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The right spot for that shade tree
» Stonehaven adds specialist to work with trees and shrubs as planting season gets underway
BY: VANESSA MOSS
Since the age of 12 when she started working in her father’s greenhouse, Louise Tillich has had a special interest in trees and shrubs.
Now, she is lending her 25 years of experience to the Stonehaven Farm Greenhouses in Elmira, offering free consultation to clients on Fridays and Saturdays.
Owner Kelly Jackson said this was an addition she and her husband Brad had been considering for some time and when they found the right person, the deal was done.
“She has such knowledge and enthusiasm for trees and shrubs that we’re excited to have her around and her knowledge and her energy is contagious.”
The tree and shrub specialist has ordered a variety of unique specimens to increase the greenhouse’s former supply tenfold, Jackson said. Tillich chose plants that would withstand the area’s climate and soil, as well as those that are harder to find.
While tagging the trees coming off the truck this week, Tillich was already busy chatting with customers about where, what and when to plant, noting that establishing a base is key before incorporating other elements like flowers and grasses.
“You do need to have structure of shrubs … because you need to have something there for colour in the winter as well as interest.”
Tillich considers various yard and garden elements before deciding on a design and arranges plants at the greenhouse before people take them home so they can visualize the final look.
“She can do a design on the fly, which is what a lot of people really want,” Jackson explained.
Through pictures and discussions with clients, Tillich comes up with landscaping plans that fit the soil types, exposure levels, heights, lines, colours and styles of each property.
“I like to apply interior design to the exterior,” she said.
Tillich developed her craft over the years by working with her father, Peter, at their West Montrose Farms Ltd. He is best known in the gardening world for creating the baby blue spruce.
Currently working as a program administrator for the Town of Minto’s Communities in Bloom program, Tillich will only be at the greenhouse for May and June.
But, in that time, she hopes to make people realize the value of planting trees, even if that means going out to their properties herself.
“It’s an investment and it really adds value to your property,” she said, adding that Stonehaven’s tree and shrub prices – between $10 and $150 – are lower than many other green centres, especially considering they are already well-established and could last 50 years.
“It’s [best] to do it right the first time and not have to rip stuff out,” she said.
With all the new development cropping up in Elmira, Jackson said members of the community were in need of someone like Tillich to guide them; new builds often have yards of dirt and nothing else, making landscaping tricky to start.
Stonehaven employee LuAnn Snyder said the most common question people ask is “what would be best to plant in this certain spot?” She is confident Tillich will have the answers.
“She’s very, very well-versed in the shrubs and trees. … Your shrubs and trees are your starting focal points and you put those in and work your flowers around it. So, to be able to have such a good selection … people are going to benefit.”
Tillich said that she will try to prevent people from making big mistakes that could cost them later on like planting species too close to a home’s foundation and/or picking plants they like rather than those best suited for the space.
Her main goal is to teach clients to choose wisely and have patience so their gardens blossom into beautiful and unique extensions of their homes.
“People have to give plants room to grow. They want it to look great now and they will, but give ‘em a year or two.”
Jackson added that they want customers to go home with the right products every time they visit Stonehaven.
“We really want people to have success,” she said.