Six thousand S and 1 C" hanging 

 plants — ^fuchsia. New Guinea 

 impatieni, shade impatient, 

 porrulaca, begonias, i\'>' geraniums — 

 are also grown each year. In spring, 

 hangers are overhead everN-where. 

 And one of the back houses is filled 

 just with A-trame racks that allow 

 hangers to be grown in large numbers 

 at eve level. 



"Four years ago, we decided we 

 needed to increase our retail 

 business," Rob said; "we needed to 

 find ways to become more accessible 

 to the public. We were there; we 

 were growmg — bur no one could see 

 us — we needed to be more visible, 

 "^^hat we had was a florist shop 

 coruiected to an empt\- rwo-story 

 house, built in the fifties. Behind the 

 house were three connected glass 

 houses, gable ends facmg the road. 

 "I wanted to tear down the whole 

 place and put up a new garden 

 center, but I worked with Dick 

 Buckley, a consultant, who told me 

 to keep what I had — just use it 

 better." The key was "rustic." 

 The quarter-acre front lawn was 

 made into a sales yard for nursery 

 stock and pereruiials. .An 8x10 shed 

 was built as a place for an outdoor 

 cashier. The area bevond the shed 

 became addinonal parking. 

 In front oi the sales vard is a split-rail 

 fence. This is built in sections with 

 Its posts set into wooden bases filled 

 with cement that are set on the 

 ground — so the fence is adjustable. It 

 can be taken down in winter or 

 moved to change the si:e oi the 

 parking lot. Between this fence and 

 the sidewalk is a 3 1/2x100' dispby 

 bed. "When Dick first came," Rob 

 said, "he asked me what busmess I 

 was in. Tlants, flowers," I said- 

 "How would I know?' he asked; 

 "There's not a plant in sight."' 

 Now. along the sidewalk. 3000 tulips 

 bloom m spnng; when thev've gone 

 bv, 300 6' geraniums are planted; in 

 hill, there are 240 hardy mums. 

 "People dnve bv to see the color," 

 Rob savs, "and then decide to stop m. 

 It's a great promonon device." 

 Behind the sales vard are two oi the 

 glass houses. Double swing doors 



were installed and the Coroplast, a 

 double-walled plastic sheeting that 

 was used as insulation m the 70s, was 

 taken oH and replaced with glass. 



From Mav through August, these are 

 predominantlv retail areas. The glass 

 walls and open doors invite pec^le to 

 wander mside and fill little red 

 wagons with produce. (The third 

 glass house is a vear-round retail area 

 and is directly behind the shop.) 



The shop is a full-service flower shop 

 with two wire ser\ices and ernxigh 

 work to emplov the manager, Gerr\ 

 Finle>-, and three designers. More 

 gift items are sold now. Balloons do 

 well — as do stuffed animals. 

 The si-e is unchanged, but the space 

 is HKDre open. The ser\ice counter, 

 for example, was pushed back three 

 feet to help create a direct traffic Ime 

 to the greenhouse bevond the shop. 

 A garage between the 5hi-)p and the 

 greenhouse has become a retail area 

 as well. Rustic 1 untreated wood 

 walls, cement floor) in feeling. 

 seasor\al items are sold here — 

 Christmas items in December; garden 

 Items in spnng. 



In the greenhouse itself, the floor's 

 alternating strips of crushed rock and 

 cement show where the berKhes and 

 walkwavs once were, bur the benches 

 have been cut into sections, set on 

 cement blocks, and arranged 

 throughout the space m a pattern 

 that allows customers to move 

 around them easilv. Statuars- is 

 displaved at one end. In summer, 

 tbliage plants are displaved; m spnng, 

 it's full of flowering garden plants; at 

 Christmas, there are ners of 



poinsettias 



Olde English holds two open 

 hixises — in spring, on the first 

 Sunday in May, and at Christmas, on 

 the first Sundav in December. 

 Advertismg is bv direct mail, using 

 their own lO-OC-person list and other, 

 bought lists. This year, Rob targeted 

 Newmarket homeowners. 



This year's spring i>pen house — the 

 twent\'-sixtli — "was the best." 



There used to be tents arxl barbecues, 

 entertainment and crafts, but nou- all 

 they do IS sell plants, with a 25% 

 discount offered on selected items. 

 4.500 people came to the one-dav 

 event. 



There was no special program, but 

 they did have a clown. "She was 

 excellent," Rob said; "she pamted 

 faces and made animab out oi 

 balloons, but what was best was that 

 the kids watched her while their 

 parents shopped." 

 Rose and John are semi-renred. 

 The%- live year-round at their camp m 

 Eliot, but are there when needed. 

 Good help has staved. Gerrv has 

 worked in the shop twerux- vears; 

 Paul BaldelU, the head geranium 

 grower, has been there fourteen, and 

 Mart\ Couture, assistant ornamentals 

 grower, has been there eight. This 

 consisteiKy has steadied the turmoil 

 of growth. 



Were there other plans tor Olde 

 English? 



There were. Rob didn't see more 

 greenhouses, but he saw crops m the 

 back fields — "mavbe pick-your-own 

 blueberries. .And take-out ice cream 

 from June through Labor Da\- near 

 the parkmg lot." 

 "Ice creamr 



He laughed at mv surprise. "Well, 

 whv notr 



■^'ell..." I thought. These people 

 weie cerrainlv game ibr new ideas. 

 The\'d make it work. "Sure," 1 said, 

 "whv not." (B. P. i;^. 



For more rmormanon . ut.k Otic 

 Engfisii Greenhouses. 22C SouA .Vknn 

 Street. .Veu-marfcer. .VH C3S57 or cau. 

 Rob Carveraer ax (603 ) 659-339 J . 



DECE.VBER 1991 1: 



i9p: 1'3 



