Nursery Management’s 2025 year in review

Top 10 stories

1. Why did DCA Outdoor file for bankruptcy? - Learn what went wrong and what’s next for the green industry giant as it navigates Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
2. Everde Growers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy - Announcing its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Everde Growers has reaffirmed its commitment to customers, vendors and growth.
3. Is there life beyond Green Giant? - The legendary tall hedge is often in short supply. We survey the broader Thuja landscape, searching for other larger-than-life options.
4. 2025 Native Plant Market Report – research - From ecological benefits to landscape adaptability, find out what’s driving sales of native plants in North America.
5. The next 100 years - Kankakee Nursery Co.’s fourth generation honors the past while planning for the future.
6. Award-winning roses: A.R.T.S. names fourteen exceptional varieties - Explore region-specific, sustainable rose recommendations and discover 14 new award-winning roses from A.R.T.S., proven to thrive in your climate.
7. USDA fires experts on invasive pests, including Asian citrus psyllid, chilli thrips - Among those who lost their jobs is Jonah Ulmer, a national taxonomist and the federal government’s foremost authority on thrips and psyllids
8. Florida nurseries devastated by snow storm - Growers in the Florida panhandle region are facing millions of dollars in losses and structural damage following unprecedented levels of snow, sleet and freezing rain.
9. These companies are utilizing plastic alternatives to reduce horticultural waste - Green industry firms seek solutions for waste reduction.
10. Shifting the urban environment - Forrest Keeling Nursery supplies The Giving Grove with native trees that are used in community orchards and food forests across the country.

2025 cover stories:

• January: The next 100 years — Kankakee Nursery Co.’s fourth generation honors the past while planning for the future
• February: Is there life beyond Green Giant? — The legendary tall hedge is often in short supply. We survey the broader Thuja landscape, searching for other larger-than-life options.
• March: The Leading Women of Horticulture — In honor of Women's History Month, Greenhouse Management and Nursery Management hosted conversations among inspirational women who bring fresh perspectives to the industry.
• April: Shifting the urban environment — Forrest Keeling Nursery supplies The Giving Grove with native trees that are used in community orchards and food forests across the country.
• May: Farm to market — Arizona-based Francis Roses launched a direct-to-consumer platform designed to broaden the availability of this storied and beloved crop.
• June: How Pleasant Run Nursery finds success on its own terms — Maybe it’s the golf carts or solar panels. Maybe it’s the peacock strutting through the greenhouses. Carl Hesselein, fifth-generation nurseryman and Pleasant Run’s president, likes it that way. Being different makes it fun.
• July: All in the family — Bill Dewar's humble leadership, deep industry passion and commitment to his team transformed Dewar Nurseries into a top grower.
• August: Native before it was cool — Tom Knezick is continually evolving Pinelands Nursery, and he is proud to supply plants for environmental restoration projects, making the world a greener place.
• September: Embrace the growth mindset — Whether it's bringing a new plant to market or creating a system that saves time and resources, Heather Gronek is motivated by the idea of making things better.
• October: A common purpose — Doty Nurseries’ success is rooted in the team’s ability to expand production, diversify its customer base and continue clean growing habits, all while maintaining a positive company culture.
• November: From growing plants to growing people Qualitree — CEO Gary Neels has developed resilience through loss and learned how being vulnerable is not a weakness but a strength.
• December: Earned loyalty — T&L Nursery has built a business where employees choose to stay because they’re given good reasons to work hard.

Topics to note

Artificial intelligence:

• Innovations in irrigation: On the cutting edge of irrigation and control technology, some growers are adding AI technology to their operations. For example, these units can take historical climate data, future weather forecasts, past production parameters and crop quality/yield metrics to determine the best production conditions to replicate outcomes.
• MANTS 2025 recap, collaborative robots: Burro are robots that utilize computer vision, high-precision GPS and AI to follow people and navigate autonomously from A to B while performing multiple tasks. The robots run on “digital train tracks” through complex settings, all day long, even if GPS is not available. They use AI to understand their surroundings and safely travel through tall weeds and branches but stop for real obstacles and people.

Labor:

• State of the Industry Report, labor: Labor is once again the biggest challenge nurseries face. Still, nurseries have found ways to add employees since last year’s survey. This year’s survey respondents have placed more of a priority on attracting the next generation.
• Weed Control Report: Find out how growers across the country dedicate labor for weed control.

Drought Tolerance:

• Green infrastructure: Growing for a hotter future: Marketing climate-smart plants as part of green infrastructure helps nurseries meet municipal, landscape and environmental demands while promoting sustainability and resilience.
• Acer truncatum trees and hybrids: heat, drought and cold-tolerant maples for commercial landscapes

Sustainability:

• How to create a sustainable plant nursery: Create a sustainable plant nursery by managing inputs effectively, reducing waste and minimizing the nursery’s footprint.
• Bolstering nursery sustainability by recycling growing media: How recycled growing media can help decrease the costs and environmental pressures of the green industry.
• These companies are utilizing plastic alternatives to reduce horticultural waste: Green industry firms seek solutions for waste reduction.
• Highlights from Cultivate’25: Discover key highlights from Cultivate’25, AmericanHort’s premier horticulture event, featuring sustainable innovations, biodegradable products and new plant introductions for nurseries and growers.