Get to know Kayela Aeppli

Katie McDaniel: How did you get started in the horticulture industry?

Kayela Aeppli: I have always really loved plants and working in a garden. I actually come from a family of farmers, and I used to spend my summers with my grammy and pappy and my great grandparents on their properties. For the most part, I was a typical kid, mainly up to no good — climbing in the hay barn, jumping into beans, doing kid stuff, but I would help my pappy feed the animals. My great grandmother loved her flower gardens, and we would spend the days planting flowers and picking berries; that was always really fun.

But growing up, I always thought having a job in ag would be corn or cows. I never really heard the term horticulture until I started at Tankard Nurseries. I wish I had thought of it sooner. I would have loved to have a degree in hort, like I see so many others. But I was just looking for something new career-wise, and a friend recommended the job to me because they know how much I love plants. I started Valentine’s Day 2022, which I think is an absolutely fitting day to start a job that you love.

KM: What is your favorite part of being the Mid-Atlantic sales representative at Tankard Nurseries?

KA: Without a doubt, my customers. I absolutely love everybody I get to talk to. Some people I talk to almost daily. I’ve got to meet so many amazing people in this industry, and I’m absolutely blessed by the people that I work with daily, both here at Tankard Nurseries and then also my customers.

My boss, Ed Tankard, is absolutely amazing. He gives us a lot of opportunities to grow in the industry and learn. Not coming from a horticulture background, I’ve gotten to go to different trade events like MANTS (Mid-Atlantic Nursery Tradeshow), events with VNLA, which is the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association, Cultivate and all kinds of education opportunities online as well. He gives us a lot of chances to grow and learn, and I love that. I love that everyone in the industry is always willing to share information or help each other out, so I would say besides my customers, that would be the second part.

KM: What’s your favorite part of MANTS?

KA: We have been exhibiting at MANTS since the very beginning. We have absolutely loved it, totally an amazing show. My favorite part would be getting to see my customers firsthand and getting that face-to-face time with them, seeing what’s going on and hearing their stories of how the year’s been and what they’re looking for into the next year. I feel like it’s a reunion — getting to come together with everybody and getting to grow and learn together. I think it’s so nice.

KM: So, you mentioned growing up in a family of farmers. Why did you decide to have a career specifically in horticulture?

KA: I was looking for something new career-wise, and at the same time I was offered this position, I was actually offered two other roles in a different industry. So, I was trying to decide what was going to be the best fit for me. And like I said, I absolutely love plants. I love seeing something grow and change. I love the opportunity for myself to grow and change. And when I came to interview here, it just felt like coming home. Our office is a two-story white farmhouse, and it’s surrounded by acres of plants and all kinds of stuff; it just is beautiful. It felt like the best place to come to work every day. We spend most of our lives working, so you’ve got to love what you do. And I do.

KM: Tankard Nurseries is composed of four divisions, above ground containers, pot and pot, B&B, and specimen trees and hollies. What is the nursery’s top-selling plant?

KA: Definitely the big stuff, specifically like our big Green Giant (arborvitae). We start selling those in a 10 gallon and all the way up to 20 feet plus. Otherwise, we’ve got some big skip laurels in 7 and 25 gallons. We started doing 100- and 200-gallon containers this year, so that’s something new on availability — not necessarily top selling yet, but I could see it happening, specifically with our crape myrtles. We did those in 100 gallons to try and extend the planting season for those. We’ve also got some big boxwood in the B&B fields — large Green Velvets and Green Mountains.

KM: How do you unwind after a busy day?

KA: That would depend on the day of the week. I keep myself pretty busy. I probably have too many hobbies. I’m really active in my church, and I am a troop leader with American Heritage Girls, a faith-based scouting group. Then I also line dance once a week. I’ve been line dancing for about three years. I love to be outside, so depending on the weather, it changes what that hobby is going to be. We live on a beautiful peninsula surrounded by beaches in the summer and then hiking. A friend and I did a half marathon hike earlier this year, which was awesome. I also ride my motorcycle.

KM: In the spirit of fall, what is your go-to fall coffee order?

KA: I do love a good coffee, but I am definitely more of a spiced tea girl. I love a good chai, but it’s still been pretty warm out, so I’ve been doing an iced pumpkin chai latte.

For more: tankardnurseries.com

All photos and drone video footage provided by Tankard Nurseries.