M 



M 



B 



farmer hays the rest o( the land.) 

 In winter, protection is surpris- 

 ingly simple. The perennial beds 

 and some of the more sensitive 

 nursery stock are covered with a 

 layer of plastic, a layer of hay, 

 then another layer of plastic. 

 Most of the nursery stock is dug 

 into the ground where they're 

 standing "and maybe covered with 

 a few bark chips." Everything 

 does fine. 



Landscaping is still the main 

 source ot income, accounting for 

 60% of the total. The numbers 

 employed depend on the econo- 

 my, but right now both Mary and 

 Jim have their own crews. (The 

 garden center has a full-time 

 manager, Russ Pazdro, and Mary's 

 sister, Margaret, does a lot of the 

 growing.) Jim specializes in larger 

 design and construction projects; 

 Mary, in garden plantings (espe- 

 cially annuals) and maintenance. 



Does their design work have a 

 certain style? In northern New 

 Hampshire, your choices are prag- 

 matic. Mary favors certain plants 

 for their hardiness: begonias are 

 "easy and can be used in both 



shade and sun." Color's impor- 

 tant — she uses lots of marigolds, 

 salvia, double and single impa- 

 tiens. 



Jim's designs often include 

 stonework — retaining walls, pa- 

 tios, walkways. A current project 

 includes a gazebo (cedar) and a 

 waterfall. But this is unusual; 

 "most people really don't want 

 something different," Jim says. 

 "They want something that's easy 

 to mamtain and makes the house 

 look nice." He likes "stuff that 

 works" — thmgs like taxiis . But 

 some plants are used more fre- 

 quently than others — shadbush, 

 tree lilacs; he likes Emerald Lus- 

 ter maples, red oak, witch hazel... 

 there's an aesthetic side along 

 with the sensible. 



From the field in hack of the 

 nursery, on a clear day you can 

 see — behind the piles of bark 

 mulch and loam, beyond the hills 

 on the other side ot the river — 

 Moosilauke rising in the distance. 



A tempting vision — both Jim 

 and Mary ski, but they have less 

 time for it now. (Last year they 

 did manage to spend a day on the 



beginner's slope at Tenny Moun- 

 tain with their two sons, aged 

 four and six.) 



There's too much going on 

 down here to allow much think- 

 ing about higher elevations. Right 

 now Jim and Mary are still learn- 

 ing the logistics of running a 

 much larger business. "This year, 

 for the first time, we didn't have 

 enough. Salvia... we kept running 

 out of salvia...." Along with re- 

 learning the quantities needed 

 (an intuitive thing before), 

 they're trying new crops — this 

 year, it's ornamental grasses. And 

 they're .increasing the range and 

 variety of items sold in the gar- 

 den center — cedar baskets, llama 

 manure, local crafts, pumpkms — 

 these are all new. And they're 

 building display beds. ..planning a 

 headhouse.... 



No — not much skiing for 

 awhile, but this winter, things 

 should be lively enough without 

 it. (B.P.) 



JM Landscaping Nursery & Garden 

 Center is on the Lower Plain, Route 

 5, Bradford. Vermont, 05033. The 

 phone there is (802) 222-5354. 



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