Poker Hill Gardens began in the 1980's as a hobby business by Phil Cook who at the time was a faculty member at the University of Vermont. It is now a small specialty nursery operated in partnership with another plant lover, Mark Dumont. The "gardens" are separate groupings of plants scattered over the diverse habitats provided by the landscape which includes woodland, open meadow, and a small s
tream. It is plants growing in the various groupings which provide the stock for propagation and sale. Irises form a large portion of the collections and several hundred cultivars are grown. These include Siberian and Japanese irises as well as smaller bearded irises. They are grown in beds separated by an area of "lawn" (in the broad sense). A smaller number of tall bearded irises and daylilies add to the variety within each of the beds. Irises in bloom can be seen from late April though early July with the daylilies carrying the color for July and August. The emphasis is the broad range of size and textures of the foliage found among the shade loving plants. Irises put in an appearance again along with primulas and ground phlox providing a blanket of color in May. Epimediums slowly form dense patches of foliage which over time merge into a subtle tapestry of green. Larger plants such Rodgersia, Ligularia and Darmera provide a transition in height to the surrounding native shrubs. Some varieties of Epimedium have interesting foliage color in spring and autumn; others are evergreen. As a small nursery, it is only possible to carry in stock a limited number of varieties. We encourage plant lovers to visit the nursery. Many plants we can propagate on request at the appropriate time. We do not have a regular schedule of operations and you should contact us in advance of your visit if you wish to buy plants or chat with one of us. We look forward to seeing you.
