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Through the Seasons at the Hort Farm
text by Ron Krupp G'80
photos by Sally McCay
You’d never know it was there unless you made a wrong turn. Surrounded by auto dealerships and office buildings, shopping strips and suburban neighborhoods, the University of Vermont Horticulture Research Station is a hidden gem just a quarter-mile off busy Shelburne Road.
“The Hort Farm,” as it’s known to many, was acquired by the College of Agriculture in 1951 and it retains the feel of that era with its straight gravel roads, long rows of mature apple trees, lilacs, and a simple, blue-metal building that houses classrooms, offices, and workshops. There is nothing pretentious about this place.
My first foray into the Hort Farm was about five years ago on an early June evening when I took a workshop sponsored by The Friends of the Horticulture Farm. The class was led by a gentleman–and quite a character–by the name of Hal Bill of Enosburg, who took us on a stroll through hundreds of azaleas and rhododendrons. Hal is a lover of “rhodies” and the curator for the collection. The walk was remarkable as the plants were revealed in all their glory in thousands of blooms in hues of white, orange, magenta, rose, and red, their green glossy leaves adding a backdrop to the blossoms. I couldn’t believe where I was. This could have been the Arnold Arboretum near Boston or the Montreal Botanical Gardens.
The core purpose of the farm has long been to provide a place for horticultural research and a working classroom for students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The Hort Farm strikes a balance between cutting-edge research in conventional and sustainable horticulture practices and preservation of the collections. The two have to work hand-in-hand. Some recent plantings of elms are part of research to bring these magnificent trees back to the streets of America.
The farm is home to many varieties of ornamental trees and shrubs, including impressive mature collections of crabapples, lilacs, viburnums, rhododendrons, azaleas, ferns, junipers, and mixed conifers. There is a large border display of labeled shade and sun-loving perennials useful for Vermont’s cold winters and interpretive walks exploring the natural history and ecology of the area by way of a short loop trail.
The roughly one hundred-acre parcel on a hillside up from Lake Champlain’s Shelburne Bay includes a farm within a farm. Three acres are home to the Common Ground organic vegetable farm, run by UVM students since 1995. This successful venture in community supported agriculture sells shares to families and individuals for vegetables throughout the growing season. Common Ground also donates produce to the local food shelf.
Since my first visit, the Hort Farm has become a regular part of my life throughout the year. The Friends of the Horticulture Farm workshops offer guidance on pruning crabapples and lilacs in spring; during summer there are classes on planting and maintaining a homestead apple orchard; the fall brings a mushroom walk and talk, instruction on herbs for Vermont winters and holiday arrangements. And, of course, there are the popular apple sales every Friday–get there early for cider. Even in winter, to walk across crusty snow into the orchard for a pruning workshop on a bright, cold February day is a joy.
Ron Krupp G’80 is the author of The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening, now in its eighth printing. The book received the Christian Science Monitor Garden Book of the Year Award for New England. His latest book is Lifting the Yoke: Local Solutions to America’s Farm and Food Crisis.
More information: friendsofthehortfarm.org