issima – LCGC Member Comments

Member Responses to issima Nursery article in the NY Times

A stand of seedling Sanguisorba at Issima nursery in Little Compton, R.I., where the goal is to grow longer-lasting blooms that float well above the foliage. “They’re like Calder sculptures catching the wind,” said Taylor Johnston, an owner of the nursery.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/17/realestate/why-shop-at-a-specialty-nursery-issima.html

On 3/23/21 5:01 PM, Nancy Clark wrote:
Hi Ed and Taylor,
Having read about you in the NYT, some members of the Little Compton Garden Club have expressed interest in knowing more about what you do. Would you be willing to talk about your business and share a bit of info about your plants sometime this fall?

We generally meet on the second Wednesday of the month for a speaker
(or field trip), and enjoy having local farmers/horticulture experts
share their stories with a group of about 25 LCGC members. We are
planning programs for this Fall and next winter.

We can offer a small honorarium as a show of appreciation for your
time and effort — and can introduce you to many plant buyers!

With best regards,

Nancy Clark
LC Garden Club Program Chair
617-962-4382

PS. Where are you located? (just curious).

On Sat, Mar 27, 2021 at 9:09 AM Nancy Clark wrote:

Hi Taylor and Ed,
Could one of you please let me know if you got this email below?

Thanks,
Nancy

On 3/27/21 9:15 AM, Ed Bowen wrote:
We received it amongst hundreds of other inquiries in the last two weeks in what is the busiest time of the year. Apologies for the delay. I regret that we are booked for 21/22, but we would be happy to discuss possible dates for ’23. Our honorarium at the moment is ca. 1500.
Thank you,

On Sat, Mar 27, 2021 Nancy Clark wrote:

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the response. I bet you did get a lot of emails! (Congrats).

Your speaker’s fee is out of our budget. If sometime (when you are less busy) you’d like to offer an hour of your time to share your passion with members of LC who would more than support your interests, you are welcome to reach out to us.

With best regards,
Nancy

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Randi von Steinwehr wrote:
Yes.
https://www.issimaworks.com/contact

Ed used to sell plants at Sakonnet Gardens on their open garden days and I assume that he will again once the pandemic has ended. I have one or two of his Sanguisorba — the pink one for sure, but I can’t remember where the older red one came from.
Randi

Lynn Steiner wrote:

I have been there! They had an open house last fall. I now follow them on Instagram.

Chris Willemsen wrote:

Ed’s nursery is one of my very favorite places. He is an absolute treasure-I do not know his new partner well. He was formerly Opus.

Gabriele Zybarth wrote:

It’s Ed Bowen’s new venture (one of the sons of the late Rosemary Bowen).
Looks like he rebranded his Opus plant nursery and took on a new partner.
I would love to know if he will do more retail in the future.
Love his rare plants.

Bicky Kelley wrote:

Maybe we should plan a trip?

https://www.plinthetal.com/blog-1/2020/3/28/specialty-nursery-profile-issima-little-compton-rhode-island

Sue Hutson wrote:

Interesting article….I do not know where it is located. I know Ed Bowen lives at his parents old house on Warren’s Point Rd just past the Philippi’s driveway.

Permanent links to this nursery can be found on the Resources page