Bridgewood is a working mail-order nursery, they don't have a retail setup - so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I've seen pictures of it online, but they had been taken a few years ago. I was really excited to visit their site and see where so many of my precious babies come from.
What a treat we were in for. It couldn't have been nicer. Some shots from our day.....
I loved the metal flying pig guarding the 'this way to park' sign:
CrabbyC, refilling her nicotine tanks (behind her is Bridgewood's vegetable garden):
I want a building just like this so that I can decorate it and make it look all 'Pottery Barn' like.

This is the packing house. That's Dave out front. He, along with Chick's wife, handle the perennial (other than Hostas) business.
They also had perennials for sale:
My 'cart' after about 5 minutes:
I got to meet Chick. To me, this was on par with meeting a rock star or a sports idol.
What a great guy. He's a Hosta Geek on a level that I can only ever aspire to be. It was so nice to talk to someone else who's every bit as obsessed as I am. It must be what those dweebie conventions are like - the Star Trek ones and ComicCon. Except that it was just us. And neither of us were in a silly costume. Unless you count my hat.
That thing in my hand is a Chuckit. It was necessary because of this one:
CrabbyC had a sit-down at the table while I was getting all hostageeky with Chick. Chick, his wife and Dave were SO great to us. They let us use their restroom (in their house) and offered us sodas and water and lemonade. I think they even had cookies! It was exactly like visiting a friend's house for the day.
This area is where Chick does all of his 'playing'. In his own words, 'I sell Hostas, so I can grow them full-time'. I am so jealous, I'd love to be able to say that. According to him, he grows somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 (!) types of Hostas, but only offer several hundred through their catalog.
Chick was generous enough to give me a sneak-peak at a new hosta that he will be introducing in the next year or so:
We had a great time visiting Bridgewood and I am hoping that they will continue hosting Open Houses in the years to come. Their hospitality was wonderful, and I would definitely make the trip again. It was a nice drive down to Strasburg, and CrabbyC and I were able to stop in Frederick, MD on our way home. We visited with my old neighbors (I lived there in 2004), had a nice late lunch at the local brew pub, and I went nuts in the candy store.
On our way out, we noticed a sign that had, apparently, been put up by one of the neighbors.
Much to (I'm sure) his complete and utter disappointment, everyone we saw seemed to be driving fairly responsibly.
So, if you have any interest in acquiring hostas (or ferns!) for your own garden, or know someone that does; please check out the selection at Bridgewood Gardens, you (or they) will not be disappointed.
Because I know you are DYING to see what I bought, I took a few shots of my acquisitions:
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