The Perennial Plant Association selected Tony Avent, President of Plant Delights Nursery, to receive its highest honor, the 2013 Perennial Plant Association Award of Merit. This award recognizes Avent as an individual who has significantly contributed to the herbaceous perennial plant industry. The award was presented in late July at the Thirty-First Perennial Plant Symposium in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Award of Merit is the highest honor bestowed by the Perennial Plant Association and is given to Avent in recognition of his outstanding career achievements in propagation, production and retail marketing success with the perennials.
Tony has had a lifelong passion for plants. Born and raised in Raleigh, N.C., he attended North Carolina State University where he studied under the renowned horticulturist J.C. Raulston and graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Horticultural Science.
He founded Plant Delights Nursery and Juniper Level Botanic Gardens in 1988. In addition to running the nursery and botanical trial gardens, Tony is a plant breeder who is best known for his Hosta breeding program. To feed his passion for plants, Tony travels the world on plant hunting expeditions to search for rare and unusual specimens. He is a prolific writer as well with a trademark sense of humor, having authored a book (So You Want to Start a Nursery, 2003, Timber Press) and dozens of newspaper, magazine, and web articles. He has appeared on multiple television programs, including Martha Stewart Living and numerous appearances on PBS shows.
Tony is currently celebrating 25 successful years in the perennial plant catalog and internet order business at Plant Delights Nursery, Inc. www.plantdelights.com
Perennial Plant Association, headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, is a trade association composed of growers, retailers, landscape designers and contractors, educators, and others that are professionally involved in the herbaceous perennial industry.