Perennials
Van Berkum Nursery is a family-run wholesale nursery in Deerfield, N.H., that supplies Hedgerow with premium quality perennials and groundcovers well suited to New England’s climate. They specialize in plants that are easier to maintain, with over 700 perennial varieties for shade, meadows and boggy sites — plus hard-tofind varieties with proven landscape merits. The “General Information” section of their website www.vanberkumnursery.com is a very useful reference tool with photos and information about each plant they carry.
Gardening
The gardening book we go back to over and over again for anwers to gardening questions is Barbara Damrosch’s The Garden Primer. We’ve got copies in the gallery for sale ($18.95). Her informative, common sensical approach to organic gardening comes in an easy-to-read format.
Trees and Shrubs
Millican Nursery is a family-owned wholesale grower and rewholesaler in Chichester, N.H. that specializes in making available nearly a thousand varieties of trees and shrubs suitable for planting in Zones 3–5. Their website www.millicannurseriesinc.com contains much useful information about the plants they carry.
The University of Connecticut maintains a plant database of trees, shrubs and vines that can be browsed by latin or common names www.hort.uconn.edu/Plants. In the “Plant Selector” section of the site you can search the database for trees, shrubs and vines which meet your needs, whether in terms of ornamental traits, the characteristics of your site or special qualities such as plants that are salt tolerant or that attract butterflies.
The Maine Forest Service has produced a new, centennial edition of its classic Forest Trees of Maine handbook. An essential reference that can be tucked easily into a backpack when its time for a hike. Hedgerow has copies for sale at cost ($7) in the gallery.
Local Food
The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) maintains a website www.mofga.org that is a good source of information on organic/sustainable farming and local food.
St. George Home Food is a new organization on the St. George Peninsula dedicated to promoting the production and storing of food in St. George. Information sharing is their chief focus. http://hedgerowdesign.com/homefood/
Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, was the inspiration for Hedgerow’s expanded vegetable gardens which now supply pretty much all of the vegetables we eat each year. Even if you don’t aspire to growing all of your own food, Kingsolver’s book is a great introduction to the slow food movement and the reasons why reclaiming a local food culture can be so satisfying. Paperback copies are available in the Hedgerow gallery.