We lost a local plantsman, innovator, historian and nursery industry icon last week when Jim Zampini, age 85, passed away in his sleep after a long battle with heart disease. A fusion of Italian and Hungarian ancestry, Jim grew up
We all admire our ‘founding fathers’…Washington, Jefferson, Adams and others. What a brain trust of revolutionary thinkers and articulate communicators! And yet, despite serious consideration of timeless and self-evident truthsthey did not address human
I have lived my life in greenhouses and rain is always louder on the inside. Even the first few drops arrive like a resounding chorus. Then there is the snarling rain…sideways and singular. Sometimes under taut double-poly
This month marks twenty years since Paul F. Otto passed away. Paul is still remembered by many in the industry today. This was written by Paul in the early 1980’s as a background piece for a Perry High
Sundays are generally a day of quiet uninterrupted industry and appreciation here at our wholesale nursery. But on this Sunday, I was approached early-on by my Wife, generally not a good sign, with a woman in
The Kohankie nursery dynasty began in 1856 when Henry and Julius, sons of a Prussian immigrant, came to Lake County. Of seven brothers in that family, five would become horticulturists. Henry worked at Storrs
For fifty two days we’ve been held culinary hostage by the availability of zucchini from our nursery garden. In the beginning it was tremendously exciting! We conspired on all kinds of recipes featuring our wonderfully fresh and productive
Our first pick-able Zucchinis from our nursery garden arrived on July 1. We fought over them. Who would get them! What size is appropriate? I prefer the small zucchinis less than 8” long.
We hear the term ‘Globalism’ bandied about. Some people blame ‘globalism’ for the loss of American manufacturing jobs (and I think they’re right!). Others ascribe to ‘globalism’ tremendous savings for the American consumer through the availability of cheaper
Jesse Storrs was the visionary who began our Lake County nursery industry in 1854, partnering a few years later with JJ Harrison to form the world-famous Storrs & Harrison Nursery. His three sons went off to the Civil
Summer is the season of student-workers at Gilsons. We’ve tried many different employment strategies over the years…1). ‘Keep the money in the family’ (that didn’t work because there wasn’t enough family or money, 2). local
In 1796 General Moses Cleaveland led a survey party along the southern shore of Lake Erie to chart the areas from the Pennsylvania line to the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. They traveled by long-boats, perhaps to avoid the
Ask any tree-hugger what a native plant is and they will reply…a plant that was indigenous to North America prior to the arrival of Europeans…generally considered to be about 1750.
The Historic Nursery Region of Lake County is three to seven miles deep and about twenty miles long, extending from Mentor to Madison. Once covered by glacial lakes there are three sand/gravel ridges that
One of the finest hardy geraniums in our estimation is Geranium sanguinium ‘John Elsley’. Refined and dignified, like its namesake, it provides great color now through midsummer…bright pink with a hint of purple. The
Michael Horvath was a landscape architect who immigrated from Hungary to New York and eventually to Cleveland where he became the City Forester in 1903. In that role he designed Wade Park and Rockefeller Park, among others. These two parks
