The nursery is stocked and the display beds are peppered with spring ephemerals. We are busy, busy and looking forward to the new season! Looking for some Maine natives or an unusual rarity? Come visit, the shingle is out welcoming you this Wednesday!
Our hours for the season are Wednesday through Sunday, 9 to 5. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Jeffersonia dubia
Hepatica triloba
It was over eighty in the greenhouse today without the heat turned on. The sun was strong. The dog lounged all day in a pile of leaves on the south side of the house. We uncovered two rows of conifers and they are so green green green and they appear happy to be unveiled. We potted up some Hepaticas and some more Bloodroot and sowed more vegetable seeds. We ate our lunch outdoors and saw our first robin return to the feeder. We didn’t have a fire in the woodstove all day. We thought about going up to John’s Ice Cream for a strawberry milkshake because it felt so deliciously warm that it made us think of spring and summer things…like milkshakes. We didn’t go because as much as we felt like sipping on a milkshake we didn’t feel like driving out through the mud and ruts that are indicative to spring and of course indicative to the other word for spring in the northeast…mud season. The sheep’s water buckets didn’t freeze overnight and the chickens were eager to get out of the henhouse and to cruise the yard for morsels. Tonight there is a possibility of light snow, perhaps a half an inch. That doesn’t mean it’s still winter and it doesn’t mean it’s not spring. This we know. We’ll stay flexible.
But today, we felt spring in our bones and we saw signs of it all around us. Glory be!
For the sake of spring, which may come and go several times before staying put..please read and enjoy this poem by Kate Barnes.
April and then May,
violets up in the field,
the ewes with their twin lambs;
time has decided
to turn into spring again
after all.
The maples are unfolding their leaves,
chives stand green at the kitchen door,
the black flies have decided to come back;
and the work mare has her new foal
capering over bluets in the pasture,
and the hall smells of daffodils;
and everything
is divinely ordinary –
the deep ruts in the field track,
the spring overflowing,
the excited swallows,
the apple trees
budding for perhaps the hundredth time –
and the pruned boughs budding too
that must bloom just where they lie.
By Kate Barnes
We’re starting to post our class offerings and schedule for the 2019 season here at Fernwood Nursery. Today I’ll share with you what has been slated so far for the month of April, but be sure to visit our classes and more page for additional summer classes and newly posted opportunities ( some are already up!). We are so looking forward to the upcoming season, potting up new plants as well continuing with the old favorites. Lots of great natives for those who are devoted to restoring ecological habitats or for those who simply see the beauty and importance of growing native plants within the landscape. Of course, being ‘plantaholics’ we also carry an extensive collection of unusual plants and rarities from around the globe. Come see! We know spring is coming, the squishy ground beneath our feet and the deep muddy ruts on all of our dirt roads are obvious indicators!
And now, two classes in April that may interest you…
Dull As A Hoe!
Saturday, April 20th, 2019 from 1:00 -3:00
Get those garden tools ready for the season! Join us here at Fernwood Nursery to learn how to sharpen and maintain your garden tools. Whether it’s a trusty hoe, your essential digging spade, or those favorite pruners, come learn how to keep them sharp and at their best. Feel free to bring along your own gardening tools ( limit three, please) to get that hands-on opportunity to sharpen their edges. Sharpening materials will be on-site for your use and instruction will be provided. Complimentary scones and tea will also be available!
Class size is limited to 10, pre-registration and pre-payment required. Visit our classes and more for details.
Please call (207) 589-4726 or email us at fernwoodnursery@fairpoint.net to register
Erythronium ‘ Rose Queen’
Trout Lily
Hepatica nobilis
On Sunday, April 29th, 2018 from 10:00a.m. to noon Rick Sawyer of Fernwood Nursery will give a presentation on ‘Ephemerals and Early Risers’. The talk will focus on those plants which are first to emerge in spring within the woodland garden. Come join us for a walk and talk as we identify and enjoy the earliest of plants to bloom and learn how to incorporate them into your own landscape.
The program will take place in the gardens and studio of Fernwood Nursery from 10.00 a.m. to 12 noon.Space is limited so please pre-register. Also, dress for the weather…it’s spring and could be showery. Tea and a light lunch will be served. Sign up by phone or email. Happy Spring! (207)589-4726 or email us at fernwoodnursery@fairpoint.net
Cypripedium pubescens
This weekend we’ll be deep into greenhouse work potting up some great Asian and native Arisaemas, an array of Hepaticas, and several new varieties of Primula. Hard to believe we are only a month away from opening for the season! In addition to many rarities from around the globe, our selection of native and woodland plants is large and varied. The first of the early ephemerals are soon to appear. The snow is melting!! We’ll be offering our Spring Ephemerals and Early Risers class again this year on Sunday, April 29th from 10:00-12:00. For more information and to sign up, please look here.
It is always exciting to start uncovering last year’s propagation work to see what’s come through the long winter slumber. We are already getting mail from customers with questions and thoughts about their own gardening endeavors. Folks are signing up for classes and making plans to visit. The thrill of a new growing season is in the air! No stopping it now!
For us, it’s time to hit the ground running (and avoid sinking too deep into the mud!). Time to head into the cozy earth-smelling greenhouse with a cup of hot tea and some classical music to fill pots and sow seeds for the upcoming season. Ooh, La La! We’re looking forward to seeing everyone next month, can’t wait to talk plants and share ideas. Any specific plants on your ‘have to have it’ list? Any new garden beds being developed?
Fernwood Nursery & Gardens 