Is Your Lawn Cultured? 

As Hyannis Country Garden approaches its 61^st birthday, we thought that we’d share one of our most important developments that makes us who we are today. In 2007, five employees, including President and General Manager Jocelyn Duffley, attended the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) conference for certification in organic land care. 

Nan Ingraham, Garden Department sales associate, also attended the conference:  

“Going to the Northeast Organic Farmers Association almost 19 years ago, I was not sure what I was going to learn. It was a new organization for us to delve into, but I felt the possibilities were great!  I was not disappointed. I had no idea it had such a strong turf agenda; I was hooked, and I still feel the same today.  It was well attended by landscapers, growers, nursery and garden center owners, and farmers. I owe what I know today to the incredibly diverse lectures and the founders of NOFA. I hope they keep up the excellent earth-saving education and support.” 

Nan followed up her experience with additional research, and published the article Is Your Lawn Cultured? You can find it here. 

The results of organic lawn care practices pictured above.

The impression that this conference made had a trickle-down effect and brought education to the forefront of the family business. Not only did we begin to phase out harmful insecticides and herbicides from the shelves, but you will notice that deeply rooted in our seminars, workshops, and conversations with sales associates, there is the notion that if you care for the earth, she will care for you.  

Through gardening, farming, and landscape maintenance, humans take control of the native environment, often-times undermining its natural cycles. We forget that nature actually knows what it’s doing as it tries to balance itself, unleashing “pests” and “weeds” – and we take these reactions personally. Our staff care about educating customers on how to take on their plant care tasks responsibly and in a regenerative way. We want to perpetuate the earth’s cycle, not halt it. 

Let’s be honest; we don’t want worms in our broccoli when we’re trying to feed our family, and roses bring us so much joy, so we have to keep that black spot in check. Native plants and wild yards aren’t for everyone, and we are not trying to convince you otherwise. Our mission is to send you home with happy plants, informed care instructions, and practical gardening solutions that best suit your needs, while keeping the environment in mind. An environment that works is an environment that works for you. 

The great revolution, for Country Garden, that emerged from the NOFA conference was that of lawn care. Cultural practices that apply to turf can be carried over to your garden beds as well. Remember, grass is a plant too!  

Our Green Team is proud to support and recommend organic, and to continue learning alongside our customers. You can find Nan in the Garden Room where she is available to identify, diagnose, and troubleshoot lawn and garden problems with you.