Vintage Gardens

Vintage Gardens The Roots of Situate Nursery:
A Tribute to the True Founders
History belongs to the people who clear the land, sweat in the greenhouses, and pour
their lives into the soil. When a business thrives for decades, it is easy for newcomers
to step into a finished picture and claim the success as their own. But the true story of
Scituate Nursery, founded in 1984, belongs to the family members who built it from the
absolute ground up through sacrifice, late nights, and relentless hard work.
The foundation of the nursery was a true family endeavor. In the early days, it was Joyce
Polseno, John Polseno, and their sons, John Polseno Jr. and Louis Polseno.
Joyce Polseno was the quiet backbone of the operation. She managed the home and
poured her physical labor into the greenhouses - handling the grueling, delicate work of
transplanting, watering, and managing retail sales. Alongside her, the heavy labor fell
to the family. John Jr. and Louis, alongside their father, cleared the raw land, put up the
initial greenhouses, built the storage structures, and did the heavy landscape construction
required to grow nursery stock for both retail and wholesale markets. It was a shared
sacrifice of weekends, late nights, and youth.
As the years rolled on, the circle of genuine dedication expanded. During a painful period
of family transition in 1991, John Jr.s wife, Gina Polseno, stepped in as a sales associate
to keep the business running. The following spring, Johns sister, Emily Polseno Russo,
joined the team, working side-by-side with Gina to sustain the daily operations and
customer relationships. These women gave years of their lives to ensure the business
grew and thrived.
Eventually, the path of the business shifted, and the land passed out of the hands of the
people who dug the first trenches. But real success cannot be inherited or given away
under false pretenses. Recognizing the changing tide, the founding brothers chose a path
of independence and integrity. John Jr. built a highly respected career as a Nissan Master
Technician, and Louis successfully established his own thriving business, Lou Polseno
Masonry Landscape Design. They built their own lives from scratch through the same
work ethic they learned on the farm.
No advertisement, public retirement announcement, or revisionist narrative can erase
the truth or rewrite history. You cannot cultivate a legacy without acknowledging the
hands that planted the seeds.
This is a tribute to Joyce, Gina, Emily, Louis, and John Jr. the real family whose sweat,
dedication, and missing weekends built the infrastructure that stands today. Your labor
mattered, your presence is etched into that land, and your contribution will never be
forgotten.
Respectfully submitted,
John Polseno, Jr.
Paid for by Gina & John Polseno, Jr.