Evergreen Nursery was founded in 1864 as a grower of evergreen seedlings and transplants. More than 150 years later, we continue to grow a wide range of evergreen species in multiple sizes, along with deciduous shrubs and birch liners.

Each year Evergreen Nursery produces more than 1 million Gro-Plugs®, 500,000 2-year potted liners, 400,000 bare root liners, and 50,000 #3 and #5 container liners.

Our goal is to continue this 156-year legacy, and we are looking for someone to make that happen. Owner Ron Amos and his wife Kris are looking forward to retirement, and they’re looking for the ideal candidate to take over ownership.

Evergreen Nursery is an established operation and for generations has maintained a solid reputation for being a key producer of evergreen liners that are shipped across the United States. Many of our customers have said we provide a critical footprint in the nursery industry and without us, there would be a void that would be difficult to fill.

Recently, several well-known liner growers have left the industry. We have picked up many of those customers due to our reputation of being a top evergreen liner grower and we are continually expanding our production area. Evergreen Nursery is renowned for being dependable, trustworthy, and always available to help your business grow.

Nurturing our customers

We cultivate relationships through personal customer service. From the time an order is placed, through shipping and follow-up, our staff gets to know our customers on a personal level.

Our in-house marketing programs, coupled with exhibiting at national and regional trade shows, provides us with a 25% increase in new customers annually based on a 3-year average.

We have a diverse customer base consisting of wholesale nurseries, landscape contractors, grafting nurseries, garden centers and Christmas tree growers. We supply many of the nation’s largest nurseries with our liners from the East to the West Coast.

Our commitment to quality

Our evergreen programs are the shining star of the nursery. We have sizes and prices to match any budget and growing operation.

Our evergreen seedling Gro-Plug® line starts from seed. Many of North America’s largest grafting nurseries start with our plugs, while others are using Gro-Plugs to start their evergreen container programs. We use them as the start for all our evergreen production.

Our 2-year-old, 18-cell potted evergreen liners provide exceptional performance and come with a price point that help boost your margins. This is an excellent size liner for potting into containers or lining out in the field. We also provide larger liners that will finish sooner.

Our #1 evergreen containers are grown in air-pruned pots that have superior root structure. We also offer a #5 evergreen container and are positive you will not find a better value for this quality liner. Unique to Evergreen Nursery, our premium bedrun evergreens have strong, thick tops and a heavy root system.

One advantage that makes our plants exceptional is our growing environment. We are located in Northeast Wisconsin along the shore of Lake Michigan. The cooling effect from the lake gives us low humidity and similar growing conditions to those in the Pacific Northwest. Another benefit is our native strains of mycorrhizae that develop early in our liners. Mycorrhizae establishes root systems faster, increases nutrient uptake and aids in water absorption.

LTL pallet shipping makes logistics easy. We can ship all our products on pallets via common carrier or ground shippers. Most customers receive the stock in just a few days. We will never make you take our product until you are ready to receive it. Guaranteed.

We also have an established H-2A worker program, which ensures we have ample staff to get all our products to you when you need them.

After 156 years, we are still going strong.

If you or anyone you know wants to be a part of this legacy and to learn how valuable Evergreen Nursery is to the industry, please call us for more information on how this business could belong to you. Learn more about us at www.evergreennurseryco.com. And discover more about the beautiful place we call home and where thousands of tourists visit year-round at www.sturgeonbay.net.

The green industry has faced its share of adversity in the form of weather phenomena, financial crises, and pest or disease plights. Yet so many have persevered with fortitude. This year presented the world with circumstances not seen in more than a century. This year required modifications from the entire supply chain that will be studied and analyzed for years. This is the year your grandkids will want to hear about for a social studies project.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine, this year’s Nursery Management State of the Industry survey yielded some uncommon responses. And the next two to three years will reveal even more about how the green industry has been affected. We asked specific questions regarding COVID-19 as a follow-up to our spring coronavirus survey. See those responses on page 24.

As we ride out this latest recession, the economy is certainly a concern, but it still came in second behind labor issues as the top two greatest threats to the industry. (See chart on page 18.) Staff hiring and training ranked No. 1 when asked about aspects of the business that participants would most like to improve. (See page 18.) Yet the related issues of automation and LEAN production ranked fourth and seventh, respectively, in terms of the most sought-after nursery improvements.

With this year’s surge in consumer interest in gardening, nurseries are reporting increased sales and profits in 2020 vs. 2019. More than 60% of those surveyed raised prices this year and almost 70% plan to raise prices in 2021. Despite the peaks and valleys of 2020, the industry remains fairly confident that the market demand for nursery products will increase in 2021.

Pages 18 to 26 reveal what North American growers of different sizes experienced so far in 2020 with data regarding production and acreage; sales and profits; prices; and coronavirus-related issues such as health and safety of employees.

A Sukuman proverb states, “The wind does not break the tree that bends.” Growers who create a business plan with several variables or scenarios and remain flexible will help ensure that the industry bends and doesn’t break.

© natalypaint | Adobe Stock

We’ve heard the industry hasn’t been hit that hard by COVID-19 and the confidence level numbers here somewhat reflect that. More than 90% of landscapers were confident their companies would grow in last year’s survey, and this year it only dropped to 88%. Last year 6% were “not confident at all” that their company would grow, and this year that number jumped to 11%. So, there’s a bit of doubt but that was expected with COVID.

I recently heard from a design/build company on the West Coast who said this will be their best year ever. However, the fallout from COVID in the design/build market may not be seen until 2021 since a lot of jobs were already booked and paid for. Many residential maintenance services did see an increase this year because of people working from home, while commercial maintenance did take somewhat of a hit.

For the industry as a whole, confidence is still high and only dropped 5% from last year. Last year 3% were “not confident at all” the industry would grow, while that jumped to 10% this year.

The major concern for the industry has been and still is labor. That’s followed by economic recession and the presidential election. Last year, labor was the top concern, followed by workers comp costs. High fuel costs were third and that wasn’t even in the top 10 this year. We listed COVID-19 as a concern and that came in 7th out of about 25 choices.

The entire State of the Industry report will be published in Lawn & Landscape’s October issue. www.lawnandlandscape.com

This has certainly been a year like no other. What started off as another normal year quickly turned into the strangest spring many of us have ever seen. Between increasing sales, social distancing, mask mandates and a whole host of new issues to deal with, the industry is one of few that’s weathering the storm well.

In fact, more than three-quarters of respondents said quarantine measures and the coronavirus had the biggest positive impact on sales this year. Despite the challenges it brought, COVID has definitely been good for business.

Edibles were on the rise as unemployment rose and parents looked for activities to do with their kids. New hobby gardeners entered IGCs for the first time and delivery, online ordering and curbside pickup became the new normal for many.

When asked how their garden center's spring 2019 sales compared to spring 2020, 87% cited an increase, 2% said they stayed about the same and 11% reported a decrease.

© CaptainMCity | Adobe Stock

Housing starts increased 22.6% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.496 million units, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That represents the biggest gain since October 2016. Single-family housing starts in July were at a rate of 940,000; this is 8.2% above the revised June figure of 869,000. At press time, July was the most current data.

Privately-owned housing completions in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.28 million, 3.6% above the revised June estimate of 1.23 million and is 1.7% above the July 2019 rate of 1.25 million. Single-family housing completions in July were at a rate of 909,000, 1.8% below the revised June rate of 926,000. 

Two years ago, the third generation of Mays officially assumed leadership of Florida-based May Nursery. Armed with valuable lessons from the second generation, the newest managers are implementing a strategic plan that will preserve the nursery for years to come.

Richard May, president and general manager, now runs the business with his brother Ashley and their cousins John Bradford and Joel. For the past 18 months, the team has been working through a strategic plan that includes specific goals and metrics.

“It’s one thing to run a nursery and pot up plants, but you have to be intentional about it, not only on a day-to-day basis, but on a large scale, as well,” Richard says.

The plan helped them drill down on questions such as: Who are our customers; Which customers are making us money; Which customers do we service well; and Which plants are profitable and why?

“We now have a plan that helps us answer these questions, as well as plan and prioritize for capital improvements. It also helps manage inventory, which is the single most important aspect of operating a successful nursery,” Richard says.

Being intentional about the business is something he learned from the EAGL (Executive Academy for Growth & Leadership) program. EAGL is an eight-month executive education program, developed specifically for the nursery and greenhouse production industry. It’s operated in part by Charlie Hall and Texas A&M University. Richard completed the program last year.

The nursery has been focusing on SKU management and identifying the most profitable plants. They grow more than 400 different species, varieties and cultivars with an emphasis on evergreens, flowering shrubs, perennials and grasses. May Nursery’s primary customer base includes rewholesalers, landscape contractors and independent garden centers throughout the eastern United States.

“Our primary shipping areas are cities and states that are east of the Mississippi River and located in Hardiness Zones 5-7. This is where we offer the greatest value for our customers from a price point and the ability to service them well,” he adds.

The strategic plan and their sharper focus allow the nursery to withstand recessions and other economic difficulties. Richard and the team have implemented lessons they learned from the Great Recession, which has strengthened the business.

“I think all nurseries are smarter than we were in 2007 to 2013. We survived, we know how to work lean and we know how to concentrate on our profitability,” Richard says. “We can always survive if we are selling out of each crop. We cannot survive throwing away unsold inventory.”

Learning lean principles

Mechanization and efficient production practices have been a major focus at the nursery this year.

“With the issues the industry is having with labor, there is no other option than to mechanize as much as possible and to be as efficient as possible with our labor,” he adds.

There’s a ballot initiative in Florida this year that could have serious repercussions in the green industry and beyond. This is not legislation, but a constitutional amendment that would mandate a $15 minimum wage. The wage would be implemented gradually, not in one fell swoop. The ballot initiative only needs 60% of the vote to pass, Richard explains.

“This is a frightening proposition for the nursery industry. This will force us to cut as many employees as possible and raise prices at the same time,” he says. “It will be a very difficult situation to navigate, as our current business model is not sustainable at $15 an hour for labor. Not to mention the overall inflation effect this will have on everything throughout the state of Florida.”

Currently the nursery employs up to 130 people, depending on the season and they don’t use the H-2A program.

With the possibility of a sharp increase in labor costs, the nursery has been working with FlowVision, a lean flow and inventory management company.

Richard initially contacted the company to help with the design of a new and expanded loading dock.

“It got to a point where I said, ‘this is the last loading dock that I’m going to build.’ And I didn’t want to build a loading dock and look back and regret certain decisions,” Richard says. “So, I asked them for help in designing the loading dock and it snowballed from there. We decided to go full force into the lean flow process. They’re looking at our processes and finding ways to improve certain procedures and systems.”

The nursery expects to change the way it ships, tags, pots and propagates plants, but not all at once, Richard says.

“Some things will take months to implement and others may not be implemented for a year,” he adds.

Richard believes they have the most ground to gain from an efficiency standpoint with their shipping procedures.

“Our hope is to not only create more capacity for shipping, but primarily to give us the ability to process orders and load trucks more efficiently,” he says. “FlowVision says they can decrease labor in shipping by 25%. That doesn’t mean we’re cutting 25% of our people. Instead, that 25% will be put to use in other areas of the nursery.”

Currently, the nursery is spread out and two major highways intersect their property.

“We have to cross highways with tractors and trucks filled with plants. We want to figure out how to cross those roads fewer times, as well as put more plants on trucks in a shorter amount of time using fewer people,” he explains.

For propagation and potting, their No. 1 focus is to achieve more output per employee. FlowVision is working on plans to produce a 25% labor savings in propagation and a 10% savings in potting.

Richard expects the entire process to increase quality and eliminate shrinkage.

The next generation

Richard has been working alongside his father Fount Jr. and his uncles Brad and Fred for 18 years. And it was around that same time when Fount Jr., Brad and Fred executed a succession plan for their sons. It may be a bit unorthodox to draw up a succession plan almost two decades before the next generation takes over, but the estate tax exemption at the time was low and the nursery’s value had grown.

“Our CPA recommended it, so they created a trust for the nursery stock. We’re a corporation, and the stock remains in that trust,” Richard explains. “We will gain control of the trust when we turn 50. Their intention was good, but looking back, they may have dragged out the process a little too far.”

But succession planning is critical, and Richard acknowledges that it’s best to start the conversation early.

“Keep the conversation moving forward even if you hit roadblocks. Don’t stop talking. Hire a family business or small business consultant to walk you through the process,” he says.

The nursery turns 50 in 2021, but Richard, Ashley, John Bradford and Joel aren’t ready to start the next succession plan.

“Our generation is waiting a few years because our children are too young — or not even born yet,” he says.

The transition from the second generation to the third has been smooth.

“The older generation has been good about letting us do what we need to do. They still give us advice, but let us do our own thing,” Richard says.

Some of the most important lessons Richard has learned from his dad and his uncles help drive the business today. Those lessons include: Never be ashamed to ask for your money; labor and inventory are the only variables you can control, so watch them closely; don’t grow what you like, grow what you can sell; and if you can sell something in the fall, sell it because, “dollar bills don’t freeze in the winter.”

Steve Castorani has always gotten satisfaction from working with his hands. Growing food in his gardens, a project in his woodworking shop, renovating a 200-year-old house, tinkering around on his 1946 Chevy truck or his motorcycle — the 64-year-old president of North Creek Nurseries is a worldly, well-rounded individual. It’s a trait he says has served him well and he recommends it to any aspiring horticulturist.

“Try and learn as much as you can about as many things as you can,” he says. “It’s great to be a specialist, but to run a farm or nursery you need to have an understanding of many different things. Plant geek plus engineer, business specialist. Be open to new experiences.”

At age 16, Steve began studying at the University of Delaware (UD). During that time, he started his first business. With his mom’s help, he bought a $500 pickup truck and a rototiller. After graduating in 1979, he began a landscape design and installation business.

Then, he founded Gateway Garden Center, a business his wife Peggy still manages.

In Gateway’s early years, Steve met a few influential Philadelphia-area plantsmen that guided him on his path. Dr. Dick Lighty, the founding director of the Mt. Cuba Center, was one of Steve's professors at UD. Dr. Darrel Apps was a prolific daylily breeder and former nursery owner who was leading the education program at Longwood Gardens. After attending one of Dr. Lighty's lectures at the Delaware Center for Horticulture, Steve expressed interest in incorporating grasses in his landscape designs. Dick suggested he seek out Dale Hendricks from GreenLeaf Perennials (now Aris), who was growing grasses on the side.

Dale was interested in native plants and ecological landscapes and wanted to start a specialty nursery.

After a few months of conversations, the two men decided to start a business together. Steve and Dale founded North Creek Nurseries in Landenberg, Pennsylvania in 1988.

In those early days, Dale was the driving force behind North Creek’s plant selection. Steve’s clear head and conservative approach to the business made for a strong foundation.

“He obviously took risks on the likes of me,” Dale laughs. “But of the two of us, I’m the crazy risk-taker and he was the level hand. That level hand is really what’s needed to run a business of that size.”

Along the way, Dr. Apps convinced Steve and Dale to get involved in the International Plant Propagators’ Society. That proved to be an organization that benefited all sides. Steve developed friendships and found mentors like Dick Bir, a North Carolina State University professor and extension specialist who was one of the godfathers of the modern native plant movement. And Steve was true to the IPPS ethos “To Seek and To Share,” taking leadership roles, including president, giving talks at meetings and tours to teach the younger generation, as he once was taught. He was awarded the honor of Society Fellow in 2005 and became the recipient of the society’s prestigious Award of Merit in 2012.

Photos by Mike Olliver

Dedication to natives

In 2004 Steve co-created the American Beauties Native Plants brand with Mark Sellew of Prides Corner Farms. When the brand was established, it partnered with the National Wildlife Foundation’s wildlife habitat program. During the first 10 years of the program, the brand donated more than $275,000 to NWF. North Creek makes a point of trialing all the plants it propagates.

Dale says that Steve pushed to make sure the nursery was growing landscape-friendly plants, not just ones that would excel in “the rarified environment of the greenhouse.”

North Creek maintains its landscape trial gardens on the property and invites potential customers to tours and open houses.

Listen and lead

Steve respects his employees and the decisions they make. It’s a good leadership mentality, he says, and it helped during the recession when North Creek needed to find areas from production to shipping that could become more efficient.

“Make sure you are a good listener,” he says. “It’s best to gain a thorough understanding of people and processes before making judgments. Everyone has a story and you will be amazed what you can learn by asking questions.”

The current COVID crisis is another example of how successful nursery owners need to be able to roll with the punches.

“You have to be adaptable, have faith in the future, stay focused and work hard,” Steve says.

Life experiences

Steve Castorani’s parents were Italian immigrants. His father, a mushroom grower, died when Steve was two years old. His mother, who ran a liquor store in Wilmington, Delaware, raised him with the help of his grandparents.

The family gardened and grew a lot of their own food. Coming from Italy and growing up during the Great Depression, they were self-reliant — a virtue that Steve learned well.

When he was eight years old, Steve’s mother enrolled him at Girard College, an orphanage for fatherless boys in Philadelphia. Stephen Girard had no heirs and used his vast fortune to set up a school that would mentor and educate fatherless boys from poor families.

“What that meant back then was to prepare us for life by training for a trade or a vocation so we would find employment for the rest of our life,” Steve says.

The Girard curriculum was quite different than what a young boy would learn in a typical orphanage or boarding school. Steve learned woodworking, electrical, even became a mechanical draftsperson before he was 16. Although being away from family was difficult and he didn’t always enjoy his time there, Steve’s experience at Girard shaped him into the man he is.

Photos by Mike Olliver

“My deeds must be my life, when I am dead my actions must speak for me.”

Those words were inscribed into the chapel at Girard College and Steve read them every time he walked into the building. He’s always remembered that quote, and Girard’s words remind him to put value on his time and the actions taken in his own life. From having a family and raising two sons and seeing them be successful in their own lives to being an entrepreneur with the opportunity to make a difference in others’ lives. He encourages others to find their passion and focus on what’s important. He’s proud of his accomplishments at North Creek, as well, and the difference it has made in the lives of many people.