THE HORTULUS FARM COLLECTION FALL 2009

I'm going to make this the last blog of the season as I'm about to have my right shoulder repaired (yes: probably a bit of over zealous gardening...) and will be in a sling for a month or so, which will make both gardening and blogging a bit of a trial. However, a pain-free and more mobile future awaits, so I'll certainly be chomping at the gardening bit with renewed vigor come May.



Luckily, the day will soon be upon us when the first frost arrives and the gardens will be put to bed for a bit of R&R. I don't know about where you are, but the leaves are just starting to color up here in PA: especially the dogwoods, which are turning that marvelous deep shade of claret and, today, the sky is exquisitely blue: surely, a perfect fall day to be wrapping this up for the season.



In any event, I thought I would leave you with something to sustain you through the blustery days to come, as we've been working awfully hard at rebuilding our nursery operation over the past spring and summer and have just published our Fall 2009 Catalogue, some of which I thought I would share with you, as well as extending an invitation to come visit us here in Wrightstown over the winter whenever you feel in need of a little R&R yourself.



To me, visiting a cozy, well-stocked greenhouse in the chill of January or February is a surefire cure for what ails you. To be surrounded by tropical greenery and lavish blossom when all the world outside is blanketed in white, to inhale the damp, fragrant, fertile air, drive the chill from your bones for a moment, and come away with a little bit of green to enliven your window sill till spring reappears: what could be more soul-satisfying than that?



We are proud to say we feel our Hortulus Farm Collection is pretty much unique in our neck of the woods, and that we have carved out for ourselves a bit of a proprietary horticultural niche. What we love to grow are unusual trained specimens, like 8 foot solanum and solandra standards, 4 foot tall caged begonias, plumbagos trained on 6 foot balls, single, double, and triple topiaries of hibiscus, liqustrum, lantana, and heliotrope, ivies grown on wonderful frames, giant polypodiun ferns, plus a fantastic assortment of unusual begonias and tropicals. All are guaranteed to add a nice jolt of color and life to your home in the always too long months that lie ahead.



We're only 45 minutes from Philadelphia and under two hours from New York City, and I know Karen, Chris, Colon, and Donna, our stalwarts in the greenhouses, would be thrilled to see you (please call 215.598.0550 for our winter hours). In any event, Renny and I wish you a wonderful winter and hope you'll take us up on our invitation to visit. I will look forward to reconnecting with you come May!