Greenhouse Grower to Grower

During Cultivate’26, Stephen Weichsel, Program Manager for Young Plants at Green Circle Growers in Oberlin, OH, will talk about how to leverage data-driven tools to measure and optimize plant performance, streamline operations, and boost profitability. He’ll also outline real-world, practical strategies for creating and applying actionable KPIs to drive efficiency in the greenhouse. I caught up wi...

In this episode, Greenhouse Grower’s Brian Sparks and Marisa Reyes talk about highlights from Darwin Perennials Day, and what we’re most looking forward to at Cultivate’26. 

Jessie Jacobson grew up with an interest in horticulture, but when she became President and Owner of Tonkadale Greenhouse in Minnetonka, MN, in 2016, her passion for plants expanded into a passion for building a healthy team and cultivating a positive work environment. At Cultivate’26, Jessie will join a panel of her peers to talk about practical approaches to onboarding, internal communication, l...

Earlier this month, three long-time floriculture industry operations joined forces to launch WorryFree Plants, a portfolio of plants designed exclusively for independent garden centers. This new entity was formed to provide a bridge between world-class plant breeders and independent garden centers. In this episode, I talk to Mark Sellew, President of Prides Corner Farms, Ed Overdevest, President o...

Greenhouse Grower’s June 2026 issue, which is hitting mailboxes this week, features a cover story on the legacy and future of America in Bloom, how it’s helped communities across the country become both more beautiful and more sustainable, and how and why greenhouse growers can get involved in America in Bloom. I had a great conversation with Laura Kunkle, Executive Director of America in Bloom, B...

For the team here at Greenhouse Grower, the month of May means the Top 100 Growers. Throughout this month, we’ll be featuring conversations with members of our 2026 Top 100 Growers list, which you can learn more about in our May issue. This week, I’m joined by Adam Kelley, Chief Information Officer at Metrolina Greenhouses. Adam’s background in both biology and supply chain logistics have played a...

Cultivate’26 takes place less than two months from now, and there’s always something new happening at this event. In this episode of the Greenhouse Grower to Grower podcast, I talk to Meagan Nace, Senior Manager of Education Program Development at AmericanHort, and Cindy Lee, AmericanHort’s Exhibit and Sponsorship Sales Manager, about new activities such as the Coach’s Corner and expanded Spanish...

For the team here at Greenhouse Grower, the month of May means the Top 100 Growers. Throughout this month, we’ll be featuring conversations with members of our 2026 Top 100 Growers list, which you can learn more about in our May issue. This week, I’m joined by John Hardiman, CEO of Florida-based American Farms, an annuals and perennials grower that was recently acquired by the Hoffmann Family of C...

Last week, Dümmen Orange and Syngenta Flowers announced an agreement to establish a strategic joint venture that is designed to help them better serve growers around the world. Shortly after that announcement, I sat down for an exclusive conversation with Dümmen Orange CEO Ellen Mackenbach-Lakeman and Mark Schermer, Global Head of Syngenta Flowers, to learn more about this partnership, including h...

or the team here at Greenhouse Grower, the month of May means the Top 100 Growers. Throughout this month, we’ll be featuring conversations with members of our 2026 Top 100 Growers list, which you can learn more about in our May issue. This week, I’m joined by Michael LaRusso and Lucas Ellis from Hampshire Farms, which won Greenhouse Grower’s 2025 Operation of the Year award. Michael is a section g...

For the team here at Greenhouse Grower, the month of May means the Top 100 Growers. Throughout this month, we’ll be featuring conversations with members of our 2026 Top 100 Growers list, which you can learn more about in our May issue. This week, I’m joined by Brian Lloyd, CEO of Olson’s Greenhouse Gardens, which is based in Utah but has greenhouse facilities in three other states. One of the keys...

For the team here at Greenhouse Grower, the month of May means the Top 100 Growers. Throughout this month, we’ll be featuring conversations with members of our 2026 Top 100 Growers list, which you can learn more about in our May issue. This week, I’m joined by Mike Joy of N. Casertano Greenhouses, a third-generation perennial greenhouse located in Connecticut. Inventory management is a big priorit...

For the team here at Greenhouse Grower, May means the Top 100 Growers. Throughout this month, we’ll be featuring conversations with members of our 2026 Top 100 Growers list, which you can learn more about in our May issue. This week, I’m joined by Tom Van Wingerden of Van Wingerden Greenhouses in Washington state. Over the past couple years, Van Wingerden Greenhouses has taken on several new proje...

Last month the Greenhouse Grower team made our annual trip to the West Coast for the 2026 California Spring Trials. In this episode of the Greenhouse Grower to Grower podcast, Marisa Reyes and Allan Armitage talk about their favorite plants, trends, and overall takeaways. 

Earlier this year, Amy Ryan assumed ownership of Stonehouse Nursery, a Southwest Michigan-based wholesale grower of native and classic perennial liners. Amy’s roots at Stonehouse Nursery go back nearly 30 years when she first joined the summer potting crew. She earned her degree in Nursery and Greenhouse Production and Management from The Ohio State University, and after gaining additional industr...

The March 2026 issue of Greenhouse Grower featured a closer look at how PCR and DNA sequencing are improving pathogen testing and identification in greenhouses. In this episode of the Greenhouse Grower to Grower podcast, we dig a bit deeper into how this type of technology is evolving, and how growers can best take advantage of it, from the perspective of two industry insiders. I’m joined by Aubry...

The floriculture industry never stops innovating, and that includes growers as well as industry suppliers. This episode is the fourth and final part of our Leaders in Floriculture podcast series, where we talk to experts in plant breeding, plant health, and greenhouse technology, about the important roles they play in innovation, sustainability, and helping to shape the future of floriculture. In...

Jazmin Albarran is the main voice behind Seed Your Future, which works to build connections between the horticulture industry and students of all ages. In between her many travels to visit with students and industry members, I caught up with Jazmin to talk about Seed Your Future’s biggest accomplishments in 2025, how students were able to connect personally with horticulture companies at industry...

The floriculture industry never stops innovating, and that includes growers as well as industry suppliers. This episode is the third part of our Leaders in Floriculture podcast series, where we talk to experts in plant breeding, plant health, and greenhouse technology, about the important roles they play in innovation, sustainability, and helping to shape the future of floriculture. In this episod...

In late January of this year, our team at Greenhouse Grower broke the news that Smith Gardens, a Pacific Northwest-based fourth generation Top 100 growing operation, had been acquired by the Hoffmann Family of Companies, which just last year had also acquired N.G. Heimos Greenhouses in Illinois. The partnership expands Hoffmann’s rapidly growing agricultural assets into a new geographic region, an...

Amanda Solliday has become a go-to resource for sustainability in the green industry. She recently became Senior Program Manager for American Floral Endowment’s Sustainabloom project, and she also co-wrote a research paper on improving environmental practices in horticulture. Prior to that, she worked with a team to produce a series of industry guides that provide insights and practical strategies...

In this episode, Greenhouse Grower’s Brian Sparks, Marisa Reyes, and Kristin Zeit talk about Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 survey, how the CEA market continues to evolve, and why we’re exciting for California Spring Trials. Plus, some gangster talk. 

The floriculture industry never stops innovating, and that includes growers as well as industry suppliers. This episode is the first part of our Leaders in Floriculture podcast series, where we talk to experts in plant breeding, plant health, and greenhouse technology, about the important roles they play in innovation, sustainability, and helping to shape the future of floriculture. In this episod...

We’re excited to bring in Dr. Allan Armitage, a long-time contributor to Greenhouse Grower and an accomplished author, speaker, and consultant for the green industry, as a regular guest on the Greenhouse Grower to Grower podcast. In this episode, Allan and I talk about his new book, what it takes to grab his attention at events like California Spring Trials, and more. Here’s our conversation. 

The floriculture industry never stops innovating, and that includes growers as well as industry suppliers. This episode is the first part of our Leaders in Floriculture podcast series, where we talk to experts in plant breeding, plant health, and greenhouse technology, about the important roles they play in innovation, sustainability, and helping to shape the future of floriculture. In this episod...