Perennials, vines, seeds and more!
I wasn't sure what to expect of Putnam Hill Nursery in Forest Hill, Maryland. Despite GPS telling me I had arrived, all I could see was a charming house on a corner and a driveway with a captivating sculpture at the entrance. A turn onto the gravel drive revealed several parking spaces beneath a majestic sycamore tree (Platanus occidentalis). A short walk down the lane takes you to a nursery tucked into the landscape.
You just know these are going to be high quality plants by the way everything is so well tended. Demonstration gardens, shade and sun, border the lane. Even at the end of summer, all the nursery plants look fresh and well cared for. Putnam Hill Nursery is owned and operated by Melanie Ruckle and Keith Holt. Melanie, a veteran of the nursery industry, was looking for a more flexible work schedule over 20 years ago and the nursery was born!
Keith helps with logistics, building greenhouses and structures, work that contrasts beautifully with his full time endeavor, creating art. While plants are being tended, Keith can be found working on his sculptures in the art studio.
The day I visited, Jane was minding the store and alerted me to a convention of pollinators atop perennial sunflowers (Helianthus). Really, I have never seen anything like it. Three pollinators per flower with others hovering waiting for a landing spot. Jane explained they were growing this perennial, helianthus giganteus 'Sheila's sunshine,' over the summer to see if it was something they would want to share with their customers. That is when I realized this nursery truly is a gem. Each plant for sale has been carefully vetted for various attributes.
Melanie explains "I buy plants as plugs or bareroot" and "take cuttings or collect seed, if they are not patented." "All the plants are grown here at the Nursery in this way or from our gardens by cuttings, divisions, or avid seed collecting. We don't buy finished plants and then resell them." Melanie added occasionally they bring in a few plants to use as stock plants. Whatever the method, it really looks to produce great results.
Earlier this summer, I was looking for a variety of baptisia, or wild indigo (Baptisia australis) which is smaller and better suited to smaller gardens like mine. I found the smaller variety, baptisia australis var. minor, on-line at Putnam Hill. Putnam Hill is not just buying plants that are available and selling them; they are curating a collection of plants that will do well for you.
Thankfully, Melanie and Keith are fans of native plants. Melanie and Keith divided the nursery into two parts: sun and shade. Each of those sections is divided into native and non-native plants. How easy is that? The native plants, somewhere near a third to half of the nursery, include straight species and cultivars and are all labeled. Plant shopping is always a pleasure, but particularly so here!
The nursery prioritizes the practice of sustainability. Those sycamore leaves are used to enrich the soil every year. Putnam Hill Nursery is a neonic free nursery and uses beneficial insects, micorrhizae, and other natural products wherever possible. Melanie says "it's always fun finding parasitic wasps taking care of the aphids inside a greenhouse in the winter! So cool!"
Putnam Hill Nursery is open for regular retail hours April 1st through October 1st. After October 1, the nursery is open by appointment. You can order plants on-line at any time. The nursery also sells annuals, vines, herbs, dye plants and an interesting collection of seeds. I had never seen seeds for the straight species of native heuchera (Heuchera villosa) sold before and here they are. So great.
I understand Putnam Hill enjoys a stellar reputation for its interesting choice of plants among those who are "plant people." I am so glad to learn this very special place is also a great resource for native plant people!
Happy Gardening.
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Melanie is a treasure - Putnam Hill is such a terrific local resouce.
This is a real gem here in Harford County where there are few nurseries with a large selection of native plants.