Fall Color at Select Horticulture, Inc.
Here in the Northeast, the season's falling leaves are everywhere, especially at the local nurseries - mounds of beautiful foliage in yellow, gold, orange, burgundy, and crimson.
Located just off a scenic country road in the picturesque rural town of Pound Ridge, New York, is Select Horticulture, Inc., a nursery offering premium quality trees and shrubs including large sizes, unusual and rare specimens, with both stand-alone and mature espaliered options. Visiting local nurseries is a great way to learn about the plants and trees that thrive in one's area and to get expert advice on selecting and maintaining those specimens. I enjoy stopping in to see what plants they have for my ever-evolving farm.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Just minutes from my farm in an area surrounded by the beautiful fall colored trees, is Select Horticulture, Inc. Whenever I have time, it’s fun to stop in and see what trees and shrubs are in stock – and there’s always something for everyone, even now as the cooler weather sets in.
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- Select Horticulture Inc. has locations in Lancaster, Massachusetts and here in Westchester, New York right off route 137. It is owned by Scott Richard and Jim Freeborn who are extremely knowledgeable and often at the nurseries ready to answer any questions.
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- Every row of trees and shrubs is always neat, tidy, and every item is properly identified.
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- The trees are always displayed with their best sides facing out for visitors to see. Many of the taller trees can be seen from the road. These are Carpinus betulus ‘Columnaris Nana’ – small trees with a tight layering dense habit. It is a slow-growing narrow form of European hornbeam. This tree may reach six to seven feet in height by only a few feet in width in 10 years.
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- In summer, it shows off green leaves that turn to a bright yellow gold in autumn.
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- This Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Tamukeyama’ can’t be missed with its bright red foliage. It is a dwarf Japanese maple lace leaf variety that grows in a mound form with cascading branches.
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- It features deeply cut and dissected purple red leaves that turn even brighter red through fall.
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- This is Ilex opaca ‘Miss Helen’ – an upright pyramidal evergreen that may reach up to 50-feet tall. When selecting any new planting for a garden always be sure to consider the plant’s preferred hardiness zone, its care requirements, and the specimen’s size at maturity.
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- It has thick, leathery, deep green leaves that mature to four inches long and have spiny marginal teeth.
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- And these are the branches of Picea orientalis ‘Nigra Compacta,’ commonly called oriental spruce – a medium to large, densely-branched, narrow-pyramidal tree. It is native to mountain areas from the Caucasus to Turkey. It has flattened, glossy, dark green needles that are shorter than the needles of other species of spruce.
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- It can grow from 50 to 70 feet tall.
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- Pinus mugo ‘Mughus’ is a slow-growing evergreen conifer shrub or tree with green foliage. It is native to southern Europe and is very resistant to cold and drought.
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- All the trees at Select Horticulture Inc. are meticulously wrapped and tied. Always look for well maintained root balls which are crucial for good transport, handling, and planting at its new location.
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- Select Horticulture Inc. also has a beautiful selection of boxwood. Buxus sempervirens is a rounded to broad-rounded shrub or small tree native to open woodlands and rocky hillsides in southern Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. It typically matures in a shrubby form five to 15 feet tall, but may grow as a tree to as much as 20 to 30 feet tall.
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- Buxus semperviirens ‘Aureovariegata’ is a variegated boxwood with showy dark green leaves and margins that start out white turning cream and then yellow throughout the growing season. It has a mounding habit, dense and rounded, with a slow growth rate.
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- Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Goshiki’ has green leaves with spots of creamy white, gray-green, and yellow-green.
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- Viburnum dentatum, commonly called arrowwood viburnum, is an upright, rounded, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub which typically matures up to 10 feet tall. Non-fragrant white flowers appear in late spring followed by blue-black, berry-like drupes in late summer to fall.
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- Recognize this tree? It’s Platanus acerifolia ‘Bloodgood’ Parasol, a London Plane Tree. I have many London Planes at my farm. It is a robust tree with three to five lobed leaves similar to the maple.
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- Ilex crenata ‘Excelsa Schwoebel’ is an upright evergreen in the Japanese holly family. Its slender, hardy form dense glossy medium green flat leaves makes it great for privacy hedging. But don’t eat the berries – they’re slightly toxic.
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- Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Fastigiata’ Cephalotaxus harringtonia, commonly called plum yew, is a dioecious coniferous evergreen that typically grows as a shrub up to 10 feet tall.
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- At Select Horticulture, there are lots of lush evergreen shrubs in all different sizes. It is nice to see such a well organized nursery. This one is called Taxus media ‘Hicksii’ – another excellent evergreen shrub for tall hedges or privacy screens. It is narrow when young and grows wider as it ages. It’s also known as the Hicks Yew. I have these in my living maze.
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- Taxus media ‘Hicksii’ has long, upright-growing branches with dense, glossy, green foliage.
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- And close to the parking area greeting visitors in this charming heart-shaped Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald Green’ Topiary. The next time you’re in Pound Ridge, New York, or Lancaster, Massachusetts, be sure to visit Select Horticulture Inc. You’re sure to find something. And yes, this trip was successful. Wait and see what I brought home…
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