M 



M 



of carpenter friends, they raised the 

 ceiling five feet (the original ceil- 

 ing was only seven). They took out 

 the old cement and put in a new 

 concrete floor with a hot-water ra- 

 diant-heating system imbedded in 

 it. After the interior was rebuilt 

 and painted, they placed old post- 

 and-beam structural pieces bought 

 from a dealer in Lyme here and 

 there to give it "a bam-like look." 

 Outside, they added a porch ("this 

 was Mary's idea") and painted the 

 whole structure red, with white 

 trim. The first floor became the 

 shop; the second, offices and stor- 

 age. JM Landscaping of Piermont 

 was in its new home. 



A 12x30 addition was built on 

 the south gable end. This con- 

 nects the shop with a 30x100 

 double-poly New Englander. De- 

 tails are subtle selling points: the 

 porch floor is bluestone ("to let 

 people know we do that kind of 

 stuft^'); the greenhouse floor is 

 brick (they do that too). 



In August, the New Englander 

 seems like a display house, with its 

 foliage plants set around a foun- 

 tain, its benches of begonias and 

 ivy, and above them, hanging bas- 

 kets of fuchsia and lantana ("we 

 sell lots of hangers"). But it is 

 used for production as well. They 

 begin growing pansies and annuals 

 in February, and start perennials at 

 various times of the year. And in 

 August, 1200 poinsettia cuttings ar- 

 rive ("We could buy finished 

 plants, but we just enjoy growing 

 things"). They grow simply. 

 There's a small potting bench at 

 the far end of the house and what- 

 ever bench space is needed for pro- 

 duction is used ("our customers like 

 to see things growing"). They're 

 too busy for lilies, but might some- 

 day force bulbs. 



After the New Englander was up 

 and operating, the two houses from 

 their Piermont location were set up 

 behind the New Englander and 

 parallel to it, their positions fore- 

 casting a future headhouse. Mums 

 are grown in one of these. 



Alongside the north gable end, a 

 20x50 shade house was built this 

 spring. Hemlock from a local mill 

 was used. ("I know it should be 



pressure-treated, but hemlock is 

 strong — ordinary white pine at our 

 place in Piermont lasted twelve 

 years.") The rafters are covered 

 with inflated double poly; the roof 

 is high — the peak is "probahlv 18 

 feet from the ground"; the steep 

 angle (12 over 12), prevents snow 

 build-up. The gable ends will be 

 boarded; the side next to the barn 

 is already boarded; the other side is 



open and covered with plastic that 

 can be rolled up in good weather. 

 Perennials — some started from seed 

 in the display house, others bought 

 bare-root fall and spring — are dis- 

 played on two-level hemlock 

 benches (bottom:4 1/2 x 8; top: 2 

 1/2 X 8) designed to let the cus- 

 tomer see plants on both levels 

 clearly. 



The nursery covers an acre. (A 

 October/November 1992 19 



