H
H
&G
Eastland Nursery And C-8
May 21, 2014
By Rick Murphy
Mike DeRosa takes things in stride. Twenty-two years running Eastland Nursery and Farms will do that to a guy. His Water Mill farm and retail outlet has seen it all, from hurricanes to superstorms, invasive deer, and late season frost. You learn to cope, he said. “What can you do? You can’t fight Mother Nature.” The key is preparation: when deer are a problem, employees bring in as much stock as they can and then lay block after block of the same plant in rows. “They eat some of it,” DeRosa acknowledged. “We never used to have deer, but we do now.” Home gardeners, more and more, opt for deer resistant plants, so Eastland has increased its variety and stock over the years. That’s a key component of the farm’s success – give the people what they want. The weather vane selection, for example, is enormous. “We’ve been doing it for years. We sell a ton of them. We ship them all over the country,” DeRosa said. In addition to offering every imaginable kind of planting, Eastland’s
THE INDEPENDENT • Traveler Watchman
three-acre site is dotted with urns, benches, Buddhas, and whimsical lawn ornaments. There are scores of garden accessories, many made of granite. “They are great accent pieces,” De Rosa noted, nodding at one long granite bench that must weigh a ton. “You move it once and where you leave it is where it stays,” he said with a laugh. When a severe storm is coming “we lay the big stuff down” to minimize damage. No mater how you slice it, though, dealing with a very fickle Mother Nature is a daunting task. “The labor is extensive,” DeRosa admitted. ‘Tis the season at Eastland. Beginning in early May the parade of shoppers intensifies as the summer progresses. “Mother's Day through June is crazy,” DeRosa said. Eastland used to grow most of its own stock, but brings in new shipments on a daily basis nowadays. People and habits change. In the old days gardeners tended to plant their gardens and nurture them. “Nowadays people don’t want to wait for things to mature, they want it now.” That pretty much sums up the Hamptons.
REAL ESTATE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT IN THE NEWS amptons ome arden
One sure way to keep flowers safe from deer: hang ‘em high!
Honey-do List Too Long? Landscapes with Beauty,
Health
& Balance… for over 20 years
Ray Smith & Associates is dedicated to providing the best in horticultural services. Our departments have set the standard for excellence with our unsurpassed ethics and experience. We strive to create a long term relationship not only with our clients, but also with the professional peers we work with. Our trust and respect are earned through our quality of workmanship and service. We will enhance your property to its full potential. Please call us for a free consultation. PO Box 5024 | Southampton, NY 11969 | 631.287.6100 www.raysmithassociates.com
No job too big or too small • All work guaranteed • Insured • We will call you back!