Beginnings at River Farm Nursery

Jerry proudly inspects the first plantings at River Farm Nursery in 1990.

The Potomac River provided an ample water source for our irrigation needs. However, overhead irrigation proved to be inefficient and impractical. As a result of our experiences with just 25 acres, we turned to a drip irrigation system for Waverly Farm’s 200 acres.

First Sale. Marty Kelly (left) of Kelly Landscaping, Gaithersburg, Maryland and Jerry pause for a picture on September 21, 1993. We hand dug this small Ilex x ‘Blue Princess’ because we had not yet purchased any harvesting equipment. The ball was almost as large as the plant.

Deer—every nurseryman’s worst enemy. Despite an expensive electric fence surrounding the nursery, these deer indulged in River Farm Nursery’s tasty offerings and kept coming back for more! Waverly Farm’s six “deer-chasing” dogs have eliminated 99% of potential deer damage.

Laura and Andrew Faulring pot Japanese maples at River Farm. Andrew is credited with the complete development and implementation of this web site.