“Trees are the canopy; shrubs are the walls.” That is the most frequently used phrase in landscape design. Well, Horsford’s is busting out at the walls. Nestled under the canopy of black locust trees is our shrub production area. Over the years it has expanded to the point that we had to make it a separate division. There is now a team of growers who are responsible for the management and growing of over 100 varieties of shrubs. This operation is in addition to the shrubs Ralph and Ted grow in the fields.

Garden trends in America are forever changing. We seem to be leaving behind the idea that each plant type serves a specific purpose in the home landscape. Gardeners are mixing shrubs with their perennials partly to ease up on the high maintenance of a perennial-only garden. Shrubs fill up space quickly, add leaf texture, flowers and berries. Several varieties such as potentilla, spirea, barberry, red-stemmed dogwood,cottoneaster, and daphne are the size of a peony when fully mature.

Deciduous shrubs can easily be used as a natural snow fence. Viburnums, dogwood and forsythia, when left to go wild, grow into dense thickets. In the spring and summer they are homes to birds, while in the winter they act as windbreaks. We have a large assortment of these plants for sale at the Nursery.

Hydrangeas are a plant that propagators and hybridizers have been having fun with. We now carry seven different varieties of hydrangea. Some bloom in summer and prefer the north side of a house. Others bloom in late summer and tolerate full sun. All of them are heavy drinkers the first year.

In Vermont, planting a shrub for its winter beauty is a great idea, as we need all the contrast to brown we can get. Ilex verticulatas, when planted in the proper pairing of males and females, will produce a wealth of berries. Some are orange and some are bright red.

As you drive down our Route 7 driveway you will notice thousands of pots of shrubs. Feel free to dodge the sprinklers and check them out. You are welcome to make your selection from the production area.