Wednesday, March 13, 2013

FrizzHome Gardens

On Sunday I took a ride to southern New Hampshire for an annual get together with garden friends that has come to be known as the "Thumb Your Nose at Winter Party".  Originally this party was a February event, but when winter decided to thumb it's nose back at us a few times too many, we took our licks, conceded defeat then moved the party to March.

On the party agenda this year was a field trip to FrizzHome Gardens in Bedford, NH.


 


Why FrizzHome?

A couple of years ago my friend, Deanne (hostess of the annual "thumbs" event) reported during her spring hunt for unusual annuals that she had discovered a few hard to find plants at a small nursery not too far from her home in Nashua.

For plant collectors like us, the discovery of a new nursery is akin to finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.  Although I haven't noticed a decline in the number of nursery businesses, over the past several years I've definitely noticed much less variety in the mix of plants many nurseries are offering.  I certainly understand the reasons.  In a business with razor thin margins, struggling business owners are reluctant to take on the risk of being left with an excess of unsold inventory.  So they stock up on the common bedding plants that appeal to the average buyer and are much more likely to sell out.

Although I don't recall her ever referring to the nursery by name, when often asked where she obtained various plants Deanne's answer increasingly became, "I got that at Howard's." followed by,  "Some day I'm going to have to take you to Howard's".  After a couple of seasons I was beginning to wonder if there really was a Howard.  Would it be too far fetched for somebody with an extreme plant addiction to create an imaginary friend who owns a greenhouse?  I think not.

On Sunday Deanne finally put my fears to rest and brought us to Howard's.  Howard Frizzell is the owner of FrizzHome Gardens, a business he started in 1986.  For close to 20 years he ran the nursery on evenings and weekends all while working full time for the City of Nashua.  Since his retirement in 2005, he has been devoting all his attention to the business.

Last fall Deanne somehow coerced Howard to allow her to store many of her large tropical plants in one of his greenhouses for the winter.  In return, she would assist with nursery chores as needed.  And assist she has.  Deanne may not be maintaining her blog these days but that's because she's been too busy playing with plants and chasing the winter blues away by basking in the splendor of Howard's tropical house.  Winter activities have included the making and planting of hypertufa troughs.  A selection of these will be available for purchase at the nursery this spring.


 








Casting and painting concrete leaves was also part of the program.  Deanne is a professional decorative painter by trade so this is the perfect medium for her to experiment with painting techniques and create some beautiful garden art in the process.  Some of these beauties will also be offered for sale.





Deanne is also assisting in the design of container combinations and display vignettes throughout the greenhouse.  Customers will hopefully be inspired to try something new and get creative.




















Long view of the tropical greenhouse at FrizzHome Gardens in Bedford, NH


Many of the items Deanne has created such as the Bromeliad tree below have been purchased for her own garden which will be open in July through the Garden Conservancy Open Day program.





Plant perusal can be serious business.  Fortunately a selection of wine and cheese was brought to the greenhouse to sustain us.














As the season approaches and the plant delivery trucks start arriving, Howard brings more of his greenhouses on line.  In total, Howard has eleven greenhouses which for the most part are tended to and maintained by himself, one full time employee and some seasonal help.











Upon arrival back at Deanne's house we wasted no time breaking out the food and drink.  Howard eventually joined us for dinner but not before the watering and other necessary greenhouse chores were done for the day. 










Perhaps I'm preaching to the choir and if I sound like a broken record I don't care.  My point here is to encourage you to support your local Howard.  By doing so you can help insure the continuance of independent nurseries, greenhouses and garden centers.  As an incurable plant collector who is always on the hunt for the unusual, I want to see the Howards of the world not only survive, but thrive. 

If you live within striking distance or happen to be in the neighborhood of Bedford, NH, check out FrizzHome Gardens.  In addition to a wide variety of unusual tropicals, annuals, and succulents, this spring Howard will also carry a selection of cutting edge perennials from Terra Nova Nurseries.  If unusual plants are not you thing, not to worry.  FrizzHome Gardens has plants for every gardener.

In May Deanne will be offering a container garden workshop at FrizzHome.  Deanne's container gardens have been featured many times on Fine Gardening's Photo of the Day.  She also has written articles for Fine Gardening and is well known and in demand as a speaker by Nashua area garden clubs.  If you've been looking to bring your container gardens to the next level, you won't want to miss out on this workshop!

FrizzHome Gardens opens for the 2013 season on March 30th.  Perhaps I'll see you there.

Sue~



26 comments:

  1. Now there's a post I can agree with! Locally the pansy/petunia crowd wins! Have to drive great distances to get anything at all unusual. I do love travel, but not all.the.time.

    The same is true for food these days. Our local stores have all started buying the lowest of low brands, I guess in order to save themselves and the public some money. But where is the food? Jam has no fruit in it, pasta sauce is full of dyes, etc... Makes me (literally) sick! Just depressing.

    For plants, even edibles, the group of us who care tend to do a lot of sharing and driving. Not a bad solution at all.

    Go Deanne, Go! And Howard too!

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    1. I have a few local places that carry a decent selection but need to travel(even within CT) for some of the more unusual items. As far as grocery stores go, I do most of my grocery shopping at lunchtime and fortunately there is a somewhat local chain grocery store just a few minutes down the street from my office. For everything else I have to use the regional chain and occasionally Whole Foods when I can get there.

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  2. Horray for Sue! What a terrific post. Great pictures and it's so very true. We need to keep all the 'Howards' of the plant world in business. After spending a winter working in a commercial greenhouse I've gained some real appreciation for the unbelievable amounts of labor it takes to bring beautiful, healthy plants along for sale. It's a labor of love and takes every day of the week, more than full time hours, to keep things going.

    I rolled over laughing at your worry that I had an imaginary friend... toooo funny. Lucky for me, Howard is a real person and a great friend! Bring on spring.

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    1. Yes, bring on spring! We need to somehow work the Howard shopping trip into the May schedule.

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  3. What a great post Sue. I have a soft spot for the nose-thumbing event, even though I have never been an attendee. I salute Howard and I salute anyone who supports independent garden centers/nurseries.

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    1. Hey Kathy, I surely wish you were able to come. As always a great time was had by all. Monique made a chocolate cheesecake that had me swooning, LOL

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  4. Not only have solved the mystery of where the heck Deanne went just as I was discovering her blog, but you also shared a lovely nursery...wish I was closer so I could support it. Guess I'll just have to support one of my local Howards!

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    1. HI there, yes, I've been a very bad blogger and Sue has been after me to get going with that again. I had a rough winter with a couple major health issues that knocked the stuffing out of me but I'm on the mend physically and mentally, thanks, in part, to being able to work in the greenhouse this winter. Wish you could come and shop at Howard's too!

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    2. Loree you seem to have no shortage of local Howards. If we don't support them it will be Rudbekia and petunias for all of us someday.

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  5. I regularly blow a lot of money at the local independent nurseries in my area (Plant Delights, Niche, and various stalls at the Raleigh Farmer's Market). Too bad I don't live close enough to patronize Howard (and crash that dinner - the food looked amazing).

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    1. If I lived near Plant Delights I would most likely need an intervention. Food and gardens make the perfect pair. We always incorporate both whenever possible.

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  6. That's a lovely way to spend the day when you live in such a cold place. I lived in the Boston area for a while and was always looking for ways to defeat the winter blues.

    Support your local Howard is very important. We have several independent nurseries I do my best to support year round.

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    1. Fortunately I don't suffer from the winter blues but many people in cold zones are not so lucky. For the past few months I've been unable to support any Howards. Within the next week or two our nurseries will begin opening for the season. Yay!

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  7. I would love to visit this nursery,but know that is really unlikely. It is so colorful and the displays are well done. I can see why you like the visit. You had a nice meal afterwards too to put the icing on the end of a fine day with friends.

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    1. Everyone has local Howards. FrizzHome is about two hours from me but I frequently visit the area so an occasional visit won't be too much of a stretch. In the meantime I will be making the rounds closer to home.

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  8. Thanks for the reminder to support your local nursery. I'm lucky enough to have a small "Howard" garden center a stone's throw from my house. John and Yvette are the 2nd generation owners...and dedicated to making the business a success.

    The container garden workshop sounds wonderful. I've been picking up some cobalt blue pots (copying YOU!) and can't wait to get some ideas for what to put in them!

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    1. You can't beat blue in the garden. Soon I will be on the hunt for some yellow/chartreuse glazed stuff for the front entry. For some reason colors like red, yellow and orange are harder to come by.

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  9. What a relief to know that Deanne is not only alive and kicking but doing great things at a nursery! Yea! I thought that she had maybe gotten snowed in while out in her bird watching tent and never came back. I've missed her blog posts. You have renewed my own belief about supportng the Howards of the industry. Great day, great friends, great food, great post! Thanks!

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    1. Hopefully Deanne will get back to her blog soon. Now that garden season is back we will be getting together frequently for nursery trips and garden social events. I'll let her know you were asking for her.

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  10. I love discovering new nurseries. You pictures are truely amazing. What a fun spot.

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    1. Thanks Charlie. Can't wait to get back there for a little shopping in May.

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  11. So glad to get the complete story on Deanne and Howard's nursery. I knew she had greenhouse access this winter but didn't know who or how. Were those two made for each other or what? What a creative solution for both.

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    1. Greenhouse work is the perfect winter fit for Deanne. Most gardeners I know dream about having a greenhouse but realistically it just isn't possible. Deanne has found the next best thing.

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  12. I share your joy at discovering new nurseries and this one looks to be a beaut. The independent nurseries in my immediate area have been gradually, but steadily, disappearing. I was so despondent over the closure of one I haunted weekly that my husband, who cares not a wit about plants or gardening, mounted an internet search for others to pull me out of my doldrums. I have found substitutes but many of these require commutes of an hour or each one way. Thankfully, mail order nurseries help some. Happy plant hunting.

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    1. Many of the nurseries I frequent for spring annual shopping are over an hour away. One is in RI and another in VT. Some of the better CT spots are 45 minutes to an hour from my house too. Plant shopping often requires lots of driving which is why we usually work food into the deal :).

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  13. Quite a nursery. I've known places like that growing up. Definitely better to keep them in business than a chain outfit.

    The meal looks to die for!

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