DOYLE FARM NURSERY 2007
Doyle Farm Nursery is a Mail Order Business that grows herbaceous, native plants. We are located in Pennsylvania; bordered on all sides by open farmland. The nursery is within the ten acres where we live, grow a vegetable garden, plant gardens, meadows, and maintain and grow our native plants. We thrive in the Mid-Atlantic Region, a short distance west from the Susquehanna River and five miles north of the Maryland /Pennsylvania (Mason-Dixon) line.
This is a year of change. I am sixty years old as of last autumn. I have been working at the nursery full-time for eight, going on nine years, and decided it is time to re-evaluate. I am doing more than I am able to keep up. Although I have good workers to help me, it is my body that brought much of my physical activities to a halt. In the beginning during the early '90's, I was sowing seeds, growing plants, and planting gardens. But much of that work has become second to packing plants, watering, loading the truck, unloading, driving, working on the computer, answering emails, etc., etc. I have become overwhelmed.
So this year, I am doing less. Annie Ebersole has come back to help with managing. I am excited because Annie definitely is a plant's woman who also offers new ideals and new direction. Barbie Yoder (I don't know what I would do without her) is returning also. She has been taught well by her sister Sarah Stoltzfoos (Yoder), who now has a baby girl, born on a March Sunday. Lena Esh, I'm sorry to say, probably will not be back because she lost her mother to cancer this winter. And Mina Keeny has left to help an older church member handle her household.
I am always grateful to Kate Schwartz who is able to coordinate our Open Houses once again and all the volunteers who help during them. As for new workers, Joy Howell, a naturalist is willing to take an apprenticeship at the nursery and is offering her many talents. Maybe I will get back to what is really important such as growing more natives, planting more gardens, and offering more plants for your gardens.
Kate firmed up our lecturers and programs for this year's Open Houses. I am excited to invite our customers to visit our nursery, sit under a canopy, in the sun or rain, and hear some knowledgeable people talk about why grow Native Plants. The Garden Talks are at 11 AM, Saturdays only. All talks are free. Please check out our EVENTS.
You may have noticed that the website and catalog are late this year. There are a couple of reasons, but one you will notice immediately. New Names. Thanks to all those taxonomist (is it that there are too many of them or they don't have enough to do), there are more new plant names this year. 'They' have decided that there are differences in particularly the Asters (Symphyotrichum, Eurybia, Ionactis, & Doellingeria), Goldenrods (Euthamia, Oligoneuron), Joepyeweeds (Ageratina, Conoclinium, Eupatoriadelpfus) and a few other species, and that now there are similarities in the Bugbanes/ Black Cohosh (Actea).
On our website, I have included the old plant names and the new plant names. You will also notice that some of the common names are different too. The source is United States Department of Agriculture web-site, http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch.
We won't be at as many native plant and herb sales this year. I regret the disappointment for our loyal customers especially at the Landis Valley Herb and the Baltimore Herb Festivals. However, our plants will be sold at local native plant sales such as Kreutz Creek Valley Preservation Society, Lancaster Master Gardeners Sale, The Delaware Nature Society Sale, Brown's Orchards & Farm Market, and Nixon Park's Native Plant Sale. DFN will be attending the National Arboretum Native Plant Sale, Parkfairfax in Alexandria VA, Millersville's Native Plant Conference, and Irvine Nature Center Native Plant Sales. Hope to see you there.
Although I am trying to slow down a little bit, I encourage you as our customers to continue to plant the natives. Our wildlife depends upon the native trees, shrubs and perennials to feed, shelter, and allow our birds and butterflies successful migrations. And we deserve a clean environment, healthy children, and the joys of living in harmony. Wishing you great gardening.
Jacquelin L. Doyle, proprietor