iamjswrites: Dunbar Nursery

For fall, mum's the word!

As you go about gathering the mums, pumpkins, gourds and cornstalks to decorate your porches and landscapes this fall season, take a moment to reflect on where those items came from and the time, space and planning that has gone into growing them. They don't just magically appear at the local garden center. Seeds, rooted cuttings, soil, water, equipment, labor-power, acres of land and greenhouses are needed to produce these colorful autumnal crops. For many nurseries, the process begins mid-winter with orders for seeds, root cuttings and saplings being made no later than March. Dunbar Nursery follows this schedule.

Marian and Dick Dunbar, founders and owners of Dunbar Nursery

since 1973.

A labor of love.

For the past 39 years, Dick and Marian Dunbar, founders and owners of Dunbar Nursery, located at 1347 County Route 22 in Ghent, NY, have grown annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees to sell to local gardeners, homeowners and businesses throughout Columbia County. About 20 years ago, they decided to add hardy mums to their assortment of plant offerings. "They are a great cash crop at the end of the growing season," stated Marian.

Many hands make light work.

Generations of Dunbars gather each Memorial Day weekend to plant between 750-1200 of the rooted mum cuttings. These mums aren't just any mums, they will grow to be giant hardy and colorful mums thanks in part to the clever eco-friendly irrigation and fertilization system that Dick designed, years ago, to hydrate and feed them throughout the summer months. It's something he is quite proud of, so ask him about it when you stop by the nursery. Marian is just as verse, so feel free to ask her about the system as well, that is if she's not busy documenting the family's involvement in the military, collecting data for a project that is very important to all of them--the USS Enterprise's Operation Magic Carpet, of which a very young Dick Dunbar was a crew member--or crocheting one of her famous afghans.

"Mum-orial" Day weekend tradition.

Why Memorial Day weekend? Honestly, that's a story in and of itself, but here's a quick and simple answer. Dick, the patriarch of the family, served in the Navy during WWII and five of his seven children, yes seven, also served in either the Navy, Coast Guard or Air National Guard. The armed forces connection extends beyond the immediate family, too. The "kids", along with their spouses and children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, return home each Memorial Day weekend to collectively honor and acknowledge the efforts and sacrifices of those who have defended and represented our county. It's during this weekend that "many hands make light work," and the year-end cash crop of mums is planted at the family homestead and nursery. What's important to know is that this is truly a family affair; from 2 -85 years of age, all pitch in and help.

Dick Dunbar in front of mum patch, 2012.

Instructions for removing the irrigation stick.

They're big, really, really big!

They're hardy and if you plant them in the ground, they just might winter-over and bloom again next season....

Get them while you can!

The nuance between the Dunbar family and their mums may not be obvious, but it's there. Their roots are strong and run deep and, as a visit to the nursery will confirm, they are a bright and colorful bunch!