Heirloom plants from Perennial Pleasures Nursery

Perennial Pleasures Nursery is a retail and mail-order nursery located in East Hardwick, Vermont, in a beautiful part of the state known as the North East Kingdom. The nursery, greenhouse and display gardens are sited on the sunny fields behind our family home, an 1840s brick house at the edge of the village. We grow over 900 varieties of flowers, herbs and shrubs, specializing in heirloom and medicinal plants. An eclectic gift shop, specializing in summer hats, is located in the old wooden extension, and a seasonal tea-room serves English Cream Teas in the display garden or conservatory.

The nursery and gift shop are open from early May to mid-September, 10-5 Tuesday through Sunday. The Tea Garden is open from 12-4, from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. We are closed on Mondays.

Opening day in 2008 is Saturday, May 3. Closing day is Sunday, September 14.

Holiday Schedule – Memorial Day Monday : the nursery and shop are open 10 to 1. Tea Room is closed. July 4th : Nursery and Tea Room open all day. Labor Day Monday : Closed.

The Nursery and Display Gardens

The nursery was established by Rachel Kane in 1980 for the purpose of collecting and growing heirloom flowering plants and herbs from the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th century. While this aspect remains the specialty, we also grow a respectable number of perennials of a more recent vintage, a rather good selection of culinary and medicinal herbs, and one of the largest collections of phlox to be found anywhere in the country. Currently we have about 950 varieties of plants at the nursery, and many of these are listed in our mail order catalog. Most of our plants are field grown and proven hardy in our rigorous Zone 3 location.

There are nearly three acres of specialty display gardens and nursery beds which visitors are welcome to wander through during regular business hours.

In the greenhouse, we focus on antique, fragrant and rarely seen annuals. Many of our plants are available for mail-order purchase, and our own seeds are offered for sale in the eclectic gift shop

Our Plants

Our Nursery Plants:
Our perennials are generally field grown and good-sized, with well-developed root systems. They are typically two years old or more when potted up. They are produced using organic farming methods, and are fed with organic fertilizers, manure or compost. This, in our experience, makes for the healthiest plants. We rarely use naturally based pesticides, but never chemical ones. Many customers have attested to the vigor of our stock, and I think this is because we do not coddle our plants, nor do we over stimulate them with massive doses of fertilizers. We pot them up in the fall or spring, but if we don't have what you're looking for already potted, we're happy to dig one out of the garden for you if possible!

Our Mail Order Plants:
For mail-order, please be sure to choose from the Mail-Order Plant List, not the Nursery Plant List. We ship plants in April –May, and again in September-October. While in past years we have most often sent bare-root field divisions, we are gradually making the transition to pots. The pot sizes are indicated at the top of the Mail-Order Plant List.

Our Starts:
We have available a variety of "starts", which are young plants started early in the spring and shipped to you directly from the greenhouse. Starts are available only during the spring season. They are sent in 4 packs, and have been treated with no chemical pesticides. NOTE: Starts are not available in 2008, except for custom grown orders.

Our Seeds:
Most of the seed we sell is grown and harvested by hand here at the nursery. Our own seed is not treated with fungicide, although those we obtain from outside sources may have been. The listings in the catalog indicate whether or not the seed is collected at the nursery. All packets contain a generous amount of seed, usually well over 100, unless noted otherwise (again, in the printed catalog). NOTE: We are not shipping seeds in 2008, but they are available in the shop.

Custom Growing:
We will custom grow plants for large orders and institutions, including plants which we do not normally carry. Please inquire.

Hardiness and Winter Mulching:
When selecting plants you may presume that any stock we grow is hardy to Zone 3. We do not use winter mulch on any of our plants. However, if your garden hasn't the benefit of regular snow cover, you may want to apply loose winter mulch. In this case, cover the garden with a loose material such as straw, marsh hay, pine needles or evergreen boughs – any material which will not pack down. Apply this mulch after the ground has frozen, and be sure to remove it in early spring. The mulch will keep the ground a little warmer, but its primary use is to prevent the soil from freezing and thawing, which is what causes the most damage to plants.

Our Guarantee:
Our plants are guaranteed to be healthy, true to name, and to arrive in good condition. If proven to be otherwise, or if you are in any way dissatisfied (barring improper care or natural disaster), we will replace them, offer credit or send a refund. We do make mistakes from time to time, and would not want any of our valued customers to suffer in silence, but would vastly prefer to have the opportunity to make amends if called for. Any obvious problems should be reported to us within two weeks.

The Tea Garden and Gift Shop

Tea Garden:
English Cream Teas are served afternoons in the garden or small conservatory from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The hours are 12-4 daily escept Mondays. The menu features scones, cucumber sandwiches and cakes, and a wide variety of teas and cold drinks. Reservations for tea are recommended. For more information, please see our Tea page.

The Gift Shop:
Our little gift shop is packed full with useful and decorative items. Naturally we sell tea, teapots, cozies and tea related items, including Judith's homemade strawberry jam (if she can spare any from the tea room!) Books on gardening or herbalism, our own flower seeds, and concrete birdbaths and statuary will appeal to the gardeners. We have locally made items such as pottery, quilted pillows and quilts and handmade soaps. Also jewelry, ironware, imported gifts and much more.

Summer hats are a shop specialty, ranging from crushable sun hats for the garden, to stylish beach hats, to elegant wedding hats, to showy numbers for Red Hat Society ladies, and to flower and feather-bedecked toppers for an over-the-top tea party.