Eastern Shore Nursery has carved a niche with its containerized fruit trees during the last decade. The nursery grows old-fashioned varieties, new selections and exotics. These products will now be marketed under the Hollybrook Orchards brand.
Small fruit trees are excellent products for independent garden centers, said nursery owner Robin Rinaca.
“It’s amazing how many fruit trees we sell in urban settings,” she said.
Rinaca calls the trend “orchyarding.”
“In the last two years I’ve seen a real increase in demand for apple and pear trees and also unusual fruits like the plumcot, colonnade and pineapple guava,” said Sally Ann Ferry, nursery manager at Wentworth Nursery in Charlotte Hall, Md.
Fruit trees have also gained popularity because of their health benefits.
“Every day we’re discovering more and more fruits that have antioxidant and other health benefits, whether it’s the blueberry or exotics like the goumi or wolfberry,” Rinaca said. “Home fruit production ties directly into people wanting to learn and control what goes into their body.”
The brand includes 200 varieties of fruiting trees, plants and nuts.
“The Hollybrook Orchards brand gives us a lot more flexibility to offer all of the established varieties and to explore other new fruits so we can provide the largest selection to our garden center customers and the end user,” said Terry Freed, a pomologist an
The Hollybrook Orchards brand will be supported by specialty labels, point-of-purchase materials and a Web site. Eastern Shore used 15 artists to create botanical, Audubon-like images, complemented by extensive plant description, planting and care information. Pollination charts and laminated pocket-sized information supplements will be provided to garden center staff.
Plants in the Hollybrook Orchards line are grown from selected root stocks. Trees will produce fruit in the first year of planting. The nursery will begin shipping Hollybrook Orchards material in February 2008.
The brand was name for Hollybrook Farm, which was founded in 1800. The former farm makes up part of Eastern Shore’s production area.
For more: Eastern Shore Nursery, (800) 323-3008; www.esnursery.com; www.hollybrookorchards.com.
Founded: In 1966. Current owners Robin Rinaca and Nick Covatta purchased the nursery in 1980.
Location:
Production space: 90 acres of containers.
Crops: Containerized shrubs and trees, specializing in broadleaf evergreens and fruit trees.
Market: Garden centers, rewholesalers and landscape contractors.
Employees: 40.
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- Kelli Rodda