My wife is on government business this week on Cape Cod. My son and I are accompanying her for the trip.
In passing through Connecticut today, we stopped at Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden. The place is owned by Dr. Richard Jaynes, former Yale horticulturalist and leading expert on mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) as well as chestnuts (Castanea). Having grown up near the Pennsylvania Poconos, I am a huge fan of both species.
I reserved two cultivars of mountain laurel to add to my backyard.
I didn’t take any pics of the pawpaws, but they had a few GIANT specimens in respectably-sized pots. I cannot remember, but I think those were Sunflower. Price was over $100 per tree if I am not mistaken. These were BIG pawpaws. Trunk diameter over an inch.
Agreed. It’s just a plant that the nursery business out here hoped would entice western gardeners. It’s ugly by comparison. The same issue exists with what is sold as “California Lilac” – which is not related to true Lilac but rather several species of Ceanothus.
Dear Matt, I don’t mind if guests miss my place in spring- I’m not much of a host when under the fever of spring-mania. But if you are ever in the area during harvest season- especially stone-fruit, even your wife might have a good time if you stop by.
For what it’s worth, I’m also a big fan of mountain laurel and American chestnut. Sometime I’ll tell the story (along with photos) of the large, old, native American chestnut that lived on my property until it succumbed to the blight last summer. Pieces of it now reside inside the house as furniture. This is a hoosier that I had built for my wife from some of the lumber. Excuse the poor quality photo. Panels on the bottom doors and the drawer above are curly and birdseye maple that I had laying around here.
