A Stop at Select Horticulture Inc.
Visiting local nurseries is a great way to learn about the plants and trees that thrive in one's area. It's also a wonderful opportunity to get expert advice on selecting, planting, and maintaining those specimens.
Earlier this week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, paid a brief visit to one of my favorite nurseries, Select Horticulture Inc. in Pound Ridge, New York to check on its current inventory. Select Horticulture offers an extensive collection of premium quality trees and shrubs, unusual and rare specimens, with both stand-alone and mature espaliered options. There's always something new and interesting to see.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- It was a mild and overcast late summer day – perfect for a quick stop at Select Horticulture Inc., to see what was in stock. Every row of trees and shrubs is always neat, tidy, and every item is properly identified. This is Tilia cordata Greenspire Cylinder, a Greenspire Littleleaf Linden. It’s a medium sized deciduous tree with a pyramidal growth habit that matures to an oval or spire shape.
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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.
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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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- This is Acer palmatum ‘Kiyohime’ also known as a Kiyohime Japanese maple or spreading Japanese maple. This is a dwarf, spreading maple cultivar in the Sapindaceae family and well known for its interesting leaf coloring. Japanese maples are native to southeast Korea and central and south Japan.
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- Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Seiryu’, also known as the Laceleaf Japanese Maple, is a Japanese maple tree with a unique upright growth habit, growing in a vase-shape rather than weeping or cascading. In the spring, the leaves have red tips, and in the fall they turn gold, light yellow, and crimson.
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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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- Pinus thunbergii, the black pine, Japanese black pine, or Japanese pine, is a pine tree native to coastal areas of Japan and South Korea. It grows 20 to 60 feet tall and 12 to 20 feet wide and features a shrubby habit and somewhat curved trunk when mature.
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- Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’ or Weeping Nootka Cypress is a medium to large pyramidal tree with drooping branchlets and dark gray-green foliage that drape. This evergreen tree thrives in cool, humid summer climates with above average rainfall.
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- You may recognize this one from a recent blog post – I just repotted one at my farm. it’s Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’, also known as the Hinoki Cypress – a slow-growing, evergreen shrub that is a popular dwarf conifer.
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- There are lots of lush evergreen shrubs in all different sizes. It is nice to see such a well organized nursery. Picea abies Hillside Upright is a rare and unique form of Norway spruce. It has distinct green foliage over rust colored stems that does best in full sun.
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- Select Horticulture Inc. also has a beautiful selection of boxwood. This is the pom-pom topiary form of the American Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens, a soft-textured shrub that grows well in sun or part shade. The foliage is glossy, deep green and rarely requires pruning. Each plant has about six to 10 pom-poms.
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- With fall officially starting this weekend, it is not unusual to see some of the trees already showing off their autumn colors. This deciduous Parrotia persica obelisk or Persian ironwood is breathtaking with its large, smooth, wavy-edged leaves that turn to vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red, and sometimes even pink in autumn.
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- Magnolia grandiflora ‘Claudia Wannamaker’ is the tree-form version of the vigorous Southern Magnolia which grows upwards of 50 feet tall.
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- These Southern Magnolia trees show off glossy green foliage with 12 inch pure-white flowers each summer.
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- Tilia Euchlora, or Crimean Linden is a medium size to a large deciduous tree that is thought to be a hybrid of Tilia cordata and Tilia dasystyla. The tree grows from 40 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide and has a pyramidal shape. The tree is also known as Caucasian Linden and Causcasina Lime.
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- Abies koreana Silberlocke, commonly called Korean fir, is a compact, conical to pyramidal evergreen conifer that grows slowly up to 50 feet tall.
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- These are the showy bluish branches of Cedrus atlantica Glauca or Blue Atlas Cedar. This tree is an evergreen conifer that needs plenty of room to grow. It typically grows to a height of 60 feet tall, but can reach up to 100 feet.
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- Cedrus deodara ‘Aurea’ is a very old cedar variety. It has striking horizontal branches with long green gold needles.
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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 evergreen conifer that typically grows 50 to 70 feet tall. 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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- 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. And, if you live in or around 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. I’ll share what Ryan brought back to my farm in an upcoming blog.
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