One of the highlights of last week for Britt and I was a visit to several of our purveyors off-island. After a long summer of selling plants here at Surfing Hydrangea, it was a real treat to take a business trip. With over thirty years combined experience in the green industry, we still find a trip to see our growers valuable and interesting.
Our first day was spent with a morning of travel and a visit to a grower with a vast series of fields and green houses. Literally thousands of cultivars of annuals perennials, shrubs, grasses and trees were neatly row-ed up in groups at various stages of growth. We were told they have over 40 miles of cover able green houses! I was particularly taken aback by the hydrangeas. We sell a great deal of hydrangeas each year, and at times I feel like I am swimming in mop-heads and floating on a sea of panicles. But I was stunned to see thousands upon thousands of ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas in their customary blue pots.
Perspective. The green industry is huge.
On our second day we visited one of our favorite growers in Franklin, CT. This operation grows the best quality perennials and vines in our region. We walked around fields and fields of flowers in full bloom. I was surprised to see that their largest crop of shade plants were grown outside under a huge stand of oak trees. It reminded me of our little shade section, shaded by a stand of aging pines. Even when growing is more and more mechanized, it’s refreshing to know that low-tech, natural approaches still have a place.
The hectic pace of summer past, and a great visit to our growers behind us, we’re back at Surfing Hydrangea, re-invigorated and ready to power through the fall. Plants are Cool!
-Brad MacDonald