Begun in 1975 with only one small garden and two hostas, the Venero garden now encompasses over 20,000 square feet on approximately two acres. This thriving nursery business boasts a greenhouse, garden shed, coldframe, working compost area, arbors, bridge, pond and display gardens. Follow the many curving paths to find a multitude of unusual trees, shrubs and plants, many of which are available for purchase.

An elegant two-layered pond with a fountain bubbling from a boulder is the central focal point of the gardens. A bridge goes over the functioning dry stream. Guests enter the propagation gardens through a large decorative gate, and colorful clematis and wisteria scramble up the adjoining arbors.

Along the perimeter of the property, curved, twisted-wire Victorian fencing, designed in the 1800s, is connected to stout homemade concrete posts, assisting with keeping the deer out while adding a strong architectural element to the property.

Jay Venero believes in amending the soil. Big time! By adding water and “stirring,” the garden’s mowed compost quickly becomes black gold to be returned to the gardens. The gardens are all hand dug, three inches at a time. Jay digs a trench 10 inches to 12 inches wide, keeps digging and moves from one trench to another, adding mason sand mixed with equal amounts of organics such as compost and pine bark. Over 200 tons of mason sand has been incorporated into the original silty loam soil. Obviously the Venero plants love the pampering.