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Heronswood Lives!
Reports of Heronswood’s death have been highly exaggerated.
In this very paper a few weeks back I was astonished to come upon a post-mortem of the world-famous—and thriving—nursery. In an otherwise commendable piece on Corydalis, the writer, Valerie Easton, refers to the “old Heronswood nursery.” Later, she writes of when “Heronswood closed down.” The writer is misinformed, and does a disservice to Heronswood and her readers. It is as if she asserted Nordstrom’s had closed its doors, or Starbucks was shutting down; the scale of those businesses is vastly different from that of Heronswood, but the error no less egregious.
The canard of Heronswood’s demise sprang up a few years back, and has enjoyed a flourishing internet afterlife. The bearers of the fable are often gardening insiders, curiously, the very people who should know better. It reminds me of the “Paul is dead” rumors that swirled around that Beatle after “The White Album”. That was not, and is not true. Like Mr. McCartney, Heronswood is very much alive.
If readers want to see and experience the original Heronswood research and display gardens in Washington state for themselves, they are invited to visit on one of its public Open Days on July 19, August 30, and October 4. Far from dead, the place is, well, in the bloom of health. At this celebrated site in Kingston, readers and their families may meander the site’s paths and admire the extraordinary selection of plants from all over the world. I hope Valerie Easton can come as well; I’d be delighted to show her our splendorous array of Corydalis.
Our company acquired Heronswood from its founders and previous owners in 2000. They sold it to us of their own free will, and we paid them well for it. If they subsequently felt “seller’s regret,” it was not evident two years later, when we offered them the business—with twice its size in new land—for half the price we paid for it. Three years ago, for sound horticultural and business reasons, we relocated the business—but not the research and display gardens—in the northeast. Horticulturally, the move allows us to expertly test the plants for a wider range of climate zones than that which is uniquely the Northwest’s. The business rationale? To better serve our broad base of customers, and both expand and centralize distribution. Moving operations from a moist 15 acres in zone 8 to three additional locations in zones 5, 6 and 7 in Pennsylvania and Delaware was necessary to grow the business, and “share the wealth” of the rare and exquisite plants.
Today the original Kingston site serves as our regional test garden for the nationwide nursery. The facility has always been more a horticultural showplace and research facility rather than a walk-in retail enterprise. The lion’s share of Heronswood sales have always come from its beautiful and highly regarded catalog, currently sent to over 125,000 passionate gardeners, coast to coast.
Since we purchased it, the original Heronswood facility in Kingston has been significantly improved and augmented. Eight years ago, to improve local production and research, as well as on-site sales, we doubled the site’s size by merging it with an adjoining lot. Sales increased, staff became year ’round employees, classes and seminars expanded, and more staff plant hunting expeditions were funded. With the proceeds from the sale, the previous owners established a private botanical garden on their new estate in Indianola. Like the very perennial roots we sell, Heronswood naturally grew and “divided”.
Our roots in Seattle are deep. Heronswood continues to enjoy an avid and active customer base in the Northwest. Whether we pass it on to a loving buyer or continue to maintain it, the original Heronswood site will be open to the Seattle public several times a year under the auspices of The Garden Conservancy, with whom we’ve collaborated for five years.
Seattle, for me, is family. My parents lived in Seattle before I was born and several aunts, an uncle and four cousins lived in Seattle for nearly a decade. My father flew for Northwest and my uncle worked at Boeing. During World War II, my grandfather had hired and moved two Japanese families from Seattle to the Midwest to work at his nursery, and escape the ordeal of internment camp.
I’ve been a tax-paying property owner and business operator in Washington since 2000. And, with 8,000 plants in the Kitsap peninsula—many of them, like many Seattle residents, rare and exotic transplants —I have truly extensive roots, so to speak, in the Pacific Northwest.
Heronswood lives! Seattleans who love plants, raise high your trowels in celebration! Heronswood’s legendary gardens in Kingston are lusher and prettier than ever. The plants are thriving. We look forward to your visit.
–Submitted March 12th to The Seattle Times newspaper, after Valerie Easton’s article of March 8th.
Ah…confusion about Heronswood…it is the work of confusion that begets lies, deception, and a halt in natural progression. A resident of Eastern WA state, I was more than delighted to visit Hersonswood twice, before your purchase. When I heard the ensuing gossip regarding the so called “travesty sale”, I just smiled, because I knew in my whole being that anyone who would be of the mind to purchase such a creation would never betray what it holds–(just say DA) especially a purchaser who had dedicated his life to the plant world. I knew a creation of great and unknown proportions would come about from the sale. How could it not? Jealousy is among us, and its doings are evil in nature. I thank God for the protection of Hersonswood, as well as what it continues to offer our planet, in terms of horticulture and the love people have for learning about plants. Thank you for continually attempting to clear the air of the false “demise of Heronswood”. So, now, what will the latest
sensationalism regarding plants be? Plants just need to “be” their positive selves, as it would do people well to do so also.
I am glad to hear your most thoughtful response to an obviously unfair assertion. After all, the sale of Heronswood allows the previous owners the freedom to go become whomever it is they would like to be,plant explorers exploring,launching there own plant line somewhere else, like Monrovia, or otherwise engaging in meaningful employ. Doesn’t sound like they would want to deny the new owner of Heronswood the same privilege. But allowing,promulgating or passing on gossip does cast the shadow of exactly that,if not an actual cop out for making the decision to sell.And after all we are all ultimately responsible for our own fate, no matter how hard those decisions may be to make.