Tony Avent profile by Anne Raver
New York Times garden writer Anne Raver, who lives and gardens just north of Baltimore, has written a terrific profile of Tony Avent, founder of Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina and one of the genuine orginal characters in gardening.
In it, he tells of being a plant-loving kid and asking his parents to take him to the best garden in the world. From the catalogs, he concluded that it was Wayside Gardens.
But when he arrived, there were no plants! He vowed that when he grew up, people who came to see his nursery would not be disappointed.
And they aren't.
I visited his home/nursery during a trip to Raleigh last fall -- it is rarely open to the public -- and it is an amazing place. Raver describes it in her story.
It was Avent's collection of succulents -- in individual pots on his porch/deck -- that made me think that might be the way for me to go this year on my deck.
Avent is also known for his irreverent catalog covers and plant descriptions. And for his politics.
There is a slideshow accompanying the article by Anne, with pictures of Avent's gardens and some of his unusual succulents.
