VOL. 19/NO. 2
Summer 2018
UT Gardens’
2017
Best and
Beautiful
Trees, Shrubs and Herbs Irrigation Success Stories from the Field Plus, Save the Date! Southern Region IPPS Meeting October 20–24
VOL. 19/NO. 2 •
In The Garden UT Gardens’ 2017 Best & Beautiful Trees, Shrubs & Herbs
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In The Nursery Irrigation Success Stories from the Field
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Other Features Southern Region IPPS Meeting October 20–24............................................................18
Departments From the President, Justin Stelter....................................................................................6 Welcome, New TNLA Members.......................................................................................6 Calendar of Events.............................................................................................................7 Index of Advertisers...........................................................................................................7
On the cover and top left: Hibiscus syriacus ‘Gandini Santiago’ – Purple Pillar Rose-of-Sharon (Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners) 4
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Summer 2018
Green-Industry Leader Meet Green Industry Leader Matt Dawson
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The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Tennessee GreenTimes, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this quarterly publication. Copyright ©2018 by the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. Tennessee GreenTimes is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Tennessee GreenTimes allows reprinting of material. Permission requests should be directed to the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524.
The Tennessee Greentimes is the official publication of The Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 115 Lyon Street McMinnville, Tennessee 37110 (931) 473-3951 Fax (931) 473-5883 www.tnla.com Email: mail@tnla.com Published by Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com Editors Dr. Bill Klingeman Dr. Amy Fulcher Associate Editors Dr. Nick Gawel Dr. Frank Hale Dr. John Sorochan TNLA Officers President Justin Stelter JS Gardening, LLC 1st Vice President Jon Flanders Botanico, Inc. 2nd Vice President Bert Driver Bert Driver Nursery 3rd Vice President Morgan Adcock Scenic Hills Nursery Secretary-Treasurer Cody Walker Walker Nursery Co. Associate Director Milton Whitsett Griffin Greenhouse Supplies Ex-Officio Josh Woodlee David’s Nursery Executive Director Louree Walker
From the President Justin Stelter
Our Mission T TNLA Would like to
Thank
the following companies for being
Membership Sponsors Gold Membership Sponsors Barky Beaver Mulch & Soil Mix, Inc. Blankenship Farms and Nursery Flower City Nurseries Living Earth Monrovia Nashville Landscape Systems, Inc. Putnals Premium Pine Straw, Inc. Randall Walker Farms Samara Farms Swafford Nursery, Inc. Tennessee 811 Trivett’s Nursery Warren County Nursery, Inc.
his year has been one of continued growth and opportunity for the nursery and landscape industry. Sales have been strong and the weather has been conducive to growing and maintaining healthy plant stock. It is during the good times like these that we need to strengthen our foundations and store up goods. With this in mind, I have been reflecting on the TNLA mission statement. This mission statement, our guiding force, the map of this time-tested organization that has been “Serving the industry since 1905” is as follows: “to increase the production and marketing of Tennessee grown nursery stock.” The annual trade show, The Tennessee Green Industry Expo, our biggest event of the year, is shaping up to be as successful an event as any since the old days at Opryland. That success is due to you, our supporting members. You are excited about the new venue and the state of the nursery and landscape industry in general. Thank you for your enthusiasm and commitment. As we build on all the successes of over a century in the making, how can we continue to serve you? How can we best promote you and market the finest nursery stock from the heart of Tennessee to the best customers and landscapes around the world? As we grow together and continue to cultivate this tiny seed that was planted so long ago, how can we best nurture and serve the mission of The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association? To find out all that is happening at the upcoming trade show, visit: http://www.tngie.com/ Please send your thoughts and words of wisdom to: mail@tnla.com Justin Stelter TNLA President
September 27–28, 2018 Wilson County Exposition Center
Silver Membership Sponsors Botanico, Inc. Carpe Diem Farms Dayton Bag & Burlap Co. John Holmlund Nursery Lee-Smith Isuzu Nufarm Americas, Inc. Southern Ag 6
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Lebanon, TN
Welcome, TNLA New Members!
Associate Garick, LLC Mylinda Merck 4200 Dr. Bramblett Rd Cumming, GA 30028
The Compost Company Jeffrey Ezell 509 3rd. Avenue South Nashville, TN 37210
Calendar of Events
September 27–28 Tennessee Green Industry Expo To be held in conjunction with the Middle Tennessee Nursery Association Wilson County Expo Center Lebanon, TN Contact: 931-473-3951 Email: mail@tnla.com www.tngie.com
October 20–24 International Plant Propagators’ Society – Southern Region 43rd Annual Conference Chattanooga, TN Phone: 423-266-4121 http://sna.ipps.org
Index of Advertisers Boshancee Nursery, Inc........................................17 www.boshanceensy.com Braun Horticulture.................................................15 www.braungroup.com Cam Too Camellia Nursery, Inc............................ 5 www.camtoocamellia.com D & D Agri...............................................................17 Fairview Evergreen Nurseries..............................13 www.fairviewevergreen.com GreenPastures Landscaping....Inside Back Cover www.gpltn.com Hidden Valley Nursery...........................................17 www.hiddenvalleynursery.com Jelitto Perennial Seeds........................................... 5 www.jelitto.com John Holmlund Nursery........................................16 www.jhnsy.com McHutchison Horticultural...................................15 www.mchutchison.com Mid Tenn Turf, Inc.................................................13 www.midtennturf.com Motz & Son Nursery..............................................17 Neely Coble Co......................................................... 3 www.neelycoble.com Richey Nursery Company, LLC............................15 www.richeynursery.com Smith Seed Services............................................... 7 www.smithseed.com Surface Nursery Inc..............................................15 www.surfacenursery.com Swafford Nursery...................................Back Cover www.swaffordnursery.com Tennessee 811......................................................... 7 www.tnonecall.com Tree Equipment Design, Inc.................................. 7 www.treeequip.com Wellmaster Carts...................... Inside Front Cover www.wellmaster.ca
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In The Garden
UT Gardens’
2017
Best and
Beautiful
Trees, Shrubs and Herbs By James Newburn, Assistant Director, UT Gardens
Buddleia x – Lo & Behold® ‘Blue Chip Jr.’ Butterfly Bush; (Buddleia x USPP 26,581, Can 5,620) Now there is a shrub that is the size of a perennial and can be used as a border or container plant or massed together to form an impressive display. ‘Blue Chip Jr.’ is very similar to ‘Blue Chip’ but has a compact size that typically only reaches 1 ½ –2 ½' in height. Delightful and fragrant, rich indigo-blue blooms are presented above silvery-green foliage and will certainly attract butterflies as well as other pollinators. Plants flower consistently throughout the summer. For best performance, place these lowmaintenance and drought tolerant plants in full sun at locations that have good drainage. (Photo 1)
Callicarpa americana – American Beautyberry Need a native shrub that helps create a habitat for birds? Look no further than the American Beautyberry. This large multistemmed shrub can reach up to 8' in height and diameter but can be controlled in size with proper pruning in early spring. Flowers form on new wood with branches forming a graceful arch. Fruits are beautiful lavender ripening to rich, neon-bright purple color and are borne in clusters along and encircling the branches at the leaf node. Shrubs retain their fruit on the branch from late summer or early fall through late fall. Plants can tolerate moist conditions and will produce their most abundant fruit when planted in full sun. (Photo 2)
Cornus sanguinea ‘Cato’ – Artic Sun® Twig Dogwood This is one of our winter interest plants that never fails to elicit inquiries from our visitors. This twig dogwood produces multiple stems with green leaves in summer that turn yellow in autumn. Once the leaves have fallen, yellow, orange, peach and coral branches are revealed, often fading from one color to another on the same stem. The color intensifies as the season progresses and just glows in the winter light. Very easy to grow in full to part sun, this plant reaches a height of 4–5'. (Photo 3)
Hibiscus syriacus ‘Gandini Santiago’ – Purple Pillar Rose-of-Sharon Jason Reeves of UT Gardens Jackson writes: Found as a chance seedling in Spain, it made its way to Italy where some Dutch nurserymen saw it and realized its potential. Introduced in 2015 8
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into the United Sates by Spring Meadow Nursery under the Proven Winners brand, this cultivar opens up a new world of possibilities for this Old World plant. With a slender columnar growth habit, this cultivar can now be used in areas once deemed too small for the traditional Rose-of-Sharon. The industry has been trending toward narrow plants due to the demand for plants to fit small urban gardens. This plant certainly answers the call, showing off its 4 inches vibrant purple single to semi-double flowers with red centers from top to bottom for months in the toughest conditions. It screams “look at me”; growing 16 feet tall and only 3 feet wide. A two-year-old plant at the UT Gardens Jackson location is 6 feet tall and 16 inches wide. This sky-reaching habit makes Purple Pillar a truly unique cultivar begging to be used as a specimen, in a shrub border, or large container in your garden. (Photo 4)
Hydrangea paniculata Little Lime® (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Jane’) Little Lime Hydrangea Talk about flower power! This smaller, more compact version of the ‘Limelight’ hydrangea is outstanding in its bloom production. With a height of 3–5' this selection is ideal for a smaller scale garden. Perfect in a mixed border, for a cutting garden, as a hedge, or even in a large container. Starts blooming in summer and continues until fall. Sterile flowers sport soft cream petals with lime-green overtones and flower heads develop a pink tinge as they mature into fall. This plant performs best in partial to full sun with adequate moisture. An award winner from several organizations, this cultivar is an outstanding choice for the home garden. (Photo 5)
Spiraea japonica ‘NCSX1’ – Double Play® Candy Corn® Spirea A wonderful new spirea that provides continuous three season interest by changing colors throughout the growing year. As leaves emerge they are bright red. They then mature to a bright yellow, topped with orange, new leaves that are indeed reminiscent of the candy corn we are familiar with at Halloween. Flowers are a beautiful contrasting dark purple in late spring or early summer. Nice, mounded, compact plants of about 18–24" make a striking display when mass planted in a border, but they can be equally impressive when used individually in a container. Requires full to partial sun. (Photo 6)
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Basil ‘Pesto Perpetuo’
Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’
This basil was discovered in 2004 as a sport of ‘Lesbos’ Greek columnar basil. It has three great things going for it—it doesn’t bloom, the leaves are attractively variegated, and it has great culinary uses. This variety performed well last year in both raised beds and in containers. Maintenance free, ornamental, and flavorful—what more could you want?! (Photo 7)
Another great choice for a narrow, columnar tree, this time a conifer, is ‘Taylor’ juniper. Named in Taylor, Nebraska where it was discovered and introduced by the Nebraska State Arboretum, this tree reaches 15–20' tall but only 3–4' wide. If you want the feel of the Italian cypress seen in paintings of the south of France and Italy but one that can survive the extremes of Tennessee, then this is an ideal choice. Silvery blue-green foliage takes on light coppery tones in winter. Resistant to cedar apple rust.
Calendula Lady Godiva™ Orange Here in Big Orange Country we have always appreciated orange calendula for its perfect color, but unfortunately it did not tolerate the Tennessee heat and was relegated to early spring or fall use. Now Lady Godiva Orange™ has changed all that. This cultivar has great heat tolerance and prolific blooming, which means flowers all season that one should expect from an annual bedding plant. The double flower with blooms 2–3" wide is outstanding on a plant that gets about 14" tall by 12–14" wide. Calendula is used in dye making, can be dried for arrangements, and has culinary and medicinal properties.
Abelia x grandiflora ‘Rose Creek’ This is a beautiful, compact version of an old-fashioned plant. Only reaching 2–3' tall and 3–4' wide, this shrub keeps its leaves all winter. New leaves in spring emerge with a pinkish tone then mature to green then to burgundy green in winter. Clusters of white flowers with pink sepals, giving the impression of bi-color flowers, appear in summer. Because of its compact growth habit, this cultivar is ideal for mass planting or foundation planting and provides four-season interest.
Acer palmatum ‘Tsukasa Silhouette’ Slender, columnar trees are all the rage now because they are so suitable for urban and smaller landscapes or as exclamation point(s) in larger gardens. ‘Tsukasa Silhouette’ has just such a narrow form and is an excellent choice for this type of growth habit. The mature height is 15–20' but with a width of 6–7'. Very heat tolerant for a Japanese Maple. The leaves are chartreuse in spring, dark green in summer and orange to brilliant red in fall. Introduced first in Japan, Tennessean and internationally renowned nurseryman Don Shadow named it in the US. You will certainly want Tsukasa at su casa.
Echinacea purpurea ‘Feeling Pink’ purple coneflower Feeling blue? Then cheer up with this long flowering, rich pink coneflower. As with the other coneflowers, ‘Feeling Pink’ will tolerate a variety of soil conditions, as well as heat and drought conditions. Ideal as a cut flower, it has strong, sturdy stems that aren’t so tall that they blow over in a wind. A Fleuroselect winner. (Photo 8)
Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ Pineapple Lily People are often amazed that this tropical-looking plant is typically hardy to zone 6b, though it dies completely back to the ground. But when it emerges in spring it is stunning. Large burgundy-purple leaves unfold from the ground and form a clump reaching about 18" tall. In late summer, an impressive stalk emerges covered with delicate flowers to lend a tropical feel to any garden space. (Photo 9) C
Photo 1: Buddleia x – Lo & Behold® ‘Blue Chip Jr.’ Butterfly Bush (Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners) • Photo 2: Callicarpa americana – American Beautyberry (Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners) • Photo 3: Cornus sanguinea ‘Cato’ – Artic Sun® Twig Dogwood (Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners) • Photo 4: Hibiscus syriacus ‘Gandini Santiago’ – Purple Pillar Rose-of-Sharon (Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners) • Photo 5: Hydrangea paniculata Little Lime® (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Jane’) Little Lime® Hydrangea (Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners) • Photo 6: Spiraea japonica ‘NCSX1’ – Double Play® Candy Corn® Spirea (Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners) • Photo 7: Basil ‘Pesto Perpetuo’ (Photo Courtesy of BallFlora) • Photo 8: Echinacea purpurea ‘Feeling Pink’ purple coneflower (Photo courtesy of BallFlora) • Photo 9: Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ Pineapple Lily (Photo Courtesy of BallFlora) tennessee greentimes Summer 2018
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In the Nursery
Irrigation Success Stories Series
By Amy Fulcher, Ph.D., Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, Dept. of Plant Sciences; Brian Lieb, Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, Dept. of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science; Jeff McHugh, Extension Assistant, Dept. of Plant Sciences; Wesley Wright, Research Associate, Dept. of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science; Whitney Yeary, Extension Assistant, Dept. of Plant Sciences; Quinn Cypher, Extension Assistant (former), Dept. of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee
Lilac growing at Waverly Farm under Jerry’s conventional irrigation practices (left) and under the sensor-based system that triggers irrigation when the soil dries to 40 percent volumetric water content (right). Photo: Amy Fulcher
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his is the third in a series of articles featuring irrigation projects led by UT and other universities across the nation. The Southern Risk Management Education Center, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the UT Institute of Agriculture made these projects possible through their generous support. To learn more about the techniques and irrigation scheduling strategies mentioned in the Success Stories, check out “Nursery Irrigation: A Guide for Reducing Risk and Improving Production” at: https://ag.tennessee.edu/plantsciences/Pages/AFulcher/ SustainableNurseryCrop.aspx Limited print copies are available. To request a copy, email your name and mailing address with the request to afulcher@utk.edu.
A Win-Win Irrigating Field Production: Less Water, More Growth Waverly Farm Jerry Faulring was happy with the growth and health of his fieldgrown shrubs, but he became interested in monitoring soil moisture as a tool to improve his use of drip irrigation. Luckily for Jerry, his nursery is in Maryland, right in the backyard of John Lea-Cox, University of Maryland Professor and Project Director of a Specialty Crops Research Initiative grant that was focused on advancing nursery irrigation. As part of the Managing Irrigation and Nutrition via Distributed Sensing project, moisture sensors were installed at Waverly Farm to monitor soil moisture. The volumetric water content (VWC) at the root zone could be viewed in real-time, allowing Jerry to closely monitor the effect of his standard irrigation practice, which was to manually open irrigation valves for 24 hours once every 7 days unless there was one inch of rain. The new system revealed that 2 days after irrigating, his soil was dry within the root zone. In short, he wasn’t getting the benefit of a deep, soaking irrigation. Jerry and John installed an automated irrigation system based on the soil moisture sensor data. The irrigation system maintained VWC at 40 percent, a moisture level chosen from their sensor data from previous seasons. First year plantings (lilac) that were watered based on the sensors rather than his traditional method grew about 20 percent taller and had fuller canopies. Jerry also found that using his traditional method on a 500foot row of plants used 11,000 gallons of water per year while the sensor-based system only used 3,000 gallons, a 266 percent decrease. They concluded that although the traditional method provided more water, the sensor-based system gave the plants water when they needed it and minimized wet and dry extremes, which led to increased growth. This experiment was also conducted on new
plantings of dogwood. The same water savings were achieved, but there was not a difference in tree growth, perhaps because dogwoods are very slow growers. Four years ago, Jerry installed flow meters throughout his nursery. The flow meters allow Jerry to calculate his water savings from adopting sensor-based irrigation; he has reduced water use at his nursery about 50 percent, from about 24 million gallons to 9-12 million gallons annually. He calculates that he will double the life of his pumps, from 7 to 14 years, by using sensor-based irrigation. Jerry was at one time reluctant to use automated irrigation but is now adopting automated sensor-based irrigation throughout his nursery. He calculates that he will save money on pumping electricity, maintenance on pumps that are no longer being worked as hard and free up labor that used to manually open and close valves. Success story provided by Jerry Faulring, Waverly Farm and John Lea-Cox, University of Maryland
Success with Water Sensitive Crops Transplant Nursery, Inc. Transplant Nursery, in collaboration with the University of Georgia, began trials on an automated irrigation system based on container substrate moisture level. Plants were produced with either the sensor-based automated irrigation or the nursery’s conventional irrigation practices (hand operating irrigation valves based on weather and experience). The automated system used GS3 sensors connected to a data logger (NR5, Decagon Devices). Growers at Transplant Nursery determined the moisture level they were comfortable with and that was used as the set point to operate the automated irrigation. This set point was generally around 27-28 percent volumetric water content. Side-by-side comparisons were conducted with moisture sensitive species including Pieris, Kalmia, Rhododendron, and Hydrangea quercifolia. Plants were produced outdoors on a container pad with impact sprinklers. Crops were examined for overall growth, plant quality, water use, and labor inputs. Results from this preliminary study are promising! Across these different species, the automated system did not cause a reduction in plant size or quality compared to the nursery’s traditional irrigation practice. However, the automated system resulted in a reduction of water consumption by 48 percent over 2.5 months, roughly 56,990 gallons. Stay tuned for more results! C Success story supplied by Jeff Beasley, Transplant Nursery and William D. Wheeler, Matthew Chappell, Paul Thomas, Marc van Iersel and Jean Williams-Woodward, University of Georgia
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Green-Industry Leader
Meet
Matt Dawson Our “Grow”- file of a TN Green-Industry Leader and Innovator By Bill Klingeman, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee Owner, Title: Matt Dawson, President Company Name: Natural Creations LLC (1998); Samara Farms Nursery (2005); Plant Health Services, LLC (2011) Location: Nashville, TN Acres in Production: 80 Acres at Samara Farms Number of staff employed: between 80 and 100 full- and part-time employees across all 3 businesses
“My employees don’t work for me… I work for my employees. And just like them, I’m an employee of my businesses, too.”
M
att Dawson is founder, CEO, and co-owner of three distinctly different business ventures that serve Tennessee’s Green Industry in unique and vital ways. Matt served on the TNLA Board from 2008–2015 and was TNLA President in 2014. He was an inaugural member of the Tennessee Master Nursery Producer (TMNP) class. A 1998 graduate of The University of Tennessee’s Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design (OHLD) program, Matt was recently honored as Plant
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Sciences’ Distinguished Alumni Speaker and we had a chance to learn about his career path when he visited his Knoxville alma mater. Much of what Matt had to say can inspire readers to embrace opportunities to help future horticulturists find their way to succeed in our professions. Matt explained during his seminar how he got interested in horticulture. “I grew up inspired to love plants and gardening by my grandmother and encouraged to work hard for myself by my dad and grandfather. I learned to mow our home
lawn as one of my chores. My grandfather paid me to mow his lawn at first. When I started mowing my grandfather’s neighbors’ lawns for money, he gave me a loan so I could buy my own mower. Of course, that meant I was mowing his home lawn for free to pay back the loan with interest. I realized I could mow a lot more lawns if I hired my friend to help. With extra money I bought another mower and hired more friends. With that, my first business was born. I was 12 years old. During high school, I moved to Mt. Pleasant, TN. I sold my landscaping business to my friends and bought my first truck with the money. I learned more about hard work and farming in high school…there weren’t a lot of lawns to mow for money in Mt. Pleasant. I’d have to say I owe a large part of who I am today to my grandparents, Martha and James Dawson.” From those beginnings Matt went on to college, where he says that the friends and connections he made have been instrumental in helping him launch a successful career. Matt and his freshman dormitory suite-mate, John Henderson, are now co-owners and colleagues in Matt’s business and collaborative ventures. His college roommate, Andy Bell, went on to earn a Ph.D. in horticulture and is active in the green industry. Now the two have joined forces and they are actively planning to launch a public botanic garden in Nashville. Matt and Andy joined the Hort Club in OHLD, where he met Paul Ballenger, a longtime colleague and head of Natural Creations maintenance. Matt also met Becky Dawson at UT. Now his wife, Becky is part owner and CFO of his companies. “Paul, John, and Becky were my primary support network in getting these businesses growing. It was with their help, and some from friends I’ve made along the way (including some I didn’t even know I had), that we recovered and rebuilt from the 2010 flooding in Nashville. That flood almost put me out of business. It certainly put my family out of a home…it has taken 6 years to rebuild and renovate the damage there,” Matt shared. The companies that Matt has launched with Paul, John, and Becky include
Green-Industry Leader Continued Natural Creations, which was established in 1998 to meet a very high standard of horticultural excellence. It offers a business niche that is focused on designing, installing, and maintaining what are essentially privately owned botanical gardens. Samara Farms was launched in 2005 to meet a separate need and business model: “I just couldn’t find all of the plant material I needed to install the types of landscaping that I was interested in.” That meant big, rare plants. “I call them ‘arboretum grade’ specimens,” he chuckles. In 2011, with the help of Nick Wilson, Matt started Plant Health Services to be able to meet demand for offering IPM-based pesticide control to manage pests on the high-dollar plants and landscapes that Natural Creations developed. Plant Health Services also works to find sustainable management options that include helping to protect honey bees and pollinators, a niche opportunity that Matt finds unique to our era. “I find that our millennial generation clients are much more open to the fact that some ‘weeds’ are okay in the managed landscape at their home,” Matt observes. “They seem to appreciate that a balanced approach to weed control can provide a quality look while protecting a more diverse ecosystem. Plant Health Service clients who have chosen an organic blend approach have a better understanding of their home landscape and an expectation that their yards won’t always appear like a magazine cover. And they’re also more likely to live, work, and play IN their landscapes. Our clients place equal value on the livability of their outdoor spaces that are as important as the inside spaces at their homes. They are interested in learning about how these landscape components are working together for their enjoyment.” Matt supports a diverse Green Industry portfolio of businesses, and it seems that’s part of their appeal. “I didn’t go into horticulture to make a lot of money,” Matt says, “but I took these [companies] on because it is my passion and I like a challenge. I realized early on that I could succeed in horticulture, but only if I was willing to work very hard and try new things.” I asked Matt several questions about his experiences and future 14
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opportunities when we had a chance to sit down and dig deeper… Bill: What do you believe has been key to your operating these diverse and successful businesses? Matt: I would have to say relationships and mentoring. Being a mentor to employees and peers is not easy, even after having really great role models. I’ve found that taking a personality test and tests that identify your talents was critical for helping me learn where my strengths and shortcomings as a leader and mentor lie. I also have my employees take the same tests. That’s been critical to help me understand how we can work best together. Bill: Who were your professional mentors? How did they shape your career path? Matt: Don Williams was one of my key mentors at UT. He didn’t just take the time to get to know me, he offered to share knowledge of himself to us. He’d ask “What do you want to know about me?” His openness and willingness to share was an amazing experience for me. Dr. Williams’ construction class was fantastic. He was great about putting the students in charge of a project. Mine was building a gazebo. That was the first time I learned how to manage people. I think I’m still learning that skill. But there’s not a class for that in college. That’s why experiential learning is so important. Bill: Other mentors? Matt: I did my college internship with Don Shadow, and he didn’t just tell me what to do, he told my why I was doing it. He reinforced my work ethic. Ed Kinsey invited me to work at Kinsey Gardens right out of college and my learning there was huge. Bill Patterson [of Patterson Nursery in Oregon] taught me how to dig, box, and move massive specimen plants, the same kind of plants that bring instant gratification to my Natural Creations clients. Mentors like these are the ones I try to emulate today. Bill: You served on the TNLA board through the Great Recession and as
TNLA president in 2014, what challenges and changes to the green industry did you observe while in office with the Association? Matt: During the Great Recession, I watched along with the other board members as TNLA lost 30% of its membership. In part, this happened because there wasn’t a next-generation member in the family who wanted to take on the job of sustaining and growing the family business. For the growers who stuck it out, we also saw production levels of plant materials reduced by 40% or more. Some of this production has resumed for our growers, but the industry as a whole faces real shortages and difficulty in finding labor interested in working this hard. And the loss of these members, not to mention their decades of experience, means fewer mentors to be there to help the next generation of growers and horticulturists. Bill: Related to our profession, what challenge or threat keeps you awake at night? Matt: I mentioned it before: Labor! It’s hard to find a truly talented employee… or one who knows what their own goals are… especially in an interview. I’m always looking for people who have experience or who know how to manage other people. This profession is physical, too. The work we do on a job site can be a tough sell to prospective employees. Weather doesn’t always cooperate and it’s unpredictable. I expect the people I hire to work hard when its time to do the work. The employees I value most are the ones who realize that rain doesn’t mean its time to take a break. And three days of rain means we’ll be working through the weekend so that we can stay ahead of the backlog of work that the company has committed to do. Most employees today don’t respond well to the scheduling demands that causes…especially when they have families. I’ve had to recognize that change in the workforce. We all deserve balance in life… unfortunately horticulture, landscaping and nursery production do not follow this rule. As a leader I do my best to create balance between work, family, and personal time for employees.
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Green-Industry Leader Continued Happiness is critical to employee success. Experience has made me willing to pay and do more to keep the employees who I know can and will work to meet our standards. So that’s a trade-off that I’ve had to make: I’m not obligated by law to give benefits that other companies in this industry do not. Yet I think it’s the right thing to do, and it just may help us find more employees willing to put in the effort that it takes to succeed. Bill: Is it problematic for you that you may be mentoring and training employees who could become your competitors? Matt: Who is that employee?!! That’s the one I want to hire! I have to say; I’ve had five or six employees that we’ve helped through training and mentoring, go out on their own and start their own businesses. And it’s gratifying to see them doing it the right way. I mean…they’re raising the bar for horticulture. They’re not afraid to try new ideas and continue learning.
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They’re helping to change this industry. That’s what it’s about! Being part of that success has been a dream come true for me. Bill: How do you envision educators and TNLA can work together to make changes that will help our industry? What steps are needed now? Matt: The problems facing horticulture aren’t just a Tennessee challenge. Looking forward, I think we are going to have to redefine the relationship between green industry associations and horticulturalists of the future. We may need to identify ways that our associations can train, interact with and recruit a new generation of growers, landscapers and young professionals. And some of this effort might need to begin at the high-school level. Spanish for the green industry would be a great step toward making high school Spanish classes practical for the horticultural workplace of tomorrow.
Getting clients and consumers to respect and value the profession of horticulturist may be more important now than ever. The ability to find capable, willing employees who are trainable [to the expectations that I have for my business] and who have a strong work ethic is increasingly difficult. One step that TNLA could make to enhance career potential and respect for those who work in our industry is to work with TDA to create a new certification exam for landscapers similar to the TN certified nursery professional certificate program. That was a really hard exam, and earning a passing grade meant something. I want to support my employees and help them to carry that kind of certification. Tennessee Master Nursery Producer (TMNP) program is great start for educating and certifying nursery professionals. The state of Tennessee desperately needs a certification exam to become a licensed landscape contractor. You have
to pass an exam to be an electrician or a plumber, why not a landscaper? I guess that’s why a home owner accepts paying a plumber $85 but thinks it’s highway robbery when a landscaper charges $30. Associations can play a role in facilitating education and training outreach, for example that could provide certificate programs that provide job-appropriate short courses. I think it’s going to be important that these types of trainings occur both in English and also, perhaps more frequently, in Spanish. Bill: You’ve spoken to regional industry groups and local schools about Tennessee’s Green Industry. What recommendation would you give to a high school or college student that might help them take the most possible value from their classroom experience? Matt: This is a still a great career path for a candidate who is willing to work hard and put in the time to learn and succeed. It is not expensive to get your foot in the door and to begin learning the job and taking smart risks. As a student, get involved. Join an association in an area that interests you. Seek out mentors. And make it a point to work and interact with all kinds of people…especially the ones who are good at something that you aren’t. Online classes and Google can give you facts, but probably can’t teach you how to think for yourself and to find answers to the unanticipated problems that you’ll encounter on the job. That learning style doesn’t provide a chance to work with classmates and the instructor, and that’s essential for developing a willingness to try, take risks, and learn from occasional failures. Bill: One last question. What should aspiring horticulturists study to be successful as a future industry leader? And what coursework do you WISH you had taken while still a student?
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Matt: Spanish (for the Green Industry), Accounting, a business class that teaches business plan and marketing plan preparation, an ag-business class that teaches how to establish your own business, and a class that teaches the difference between working to make money and making money work for you. C tennessee greentimes Summer 2018
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Save the Date
Plan “To Seek and To Share” at the
2018 Southern Region IPPS Meeting By Amy Fulcher, Ph.D., Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, University of Tennessee
T
ennessee is hosting the International Plant Propagators’ Society (IPPS) Southern Region-North America annual conference and tours October 20 – 24, 2018. The newly remodeled Read House Historic Inn and Suites in Chattanooga will be the host hotel. The motto of IPPS, “To Seek and To Share”, is very fitting as the educational program includes nursery producers from across the US sharing their successes and innovations, and the tours feature Tennessee growers who have developed new production techniques and adopted new technologies and other labor-saving devices or equipment. The pre-conference tour will be on Sunday, October 21, and the conference tour will be on Tuesday, October 23. There will be educational sessions on Monday and Wednesday morning. Speakers include Christopher Brown Jr., Lancaster Farms; Esteban Herrera, Carlton Plants; William Hackney, Hackney Nursery; Buddy Lee, PDSI and Transcend Nursery; our own Milton Schaefer, Schaefer Nursery, and many others. Sunday’s pre-conference tour takes us to Warren County where we will visit Blankenship Farms and Nursery, Hale and Hines Nursery, Simpson Nurseries, Turner and Sons Nursery, and the TSU Nursery Research Center. Mountain Creek Nursery is hosting lunch, which will take place on their shaded, creekside location. Drones, irrigation technology, conveyers, and laserguided sprayers are some of the innovations that we’ll see! On Tuesday’s tour to Franklin County we will visit Herd Farms Nursery and Wedding Venue, Hidden Hollow Nursery, Lantenn Farms, and Tennessee Valley Nursery. Our last stop is Lynchburg, TN where tour participants can walk through historic downtown, peruse shops filled with Jack Daniels memorabilia and collectibles, and visit the Jack Daniels Distillery. Participants can soak in the rich history at the visitor center and will have the option to take a tasting or non-tasting distillery tour. We’ll end the evening at Jack Daniels’ pavilion on BBQ Hill, overlooking Lynchburg for an evening of music, food, friends, and what is sure to be a lively live auction! Program regulars like the ice cream social, question box, silent plant auction, and poster sessions are planned. Ice cream is provided by local favorite, Clumpies, and will feature Whiskey Caramel Cornflake and Whiskey Pretzel Crunch, in partnership with the Chattanooga Whiskey Company, as well as Vanilla and Chocolate flavors. Bring your taste buds and enjoy all that Tennessee has to offer!! Registration information and a full agenda are available at www.ipps.org. C
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tennessee greentimes Summer 2018
Read House
Cornus ‘Venus’ Photo: Paul Cappiello
Jack Daniels Distillery Visitors Center
Pink-bracted Cornus. Photo: Amy Fulcher