September 25, 2002

Looking over the fields at Broad Run Nursery, a bit west of Haymarket, one can see sprinklers keeping the trees and shrubs drenched in the morning sun. Inside some of the dozen or so greenhouses sit 70,000 pansy plants, getting ready for the fall, winter and early spring growing seasons.

Over on another part of the 40-acre plot, lawn grasses are growing as part of a research project for a grass seed company.

Even with fall rapidly approaching, the activity level is high.

Pointing to some chrysanthemums in containers, sales manager Bonnie Ferris started to talk about the company.

"We grow our own plants. They're not shipped across the country," Ferris said. "And look at the quality, look at the size of these mums. They're great! I think that's one of the things that sets us apart."

Ferris said that the nursery recently has started to concentrate more on retail sales. Previously most of its plants were sold to contractors.

She conducted a quick tour of the nursery's retail outlet, showing off the greeting cards that weren't made from paper, the Felco tools, and the Barenburg grass seed. Some of that seed is marketed as a water saver, which has to be a boon, considering how dry this area has been these past three or four years.

As for the cards not made of paper, Ferris said they're made of the Kenaf plant, a native plant from Africa that now is being cultivated in America.

"We're going to be getting in more and more stuff," Ferris said.

The nursery's produce has been on display recently around the county, though few probably connected the plants to the place.

"We provided the plant material for the Fauquier County Fair, to decorate the outside. They placed them in strategic places," Ferris explained. "And we provided the plants for the Great Meadow Grand Prix."


Tour of the property

Head grower Sarah Petizon showed off some of the plants that she and her staff currently are cultivating in the greenhouses.

"We have some ornamental cabbages and kale," Petizon said, "and we're growing some anthurium, which is a tropical plant that get huge red flowers. In this area they're indoor plants. They'll be ready next spring."

Entering the greenhouse that harbors most of the pansies, the Cornell grad surveyed the just-beginning-to-bloom plants.

"I love it in the fall when they all bloom out, and it's a carpet of color in here. That's what I look forward to," she said.

General manager Jim Osborn was conducting a seminar last week, one of several the nursery had planned for industry professionals, but he took time to show off the grass research project that the Barenburg company is waging.

"They plant the grass in 3-foot by 3-foot squares," Osborn said. "Then they want to treat it as badly as they can no spraying for weeds, irrigate it wrong, that kind of thing to see what happens, and which type performs best. There are 3,000 kinds of grass here right now, and the best ones will be on the market in four to five years."

Osborn said the company is pleased with its location.

"With all the new houses coming in this area, we should do well," he said.

The Broad Run Nursery is located at 16015 John Marshall Highway in Broad Run. The phone number is (703) 753-3548. The Web site is http://www.broadrun-nurseries.com .

©Arcom Publishing Inc. - Fauquier Times-Democrat 2002