Find out where Bob will speak, lead a workshop, or attend a horticultural event.

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FINALLY! Bob Hyland announces his “escape” from Hardiness Zone 5b to Portland, Oregon, Zone 8b (3 whole zones!), and the launch of his expanded garden design and consulting business. Loomis Creek, for eight years a beloved destination nursery in Hudson, New York, is about to be repurposed and reinvented. Call him “happy wanderer”, “peripatetic”, “bi-coastal Bob” (all good!) — he’s energized by his brand new adventure and revamped business.

While growing his business in Portland, Bob will continue to work in the Hudson Valley and Berkshire region, with existing and new client.  Bob loves to develop long-term relationships with garden clients – particularly those who are challenged and driven by a love of plants. He works with clients to develop whole property plans with phased-in garden projects that link, meld, and excite. The philosophy of Loomis Creek Nursery was “great plants for adventurous gardeners,” and his his designs are likewise driven by their botanical subjects – they are the bones and architecture of the garden. Among his specialties:

• Naturalistic grass gardens and meadows
• Pool & bog gardens
• Multi-seasonal, layered shrub borders
• Foliage shade gardens
• Exuberant container designs

More examples of Bob’s designs (some are highlighted in the slideshow above) are on the Design page.

Bob’s background and contact information is on the About page.

LOOMIS CREEK is high on Echinacea (coneflower) species and hybrids for their lengthy summertime bloom in the Hudson Valley. We continue to trial many of the new hybrid coneflower colors – yellows, oranges, and reds – to determine which are GREAT garden plants in our region.

Our favorite for the 2010 season is Echinacea HARVEST MOON (‘Matthew Saul’). It is one of the BIG SKY coneflower series introduced by ItSaul Plants in Atlanta, Georgia. HARVEST MOON offers earthy melon to golden orange flowers with overlapping petals around glowing orange cones. We highly rate this coneflower selection for its strong branching, sturdy stems, and profuse bloom.

Loomis Creek Nursery stocks the following coneflowers (with others on the way):

Echinacea pallida – light pink coneflower species

E. paradoxa – yellow coneflower species crossed with E. purpurea to produce new hybrids

E. tennesseensis –upturned dark mauve petals around greenish pink cone (another LCN favorite!)

E. purpurea ‘Ruby Star’ (‘Rubinstern’) – large, flat-topped purple-pink flowerhead

E. purpurea ‘White Swan’ – elegant white flowerheads with orange-brown cones

E. Big Sky ‘Sunrise’ – cheery butter yellow petals surrounding golden cones

LOOMIS CREEK NURSERY is wild about Iris ensata (Japanese iris). This regal iris blooms at the beginning of summer in the Hudson Valley after Siberians (Iris sibirica) and tall bearded (Iris x germanica) have faded.

Iris ensata rewards gardeners with the largest of iris flowers – 5-inch diameter is common with some dinnerplate forms approaching  8 inches. The flowers have been hybridized in Japan for hundreds of years. They were very popular in American estate gardens in the beginning of the 1900′s, but fell out of favor in the Great Depression and following  war with Japan. American hybridizers have introduced many new varieties into the marketplace with diverse flower forms from lovely, refined singles to over-the-top flattened and ruffled forms.

Loomis Creek currently stocks the following Iris ensata varieties and is always expanding its inventory.

‘Activity’ – pale blue with purple veining and centers

‘Darling’ – soft lilac-rose with yellow signals

‘Dramatic Moment’ – large white with pale blue cast and yellow signals

‘Gracieuse’ – white with lilac edges and small yellow centers

‘Oriental Tracery’ – mauve heavily veined purple with purple center

‘Pink Frost’ – soft pink single with yellow signals

‘Soho’ – deep purple single on high-rise 5’ stems; stately

‘Variegata’ – blue-purple flowers; variegated white-edged leaves

Culture: Moist soils (do not prosper in hot, dry conditions); full to part shade; USDA Zone 4-9

Ideal along stream edges and boggy areas.