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~

Beach Walk Sunday Stages a Comeback

 

For the second weekend in a row, central CT was gifted with unseasonably mild weather.  Since we don't often see temperatures that begin with fives (or even fours) in January, once again it was time to get out and get the stink off!

A few years ago a friend and I got into the habit of taking off season Sunday afternoon trips to the beach for a sunset hike and dinner at a local restaurant.  I dubbed the excursions Beach Walk Sunday.  Eventually as it often tends to do, life got in the way and the visits fell by the wayside.

Last Sunday when the thermometer hit 50, I decided it was time to clear the schedule of mundane tasks and resurrect the beach trips.  So we jumped in the car and headed to Hammonasset State Park in Madison.

Nature's garden

Due to a late start we didn't get down to the shore until four in the afternoon, half an hour before the park closed.  Sunset was at 4:45 so I knew we'd have at least an hour before park rangers came around with bull horns to chase us out.  If we didn't dilly dally that would be plenty of time to grab a few pictures and take a quick hike.

Conditions were overcast and foggy.  Not the greatest day for picture taking but I gave it my best shot.  The ocean was incredibly calm and uncharacteristically silent.

Because I'm not a fan of mob scenes I've never been to Hammonasset in the summer.  From what I've heard and occasionally seen on the news I don't appear to be missing anything.  Most of the CT shoreline is privately owned so people seeking a beach experience have few options.  I'll gladly take the sunset walks in the off season and pass on the traffic jams, even if it means passing on the cheeseburgers, hot dogs and ice cream.

No food today

My definition of a crowded beach





No sunset to enjoy this trip.  Below is a picture I took at Hammonasset a couple of years ago.  I never get tired of watching sunsets over the ocean.  One of the rituals I have at the beach house I rent every summer is to plant my butt on a lounge chair in the sand every night with a glass of wine and watch the sun set.

From the beach we made a bee line to Bill's Seafood in Westbrook.  Bill's is a shoreline institution of part clam shack, part sports bar and part Irish Pub.  During NFL playoff season, especially when the New England Patriots are Super Bowl contenders, Bill's is definitely a sports bar.

At this time of the year I enjoy Bill's for the same reason I enjoy the beach.  Last Sunday it was relatively quiet-busy but not crazy.  In warmer weather, I prefer sitting on the outdoor deck overlooking a tidal river, but in January a table by the window in the bar works just fine.

As far as the food goes, it's nothing fancy but it's good and the fish is fresh.  When I'm in the mood to throw caution to the wind, I go with something fried.  On this visit I chose the blackened swordfish special with wild rice and string beans.  Comfort food extraordinaire.

After another weekend in the 40s we're supposedly heading into the first extended deep freeze of the winter next week with daytime highs in the teens and nightime lows in the single digits.  One more opportunity to get out and get the stink off before hunkering down.  Where should I go?

A few months ago, Jack at Hartford Daily Photo asked me to do some occasional guest photography for him while he winters in Florida.  On Wednesday, Jack used one of my photos from this trip on his blog HERE.  Thanks Jack!

Stay warm!

Sue~

Off To a Promising Start

Happy 2013!  Call me "Wild Time" but I'm not much of a late night reveler and New Year's Eve is no exception. This year I had a built in excuse in the form of a blossoming cold.  Since I rarely get sick I decided to roll with it and followed up a workout with a quiet dinner at home.  Long before the ball dropped in Times Square I had toasted the New Year with a shot of Nyquil and was out like a light.

New Year's Day marks the end of all the frivolity of the holiday season and the beginning of my busiest months at work.  Most likely it was the last work day I will have off in the foreseeable future so I took it slow and spent the bulk of it eating, drinking relaxing with good friends.  I don't bother making New Year's resolutions. Since I workout and eat fairly well all year round I've got what are probably the most popular resolutions already covered. As far as everything else goes, I make adjustments as I go. Why not treat every day like January first?  Or better yet, treat every day like June first, a much more hospitable choice.

For New Year's Day breakfast, I whipped up one of my favorite recipe finds this year, baked pumpkin pancakes from The Fountain Avenue Kitchen.  They are simple to make, use common ingredients and are healthy and delicious.  Usually I eat them warm with a drizzle of maple syrup.  Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated or eaten cold as a quick snack.

Grain free Baked Pumpkin Pancakes from The Fountain Avenue Kitchen

Despite the cooking classes I take and the food blogs I read I am not a cook. Quite the contrary. In fact I'm not ashamed to admit that I far prefer eating over cooking. In order for me to try something new, the recipe needs to appeal to my simple lazy nature. If most of the ingredients are either items I don't have on hand or can't imagine having on hand or if it appears that the skill and patience required to complete the dish are akin to sewing a wedding dress by hand I take a pass.

Another New Year's Day tradition involves eradicating the house of Christmas.  As much as I love Christmas decorations, unlike many people I don't leave them up until the Epiphany.  By the first of the year I'm ready for them to be gone.  I do miss the lights though.  January is such a dark month.  If I could figure out a way to hide all the extension cords and set everything up to go on and off automatically I would consider leaving the window candles out all year.  Apparently in some areas it's done as a sign of hospitality.  On the days when I'm not feeling particularly hospitable, I would just leave them off.

In Nick's world every day is a holiday.  Perhaps he's dreaming of ways to get rid of the cat.

Nick celebrating the new year.

The afternoon of New Year's Day was spent at a belated birthday celebration.  In honor of Monique's birthday we drank her last bottle of Viognier that we had shipped from Kendall Jackson during our Napa IU7 trip in 2010.  I guess that means we need to go back.

Before and after a scrumptious dinner, we relaxed by the fire.

A few months ago I featured Monique's garden HERE.  On this day though the only garden touring going on was from inside the house.

For her own birthday, Monique was considerate enough to make a scrumptious cranberry cake for dessert.  Granted, she is the pastry chef of the group but I think we need to coordinate better next year.  Under pressure I can order one mean cake.

Happy New Year!  I'm optimistic that 2013 will be the best year yet.

Sue~