Re: From the horse's mouth

Good for you, Nancy! I quite agree. My experiences with Heronswood have
been the sameas yours, and like you, I have accepted their failings because
of the gorgeous and unusual plants I get from them. And I'd much rather see
them bought by Burpee than by Wayside/Parks or worse yet, lose them
altogether. I like your assessment of George Ball and hope you are right.

Gerry

At 11:53 AM 7/8/00 -0400, you wrote:
>Claire:
>   Thanks so much for posting the letter.
>   I actually think the purchase may not be such a disaster. I have always
>loved Hinkley et al. for being terrific plantsmen but I never felt they were
>such terrific businessmen. Ordering from Heronswood for me, as someone who
>can't receive new plants until May 1, was always a gamble. I often received
>a third or less of the plants I asked for (even though I mailed in orders in
>early Jan.). And clearly Heronswood did not have the capability to evaluate
>the wonderful collection of plants it assembled--you (and they) never knew
>if something that thrived in their mild climate in well-drained soil could
>do all right under lesser circumstances. Sure, that's part of the fun of
>trying out new plants, but after a plant's been around for a while you'd
>like to get some sense of its potential usefulness to you.
>   At the same time, I have a pretty high opinion of George Ball, who has
>committed Burpee to maintaining many heirloom species. My assumption--maybe
>naive?--is that he bought Heronswood in order to become part of the more
>adventurous side of gardening. I can't believe that Heronswood is a big
>money-maker. Maybe Ball, like me, enjoys the vicarious thrill of watching
>Hinkley climb mountains and collect seed.
>   There are plenty of other people around who do a great job of selling new
>plants (such as Gene Bush). I say, let Hinkley spend all the time he wants
>in Nepal!
>
>Nancy S. (NYC, zone 6)
>
>>In a message dated 7/6/00 5:26:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>>SSaxton@Schwabe.com writes:
>>
>><<
>> > We're in the process of having information posted on the
>> > website regarding the acquisition.  Following is a copy of
>> > the letter.  Hope this helps!
>> >
>> > Myrna Ougland
>> > Heronswood Nursery Ltd.
>> > 7530 NE 288th St.
>> > Kingston, WA 98346
>> > Phone: 360-297-4172
>> > Fax: 360-297-8321
>> > e-mail: heronswood@silverlink.net
>> > website: www.heronswood.com
>> >
>> >
>> > Dear Friends,
>> > In 1987, Robert and I purchased five acres.  That September
>> > evening when we took possession, a Great Blue heron flew off
>> > the pond and provided the name of the garden and the nursery
>> > that were yet to be.  During the past 13 years, we and our
>> > beloved staff of Heronistas have been continually astounded,
>> > not only by the growth and popularity of our business, but by
>> > the increasing sophistication
>> > and intensity of the horticultural community of this
>> > continent.  This growing excitement for a subject that we
>> > love has certainly been one of the most rewarding experiences
>> > we have garnered as Heronswood has evolved and flourished.
>> > The burgeoning growth of our nursery during the past decade
>> > has been only one of the events that has shaped our lives.
>> > Endeavors in public speaking and writing have become part and
>> > parcel of our increasingly hectic schedule.  Certainly, the
>> > growing number of expeditions for gathering plants and seeds
>> > worldwide has become a defining theme, and evaluating these
>> > plants for potential garden use
>> > in our garden has also continued to fill our days (and
>> > nights).  It has been a marvelous, eclectic and, at times,
>> > unbelievable ride.  Yet it has not come without a price.
>> > I will not belabor you with the frustrations that have also
>> > continued to grow.  One tends to ignore these things if one
>> > is doing what he loves.  The bottom line is that we are out
>> > of room.  Room for expansion in the nursery and space for
>> > getting back to the basics of living; enjoying the process
>> > rather than being a slave to it.  We have finally come to the
>> > realization that we can no longer do
>> > it all while maintaining the level of perfection we have striven for.
>> > We are, thusly, extremely excited to tell you that Heronswood
>> > has been acquired by W. Atlee Burpee, one of the oldest and
>> > most respected horticultural institutions in this country,
>> > and oddly enough, integral to our childhood gardening
>> > memories.  Now owned by George Ball Jr., this company
>> > represents the integrity and vision that we hold as paramount
>> > in our approach to the business of providing
>> > exciting plants to American gardeners.  Mr. Ball has made it
>> > clear to us that he is both cognizant of and committed to the
>> > new American garden and the responsibilities of the
>> > horticultural industry in regard to our environment.  We
>> > believe that the synergy of Heronswood and Burpee will
>> > further raise the bar and will make our gardens a better and
>> > more exciting place to be.
>> > In this strategic alliance, we will be afforded the
>> > opportunity to take Heronswood to a new level of excellence,
>> > while maintaining the excitement of introducing new plants
>> > seldom if ever encountered in the trade.  Evaluation of and
>> > breeding with these introductions will become increasingly
>> > important and supported by a superb foundation of existing
>> > Burpee staff and facilities.  Yet one of the
>> > most exciting aspects of this merger is that, on many fronts,
>> > Heronswood will simply continue to be the same; same name,
>> > leaders, exceptional staff and degree of commitment to our
>> > horticultural community.  We both will continue to direct the
>> > operations in the nursery and garden, while an exciting
>> > roster of upcoming collection trips have been planned to
>> > Turkey, Tibet, S. Africa, Tasmania, New
>> > Zealand, Japan and Bhutan.
>> > Your support of our endeavors over the past decade has been
>> > and will always be greatly appreciated.  We hope you will be
>> > as pleased with this development as we are and that our
>> > friendship and association will continue to grow.
>> > Respectfully yours,
>> >
>> > Dan Hinkley      Robert Jones >>
>>
>
>
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index