We asked Wayne County farmer Lee Casey of Casey Nursery how he plans what to plant. Read his answer:
We grow woody ornamentals, trees and perennials with a crop rotation of one-to-five seasons. Much of what we grow we call “bread and butter plants” because they are the backbone of the landscapes in our area. Choosing those is easy, and we base the quantity and finished sizes on consumer preferences.
It’s new plants, though, that attract the customer and keep our business fresh and exciting, so we are constantly looking for new additions. We utilize plant development/marketing companies to provide new introductions and create demand through marketing to the public. We also get ideas for new plants from touring arboretums, nurseries and garden centers. From there, our task is to choose the plants that fit into our production practices. We ask ourselves if it will fit into our production management, is suitable for our market, is an improved variety to replace an old variety and do we have the facilities to produce it. If a plant fits our criteria, we try it out first in small quantities and hope it becomes a new standard.
About the Farmer: Lee Casey and his two sons operate Casey Nursery, a wholesale nursery in Wayne County. He also serves as chairman of the NC Farm Bureau Ornamental Horticulture Advisory Committee.
