A Grower Perspective

This spring has been a whirlwind of activities both at work and at home. Yesterday I happened to take a quiet moment to walk out into my backyard and was delighted to discover that some of my trees were in full bloom. They were glorious. We planted them at various times over the 22 years we have lived in this house. At the time, they were small, seemingly insignificant trees. We planted them knowing that someday in the future they would grow tall and beautiful – providing colorful spring color and lush green canopies in our landscape. Yesterday, I realized that day had arrived. It made me realize, once again, how quickly time passes. I can clearly remember Dave and I planting each one and here we are more than two decades later enjoying their mature beauty.

Comment (0) Read More...

I just received a wonderful phone call.  A few weeks ago, some customers bought Leylandii Cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) trees from us to create a screen.  They were trying to sell their house and wanted to block off the neighbors house to create a more private yard.  Their house was on the market and they thought this might help improve their chances for selling.

This customer just called and they were so thrilled having just received a signed offer on their house.  Many prospective buyers had toured their house previously but the first people to tour after the trees were planted were the ones that made an offer.  Coincidence?  Maybe.

Or perhaps the enriching of the landscape and the presence of these trees sweetened the deal and removed the

Comment (0) Read More...

There are so many wonderful tree varieties - most with interesting attributes that make them worthy of planting. I certainly have my favorite trees but the Mount Fuji Cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Mt. Fuji’) tops my list.

A very dear friend and former employer of mine, Rhoda Lomsky, had a mature Mt. Fuji cherry tree in her landscape and it was there that I first noticed what a gorgeous tree it was. Her tree, with its thick and somewhat gnarled truck and tree structure, seemed majestic and somehow wise. It was in full magnificent bloom, covered in delicate white flowers that looked so soft and pure next to the aged trunk. With the ground covered in white petals that had begun to fall, it gave the appearance of snow surrounding the tree on a warm spring day.

Not long after my discovery of this tree, I planted one in our own landscape. It was a little whip of a tree, not much to see in the beginning. My thoughts turned to other things in a busy life over the span

Comment (0) Read More...

We had our first annual Christmas Tree decorating contest at Pleasant Hill Nursery and it was a lot of fun. All the office staff got into it this year. (Our plant production crews took a “wait and see” approach but now say they will do it next year!) There were only two rules: 1) You had to use a plant from the nursery, and 2) You had to incorporate some handmade or natural elements for decorations.

Comment (0) Read More...