I can’t imagine anything more wonderful than being surrounded by beautiful flowers that you have grown and nurtured to maturity. Since I don’t have the time or the inclination to start a garden of my own, I have to content myself with those grown and nurtured by others. That’s why Horstman’s Nursery in Norwich is such a magical place for me.
The nursery and landscaping business has occupied its East River Road location since it was founded in 1972 by Priscilla Horstman. After Priscilla passed away in 1998, her daughter Renee carried on the family tradition.
“It’s a good thing I paid attention,” Renee, who worked alongside her mom most of her life, told me Monday as she took me through one of the greenhouses on site.
The small structure was filled with hanging baskets, vegetable plants and flats of annuals in every color and variety imaginable. I paused just inside the door to take it all in, and was glad I did. The mingling of all those scents was a bit overpowering. Kind of like being hugged by your favorite aunts who are a little heavy handed with their perfume. Thank goodness I’d taken my allergy meds.
Stepping inside the greenhouse was a bit like stepping back in time for me. You see, one of my first jobs was selling flowers at Horstman’s. I got to get my hands dirty, be surrounded by gorgeous plants and deal with customers; and I loved every minute of it.
Like Renee, I learned a lot from Priscilla (although obviously not quite as much.) But it is definitely thanks to her that I know the difference between annuals and perennials, which plants prefer shade to sun, the common names of many and the basics of planting and transplanting.
During my Saturdays at Horstman’s, I also learned to hate geraniums with a passion and to stay far away from juniper, to which I discovered the hard way that I am highly allergic.
Renee and Emily Bahn, who has worked with her for more than a decade, are a wealth of information just like Priscilla. Whether you want to know what types of plants will grow well under certain conditions, which variety of tomato is right for you or when to plant, they are the ones to ask.
Renee told me that her favorite part of her work is growing. Over the last few years she has started growing many of the annuals and all of the vegetable plants she sells herself from seed or plugs.
Each year she tries something new. This year, she experimented with harlequin dahlias, silver falls, impatiens, several different varieties of marigolds and “Priscilla” petunias, a double petunia variety which is lavender with purple veins.
While she currently continues to purchase perennials, she plans to experiment with growing those as well this year.
While flowers have remained a mainstay of the business, Renee and Emily said they have seen an increase in the number of vegetable plants they sell which they believe is due largely to the economy. Last year, Renee said she actually ran out of tomato plants, so this year she planted between 3,500 and 4,000 additional plants.
Below and behind the greenhouses are large beds planted with a wide selection of trees and shrubs. I felt like I was quizzing them as we walked among the beds. I kept pointing to things, asking them what they were.
In addition to selling flowers, plants, shrubs and trees, Horstman’s also provides a variety of landscaping services. Much of the landscaping work is done by Shane Noble and Kurt Frank.
In the winter, they sell Christmas wreaths and kissing balls. “Everyone loves our kissing balls,” Emily told me.
As we walked around, I couldn’t help thinking that Priscilla would be proud, not only of how Renee has carried on the business she started, but also how she has made it her own.
I enjoyed tagged along, refreshing my memory and learning plenty of new things about the nursery and landscaping business. So much, in fact, that I might just be back this weekend to pick up a few plants. Maybe I will start a garden this year after all.
Horstman’s Nursery and Landscaping is located at 1629 County Road 32. For information on the services they provide, call 334-6401.