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About the Rock Star Award Our Rock Star award honors ECG employees who demonstrate a sustained high level of performance and inspire others. This month, that description fits Jonathon Simmons, who joined us in the autumn of 2020. He has become a valued member of our Grass Production Crew at Milton. Here’s what his peers and managers had to say in selecting him for the honor.“I would like to nominate Jonathon Simmons. He has become a key player in grass production. Jonathon is also extremel

Here’s a perennial you may not have considered. Colorful, easy to grow, drought-tolerant once established – and with eye-catching fall colors, to boot! ‘Ascot Rainbow’ lives up to the colorful part of its name with striking, yet subtle, gray-green leaves edged in gold. Come cool nights, the foliage becomes suffused with ever-deepening reds. It’s an autumn display worth waiting for. Culture NotesThey don’t come much simpler. Give it full sun or very light shade, and keep it irrigated until it’s

Isn’t it great when a bunch of friends drop by? You know, like two or three busloads?That was the situation at our northern growing location recently: We hosted a tour of our greenhouses and trial gardens as part of the Perennial Plant Association’s National Symposium in Lancaster, PA.A good time was had by all despite high temperatures and humidity. Growers, designers, educators, writers, bloggers, retailers, customers and competitors alike strolled the grounds until they felt at home. We made

In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson bought some real estate from France. The Louisiana Purchase involved a staggering 828,000 square miles – over half a billion acres, give or take.But nobody really knew what he had bought. Zillow was no help. So Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to do a two-year walk-through.Among the many marvels they found was a succulent-leaved perennial called “bitter root” by natives. A river and a mountain range bear that name still. The newcomer was named

Yes, it’s Lavandula, all right. Nothing else can match the fresh, clean fragrance of this legendary herb. We know that fragrance well, since we grow 12 varieties in several species. Let’s look at more of them, shall we?Earlier, we examined L. angustifolia, a.k.a. English lavender, and L. stoechas, a.k.a. Spanish lavender. This time, let’s take a look at a hybrid: L. intermedia , a.k.a. Lavandin. This cross combines the assets of two species: L. angustifolia and L. latifolia, a.k.a. Por