Discovering Plants With Winter Interest
Everybody Gardens
On a brisk walk through Frick Park, Phil Gruszka is in his glory pointing out trees and shrubs that are stars of the show for winter interest.
The 65-year-old director of horticulture and forestry for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservatory says he’s not ready to retire, “because I love what I do, that’s what keeps you young.”
He’s spent a lifetime in a variety of landscapes and loves all plants but has a special place in his heart for trees, which add interest to any winter landscape.
“They could live 300 or 400 hundred years,” he says. “These are higher organisms. When it gets cold outside, we run into our house, they have to survive. When it gets hot out and there’s no water, they need to be able to survive. They are far superior to humans genetically.” Read the full article