蟋蟀岭花园苗圃 (Cricket Hill Garden) 是 1989 年由 Kasha Furman 与 David Furman 夫妇在美国康涅狄格州利奇菲尔德县托马斯顿镇 (Thomaston, Litchfield County) 创立的牡丹专类家族苗圃，主体位于 USDA 6 区西北康涅狄格丘陵地带，主圃占地约 6 英亩、称为 Peony Heaven。苗圃早期以中国牡丹 (Paeonia suffruticosa / Chinese tree peony) 为核心，是美国最早一批销售真名品种 (true-to-name varieties) 的中国牡丹专类供应商，至今仍延续”长寿+低维护+高质量”选种标准。
家族传承与品牌沿革
1989 年创立初期，Kasha 与 David Furman 通过 1996 年前后从中国直接进口的牡丹种苗奠定核心收藏基础；2010 年第二代 Dan Furman 加入经营，主导牡丹年扩繁计划并拓展抗寒果树与食用浆果业务线；2013 年秋在苗圃内建成示范果园，引种亚洲梨 (Asian pears)、木瓜 (pawpaws)、柿子 (persimmons)、榅桲 (quinces)、传家宝苹果 (heirloom apples) 和欧楂 (medlars)，形成”牡丹观赏 + 食用景观”双线品牌定位。
产品体系与栽培板块
苗圃产品线涵盖三大牡丹类别 (Tree peonies / Herbaceous peonies / Intersectional Itoh hybrids) + 果树浆果 + 观赏树木灌木 + 种子接穗 + 园艺工具用品，合计试种超过 500 个品种 (cultivars) 后筛选出抗寒性、长势、花色、花型、香气俱佳的子集进行扩繁销售。专类核心为 Chinese tree peonies + Chinese rockii tree peonies + Japanese tree peonies + 多种 herbaceous 杂交牡丹，配套提供栽植地选择 (site selection)、土壤准备、景观设计 (landscape design with peonies) 等教学内容。
地理位置与参观服务
苗圃坐落于康涅狄格州西北部 Litchfield 县托马斯顿镇 (Thomaston)，具体地址需通过官网 Visit 页面预约确认，办公时间周一至周五 10am-4pm (UTC-5)，每年春季举办 Annual Peony Bloom 牡丹花季开放参观 (2026 已结束，2027 年 5-6 月开放)。同时参加 Stonecrop Gardens / Sakonnet Plant Fair / Trade Secrets / Hollister House 等周边知名园艺展会 (Stonecrop NY / Little Compton RI / Lakeville CT / Washington CT)，并提供花园俱乐部公开讲座 (Public Lectures, New Canaan Library / Avon Free Public Library / Greenwich Botanical Center)。
经营理念与行业声誉
苗圃以”小而精”为运营理念，所有植株不使用化学合成农药或化肥 (grown without synthetic pesticides)，坚持销售 dormant freshly dug bare-root plants (休眠裸根苗)，通过 UPS ground 在冬末/早春与秋季两个窗口发货。35+ 年专类深耕使苗圃在北美中国牡丹爱好者圈层内被视为 Peony Heaven 级别权威，与美国牡丹协会 (American Peony Society) 及多家专类收藏花园保持长期种质交换与公开讲座合作。
Cricket Hill Garden is a family-owned peony specialty nursery founded in 1989 by Kasha Furman and David Furman in Thomaston, Litchfield County, Connecticut (USDA hardiness zone 6). The 6-acre display garden, known as Peony Heaven, sits in the rolling hills of northwestern Connecticut and is among the first U.S. nurseries to sell true-to-name Chinese tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) and rare intersectional (Itoh) hybrids. The nursery propagates only those cultivars that excel in hardiness, vigor, color, form, and fragrance, after trialing more than 500 varieties.
Family Stewardship and Brand History
Founded in 1989 on a rocky wooded hillside, Cricket Hill Garden built its founding collection from a 1996 direct shipment of tree peonies from China. In 2010, Dan Furman (Kasha and David’s son) joined the business and led the annual peony propagation program. In fall 2013, the family planted a 6-acre demonstration orchard featuring Asian pears, pawpaws, persimmons, quinces, heirloom apples, and medlars, expanding the nursery’s identity into “ornamental peonies plus edible landscape plants.”
Product Range and Cultivar Portfolio
The nursery sells dormant, freshly dug, bare-root plants shipped via UPS ground in late winter/early spring and fall. The catalogue spans Chinese tree peonies (including rare Chinese rockii tree peonies), Japanese tree peonies, herbaceous peonies, intersectional (Itoh) hybrids, fruit trees, berries, ornamental trees and shrubs, seeds and scion wood, and gardening books and supplies. The teaching sections cover site selection and preparation, planting depth, and landscape design with peonies.
Location and Visiting Program
The nursery is located in Thomaston, Litchfield County, northwestern Connecticut (visiting address available by appointment via the official Visit page). Office hours are Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm (UTC-5). The garden hosts an Annual Peony Bloom season each spring and accepts appointments for the remainder of the year. The nursery also exhibits at regional plant sales including Stonecrop Gardens (Cold Spring, NY), Sakonnet Plant Fair (Little Compton, RI), Trade Secrets (Lakeville, CT), and Hollister House (Washington, CT), and delivers public lectures at the New Canaan Library, Avon Free Public Library, and Greenwich Botanical Center.
Sustainable Practices and Industry Standing
All plants are grown without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers, in keeping with the nursery’s small-scale, quality-first ethos. More than 35 years of continuous trialing, propagation, and customer education have positioned Cricket Hill Garden as a reference source for North American peony collectors and edible-landscape gardeners. The nursery maintains ongoing collaboration with the American Peony Society and several specialty plant collections across the northeastern United States.
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