EMBER PROFILE 



sheets of plastic dropped from the 

 frame. To save heat, he fills the fur- 

 nace side first — opening up the 

 sheets during the day to allow pas- 

 sage, then clothespinning them 

 shut at night — "we may not save 

 that much, but enough to make a 

 difference." 



He uses Lambert V-Mix-300 as 

 his growing medium, adding Sierra 

 17-16-10 slow-release fertilizer for 

 use in the earlier, grayer growing 

 period. He uses 14-14-14 later in 

 the season and feeds with Peters 

 15-16-17, recommended for soilless 

 mix. 



One of Bill's specialties is the vari- 

 ety of container shapes and sizes: 

 Decagons, UFOs, Basket Buddies, 

 Wallpots, 12- and 14-inch Moss Bas- 

 kets, Whiskey Barrel Liners — all are 

 available. There are fiber pots, seen 

 as more "earth-friendly." Geraniums 

 come in 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-inch 

 pots — "not many places offer that 

 range of sizes." 



He also uses recycled pots. He's 

 made arrangements with the recy- 

 cling center in Harrisville to take 

 whatever pots they collect and en- 

 courages customers to bring theirs 

 back voluntarily. Everything's sorted, 

 rinsed, and washed in Green- 

 Shield. He still has to buy pots, but 

 25-30% are furnished through recy- 

 cling. As local landfills close 

 (Keene's closes next year), he sees 

 the percentage increasing. The 

 practice saves money and also is 

 attractive to ecology-minded 

 clientele. 



He looks for new ways to pack- 

 age his product. He sells herbs in a 

 four-inch pot, individual pots for 

 $1.25, but he also sells a do-it- 

 yourself 'gift tray:" people can fill a 

 white plastic shuttle tray with a 

 handle with any arrangement of 

 herbs they choose; the tray goes 

 for $6.95. 



He opens April 15, offering bulk 

 bark mulch from local mills and 

 some bagged medias and fertilizers 

 ("but not many — we're mostly 



green"). Nursery stock and perenni- 

 als are also available. 



He offers 200 varieties of perenni- 

 als, bought in bare-root and potted 

 up in six-inch and one- and two-gal- 

 lon containers. "'The Perennial of the 

 Year' is never a top-seller. People 

 want to see what it looks like in their 

 neighbor's yard before buying it 

 themselves. People want old-fash- 

 ioned plants — they all remember 

 Grandmother's garden — but they 

 want the modem varieties." 



The nursery yard includes some 

 four- and five-inch caliper trees. 

 Creeping junipers sell well: "the land 

 around here is hilly and people use 

 it as ground cover in places too awk- 

 ward to mow." Trends? "Fewer foun- 

 dation plantings — more island and 

 perimeter gardens — people plant 



defined. 



His business is 90% retail. Most 

 of his customers are year-round lo- 

 cals and, like everyone, he's com- 

 peting with the WalMarts (in Ringe 

 and Hinsdale) and K-marts (Keene) 

 and supermarkets around him for 

 their business. "You need to have 

 what customers want" — he offers 

 twelve varieties of New Guinea im- 

 patiens, "but a few new things they 

 can't get elsewhere — and this year 

 he's growing supetunia 'Kilkenney 

 Bells,' gebera daisies, and a varie- 

 gated Swedish ivy ( "good as an ac- 

 cent plant") for the first time. 



He offers the standard veg- 

 etables — as well as some slightly 

 more unusual ones {leeks, egg- 

 plant) — grown in deep 606s. And 

 rhubarb and raspberries and two- 



now to create privacy." Wildlife 

 Plantings? "1 use blueberry in my own 

 work and people ask for high-bush 

 cranberry and mountain ash, but the 

 bird they really want to attract is the 

 hummingbird and we sell lots of lilies 

 and snapdragons and Monarda for that 

 reason." 



After mid-May (and less danger 

 of frost), he starts selling green- 

 house-grown material. He doesn't 

 sell from the lower houses — sales 

 and production areas are clearly 



gallon pots of cherry tomatoes. 



Appearance is important. The 

 display area by the road only sug- 

 gests what is offered. Purple and 

 Pink Wave petunias, planted in 

 whiskey barrel liners, line the walk- 

 way from the parking lot (20 cars) 

 to the retail greenhouse and shop. 



Perennials are displayed on 

 benches, some three-tiered; some 

 under a 30'x40' lath house. Hanging 

 baskets are part of the effect: 

 browelia, fuchsia, tuberous begonias. 



APRIL & MAY 



