spring, I fertilize with an organic fertilizer and set the pot somewhere it can get adequate water and drainage.

IN THE FALL I LOOK FOR DISTINCTIVE FALL FOLIAGE AND PUBLISH IT IN THE NEWSLETTER.

IN MARCH, AS SOON AS THE SOIL CAN BE WORKED, WE TAKE PREVIOUSLY LABELED LILACS FROM THE FIELD (LABELED THE PREVIOUS YEAR WITH A YELLOW INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED INVENTORY LABEL WHEN THEY WERE IN BLOOM AND PHOTOGRAPHED), AND MOVE THEM TO OUR SALES LOCATION.

EACH YEAR IN SPRING I RECEIVE #1 SIZED ROSES GRAFTED ON ROSA MULTIFLORA OF MANY OLD GARDEN ROSES.

I PLANT THEM IN 7 GALLON POTS WITH THE GRAFT TWO INCHES BENEATH SOIL.

ONCE THEY BEGIN TO BLOOM THEY'LL BE FOR SALE.

OTHERWISE I'LL TAKE CUTTINGS FROM THEM IN JULY FOR PROPAGATION.

THREE YEARS LATER WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SELL OWN ROOT PLANTS OF THAT VARIETY.

I GROW THEM IN A SUSTAINABLE FASHION SO AS NOT TO POLLUTE SOIL, AIR OR WATER.

I SPRAY ONLY WITH INSECTICIDAL SOAP AND DONT USE FUNGICIDE AT ALL.

WE FEED PLANTS WITH ESPOMA ORGANIC FERTILIZERS AND WATER THEM VIA DRIP LINE.

072607insecticidalsoap0008.jpg

IN JULY I TAKE CUTTINGS SO THAT WE WILL HAVE OWN ROOT PLANTS OF THOSE VARIETIES SOME DAY.

ROOTED CUTTINGS ARE PLANTED 3 OR MORE TOGETHER INTO A 3 GALLON POT (WE CALL A THREESOME) AND GROWN TOGETHER FOR TWO YEARS.

IN MARCH OR APRIL OF THE THIRD YEAR I DIVIDE THEM EACH INTO THEIR OWN THREE GALLON POT AND CUT BACK.

WHEN THEY OUTGROW THE THREE GALLON POT I REPOT THEM INTO A 7 GALLON AND WHEN THEY START TO FLOWER THEY'LL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE.

WHEN THEY OUT GROW THE 7 GALLON THEY ARE REPOTTED IN A 15 GALLON FOR $50 AND WHEN THEY OUTGROW THE 15 GALLON THEY ARE POTTED INTO A 25 GALLON FOR $100. Finally when they outgrow the 25 gallon I repot into a 45 gallon for $200.

MOST OF WHAT WE SELL ARE IN 7 AND 15 GALLON POTS WHILE THOSE IN 45'S ARE USED TO DISPLAY EXAMPLES OF MATURE PLANTS AND PLANTS FOR PROPAGATION.

WE TRANSPLANT THEM INTO 45 GALLON POTS AND LINE THEM UP ALONG THE FRONT NEAR THE SIDEWALK FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF PASSERS BY.

LILACS CAN BE PRUNED TO THE GROUND, TO SIX INCHES TALL, TO ONE FOOT TALL, TO TWO FEET TALL OR THREE FEET TALL.

THE MOST COMMON QUESTION IS HOW FAR BACK TO PRUNE WHEN RENOVATING A LILAC AND THE BEST ANSWER IS TO SHOW IT IN PICTURES.

SO THATS WHAT I DID.

I'LL ADD PICTURES SHOWING ALL FOUR CUT BACKS AND THEN TAKE NEW PICTURES A YEAR LATER, TWO YEARS LATER ETC.

WE WATER USING SEVERAL DIFFERENT METHODS BUT THIS ONE ALLOWS ME TO WATER, FERTILIZE OR SPRAY INSECTICIDAL SOAP AND IM USING A VARIATION TO TRAIN ESPALIER.

FOUR FOOT TALL POSTS BURIED IN SAND IN 7 GALLON POTS.

ONE INCH PVC WITH SPRAY EMITERS INSERTED IN DRILLED HOLES.

I SWITCH THE HOSE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

EACH LINE WATERS THREE LINES OF PLANTS.

IN FALL WE HANG THE PVC ON THE SIDE OF THE BARN, COIL UP THE HOSE AND PUT ALL THE POSTS TOGETHER OUT OF THE WAY.

SOME THREESOMES ARE NOT DIVIDED.

SOME THREESOMES ARE NOT DIVIDED BUT INSTEAD THE ROOTED CUTTINGS ARE TRAINED AS ONE PLANT.

SEVERAL OF US WORK IN THE NURSERY AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR.

RICH NORMALLY WORKS IN ALABAMA BUT WORKS WITH ME WHEN ON VACATION.

DON WORKS IN LA BUT TAKES TIME OFF IN SPRING AND FALL TO HELP OUT.

I TAKE THE PICTURES, DO THE NEWSLETTER, WATER, FERTILIZE AND TRAIN THE PLANTS.

REPOT, PROPAGATE AND A BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF THAT WHILE TIME CONSUMING DOESN'T REQUIRE ANY HEAVY LIFTING (I HAVE A BACK & NECK PROBLEM THAT REDUCES MY ABILITY TO LIFT AND USE MY HANDS).

Above is Rich taking cuttings (072607richpropagation0059.jpg).

The dog is maggy. Her mother was a German Shepherd-Labrador, her father a husky-collie.

athumbmaggy.jpg Our dog maggy is often with me when I'm traveling around or in the nursery.

Above is my 1978 pickup truck in the driveway. 225 slant 6 (2 barrel carb) with 3 on the tree, 3 speed standard on the column. I store it in the winter and drive my red 4 wheel drive truck instead but the red truck gets 8 mpg and the green gets 28. If they would just start making full size pickups with 6 cylinder and standard trnsmissions with overdrive and a two speed rear end for power.

It has always been my contention that nurseries; water to much, fertilize to much, use to much pesticide and just plain work to much. I am developing my own "One Straw Revolution" at the Flowering Shrub Farm in Voorheesville, NY. As I am disabled but still want to do what I love (growing hard to find ornamental plants, showing others how easy it is to grow them and then selling them), its a required step.

Contact me by email for an appointment as I probably wont answer my home phone at 518-765-2574. My cell phone is 518-526-9101

Availability? Rose Guide & Inventory. We grow plants to sell at our plant sale. Go to my growing page to see what we do and when we do it. Read my notes on the zone hardiness numbers I use. Do we do mail order? Check my picture-newsletter Want to purchase? email me.