Heart and Soul of Rose Stone
I am so pleased to be writing this letter today, to recap over 24 seasons of life and growth at Hartle-Gilman Gardens ( aka HgG ) As well as www.hartlegilmangardens.com
I look around and have seen many things that I would consider lovely.
One of the many marked celebrations is the 35th year anniversary of Hartle-Gilman Gardens in 2024..The birth took place in 1989 (March) when Dean Hartle and Robert Gilman visited the Secretary of State in downtown St Paul, Minnesota and registered what is Hartle-Gilman Gardens. Though I have not been the sole owner of this Minnesota business, I remember when I reached the crossroad of having a choice to resurrect the name, exhume what little stock left, and proclaimed ownership of a historic company from decades ago, —— or —- plow it under…. There was no choice with what I was to embark on. Nothing like the blind leading the blind, at least at that time. Many others that were interested in the business needed data, solid based evidence of financial future with detailed past seasons operating expenses, Ratio of original stock, along with the attitude of ( WHAT DO I GET IF I BUY YOU ). I remember it well, reminding me that my position was different, If I didn’t ask questions, neither could a garden. We would evolve together–Perhaps somehow , we connected…. Hartle-Gilman Gardens was broken and so was I. The two broken pieces put together made the whole. The hearts and a lost souls of Hartle-Gilman Gardens. Those Heavenly Hybridizers. Now, perhaps there was a chance,
The rose———–and HgG
2020—— I became the heart and soul of Hartle-Gilman Gardens… What did I get myself into????
I now know, Hartle-Gilman Gardens will always be a mail order company, possibly always a workable city emerging farm and shall continue with the development of making new signature designer martagon hybrid lilies.
The loveliness of Hartle-Gilman Gardens taught me best practices of sprouting and growing one lily at a time. The commitment of not only dedication and devotion, but also, filled with more trials, and tribulations then you can even imagine in ones lifetime.
What is lovely though, is all the opportunities that seem to appear, making Hartle-Gilman Gardens beautiful with one Rose, and her backyard meadow of Lilies. Opportunities of meeting, sharing, learning, and experiencing. There were seasons of growth, that came with larger doses of encouragement and support. Motivation and inspiration with affirmation of what was, is and what will be.
Right now, I have been working, witnessing, and experimenting with an abundant of test plots in my city field. Ensuring what is grown and sold are deemed virus-free. Healthy bulbs that have had a life well lived within my controlled, monitored, and researched gardens. I have had numerous visits and will have continued visits from the State of Minnesota Department of Agriculture, assisting me with detailed up-to -date data on best practices. (per my request) This loveliness comes with a price financially and a lot of hard work and determination. This is my gift to you. Working side by side with MDA is not mandatory, though one would hope that the grower takes all precautions with best practices and making sure that other suppliers are at the standards that are demonstrated with your own and here at Hartle-Gilman Gardens.
I believe that what Hartle-Gilman Gardens becomes, will/does matter, and this belief drives me to be excellent in the most exciting ways. I have had numerous opportunities of glorious spins of traveling and meeting people that have tons of stories and photos to share of Hartle-Gilman’s very own ‘Fidus Achates’. The devoted followers of so long ago mingled with the innovation of the new birth of something happening right here in my own back yard and across the fields in Boyd Wisconsin.
The serendipitous of visitors, (joggers, the man with a parrot, the artist and her students, numerous families taking evening strolls, skateboarders, cars that pause to get a closer look- only to get honked at, the lonely man, woman or children looking for butterflies) as they watch the gardens bloom from day to day. Let’s not forget the science classes coming by to look for insects to take back to study in their labs.
Loveliness becomes the perfect height for gazers to view the private displays from the public sidewalks. Viewing from eye level. The public have up close and personal observations for botanical study, macro photography captions, or setting up an easel for a watercolor impression.
Hartle-Gilman Gardens has taught me that the fairest of all is in the eye of the beholder,
For I behold the spirit, nature and above all the promise of a seed and the vision of the bloom. Not in a singular flower but the entire orchestra of melodies that co-habitat on the axis of 44.954445, -93.091301. 1283 Watson. In this world today, we have AI, drones flying by and laptop screens in the science classrooms, but the most advance thing that I have seen, is still a seed becoming a flower.
With so many opportunities that just keep emerging, I believe that there was a reason for everything and how sometimes things just literally, ‘all panned out.’
Several have asked me how it all started? Maybe this is the story of the beginning, trusting your gut, heart, and mind, I went blindfolded in believing in myself for the first time with three deceased ‘heavenly hybridizers’ that couldn’t talk back to me. The day that my purpose was set in motion—- somehow, I believe that I came out winning the lottery. Well almost. ——– I do look up to the heavens and there are still a ton of questions that I toss in the wind to Marsha, Dean and Doc Robert ( Bob ) ….. Sometimes if I listen very soft I find the answers blowing in the wind.… Making my world a backyard meadow of Lilies here at Hartle-Gilman Gardens……Perhaps a single rose can be the garden, and the garden can have but a single rose.
So, cheers and Happy Anniversary HgG…. With many many more
Respectfully and most Sincerely, The Owner for now
Get out and feel the medicine of the season, —- the leaf’s, roots, seeds, fungi, flowers, insects, soil, and the melody of birdsongs and the sun splashing deeply into your soul with blinding beauty.