First Timber Press, now Heronswood Nursery
Jane McGary (Thu, 08 Jun 2006 14:13:12 PDT)

I don't think the Burpees/Heronswood situation is as much an occasion for
mourning as some others appear to feel it is. (When the initial sale was
made, incidentally, the joke going around was that after the merger, the
new entity would be called Herpees Nursery.) It is true that Heronswood's
display garden and upscale location made it a popular destination for
plant-lovers, especially those with big budgets. However, the mail-order
plants were not always sent in satisfactory condition, and some of them had
devilish weeds included (thanks for the spurge). Moreover, the catalogs
featured, in cringe-inducing prose, some excessive praise of mediocre
garden subjects (no thanks for the Heptacodium) and seriously exaggerated
hardiness ratings.

By this time the more garden-worthy introductions from Heronswood have made
it into other nurseries, where they can still be bought no matter whether
Burpees kills them off. Just in my local area there are many such growers
-- though admittedly, "just in my local area" happens to be the county with
the most ornamental plant nurseries in the United States. I was just at
Collectors Nursery, for instance, and was quite impressed not only by what
was for sale but also by the many interesting plants in development, such
as some remarkable Roscoea species and hybrids. Another remarkable list,
with new introductions from Europe, is offered by Edelweiss Perennials of
Canby, Oregon. Both these growers have websites and mail order. (Be sure
you Google Edelweiss PERENNIALS, not Edelweiss Nursery, which is a bedding
plant outfit in Minnesota, I think.) Even with Heronswood closed, it's
still possible to make a productive plant pilgrimage through the Pacific
Northwest, north to south, ending up at the California border with a pickup
truck load of plants new to you.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA

08:58 AM 6/8/2006 -0400, you wrote: