North Hill Gardens finally has a website

– Posted in: Recommended Links
10 comments

It’s about time! Wayne Winterrowd and Joe Eck, co-authors of A Year at North Hill : Four Seasons in a Vermont Garden and Living Seasonally: The Kitchen Garden and the Table at North Hill, and individually the authors of several more books and numerous magazine articles, finally have a website showcasing their wonderful garden, North Hill.

North Hill comprises about 24 acres, of which seven are under intense cultivation. According to the website referenced below,

The mission of the garden is to grow as many species as might be hardy in a climate that experiences winter lows of -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Significant individual collections within the garden include plantings of heathers and dwarf conifers, antique and species roses, bamboos, unusual perennials and annuals, an extensive rock and bog garden, a large collection of hybrid deciduous magnolias and many tender conservatory plants used as components of the garden in summer.

I had the opportunity to tour the gardens in 2001, by taking advantage of the Open Days at North Hill fundraiser for the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont. Let me tell you, the gardens are every bit as spectacular as the photographs on the North Hill website would lead you to believe. Although the open days were canceled for 2007 due to necessary renovations, I suggest you check back at this site and at the North Hill events section to see what opportunities will be available in 2008.

Thanks to C. L. Fornari for making me aware of the North Hill website.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

What differentiates a bulb from a perennial plant is that the nourishment for the flower is stored within the bulb itself.…There is something miraculous about the way that a little grenade of dried up tissue can explode into a complete flower.

~Monty Don in The Complete Gardener pp. 142

Comments on this entry are closed.

Meredith October 21, 2010, 11:20 am

I am looking for a copy of Living Seasonally and want to know if anyone has a copy that they would like to sell? Thanks, Meredith Vogler, Landscape Design and Restoration, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Maria Wigmore April 5, 2009, 10:04 am

Dear Wayne, read your artical in horticulture magazine on potted lilies, I know what it’s like to have them all eaten. I now plant lilies and tulips with pea gravel. It’s worked for me for years. Idig up an area where I’m going to plant them,put a couple of inches of gravel then the bulbs more gravel and then the rest of the soil,good drainage for the bulbs and every year they blossom beautifully. Try it, it’s well worth the effort. Good luck,Maria Wigmore

Curtis October 31, 2007, 10:35 pm

More books. A gardener can never have enough books concerning gardening.

Mary Ann Newcomer October 31, 2007, 8:43 pm

those trees from your front porch look fantastic! so glad you shared the photo with us.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter October 31, 2007, 1:39 pm

Thanks for the heads up. I’ve read their book & seen their garden on gardening programs. This is great!

Kathy Purdy October 30, 2007, 6:21 pm

Carol, I suggest starting with A Year at North Hill. Better yet, make it a Garden Bloggers’ Book Club selection.

Layanee, in the past the open days were the last day of June, July, and August. It would be a terrific place for a blogger’s meet-up, except that there isn’t much in the way of accomodations nearby.

Carol October 30, 2007, 6:15 pm

It looks like a wondeful garden and the books are tempting me. I’m weak when it comes to buying books on gardening!

Carol at May Dreams Gardens

layanee October 30, 2007, 5:51 pm

I also thank you. I have read many articles by these gentlemen and would love to see their garden. Let’s all meet there next year if they are open to the public for the day!

Annie in Austin October 30, 2007, 5:50 pm

Thanks, Kathy – it’s one of those places that you hear about as soon as you get serious about gardening. I’ve had photos sent to me by people who visited North Hill, and I bought Annuals for Connoisseurs when it was new.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and see it in person some day – like you did!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Jane October 30, 2007, 4:17 pm

That is a stunning garden!