Fall is a great time to plant conifers and other woody plants, and the Northeast Region is giving conifer lovers a great opportunity to shop for some special plants on October 4^th in Northwest Connecticut.

The day starts at 10 am with a garden tour at Ed and Patti Williams' extensive gardens in Columbia, CT, which will last until noon. This is a collector’s garden showing a wide variety of interests. The yard was mostly grass when they bought the house in 1979; now there’s no grass on 1.5 acres and some of the paths between the trees are getting narrow. They have over 300 different conifer species and cultivars, 50+ Hostas, and 30+ Japanese maples. Ed and Patti joined the ACS in 2001, which increased their love and access to a wider variety of conifers.

Join three spectacular growers at O’Brien’s Nursery in Granby, CT from 10 am–5 pm for a special shopping experience.

Coldwater Pond Nursery: Ted Hildebrant

Coldwater Pond Nursery is a woody plant propagation nursery that specializes in the propagation of rare and difficult to propagate trees and shrubs for wholesale and retail customers throughout the eastern half of North America. With an emphasis on grafting of conifers, Japanese maples and numerous other species, Ted Hildebrant, his partner Elly Keyel, and their skilled team of assistants produce thousands of new plants per year. They will have a nice selection of 1- and 2-year-old grafts to shop from at the rendezvous, and Ted will be available to answer questions as well.

Jay’s Nursery: Jay Angle

Jay’s Nursery propagates, grows, and sells rare and unusual dwarf conifer varieties. Many of the cultivars we offer are derived from witch’s brooms and may grow less than an inch per year so are generally suitable for use in troughs and rock gardens. We specialize in varieties that are seldom available in the trade.

O’Brien’s Nursery: John O’Brien

John has been gardening on this property for over 26 years and some of the plants were moved from a previous garden he had 40 years ago. O’Brien Nurserymen is ONLY OPEN for sales on designated weekends from April through October. The sales yard features over 900 hosta varieties in containers ready to go, as well as many other choice shade perennials that help complete a shade garden. There are special areas for Daphnes, dwarf conifers, Ginkgos, Japanese maples, daylilies, and sedums. We have customers arriving thinking they will make a quick visit, and they wind up spending hours exploring our gardens and gathering special plants for their gardens. You can view the O’Brien Nursery inventory on www.obrienhosta.com. John only accepts cash and checks, so make sure you have plenty of both!

This event is open to all, so bring your conifer friends as you’ll never find a conifer selection this good outside of an ACS National Convention!

Pack a lunch, bring chairs, cash, and your checkbook as some vendors don’t take credit cards. Snacks and drinks will be provided. This is a rain or shine event. Wear comfortable shoes as there’s an extensive display garden at O’Brien’s Nursery to view.

Registration Information:

Date: Saturday, October 4, 2025
Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Registration: $10.00 donation to the Northeast Region
Sign up here

For further information, contact Rebecca Boylan at: [email protected]