Mmmm.... Ice Cream!

There is a very long back story to this whole announcement which I will get to in the future. For now, I'm pleased to announce that a new company perk (and a great benefit to the entire Long Green Valley community) is fresh, local, organic, delicious ice cream just steps away!

Please read the article below and a well-earned congratulations to the entire Prigel family:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-rodricks-creamery-20100927,0,6431855.column

B-o-B Follow Up

See! I swear I wasn't lying! http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/best-of/2010/08/best-of-baltimore-2010

If you only have a pathetic maple seedling in the front yard, head for Pinehurst Nursery, 4809 Long Green Road, Glen Arm, 410-592-5030, where you’ll find the area’s best selection of large specimens, including a wide selection of ornamental trees and a variety of large shade trees. In all, there are something like 50,000 trees and shrubs on the 125 acres the nursery owns in Long Green Valley. Its trained horticulturists help you choose the right tree for the spot, and, of course, it has the equipment and expertise to plant those trees properly.

Best in Baltimore!

On a hot day like today (100 degrees plus), it's always nice to get some recognition for your hard work. Getting recognized as "The Best Nursery in Baltimore" by Baltimore Magazine... oh, that's just icing on the cake!

This sure is a nice way to start the weekend. I believe the great Tina Turner phrased it most appropriately: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra12L1Bl0Z4&feature=related

Keep it Coming!

If you blog it, it will come! Apparently the Rain Gods are active readers of Sticks and Stones because it's rained twice since Saturday. Of course, we probably need another 10 of those storms to make an actual dent in the drought we're currently in; but, to quote Bill Murray in his 1991 classic, What About Bob? "Baby steps, Dr. Marvin, Baby steps."

Rain? Rain? Where are you Rain?

With temperatures hitting 100+ degrees this week, the record-breaking snow storms of last year seem so long ago. While the heat certainly slows everyone down, it's the lack of rain that presents more of a long term concern to our nursery stock. Currently, the Dump Road (our main road that runs along most of the nursery) has close to an inch-thick layer of dust. We water all of the dug/containerized plant material once a day to ensure it remains healthy, but the best watering for those plants and the trees in the field is a slow, long soaking rain. I can't recall the last time we had one (late May maybe?). They're calling for some sort of rain Saturday afternoon... let's hope it's a good one :)

Dry Rivers... huh?

Ok, so I actually didn't design/install this, but it's so cool I have to share it with you all. Our Master Designer, Corey Branch, has a client in the Mt. Washington area who requested a number of years back a dry river in their garden. "How is a river dry" you might say? Easy! It's made of stone (See picture on left). The construction of the river is really quite simple.

The "river" is composed of broken chips of Pennsylvania Bluestone. You might recognize it from many a patio/wall/walkway in gardens throughout the Mid-Atlantic area. That particular stone is chosen because the blue color most closely resembles water. Makes sense, right? The chips are broken with a chisel from a larger piece of stone and set in a bed of stone dust (finely crushed stone that closely resembles sand). The stone dust acts as settling agent so time and weather don't allow the chips to loosen up too much.

The form of the river is typical of any water feature - it's serpentine and follows the contours of the garden. The edge of the river is a collection of simple gray field stones, which match the blue/gray hue of the river. This basically took a full day between setting the boulders, chipping the stone, and setting the river in place. My favorite feature is the use of those boulders in the river, to create the appearance of an island in the middle of the river (see below). All of these features are basically derivatives of Asian garden designs, where motion/flow is suggested through the careful placement of inanimate objects in the garden. I think this river came out pretty well. So what do you think?

Growing Home Campaign

There's a great program sponsored by Baltimore City/County and Harford County that everyone in the area should be made aware of... The Growing Home Campaign (Click on the link to check out the website) provides a $10 coupon towards the purchase of any tree with a retail value of $25.00 or more. Basically, there a select number of nurseries in the greater Baltimore area who are participating in the program (yours truly being one of them) who agreed to provide a discount to any member of the community that wishes to plant a tree. The nursery receives reimbursed by the county/city and everybody wins! The kicker is that you need to fill out a small form (which you can find on the link above) for each tree you wish to purchase.

If you don't live in the Greater Baltimore Area, don't fret! There are plenty of campaigns similar to this one funded by State, County and Local Municipalities. Just do a little research and you're bound to find some organization willing to support you planting a tree.

Going Native...

In recent years, municipalities, landscape designers and customers have become more aware of the environmental benefits of selecting "native" or local shrubs and trees for landscapes. There is a long debate inside landscaping circles of what qualifies as native (Straight species vs. hybrids; Native to what? The State? The DelMarVa Region? Our particular temperate zone?).

That whole debate is reserved for another posting, but an easy way to sidestep the argument is go to one of the authorities on horticulture that everyone general respects: The US Fish and Wildlife Service! Here's the link to what is considered the Native Plants Bible for the Chesapeake Bay Region: http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/ .

Read up, there will be a test during the next posting.

Currently, my favorite "native" tree is the Eastern Red Bud (Cercis canadensis - Page 56 on the link above). This humble fellow is a harbinger of Spring with a beautiful lavender/pink flower that blooms in Late March/Early April. It grows in the wild to a mature height of 20'+ typically in the undergrowth of the forests. When all other trees are beginning to push new growth, the little Red Bud stands out with a brilliant color unique in the forest for that time of year. You can still see specimens with the flowers attached if you drive around Loch Raven or Gunpowder State Park. Take a look this weekend!

Maryland Home & Garden Show

Quick post today. The Maryland Home & Garden Show took place back in February and it's taken me this long to post the pictures on Facebook... kinda gives you an idea of how crazy things are in the landscaping biz right now.

Take a look at the pictures I posted on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glen-Arm-MD/Pinehurst-Nursery/203692754225#!/pages/Glen-Arm-MD/Pinehurst-Nursery/203692754225). We placed 1st in our division and received a 93 out of 100 for our installation and design. Oddly enough, the company that won best in show only received 91 points. How does that work? Hmmm....

Anywhoo, enjoy the pictures!

Back where it all began...

Hi blogosphere, my name is Ted Carter and I am Pinehurst's newest family member. Well, I guess I've always been family (growing up alongside the trees, plants, and people that make Pinehurst what it is today) but I recently decided to return to learn more about the company that has been such a big part of my life.

Last September, I made the decision to move back to Baltimore after several years living/working in Washington, DC to work at Pinehurst, my family’s landscape company. In the short period of time since my return to my hometown, it’s been quite a whirlwind professionally and personally. If starting a new job doesn’t already provide a sufficient challenge, doing so with a small business in the middle of the Great Recession of 2009 proved to be a quick lesson in humility.

And of course, how else do people nowadays handle personal and professional challenges, but to write a blog! It is my intention with this blog to record both the challenges and achievements of Pinehurst and myself. These are interesting times for small businesses, the Green/Sustainability Movement, and landscape architecture and contracting, in particular.

But first, to provide a little context for those unfamiliar with Pinehurst, a little history:

My father, Robert Carter (middle), founded Pinehurst Landscape Company in 1964. Few realize the name derives from Pinehurst Road in Towson, Maryland, which is where my father lived as a child (Take a look on Google Maps). Growing up, my father mowed lawns and dug holes to make some extra money in the greater Towson area. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a business degree, he moved back to Baltimore to start his own company. Shortly thereafter, Rob was joined by fellow UMD alumnus Wink Rupprecht and Wink’s roommate, Corey Branch. It would be these three men who would form the foundation of the company and a friendship that has lasted more than 40 years.

In the early 1970’s, Rob and my mother Cathy (Hi Mom!) purchased a farm in Northeast Baltimore County in the town of Long Green, MD and established a small nursery where Pinehurst remains to this day. For the sake of brevity, I won’t go into great detail of the next 30 years, but with hard work, loyal customers and employees, luck, and more hard work, Rob, Wink, and Corey grew the nursery and the landscape company into one of the premier landscape companies in Maryland.

In future posts, I hope family and friends will learn more about landscaping in Maryland from design to installation, the challenges of a small, family business, the environmental challenges facing the Mid-Atlantic region, and perhaps pickup a few anecdotes about the plants and trees we work with on a daily basis. I’m excited and I hope you are too!