Nursery & Landscape Notes Winter 2016

& NCNLA

LA N D SC A P E

PUBLICATION OF THE NORTH CAROLINA NURSERY & LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION, INC.

VOL. 50, NO. 1

WINTER 2016

Snapshots from our past, perspective for our future.

1966-2016 5 0 TH A N N I V E R S A R Y I S S U E

&

LAN D SCA PE

Winter 2016 | Vol. 50, No. 1

Were… e W y a T10he W of NLN s r a e y 0 5

14 32

37

We hope that you’ll enjoy th is reflection upon our indu stry’s storied pa st as much as we en joyed working w ith contributors fo r this, the 50th volume of Nursery & Lan dscape Notes.

As NCNLA celebrates its 10th year follo w in g the merger of NC AN and LGM A in October 2006, we are re minded that th e success of this industry and this orga ni za tion is due largely to one common factor : you, our mem bers.

Thank you fo r your continue d support of N CNLA. — Corey Conno rs, NCNLA E xecutive Vice President

12

14 47 50th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 1966 - 2016 5

Nursery Industry - Remember When?

Thoughts from a Former NCNLA Executive Director 7

Former NCNLA Executive Director Bill Wilder shares mental snapshots from the past 50 years.

NCNLA NEWS Member Spotlight - Tom Gilmore

12

Snapshots from our past, perspective for our future

COMMENTARY President’s Message

14 36

8

Family Ties

32

36

Tinga Nursery: Four Generations, 103 Years

10

Family businesses share their secrets for success, reflect on their legacies and plan for future growth

New Members

52

A Fifty-Year Partnership – NCSU and NCNLA

Calendar of Events

55

Advertiser’s Index

55

47

Dr. Tom Monaco of NCSU looks back

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 3

NCNLA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Published by North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 968 Trinity Road Raleigh, NC 27607

NCNLA Staff Corey Connors Executive Vice President Cody Lewis Director of Finance & Administration Kakki Collins Director of Programs & Events Kaley Jacobs Manager of Marketing & Communications Judi Neff Manager of Member Services Nursery & Landscape Notes is published quarterly by the North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. especially for nursery production, nursery research, interior and exterior maintenance and design build contractors in the landscape industry. The publication is distributed to approximately 1200 horticulture producers, landscape professionals and industry suppliers.

NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES is provided as a member benefit.

2016 NCNLA Board of Directors Brad Rollins, President Chad Gragg, Vice President/ Secretary/Treasurer Kirk Davis, Past President Conrad Hayter Jamie Thomas Shanon Spivey Hugh Crump *Nominated - 2016 Lynn McCleneghen *Nominated - 2016 Chris Mitchell *Nominated - 2016 Dr. John Dole, Educational Advisor Justin Snyder, Educational Advisor

Advertising For Advertising rates and content submission, contact the NCNLA office for a Marketing Opportunities Kit. 919-816-9119 ext 102 Kjacobs@ncnla.com The including of products or brand names in this publication is not an endorsement by the editor, or the North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association.

Purpose Statement NCNLA’s purpose is to be a flexible, knowledgeable, responsive, environmentally-conscious organization providing the nursery and landscape industries with leadership, technological and business advancement opportunities, and information services.

Goal Statement

NCNLA’s ultimate goal is to benefit its members’ economic, professional and personal growth.

Welcome to the 50th anniversary edition of Nursery and Landscape Notes

I

am Brad Rollins, your president of NCNLA for 2016. My better half, Heather, and I have been married for nearly ten years. We have two daughters, Aubrey who is almost five and Carter Jo who is two and a half. We live in Fuquay-Varina, which is a short drive southwest of Raleigh.

1974 was a great year. North Carolina State University won its first national championship in basketball and my grandmother started our family business, Fairview Garden Center. Actually, back then we were Fairview Greenhouses and did wholesale business only.

My grandmother started out growing plants like mums, liriope and poinsettias in coffee cans and selling them to local grocery stores or florists.

Over the next ten years the population surrounding our location increased and passers-by began pulling in wanting to buy directly from us. In 1988 we built our first garden center and began a transition to a retail business model. During 2003 we completely renovated and built the facility where we currently operate. Like many of you, we are a family business. Every day I work with my grandmother, mother and wife. Sure, we disagree from time to time, but the vast majority of the time we get along just fine. The key to keeping the harmony around our store is pretty simple: keep grandma happy.

I can remember watching my grandmother reading copies of this magazine long ago. She never had a formal education in horticulture, most of what she knows she taught herself or read in publications such as this one. For fifty years, Nursery and Landscape Notes has helped members of our association just like her. I still read each issue cover to cover because the content is relevant and of interest to me. The same can not be said for some other industry magazines that get skimmed and trashed. How long have you been reading? What articles made you pause and think the most?

Which one saved you the most money?

Brad Rollins, President Fairview Garden Center

“I still read each issue cover to cover because the content is relevant and of interest to me.”

Nursery and Landscape notes is just one way that NCNLA communicates with members. Have you browsed the new NCNLA website? Do you receive the association e-News? For the social media fans out there, NCNLA has a Facebook page, Twitter account and Linkedin account. The staff and board of directors are dedicated to making sure that you have the most relevant, up to date information possible. During the busy months we find ourselves so absorbed in the day to day operations of our business that we can miss some important details. It is nice to know that our association is looking out for us.

It is an honor to serve as your president this year. Thank you for the opportunity.

©2016 NCNLA.

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 5

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INSECTICIDES FUNGICIDES MITICIDES PGRS HERBICIDES

LOOKING BACK. LOOKING AHEAD.

Thoughts from a former NCNLA Executive Director

T

he plant industry in North Carolina goes back much earlier than the fifty years we celebrate.

Records show train cars leaving our mountain with rhododendron, boxwood, large trees and shrubs going to the Northeast in early 1900.

Our industry has seen many changes. When Dr. JC Raulston started talking about new plants, our basic

Bill Wilder

selections were around 40 to 50 plants. Now our selection just boggles the mind.

Fifty years ago growers and landscapers were family operations. Available finances, mechanization and expanding knowledge brought change. Large corporations, some with little plant background, launched

Bill left NCDA to begin working at NCAN as the Executive Director in January of 1982. He retired in 1998.

giant plant operations. Some survived, some did not. This competition was very hard on many small growers. The housing market crash also was extremely hard on our industry. Many operations were

The thing that continues to

forced out of business.

Today’s “Green Industry” companies are larger than we saw fifty years ago. They are better managed than

stand out in our industry is

in past years. Fortunately many of these are still family owned and operated by well-trained individuals.

its people. It’s full of just

The thing that continues to stand out in our industry is its people. It’s full of just plain “good folks” willing

plain “good folks” willing

to work together and help each other.

to work together and help

The next 50 years will be good to this industry. Science will give larger, more resilient blooms, disease

each other.

and insect resistance, modified plant growth and unbelievable plant selections. High tech will increase, but it will be our kind of people that will make the difference. Training our young people will be a very important factor in our future.

Nursery Industry, Remember When...?

More on page 32

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 7

NCNLA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Five Minutes with Tom Gilmore, Gilmore Plant & Bulb

Gilmore Plant & Bulb, Co., Inc. Liberty, NC

Tom Gilmore standing in front of a 34-foot tall Leland Cypress – one of 13 plants that now surround the White House pool.

A photo of the company’s new office, taken in 2009.

Tom Gilmore, President

It’s impossible to spend only five minutes with Tom Gilmore. At 79, the president of Gilmore Plant and Bulb Company has a tremendous stock of stories, insight and inspiration to share. Here are just a few recollections from a life spent doing what he loves most.

I’m also the only nurseryman on the USDA’s state Farm Service Agency committee for North Carolina. The agency handles a lot of last-resort loan programs for farmers, and if they’re turned down at the local level, they can appeal to the state committee.

In business since 1912 Member of NCNLA since1938 Top reasons to belong to NCNLA: Buyers Guide, Trade Shows and Educational Seminars.

What brought you into the business?

I was a nurseryman probably before I was born. At six, I was bringing water to workers, carrying cut flowers and hoeing in the fields. I was budding fruit trees and plowing with mules and tractors when I was ten, and by 15 I was flying our Piper Cub airplane, driving trucks and selling plants. I received an appointment to West Point in 1955, but turned it down. Instead I went to NC State to study Horticulture and returned to the family nursery in 1959. I’ve never regretted that decision.

What’s a typical day like for you?

No two days are the same. Usually I take a customer out on the farm and tag trees but today I was answering customer calls, emails and quote requests — including a bunch of them for things that didn’t used to exist — like landscaping plants for solar farms.

I let the professionals run the company. My two sons are co-owners and my two grandsons work in the nursery.

I give advice and fill in where needed or wanted.

8 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

It’s very rewarding to work daily with our customers and our employees, including my son Dell, who is in charge of the container operation and my son Dwayne, who runs our field operation, my grandsons Jake and Josh, who work in the nursery field division and our sales manager Brian Robson. Jennifer Woods, Ben Johnson and Jo Johnson are also real leaders in our company.

I’m extremely proud to be in the nursery business. When you sell a tree you’re helping people improve the value of their home and save energy. You’re improving the environment, helping wildlife and making the world more beautiful.

In 1983, when I was running for governor, I’d knock on doors and people would say, “Did you know your daddy was here in 1938? Let me show you what he sold me...” and we’d go look at rose bushes or gardenias. They’d show me apple or fig trees and tell me they’d lived off the fruit, or point at shade trees in front of the house and say: “You sold me those trees when you were in college,

Salesperson Jennifer Woods in a field of Shasta Viburnum.

In 1976, Gilmore Plant & Bulb won the White House Award for Excellence in Landscaping. First Lady Nancy Reagan presented Tom Gilmore with the rare honor in recognition of the company’s work at Tryon Palace in New Bern, N.C.

and they’ve kept us cool all these years.” Once, a man took me out back to look at rows of pecan trees and said, “I want you to know I’ve educated my kids off the nuts that came from these trees.”

At one time, we had 200 salespeople going door to door. It was the only way people could buy blackberries, blueberries, and fruit trees. We had one salesman who’d sold for 50 years in Robertson County. I went with him when I was a freshman in college. People would treat him like a visiting preacher and invite him in for supper.

Most things we sold back then were things people could eat. We’d call on every house on the road with a slide book with color pictures of luscious fruit. The mother would have eight or nine kids and she’d go get a sock full of 50-cent pieces and give us a $5.00 deposit on a $50 tree. You knew you were helping her feed her family.

There’s no greater calling than to be a nurseryman.

What kinds of things do you worry about?

I worry about things I can’t control such as ice, drought and other weather conditions. Climate change really is happening — ice is melting in the polar caps and water levels are rising everywhere. We’re going to have dryer and hotter summers. In a few years it may be impossible to grow plants without irrigation. Being good

Want to take a quick tour and learn some fun facts about Gilmore Plant & Bulb Co.? Check out this WRAL-TV “Tarheel Traveler” video news clip at: www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/11514916/

Gilmore plants grace the grounds of the White House (including this Holly outside the Oval Office), the Jefferson Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, Independence Hall in Philadelphia and many other celebrated historic sites, parks, public buildings, military bases, interstate highways and city streets around the nation.

stewards of the soil, water and air, and finding better ways to create energy benefits everyone. It’s not a political issue. It’s about leaving the earth we inherited for our grandchildren, and I think the nursery industry can play a leading role.

Do you have any advice for the next generation?

Love what you do. Words can’t express how proud I am that my sons are co-owners and my grandsons work in the nursery. I hope my grandchildren come into the business — but only if they have a deep desire and commitment. I want them to do what they really want to do, to feel that they’re contributing to a better America, a better North Carolina and that they’re improving other people’s lives.

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 9

By Shelley Estersohn

Four Generations, 103 Years (and Counting...)

A

sk Eelco Tinga, Jr. why he went into the family business and he’ll talk about how cool it was to drive a tractor when other kids his age (about 10) were riding bikes. “That seems to be the bottom line (for kids who) stay in agriculture,” said the owner of Tinga Nursery in Castle Hayne, N.C. In truth, his love for plants and the life of a nurseryman has to be part of his DNA. With Eelco Jr. and his son, Eelco III at the helm, the 103-year-old family business has carried on into its fourth generation.

“My grandfather was a trained horticulturalist from Holland. He came here knowing what he wanted to do,” Eelco, Jr. said.

In 1906, Eelco I. Tinga came to America in search of land and a future. Two years later, he and a partner, Hugo Van Nes, bought a couple of 10-acre tracts in Castle Hayne and began producing flowering shrubs and cut flowers (gladiolas, peonies, daffodils, Dutch iris) as Holland Nurseries.

Most of the shrubs were destined for markets up north; but in nearby Wilmington, where railroad wealth fueled a booming economy, they found a healthy market for cut flowers and landscaping. They also sold vegetables, eggs and milk — staples that ensured a steady income as the nursery business grew.

In 1913, they acquired another 30 acres a few miles south of Castle Hayne. Eelco cleared that land by himself to establish Tinga Nursery and Truck Farm. A few years later he married and built the house where he and his wife raised three sons — Jacob, John and Eelco — and shared their love of plants and agriculture.

The National Register lists the Tinga Nursery property as a U.S. Historic District.

10 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

Jacob earned a Ph.D. in Horticulture and eventually retired from the University of Georgia. John became a commercial cut flower grower and soybean farmer.

Eelco joined Eelco I. in the nursery business.

Like his father before him, Eelco, Jr. grew up working on the land, and those pre-teen stints in the driver’s seat kept his attention. Ultimately, he came back in 1969 after completing college and military service because he realized something important. There might be easier ways to make a living, but as a nurseryman he’d never... ever ... be bored.

“Owning a nursery business requires a wide array of skill sets,” Tinga explained. “You have to understand customer service, retail sales and operations, wholesale distribution, irrigation, engineering, computers.” That list doesn’t come close to covering the different hats they wear in any given week. “The weather changes from day to day. So does your job description,” he said.

One job they don’t do anymore is landscaping. They gave up that side of the business back in 1984. “We didn’t want to compete with our customers and propagation is what we really liked to do,” said Tinga. It turned out to be a good move. They grew their wholesale customer base significantly just as box stores began capturing a bigger chunk of retail plant sales.

Tinga’s 38-acre facility is the largest nursery in the area.

“Ninety percent of our sales are to resellers, developers, maintenance companies, landscape designers and municipalities,” he said. They don’t ship plants north anymore, but they will deliver within 100 miles.

Clockwise from top left:

As with any business dependent upon construction, the recession hit hard, “but it’s building back, and the industry is looking good for future development,” he said.

Camellias in a cold frame.

The third and fourth generations: Eelco Tinga Jr. (right) and his son, Eelco III. A view of the nursery's office.

Customers can browse through a wide variety of plants on display outside the buildings.

“What makes us stand out? I guess I’d have to say a friendly welcome and people who know what they’re talking about,” he said. “We want to make sure people get the right plant for the right location so that it will do well. It’s very important to be able to have a knowledgeable conversation about the customer’s landscape.”

Finding experienced staff in the future “has me thinking as much as anything these days,” Tinga said. “Where do you get employees who want to work outside, know plant materials, understand soil in a country where nobody grows up on the land anymore?”

Well, almost nobody. There’s a fifth generation of Tingas — his grandsons Eelco IV and Fisher — doing that right now.

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 11

y a w e e r th e we w 12 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

N L N f o s r a e y 50

ck in ilboxes ba a m r e b m ived in me years of first arr N L N cross 50 e a c in k s c a d b e g d chan e looke d found Much has issue, an e same. W h y t r a s s in r a e m iv olden Ann t much re pages. or this G 1966; ye f n io t a ted in its c c li b le u f p e r ip h y flags n Industr NCNLA’s na’s Gree li o r ast. a C h ecades p d f Nort o f o t r t a o e h h s the rief snap joy this b n e u o y e We hop

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 13

1966 Annual income: $6,900 New house: $14,200 A gallon of gas: 32 cents

14 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

OSCAR WINNER

A Man for All Seasons ON THE RADIO

“Ballad of the Green Berets” — S/Sgt Barry Sadler ON TV

Bonanza NOTED

Disposable diapers hit the market

mptions e x E y r e rs tion and a rrows Nu p a N m e x w e a L r u o o ur age and H.6 0 an hour are t w e and Ho g W a l a r W u lt w u e 1 N $ gric t of the a minimum wage toy Congress... n e m il a t r Sharp cu e increase in the dments passed b progressiv of the new amen highlights

FIRSTS

First episode of Star Trek WORLD SERIES

Baltimore Orioles FOOTBALL

Green Bay Packers (NFL) Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) NBA

Boston Celtics TOP QUOTE

“Beam me up, Scotty.”

NEW TOY

Twister PRESIDENT

Lyndon B. Johnson

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 15

Nurserymen today are at crossroads... strong demands exist for stock; for better management is a must; for better training and eduction is needed...

1966 16 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

Providing the Landscape & Garden Center Industry with Quality Plants Since 1985

Sampson Nursery, Inc. "Quality You Can Grow On"

CONTAINER GROWN:

AZALEAS I CAMELLIAS I CONIFERS I HOLLIES NATIVE I ORNAMENTAL PLANTS I AND MUCH MORE! Delivery Throughout Mid-Atlantic

Nursery Location: 350 Alvin Rd. Godwin, NC 28344. (50 miles south of Raleigh) Tel: (800) 567-2909 Fax: (910) 567-6011 Email: sales@sampsonnursery.com. Web: www.sampsonnursery.com

www.hawksridgefarms.com Growers and marketers of unique plants and new cultivars.

Flowering Shrubs Flowering Trees Conifers Vines Perennials Ornamental Grasses West Coast Specimens

4243 S. NC 127 Hwy Hickory, NC 28603 (800)874-4216 Fax (828)294-4299

Delivering from Connecticut to Georgia and everywhere in between!

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 17

1976 ...our Association has had an interesting and productive year. The Annual Meeting was held at the Albert Pick Motor Inn in Greensboro on February 20 – 21, along with the seminar “Profits from Successful Management.”

18 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

While NCAN had Nursery Notes, the NC Landscape Contractors Association had their own publication as well. Here’s an example of the NCLCA Newsletter.

OSCAR WINNER

Rocky ON THE RADIO

Annual income: $16,000 New house: $43,400 A gallon of gas 59 cents

“Disco Lady” — Johnnie Taylor ON TV

Happy Days NOTED

USA celebrates Bicentennial FIRSTS

Apple Computer founded

w quarters ciation office to ne so As r ou ed ov r our m In July we a meeting room fo ve ha w no e W n. e you at and better locatio fice ready to serv of an d an s or ct re y... board of di Executive Secretar r ou is ith Sm n any time. Jo An WORLD SERIES

Cincinnati Reds FOOTBALL

Pittsburgh Steelers (Superbowl X) NBA

Boston Celtics TOP QUOTE

“You talkin’ to me?”

NEW TOY

VHS PRESIDENT

Gerald Ford

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 19

1986

Annual income $22,400 New house $89,430 A gallon of gas 89 cents

20 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

OSCAR WINNER

Platoon ON THE RADIO

eck N CAN Presents Ch , NCSU

g (left) Dr. Gus DeHerto , and Dr. ad Horticulture He ght), Director JC Raulston (ri tum, smile as re bo of NCSU Ar $4,000 check they accept a tum from NCAN re bo Ar for the r) Edwards (cente rry President La r ei th s ue as NCAN contin support.

“Never be You” — Rosanne Cash ON TV

Cheers NOTED

Halley’s Comet passes Earth FIRSTS

IBM PC is first laptop computer WORLD SERIES

NY Mets FOOTBALL

Chicago Bears (Superbowl XX) NBA

Boston Celtics TOP QUOTE

“Pork. The other white meat.”

NEW TOY

Ghostbuster action figures PRESIDENT

Ronald Reagan

Paul asked Thurman McLamb, a neighbor nurseryman, “What are those plants?

I have some growing in my low land.”

Thurman replied,“...wax myrtle. You dig them and I'll help you sell them.” That was the birth of Stephenson’s Nursery.

bination at The real winning com her places, Stephenson's, as in ot d. is the people involve

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 21

1986

Show Breaks Rec ord

Over 1,200 industry people registered for the Green & Growin’ Show at Winston-Salem in Early January.... Over 200 booths offered items from the smallest of rooted cuttings to bright shiny tractors and equipment.

22 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

JAPANESE MAPLES FOR SALE From the estate of the late Benjamin H. Brown Master Propagator of BROWNS NURSERY, (est. 1953), Rockwell, NC

NAMED VARIETIES: ; Bloodgood

; Orida

; Margaret

; O’Kushimo

; Oshio

B

Beni

Nishiki

; Burgundy

Lace

; Mahogany

; Roseomarginata

; Sango

; Tamuleyama

; Beni

Kahu

Kawa

; Viridis

& seedlings

Plants are in two gallon to forty gallon containers and larger ones have grown down into the ground through the large containers.

For more information, contact: Kaye Brown Hirst, khirst@fibrant.com WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 23

1996 Annual income $36,300 New house $118,200 A gallon of gas $1.22

If you are certified, you can count yourself among the landscape contracting industry’s elite.

Certification is an investment in yourself and your future.

24 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

OSCAR WINNER

WORLD SERIES

The English Patient

NY Yankees

ON THE RADIO

FOOTBALL

“Macarena” — Los del Rio

Dallas Cowboys (Superbowl XXX)

ON TV

NBA

E.R.

Chicago Bulls

NOTED

TOP QUOTE

Hurricane Bertha hits North Carolina

NEW TOY

FIRSTS

“Tickle Me Elmo”

Dolly the sheep is first cloned mammal

Bill Clinton

“Show me the money.”

PRESIDENT

One of the biggest problems I see within the industry is lack of training. Whoever said, “if yo u think education and traini ng are expensive—try ignorance” kn ew what they were talking ab out.

— Gary Sikes, President , NC Landscape Contract ors Association

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 25

1996

26 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

Infinitini

™

Lagerstroemia

A new series of dwarf crapemyrtle, the Infinitini™ Lagerstroemia are fastgrowing plants that will grow from a spring liner to a finished, flowering plant in one season!

Terri Vander Meulen, Southeast Account Representative, 616-223-3377

100c / 0m / 81y / 66k

www.springmeadownursery.com

45c / 15m / 90y / 20

800-633-8859

NCNLA-Jan_Infinitini.indd 1

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 27 12/9/15 3:37 PM

2006 Annual income $46,326 New house $311,000 A gallon of gas $3.28

The committee re commends … this proposed merg er is in the best in terest of both NCAN and LG MA.

28 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

OSCAR WINNER

The Departed ON THE RADIO

“Crazy” — Gnarls Barkley ON TV

American Idol Results NOTED

Pluto loses planetary status FIRSTS

Facebook opens to anyone over 13 WORLD SERIES

St. Louis Cardinals FOOTBALL

Pittsburgh Steelers (Superbowl XL) NBA

Miami Heat TOP QUOTE

“I'm Al Gore, I used to be the next president of the United States.”

NEW TOY

Wii PRESIDENT

George W. Bush

In 1975, the nursery industry offered only a narrow range of standard plants. This palette was quietly and steadily increased through JC’s drive and leadership and the cooperative response by the nursery industry.

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 29

2006 “Growing up and working for the family business (Scottree in Shelby, NC), in addition to involvements with the SNA and NCAN trade shows have stimulated Trey’s interest in the nursery industry.”

as a people there w e c in v n o c to “We had useful grasses d n a l fu ti u a e fb whole world o .” pampas grass l a n io it d a tr e beyond th

The team placed 7th in the nation out of 53 schools with over 800 students.

30 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

GROWERS OF SUPERIOR QUALITY WOODY ORNAMENTALS PLANTS, SHRUBS, AND TREES

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 31

Nursery Industry, Remember When...?

n

The Nursery Meeting at the NCSU Student Union was shortened due to a big Raleigh snowfall.

n

Fred “Big Freddy” Lochaby, from Murphy — always on time for every board meeting or event.

n

Association meetings and small shows at the Royal Villa in Raleigh.

n

Carroll Hall bringing cashews and white grape juice for snack at board meetings.

n

n

from the past 50 years.

Two annual meetings and shows at Pinehurst — one year with exhibits in two locations a mile apart.

NCAN’s booths at SNA, with Larry Edwards of Turtle Creek Nursery furnishing needed plants.

n

n

Which ones do you remember?

The first Green & Growin’ Show in Winston Salem.

N.C. booths at the Baltimore Show with Steve Sorrells (NCDA) helping.

n

The Board — and all the help they could find — setting up the association’s handmade drape system for 8’x 8’ booths.

n

n

President Dan Finch locating a trailer for the association to haul and store the steel and drapes for the shows.

The first really professional-looking show in Winston Salem, with Southern Exhibition Services pipe and drapes — and 10’x10’ booths.

Longtime industry advocate, expert, leader, friend and former NCNLA Executive Director Bill Wilder shares mental snapshots

32 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

n

Packed houses at Winston Salem for both the education sessions and the exhibits everywhere.

n

Summer tours as far away as Oregon to see how others were doing business.

n

Workshops around the state on grafting, ball and burlapping and all phases of production.

n

Training sessions at the (now) JC Raulston Arboretum — building stone walls, seats, and more.

n

n

n

n

Hearing about exciting new plant possibilities from Dr. Raulston and Don Shadow.

Introducing new plants to our growers — with the joint efforts of Dr. Raulston and the association. NCSU’s Foundation Seed Association was a great catalyst.

Commissioner Jim Graham getting too close and falling off the stage at Green & Growin’. (President Buddy Coulter gave him a “seat belt award” the next year.)

Coach “Bones” McKinney’s sidesplitting after dinner speech at Green & Growin’.

n

Preparing to move in at Green & Growin’ in Winston Salem with three or four inches of fresh ice and snow on the streets. With everyone’s help, we made it on schedule.

n

Paul Stephens, Matt Sledge and others’ vocal contributions to the Green & Growin’ Sunday Morning Worship.

n

Sharon and Tom of Condor Computing initiating computerized registration at Green & Growin’.

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The year the computers accidentally were unplugged during the peak of registration.

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New plant giveaways from the Arboretum at all shows.

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Wine and cheese parties at Green & Growin’ — hosted by Oakland Plantation. In the early years, Paul Mauney, Chuck Ballew and hostess Lou Ballew ran the party.

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The Association’s board and NC State leadership met at Swaim’s Steak House in Raleigh to talk with Dr. Bob Lyons about succeeding Dr. JC Raulston after Raulston’s tragic death.

Clockwise from top left: Mike Worthington receiving award from Doug Chapman Past Green & Growin’ Show in Winston Salem Dr. JC Raulston Lou Ballew and Bill Wilder Plant Introduction Planning Meeting with: Ted Bilderback, Dr. JC Raulston, Tod Williams, Doug Chapman, & Fred Lochaby

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 33

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Nursery Notes — started out on mimeographed pages.

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The first color issue of Nursery Notes — provided by Piedmont Litho

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Al Pleasents and Pam Varnery at Piedmont Litho continuously provided help to make Nursery Notes a leading Association magazine.

The bus tour to Delaware and Maryland when we had problems with the bus potty.

The bus tour to the Northeast when the bus bellied down — caught on the ferry ramp at Long Island, N.Y.

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Carroll Hall’s barehanded catch of a sea gull on a tour ferry. Carroll suffered the fecal consequences from the bird.

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Thirty-nine association tour members arriving at the Portland Airport and being told the plane back to RDU was not there and would not be leaving Chicago.

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The first NCAN Ball and Burlapping workshop, held above Asheville with Jack King hosting.

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Containers growing in egg cans and No. 10 food cans.

34 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

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The first plastic grower containers available from Zarn in Reidsville.

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The advent of slow release fertilizer.

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Pulling weeds before pre-emerge herbicides.

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The old heavy potting mix before Dr. Bilderback’s bark mixers.

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Plant propagation before Dr. Blazich’s new discoveries.

Clockwise from top left:

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Locally produced slow release fertilizer from Coor Farm Supply in Smithfield.

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Summer board outing at Little Switzerland — with barbeque and roasted marshmallows.

NCAN Board of Directors (Left to Right): Bill Wilder, Ronald Copeland, Fred Lochaby, Carolyn Aldridge, Mike Proctor, David Johnson, Doug Chapman, Jim Neely, and Steve Sorrells

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Enjoying Asheville Summer Shows: Mountain music by Wayne Holding and others; banquet meals at the Biltmore; and “Asheville on the Square” at night.

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Building and manning display gardens at the Southern Home and Garden Show.

Richard Beeson and Jim Neely

Dewey Worley and Robert Cagle Sandy Lee congratulates David Edwards Todd Ferguson accepting an Excellence in the Landscape “Merit” Award Past NCLCA President Joe Smith with then Board of Directors

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 35

36 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2015

By Katie Hendrick

FAMILYTIES Family businesses share their secrets for success, reflect on their legacies and plan for future growth.

O

perating a family business is not for the faint of the heart.

On top of the challenges facing companies of all sorts and sizes (market changes, government regulation, rapid

technological

advancements,

for

instance),

family

businesses

often have their own unique difficulties, including recruitment and retention, and personal issues among relatives. But for those who succeed, the rewards are immense. There’s satisfaction in running something the family started from scratch and joy in working with loved ones day after day. For our 50th anniversary issue, we reached out to the owners of six companies that have defied the odds. They talked about their roots, best practices and visions for the future.

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 37

Robert M. Gragg & Sons Nursery 2448 Indian Grave Rd., Lenoir, NC 28645 Founded: 1964

by Robert M. Gragg Current owner: Chad Gragg, founder’s son

Top: Johnathan Erskine (Chad's son-in-law), holding son, Jack; Megan Gragg, Ava Hubbard (Chad's granddaughter), Lisa Gragg, Kasey Gragg, Alison Gragg, Chad Gragg, Chris Gragg, Mason Gragg, Robert Gragg, Bonnie Jean Gragg, Cody Gragg, Neal Gragg, Connor Gragg, Amy Gragg, Cohl Gragg, Katelin Gragg, Oscar Michael (Katelin Gragg's fiance).

Family members on staff: Robert M. Gragg, Chris and Neal Gragg (founder’s sons), Cody and Mason Gragg (founder’s grandsons)

Left: Bonnie Jean, Robert, Chad, Neal and Chris Gragg accept the Cladwell County Farmer of the Year Award in 2014 from Mike Willis, president of the Caldwell County Soil and Water Conservation.

R

obert M. Gragg & Sons Nursery, a wholesale provider of balled and burlapped trees, recently celebrated its half-century anniversary, but the family’s roots in the industry actually go way deeper.

“We go back to my great great grandfather, Julius,” said president Chad Gragg. “I think it’s fair to say trees are in the Gragg blood.”

As a teenager in the 1970s, he worked alongside his brothers and cousins, pulling his weeds, picking up rocks, and plowing with a mule. “All that fun stuff,” Gragg recalled with a laugh.

At the time, he was adamant he’d go to college and then do “anything other than the family business.”

But fate intervened and instead he went straight to work for his father, Robert, upon graduating high school in 1988.

His early days as a full-time employee involved a lot of hard manual labor.

“Back then, we dug by hand,” he said. “It was an art.

You had to really know what you’re doing, how to get a good root ball on the tree.” Gragg employees could dig up about 25 Hemlock trees a day.

Mechanization changed things tremendously.

“When we got tree spades, life got a lot simpler,” he said. “We were digging up 100 trees a day.” Now, with Bobcat and skid steer loaders at their disposal, Gragg employees can handle 400 trees in one day.

Top to bottom: Milton Gragg (Robert M. Gragg's father) Chris and Chad Gragg Katelin, Chad and Megan Gragg

When Chad reminisces about the challenges of operating in the “old days,” his father points out that when he started, there were no computers. “Dad used to do all his billing by hand,” Gragg said.

38 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

While technology has made certain tasks easier, it hasn’t eliminated the trials inherent in running a business. Looking back, Chad called the 2008 recession the “single toughest thing we’ve faced.”

To survive, the company had to slash its workforce by two-thirds. “Everyone picked up the slack and, consequently, we all worked harder than we did 10 or 20 years ago,” he said.

Gragg thanked his father for instilling in his descendants a work ethic to power through tough times.

“When I was young, I used to think, ‘Gosh, Dad’s so mean making me do all this work.’ Now, I realize he did me a favor,” he said. “I know how to do a lot of things and I don’t waste time thinking about how hard something is; I just do it.”

There’s another reason Robert M. Gragg Nursery is still in business when many other nurseries are not: the family was willing to adapt.

“My dad and my brother have some cattle and had been growing corn for the cows,” he said. During a family discussion concerning what to do with a surplus of trees they just couldn’t sell, someone suggested uprooting, burning and replacing them with corn. They did just that, growing corn on about 50 percent of their property, which they sold for chicken and horse feed.

“That saved us,” he said. “Corn subsidized the nursery.” Additionally, he named communication and problem solving among the family’s strong points.

“I talk to my dad every night and he always asks the same question: ‘What are we going to do tomorrow?’” Gragg said.

Homewood Nursery and Garden Center 10809 Honeycutt Rd. Raleigh, NC 27614 Founded: 1967

by Bill Stoffregen Current president: Joe Stoffregen, founder’s son

Clockwise from top left: Homewood's entrance.

Plant display tables.

A photo of the original building taken in the 1980s.

N

early all of Joe Stoffregen’s childhood memories occurred at his family’s nursery.

Additionally, they kept things professional by holding family meetings prior to full staff meetings.

“I played with Tonka trucks and matchbox cars in the dirt bins,” he said. “By age 10, I knew all the plant names. At 12, I was helping customers.”

“It’s never a good idea to hash out family dynamics in the workplace,” Stoffregen said. “A pitfall of many family businesses is when relatives aren’t on the same page and send conflicting messages to their employees.”

Throughout middle and high school, Stoffregen viewed his job as a nice way to have some spending money. But when it was time for college, he recognized the business had major opportunities for growth.

At NC State, he rounded out his horticultural education with business and marketing classes.

“I approached my career with the mindset that I needed to know how to sell plants, not grow them,” he said. “That was my father’s forte.”

Finding a niche — sales and marketing — made working alongside his father, who passed away in 2015, harmonious and productive.

Top to bottom: Joe (left) and Bill Stoffregen. Bill and Peggy Stoffregen founded the company now run by their son.

A 1970s photo of Bill in the greenhouse.

Peggy helping a customer back in the 1980s.

“My role was developing the retail part of our business, not just replacing my dad one day,” he said.

“If you don’t have something specific to contribute, you’re just waiting in the wings, not helping the business grow.”

Stoffregen credits the company’s longevity with his father’s willingness to seek help from an outside, objective source. The Stoffregens turned to nursery consultant Ian Baldwin, who talked the family through business succession and planning.

The recurring motto Bill Stoffregen shared with his son and his staff: never stop improving. From a 19- by 100-foot greenhouse he built by hand in his backyard, he grew a business that now encompasses four acres.

“It’s a very visually appealing nursery,” Stoffregen said. “We have a canopy of North Carolina pine trees, gravel paths and bridges. It’s a place customers really enjoy shopping.”

The company’s transition from a wholesale greenhouse grower to a retail garden center has provided ample opportunities to interact directly with consumers, which the late Bill Stoffregen adored.

“My dad was very open and adamant about sharing information,” Stoffregen said. “I want to continue his legacy of educating customers and exciting them with new products. Like him, I plan to listen carefully to learn what they want.”

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 39

Bland Landscaping Co., Inc. 1200 Perry Rd. Apex, NC 27502 Founded: 1976

by Tom and Nancy Bland Current ownership: Kurt Bland, CEO, and Matt Bland, CFO, founders’ children

Top: Kurt and Matt Bland with a group of their managers at the Bland Street light rail stop in Charlotte last April. “We’re all laughing over the fact that we stumbled upon ’Bland Street’ by chance and said it must be an omen of our expansion into the Charlotte market,” Kurt said. Pictured, left to right: Chris Povolny, Roger Beale, Joe Ritchie, Kurt Bland, Matt Bland, Patrick Freeman, Brandon Hayes, Jon Rynearson and Jason Smith.

Bottom: An arial photo of the company’s new Bull City Branch last October. “In telling the story of our future, the opening of this branch is a major milestone for us,” Kurt said.

B

oth Kurt and Matt Bland grew up with intentions to one day join the family business, but one point was always clear: they would have to earn their positions.

“My dad was very anti-nepotism,” Matt said. “He believed it would hurt our leadership potential to simply have jobs created for us. So he required us to work somewhere else for at least two years and get some concrete skills that would add value to the company.”

Matt Bland started as a cost analyst for IBM in Raleigh. Kurt Bland managed a landscaping company in Fremont, California.

“It helped with maturity and gave us validity when we came onboard,” Kurt said of the prerequisite experience, which paid off dearly when the brothers faced an exceptionally difficult trial early in their tenure at Bland Landscaping.

Bland teams at work — snapshots from the 1980s-90s.

In 2004, the same year Matt joined the company and only two years into Kurt’s career, their mother was diagnosed with cancer.

“Our parents gave us about one month’s notice that they were retiring, handing us the business and buying a motor home to travel as much as possible before our mother’s health declined,” Kurt said.

“Stressful doesn’t begin to describe that period. We had an expedited transition of ownership while we were worrying about our mother and then grieving her death two years later.”

40 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

Reflecting on how they persevered, the Bland brothers praised their employees — more than 200 strong — for their competency and work ethic.

“A big reason for our parents’ success was their decision to surround themselves with highly motivated people and then delegate to them,” Kurt said.

Right now, Bland Landscaping has a presence in Apex, Wake Forest, Durham, Chapel Hill and Charlotte, but the brothers would like to continue expanding to become “the premier landscaper in the Carolinas.” To achieve this, they plan to continue investing in talented, ambitious people and staying on top of the latest technology to stay as efficient as possible.

“When I started here, we had one email address for the whole company,” Kurt said. “Now we have more than 120 iPhones in the field.” They use satellite imagery to measure drop sites and store files on the cloud.

Another goal, as the company approaches its 40th anniversary, is solidifying its reputation for more than just landscaping.

“We want to be known as good corporate citizens,” Matt said. “We care about people, both our own employees and those in the community, and the planet. We shut down occasionally for company-wide days of volunteering and will continue to look for ways to give back.”

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Congratulations

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We at Pender Nursery have come to rely on all the great information that is directly related to the green industry. You have filled a critical need by providing us with up-to-date information, from the commentary’s, around our industry, and research updates to name a few, NCNLA has been and will continue to be a part of Pender Nursery’s future. We are looking forward to another 50 years!

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WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 41

42 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

Turtle Creek Nursery, Inc. 12037 Mooresville Rd. Davidson, NC 28036 Founded: 1972

by Larry Edwards Current owners: David Edwards, founder’s son, and Jane Edwards, founder’s wife

Left to right, Jennifer Edwards, David Edwards, Jane Edwards, Mary Ann Edwards holding Madison Edwards, Larry Edwards, Ashley Edwards, Sydney Edwards

Farm entrance sign.

D

avid Edwards never had any doubt where he wanted to work when he grew up.

“When I was a child, I spent all my spare time — whether it was working or playing — in the nursery,” he said. By age 10, he was a part-time employee, and a very enthusiastic one.

“It was the best,” he said. “I got to be outdoors, build greenhouses and trailers, drive a tractor and a golf cart — and make money to boot.”

When he went to NC State, Edwards skipped the predictable path of a horticulture major and, instead, studied ag business, because he believed that knowledge would best dovetail with his parents’ expertise.

“Dad was a plant person,” he said of his father, Larry, who passed away in December 2014. “Growing was his passion. The business was secondary. It was viable because my mother handled the accounting.”

Even with his new fancy education, Edwards had to prove himself when he joined the business full-time in 1990. “I started by watering, pruning, potting and moving trees,” he said.

Soon, though, he became a trusted team player who participated in big picture conversations, such as how to manage inventory, use technology to minimize labor and operational costs, and identify new customers and retain them.

Top to bottom: Left to right, Larry Edwards, Mary Ann Edwards, Jane Edwards, David Edwards Larry Edwards (center) in a photo for Southern Living.

At the Green & Growin’ trade show in Winston-Salem, left to right: Jane Edwards, Mary Ann Edwards, David Edwards, Denise Sherrill, Larry Edwards, Edie Steele, Brenda Mack.

“It wasn’t always easy,” Edwards said of the decision-making progress. “We were all pretty strong willed, but we knew when to pick our battles. And we respected each other’s different perspectives and skills.”

One of the biggest shifts since Turtle Creek’s inception has been in customer demographics.

“A lot of DIYers, the people who pick out their own plants and flowers at nurseries, are aging out,” he

An arial view of Turtle Creek Nursery.

said. “The younger generation would rather pay someone to do everything for them.”

Consequently, Edwards has focused on building relationships with local landscapers, rather than selling primarily to garden centers.

His primary goal, for now, is hitting the 50-year mark.

“That would be a huge achievement, especially given what we went through with the recession,” he said.

He’s confident the company will reach the milestone thanks to the values his parents imparted on him and his staff.

“One of the biggest things they passed on was attention to detail, whether it was with plants, insects, equipment, grounds, or customers,” he said.

Secondly, they taught him that big rewards required hard work and long hours.

“My parents never pretended this was a 40-hourweek job,” he said. “Until the end, my dad was at work every day.”

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 43

Currin’s Nursery, Inc. 2908 Eric Street, Willow Spring, NC Founded: 1984 by Richard Currin Current owner: Ruth Currin Holcomb, founder’s daughter

That’s Richard Currin kneeling in front with Ruth’s dog, Tanner — the nursery’s “head of security” and official greeter. Standing behind him (left to right): Guilder Fuentes; Mayco Fuentes; Mamie Collins (production & propagation manager) and her husband, Eddie Collins (manager); Ruth Holcomb and Emily Currin.

W

hen Ruth Currin Holcomb was a student at NC State, she anticipated pursuing a career as a speech and hearing pathologist upon graduation.

But an internship her senior year changed those plans.

“There are a lot of little things in propagation and production that make a big difference in your bottom line,” Currin said. “If something happens to me, I have comfort knowing she can look up April 9, 1999 or May 3, 2004 and see exactly what I did that day.”

“I discovered I loved the subject, but not the practice of it,” she said.

Currin felt a huge relief when Holcomb came aboard — and showed genuine enthusiasm for the business.

“Once, I worried about what to do with the nursery when I retired,” he said. “It means a whole lot to be able to keep it in the family for another generation.”

To expand her skillset, she continued her education and earned a Master’s in communications instead.

Then, when she graduated in 2006, she faced a dilemma common to many millennials: no one was hiring.

To help, her parents brought Holcomb on as intern at their company, Currin’s Nursery, Inc., where she worked on the website and marketing materials.

She originally considered the internship a placeholder while she looked for another job. “But then I fell in love with the nursery,” she said.

Top to bottom: The family in 2015, (left to right): Ray Holcomb stands behind his wife, Ruth Currin Holcomb and son, Baker; Casey Smith with his wife Eva (Ruth’s sister) holding their younger son, Nate; and Richard and Emily Currin with grandson Carson Smith.

Richard with Ray and Baker.

Richard at Green & Growin’ 2010.

Soon, Holcomb handled all of Currin’s sales and marketing. She gave the nursery a social media presence, started a digital newsletter and created a mobile-ready website.

“Technology has definitely changed a lot from my parents’ generation to mine,” she said. “When Dad started, a fax machine was a big deal!”

Over time, Holcomb became more and more involved in production decisions. And as of January 1, 2016, with her father’s retirement, she’s in charge, leaning on advice from her parents and employees who have 35 years experience in the industry, and consulting her father’s copious notes.

44 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

Reflecting on his tenure, Currin cited production methods, such as his aggressive weed prevention program, among the company’s proudest achievements.

“We’ve never had the luxury of a large staff, so we’ve always had to be as efficient as possible with our labor,” he said. “Ruth will have to keep a close eye on the latest tools and techniques so she can continue to mechanize.”

Holcomb echoed this point. “In addition to Dad’s retirement, we have a few veteran employees who are aging out of the industry,” she said. “Recruitment will be a major priority, as well as learning how to grow more plants with fewer people.”

Holcomb struggled to pinpoint “the best” piece of advice she’s received from her father, but said she’ll strive to emulate his patient demeanor.

“Dad’s shown me that relationships really matter,” she said. “Sales aren’t always immediate but anyone you meet could turn into a major client down the road.”

New Garden Landscaping & Nursery 5577 Garden Village Way Greensboro, NC 27410 Founded: 1977

by Morris Newlin

Top: All crews go through annual refresher training before aeration season begins. Bottom: New Garden Village Landscape Design Center.

A

lthough his day job was as a manager for Sears and Roebuck, Jim Newlin was a grower at heart.

In the early 1960s, he took one acre of his backyard in Greensboro and turned it into a small nursery.

“He was a farm boy from Snow Camp and he wanted to stay connected to the soil,” said his son, Morris, owner of New Garden Landscaping & Nursery. At first, growing was purely recreational, but eventually Jim Newlin spent his evenings and weekends selling plants to his friends and coworkers.

Top to bottom: Owner Morris Newlin.

Designers Chad Spease and Jeanine Bennett at a Fall Harvest Festival.

One of the landscaping displays at the nursery.

“I was always amazed how many people came by our house in the evenings,” Morris said. “I finally put together that he was promoting the plants at work.

He was a people person and it gave him great pride to serve his colleagues.”

Morris didn’t realize it while he was growing up, but his father’s passion for green things wore off on him. When he graduated from the University of Richmond in 1973, he came back to Greensboro to work for a property management company, a job that gave him experience with lawn care and landscaping. After four years, the company decided to sell a portion of its property; Morris seized the opportunity to buy it and start his own landscaping business.

For the first few years, he worked alone, but by the mid 1980s, when the business grew to include a retail nursery, Morris had recruited his father, mother (Pat) and brother, Larry. His parents have since passed away and his brother moved to the Chapel Hill area, where he runs an organic farm to supply local restaurants. But their involvement helped grow the business from a one-man operation to the regional company it is today.

“My parents really subscribed to the importance of positivity and creating relationships, both with employees and customers,” he said. Those relationships have paid off as the business became more comprehensive. “We design, build, landscape, do maintenance and run a nursery,” he said. “A lot of customers use multiple services and have been with us continuously since the 1970s.”

Customer loyalty carried the company through the Great Recession, which Morris — like many business owners — considers the toughest thing he’s faced thus far.

“My goal is stay in the business as long as my health allows and I still enjoy it,” he said. “Right now, I’m 64 and loving it, but I’m working with a team of managers to continue it long term in the future.”

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 45

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46 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

FAX (910)-293-9375 Earl McDonald

Industry Research

A Fifty-Year Partnership — NCSU and NCNLA

I

began my career in the Horticultural Science Department in January 1967 and had the privilege of serving as Department Head from 1988-2003.

Since 2003 I have worked part time in the Deans office in the College of Agriculture and Life Science.

Over those 48 years, I observed many changes — not only in our department but also in allied departments like Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Economics.

Throughout that time, the nursery crop and landscape industries have been important partners of our department and college, and the mission to serve them has never changed.

It has been a mutually beneficial relationship. Our research, teaching, and extension programs have aided all aspects of the NC nursery and landscape industries.

Those industries, in turn, have been instrumental in advancing and supporting our programs. Here are a few highlights and recollections.

Programs and People

Teaching was the first program, Professor Wilbur Massey started it in 1889. Subsequent programs focused on developing production practices for the nursery crop segment. Changes over the years included the expansion of research efforts to ornamentals plant breeding and the addition of a landscape teaching program.

The majority of our research and extension programs were funded by state and federal sources. Teaching

efforts were funded through state money. Recent declines in funding at both levels resulted in the loss of faculty and staff positions as well as program support.

The faculty now must seek out external sources, in the form of grants and gifts, to sustain their research programs and personnel.

Due to their quality, the research and extension programs have remained relevant to industry needs; however, additional industry support is needed to sustain them. Teaching programs remain generally strong despite a significant drop in enrollment.

One of the first faculty members I met in 1967 was John Harris, the extension landscape specialist who promoted the horticulture industry with his very popular Saturday morning radio show “The Tar Heel Gardener.” John had a lasting impact on the NC gardening public; even though he retired in 1969, his radio show continued for many years. Bryce Lane has continued this public relations and outreach effort for home gardeners with his Saturday TV show “In the Garden with Bryce Lane.”

By Dr. Tom Monaco, NCSU Top: “Buddleja ‘Blue Chip,’ ” an award winning release from Dennis Werner's, breeding program, is one of many new ornamental varieties having a positive impact on the industry. Photo Courtesy of Dennis Werner.

One faculty member I worked very closely with was Dr. Walt Shroch. I was responsible for developing weed management programs for small fruit and vegetable crops, while he had the extension responsibilities for weed management in those crops. Walt later acquired the research and extension programs for weed control in ornamentals. Based on his research, he published a comprehensive manual on weed control for nursery WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 47

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and landscape settings — including weed management strategies for Christmas tree production in western NC. These principles are still in use today.

After Walt’s retirement, Dr. Joe Neal was hired to lead the ornamentals weed control program. We focused on hiring and retaining outstanding faculty in our nursery and landscape programs. Inspirational teachers like Dr. JC Raulston, Bryce Lane, Dr. Stuart Warren, Dr. Russell Southall, Dr. Dennis Werner, Dr. Frank Blazich, Dr. Ted Bilderback, Will Hooker, Tracy Traer and Dr. Paul Fantz, had a great impact on students and helped many of them become industry leaders.

Their tradition of excellence continues through a new generation of faculty, including recently hired members Lee Ivy, Dr. Brian Jackson, Dr. Helen Kraus, Lis Meyer, Julie Sherk and Anne Spafford. Dr. Barb Fair and Dr. Anthony LeBude, members of our extension faculty, also teach one or more courses. Together these folks are doing a stellar job of providing well-trained students who are ready to contribute their talents.

Visionary Change

JC Raulston had a significant and lasting impact on the nursery and landscape industries, and the gardening public locally and regionally. His expressed goal was to increase the selection of ornamental plants available to professional landscapers and the gardening public.

During the early 70s, six or so plants were used routinely for foundation plantings and the landscape in general. Through the introduction of new plant material and rediscovering valuable plants, he greatly expanded the diversity of ornamentals adapted to growing conditions in North Carolina and the Southeastern U.S. His testing and teaching laboratory morphed into the NC Arboretum, renamed the JC Raulston Arboretum (JCRA) following his death in an automobile accident on December 21, 1996. More than a thousand people attended the memorial service.

PARTNERS Clockwise from top: Arbor Enterprises contributed labor to install a path at the JCRA Asian Valley.

NCNLA donated labor and materials to install a Sunken Garden.

Annual JCRA plant distribution to the nursery industry at the NCNLA trade show

Industry support for the arboretum has been tremendous — not only through direct financial contributions but also as in kind donations, such as industry work days, and donations of materials, supplies and equipment. Dr. Bob Lyons was hired as director of the JCRA WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 49

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Memberships: North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association

NATIVE PLANTS FOR SALE

We Specialize in Herbaceous Native Plants for:

• Storm Water Management Ponds • Rain Gardens • Dune & Tidal Marsh Grasses • Upland Meadows

Toll Free:

Telephone: 252-523-1041

1-800-PARROTT

Fax 252-523-0145

1-800-727-7688

E-Mail: mparrott@parrottins.com Website: www.parrottins.com

Serving You Since 1937

CASEY

NURSERY, INC. A family tradition since 1927

www.caseynursery.com

Growers of quality shrubs, trees, and groundcovers. email or call for a current availability 1-800-891-1801• Fax 919-735-2307

HORTICULTURAL SERVICES

Kevin T. Fabula

410-329-6466 Fax 410-329-2156

19960 Gore Mill Road, Freeland, MD 21053 www.signaturehort.com • kevin@signaturehort.com

50 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

Amy Dill - caseynurserysales@gmail.com Lee Casey - leercasey@gmail.com Hunter Casey - hjcasey22@gmail.com Larry Watson - lww.caseynursery@gmail.com 1115 Claridge Nursery Rd., Goldsboro, NC 27530

a few years after JC’s death, and during his tenure a successful campaign was mounted to raise funds for an educational building and visitor’s center. The JCRA has continued to prosper under the successive leadership of Dennis Werner, Ted Bilderback and current Director Mark Weathington.

Significant changes were made to our curriculum in the mid-70s with the hiring of Will Hooker to fully develop the landscape option. Tracy Traer joined the staff a little later, and together they nurtured a highly sought landscape curriculum that accounted for half of our undergraduates in the 1980s. Both are now retired, and the program continues under the very able leadership of Anne Spafford and Julie Sherk. Many of its graduates are involved in the industry today.

Working Together

Extension specialists are key in our relationship with industry. Landscape Extension Specialist Kim Powell worked very closely with the NC Landscape Association, and Ted Bilderback, the nursery extension specialist for eastern NC, worked very closely with NC Association of Nurserymen. In 2006 the two organizations merged to form the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association, and Ted continued to work closely with NCNLA. Dick Bir was the nursery extension specialist for western NC — a position now filled by Anthony LeBude. Barb Fair was hired as Kim Powell’s replacement.

Our extension specialists contribute to improved nursery production practices.

Propagation techniques for new plant material introduced to the industry by JC Raulston, were developed

by Dr. Frank Blazich and his graduate students.

Drs. Ted Bilderback, Stu Warren and Bill Fonteno developed improved techniques for container production of ornamentals. That work included growing media, irrigation scheduling and fertilization.

Dr. Danesha Seth-Carley joined our faculty this year. Her research will focus on sustainable landscapes; pollinator protection and water stress tolerance in ornamental shrubs.

Plant breeders Dr. Dennis Werner and Dr. Tom Ranney are developing exciting new ornamental varieties — supporting JC Raulston’s goal of increasing plant selection for the landscape. Many of the plants they have created with their staff and students are already category leaders that are having a big impact on the industry.

To summarize the last fifty years of our partnership is difficult to accomplish in a short article. All of our progress has been thanks to the hard work of our faculty, staff and graduate students. Many students from the nursery and landscape programs have become leaders in industry, academia, and government. We also recognize the many contributions our stakeholders have made to improve and support our efforts.

Clockwise from left: “Invincibelle™ Ruby Mountain Hydrangea” – A new variety released through Dr. Tom Ranney’s plant breeding program.

Many industry leaders have been inspired by teachers and mentors at NCSU. Shown here: JC Raulston with NCSU graduate Richard Olsen in 1996. Olsen is now the Director of the US National Arboretum.

1991 ALCA Team, Ponoma, CA. Photos by: Mark Weathington, Director, JC Raulston Arboretum, NC State University

This is truly a team effort — without that collaboration it would be difficult to make a significant impact.

As we go forward, more industry support will be required to accomplish our shared goal of a prosperous and vibrant industry. I applaud recent efforts of the NCNLA to grow the endowment in the NC Agricultural Foundation to support nursery crop and landscape research and extension programs.

Author’s note: There is an inherent danger in naming specific individuals when writing an article like this; because so many people have contributed to the body of knowledge developed for the nursery crop and landscape industries over the past 50 years. This is my disclaimer, and apology, to those not mentioned.

I thank Dr. Gus DeHertogh, former Head of the Horticultural Science Department and current Department Head Dr. John Dole, for their review and valuable input.

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 51

Welcome New Members!

As of December 28, 2015

Member Company

City, State

Type of Membership

Stilworks LLC

Chapel Hill, NC

Gold

Mountain View Landscaping & Design, Inc.

Waynesville, NC

Silver

AGM Turfcare and Maintenance LLC

Clayton, NC

Regular

Angel Creek Nursery

Bishop, GA

Regular

Bellus Terra

Wake Forest, NC

Regular

Blacksmith Nursery & Landscaping LLC

Fairview, NC

Regular

Camellia Forest Nursery

Chapel Hill, NC

Regular

Cannady Landscaping and Maintenance, Inc.

Winston Salem, NC

Regular

City of Asheville Parks & Rec

Asheville, NC

Regular

Clayton Constructors Inc dba Post Nursery

Zebulon, NC

Regular

Cline's Nursery

Shelby, NC

Regular

Company Wrench

Smithfield, NC

Regular

Coosa Valley Growers DBA South Mississippi Growers

Acworth, GA

Regular

Dragonfly Lawn Care LLC

Durham, NC

Regular

Dream Gardens Landscaping & Turf Managment, Inc.

Clayton, NC

Regular

Duke University Landscape Services

Durham, NC

Regular

Earth Graphics

Greensboro, NC

Regular

Eco Pro Mulch & Erosion Control LLC

Apex, NC

Regular

Ecoscape Solutions Group

Charlotte, NC

Regular

Gardens For Living

Swannanoa, NC

Regular

GLS Landscaping and Maintenance LLC

Oak Ridge, NC

Regular

Green Earth Landscaping, Inc.

Monroe, NC

Regular

Ground Control of Carolinas, Inc.

Charlotte, NC

Regular

GroundWorks LLC

Greensboro, NC

Regular

Intelligro

Mississauga, Ontario

Regular

ITB Co., Inc.

London, KY

Regular

King-Hughes Fasteners

Imlay City, MI

Regular

Lambert Peat Moss

Riviere-Ouelle, QUE

Regular

Landscape Logic

Durham, NC

Regular

Lawns by Carlito LLC

Durham, NC

Regular

Mainscape, Inc.

Wilmington, NC

Regular

Mountains to Sea Landscapes, Inc.

Mars Hill, NC

Regular

Pattillo Tree Farm LLC

Griffin, GA

Regular

Piedmont Mowing LLC

Durham, NC

Regular

Rainbow Garden Center & Nursery, Inc.

Waynesville, NC

Regular

Randy's Lawn & Landscape Services

Maysville, NC

Regular

Skelton's Landscaping Service

Carrboro, NC

Regular

Smith Evergreen Nursery DBA Great Gardens

Wilson, NC

Regular

Southern Caswell Lawn Care LLC

Elon, NC

Regular

Southern Lawn Service LLC

Henderson, NC

Regular

Talbert

Carthage, NC

Regular

Teupen

Pineville, NC

Regular

TGP Lawn and Landscape

Gastonia, NC

Regular

Three Volcanoes Farm LLC

Apopha, NC

Regular

Watterson Tree Farm, Inc.

Lexington, NC

Regular

52 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

Who is NCNLA?

Member Name

NCNLA members include: n

Wholesale Growers

n

n Suppliers

n Educators

Horticulture StudentsÂ

Organization Name

City, State Statesville, NC

Student

Town of Siler City

Siler City, NC

Government/Educator

Winston-Salem, NC

Individual

Anelle Ammons Gregg Blevins

n Landscapers

n Retailers

David Bowman

Type of Membership

Lauren Browning Freudenberger

NCSU

Castalia, NC

Student

Jeffery Ferguson

City Of Raleigh Park's and Rec. Pullen Park

Raleigh, NC

Government/Educator

Banner Elk, NC

Individual

Bissell Companies

Monroe, NC

Individual

Allan Gregory Samuel Harris John Henry

Lincoln County

Lincolnton, NC

Government/Educator

Christina Larson

Guilford Master Gardeners

Summerfield, NC

Government/Educator

Jacqueline Mehring

Alba landscapes NC

Burlington, NC

Individual

Steven Middleton

Middleton Lawn & Landscape

Fuquay Varina, NC

Individual

Jason Miller

South Piedmont Community College

Polkton, NC

Government/Educator

Pasige Patterson

Watauga Cooperative Extension Service

West Jefferson, NC

Government/Educator

Maxton, NC

Student

Heidi Priore David Sinclair

City of Jacksonville

Jacksonville, NC

Government/Educator

Robert Stine

Botanical Treasures Nursery

Fletcher, NC

Individual

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 53

GREEN& GROW N’ January 16-20, 2017 Greensboro, NC

54 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016

NLN CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Advertisers’ Index Bennett's Creek Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Brown's Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

NCNLA Events 2016 CPP Test Dates n

September 15 – Asheville, NC

n

October 27 – Greenville, NC

More Dates TBA…

National Events January 21 – 23, 2016 SCHI 2016 Trade Show & Seminars Myrtle Beach Convention Center Myrtle Beach, SC www.scnla.com

July 9 – 12, 2016 Cultivate ‘16 Greater Columbus Convention Center 400 North High Street Columbus OH 43215 www.americanhort.org

August 25 – 27, 2016 FarWest Show Oregon Convention Center 777 Northeast M L King Boulevard Portland OR 97232 www.farwestshow.com

January 27 – 29, 2016 WinterGreen Trade Show & Conference Infinite Energy Center (formally the Gwinnett Center) 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway Duluth, Georgia 30097 www.ggia.org

Cam Too Camellia Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . 31 Cardinal Turf and Ornamental . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Carolina Bark Products, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Casey Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Custis Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Fair View Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Goodson & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Gossett's Landscape Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . 31 Gra-Mac Irrigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Green & Growin’ 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Hawksridge Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Jake A. Parrott Insurance Agency . . . . . . . 50 JOCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Low Falls Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 OHP, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Old Courthouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Parker Bark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Patterson's Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 48 Pender Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . 41, Back Cover Plantworks Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Proven Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Sampson Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 SCHI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Signature Horticultural Services . . . . . . . . 50

Thank You

Surface Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Turtle Creek Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Nursery Notes and NCNLA for 50 years of service to the Green Industry

WINTER 2016 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | 55

North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 968 Trinity Road Raleigh, NC 27607

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PA I D Raleigh, NC Permit # 2255

Doug Wright

Tony Ferrell

Guy Hartsell

NC, SC, GA

VA, MD, DE, WV

Central NC & In-House Sales

56 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2016