Growing annuals hard work
but N.J. producer loves it
6.01.07
By TAMARA SCULLY
Not everyone gets to go to work
surrounded by beauty. And not
everyone knows that beauty can be
hard work. Lonell McCormick, however,
is well acquainted with both of these
situations. As owner of Hilltop
Greenhouse, she and her son and
partner, Chris McCormick, work to
create the bounty of annuals which are
sold to many area garden centers,
farm stands and other retailers.
“I’ve done this my whole life and I love
it!”, McCormick exclaimed as she
gestured towards the 60,000 square
feet of growing space which Hilltop
calls home.
McCormick herself was born into the
greenhouse business. Her family
owned and operated a greenhouses in
Pompton Plains, N.J. However, leaving
the family business didn’t mean leaving
greenhouse growing. After moving to
the Newton area, McCormick
established her Hilltop Greenhouse in
1988. Almost 20 years later, she is still
going strong.
Hilltop Greenhouse literally is situated
atop a hill. Isolated from the busy
traffic down below on Hampton House
Road (Route 206), the greenhouse is
an oasis of sorts, where row upon row
of flats, baskets and containers
overflow with shades of purple, pink,
red, orange, yellow and white. From
petunias to marigolds, Hilltop grows a
wide selection of annuals and creates
an even greater selection of
combinations. From the verbena and
petunia hanging baskets to the
geranium and alyssum patio pots,
colors and varieties overwhelm the
senses in a pleasing array of
decorative arrangements.
“Trial and error” is the best way to
describe the combinations that work
and the ones that don’t, McCormick
said. But creating the right container
garden does take a lot more into
consideration than meets the eye.
Water requirements, growth rate and
sun/shade tolerance are the big
concerns. A meticulously kept chart,
diagraming the possibilities, successes
and near-misses, guides McCormick
from season to season.
While combining plant combinations
might be the fun part of the job, the
real work begins in December, when
plants are started from seed. In
January, cuttings are rooted to start
the year’s plants. Temperature in the
greenhouse is regulated using a wood
furnace to keep the tender plants
warm. For those which require a period
of cold, such as petunias, McCormick
grows them “as cold as they can
tolerate,” so that they harden off and
become acclimated to an outdoor
climate. If not, McCormick said, they
tend to become soft and to wilt when
ultimately placed outside.
This attention to details is what brings
area garden centers back to Hilltop
Greenhouse year after year. Without
hesitation, McCormick can rattle off the
names of a dozen well-known area
retailers and even farm stands that
offer her products. In addition, she
ships to New York City as well.
Hilltop prides itself on growing “basic
annuals: impatiens, marigolds,
begonias,” McCormick said. “If
anything, we strive for quality over
quantity.”
But they certainly aren’t lacking in
quantity. With 50,000 flats, 6,000 10-
inch hanging baskets, 2,000 12-inch
combination baskets, 1,400 large deck
planters and 600 16-inch baskets, they
had to rent space in a nearby
greenhouse this season.
McCormick and her son are the only
two regular employees. Seasonal
workers help during the planting times,
and the rest of the McCormick clan
pitch in whenever there is a deadline
to meet or a chore to be completed. It
truly is a family affair here, and some
of their most loyal garden center
customers have become close friends.
Hilltop opens for the season in April
with thousands of pansies. The annual
orders are fulfilled through the end of
June. With a slight break mid-summer,
growing begins again in August with a
batch of hardy garden mums, which
are sold through October.
Despite her lifelong experience in the
greenhouse growing business,
McCormick has never stopped
learning. She stays current on all the
latest trends, and always tries to
improve the quality of her operation.
Not afraid to try new ideas, she also isn’
t one to turn her back on the tried-and-
true methods that yield high
performance results year after year.
Her standards include extensively
monitoring all her plants to ensure that
there are no problems. Hilltop
Greenhouse is meticulous about plant
vigor, McCormick said.
This season, she switched her potting
mix to include rice hulls, which are
natural aerators. “We try very hard not
to use too many pesticides,” she said,
preferring natural alternatives
whenever possible.
Another change this season is the
continued trend towards an “instant
garden.” McCormick has capitalized on
this by potting oversized deck
containers in numerous combinations
of compatible annuals. While flats
continue to be reliable sellers,
McCormick feels the trend towards
larger sized plants, such as 4.5-inch
pots, where the plants make a
statement immediately, along with the
hanging baskets and large containers
brimming over with full-sized plants,
are the wave of the future. She intends
to add more “ready-made” options for
next season.
Hilltop Greenhouse has been serving
as a wholesale grower of quality
annuals since 1988. With r years of
experience and dedication to growing
reliable plants which create gorgeous
ambience all season, the McCormicks
proudly serve the needs of the
gardening community in Sussex
County, New Jersey, and beyond.
Providing reliable, on-time delivery
service and a wide selection of plants,
the McCormicks are ready and able to
serve the needs of the retail garden
center or farm stand from early spring
to frost, growing beauty. It’s their
business and their passion. They work
hard to offer effortless, gorgeous
annuals for their customers.
Hilltop Greenhouse, located at 156
Hampton House Road (Route 206) in
Newton, can be reached at (973) 383-
8565.