On Nov. 21 John O’Brien received the 2024 Gustav A.I. Mehlquist award, the highest honor given annually from the Connecticut Horticultural Society at the society’s annual meeting. Established in 1987 the award honors Mehlquist’s extraordinary contribution to horticulture.
O’Brien is now considered to be one of the leading horticulturists in our state. “It is hard to think of another individual who has done more to offer first-rate plants in an increasingly beautiful setting,” remarked Nancy DeBrule while introducing O’Brien for the award. She additionally noted that he is outstanding in promoting community among gardeners by introducing customers with common interests to each other.
Fifty years ago, O’Brien began his horticultural career at age 15 working in a garden center in Vermont. He began his own company in 1983, which for the first 20 years specialized in landscaping. His first loves were Japanese maples and dwarf conifers, but “hostas put me on the map,” he notes today. It is well acknowledged that O’Brien Nurserymen is New England’s premiere hosta nursery, with 1,300 varieties of hosta along with many other shade plants and his beloved conifers. “I like to make people happy with plants. When someone new comes to the nursery, I love showing them around,” O’Brien comments. If you have never been to this stunning piece of Granby landscape, come springtime visit the business at 40 Wells Road. You will most likely be astonished.