The Must Have Perennials supply chain includes breeder , licensees , growers , and retailers . These diligence partners work together to deliver the upright garden perennials to garden consumer . One of the most important links in this chain is the licensee connection .
Creek Hill Nursery , is based in Leola , PA . Creek Hill has build a report for comprehend diversity , initiation , value and sustainability in their products and practice . A perennial liner manufacturer , Creek Hill leave starter plants in tray of 21 , 50 and 72 . Most of the perennial they grow are typically audacious to Zone 7 . They have been committed to providing value and quality to their customers for over 30 year .
Ron Strasko set up Creek Hill Nursery in 1990 , after spending 15 years at Green Leaf Plants . Creek Hill has acquire to five grow locations in Lancaster County , PA , with eight Accho of young repeated lining output .
Ron ’s Word , Ross Strasko , took over as the Chief Executive of Creek Hill Nursery in former 2022 . Must Have Perennials spoke with Ross about some of the exciting things materialise at Creek Hill , and how they differentiate themselves from other perennial growers .
Creek Hill is very much a “ family business ” when it follow to how you view your squad . How does this enhance your culture , and do you think it gives you an edge on your competition?We do have a familial feeling with our stave , and I think it place a tone of voice that make a more pleasant and productive oeuvre environment for employees and admin . I started my life history in the industriousness as a raiser here at Creek Hill and I believe how you ’d require an employer to treat you or your sept is really the starting point of our employment doctrine here . The more you take guardianship of your employees : the more loyalty you ’re rewarded with by your squad . Labor is tough and private-enterprise right now . However , our team continues to develop and get over any challenge that have snip up and I ’m very proud of them .
What was your path to gardening and what do you find to be the most rewarding view of the business?When I started , I did n’t actually think to get involved in the industry ! I just kind of kind of fell into it and then fell in love with it about 9 years ago . I started out as a grower and promptly realized I loved working with plant life , and as time went on , I discover all about running a business as I worked in the office and dealt directly with our customers . It ’s rewarding to be hands - on and have a part in all aspects of the business , whether it be world-wide manager - eccentric duties or picking the rules of order that are going out to our customers . I think that keep back me in touch with our crop and tie in with our customers .
How does Creek Hill secernate itself from other growers?The smorgasbord we choose to grow set us aside from much of our competition . We curate what we believe are the best perennials from provider big and pocket-size , rather than taking on entire product lists . We shape with tougher - to - grow works ( even though they may be less monetary value - effective ) if they ’re a great ware , and we often encounter less rivalry that style . From a production stand , for the past 12 year we ’ve put a heavy direction on sustainability . This include things like minimizing our spray regimen , scouting , utilizing Integrated Pest Management techniques , and compost “ tea ” software . We finger safe about this approach shot because it ’s improved employee safety , production efficaciousness , and environmental impacts . We ’re always looking for estimable way to do things .
How do you solve client ’ problems and play their needs?We focus on educate our customers as much as possible , which lean to make them more successful in the long run . It also make thing more interesting for us . We like to precede them to genera they may not have much intimacy with , which is knowledge they can then exceed on to their customers . gardening is always changing , and we ’ve found that taking the time to share our noesis makes for more successful and patriotic customer .
What are some of the challenge you ’ve deal with over the past two years?Since Covid happened , labor availability has been one of the liberal issues we ’ve trade with . As it happens , a lot of local restaurant doer were displaced during the pandemic and they made a great fit for Creek Hill . The repeated sale season timing was affected , which had a big encroachment on all of our scheduling . Covid forced us to become more flexible than we ’d been before . Being forced to be more introverted and flexible was difficult but actually a blessing because it added position to how we do things and shake us out of becoming too comfortable . Like everyone else , we ’ve also been dealing with provision chain issue which has led to us work much more closely with our suppliers than we did before . So , there were sure challenge posed by the past few year , but we establish some eloquent linings along the way .
Which Must Have Perennials varieties have you had winner with?One thing I appreciate about Must Have Perennials is your tolerant and eclectic mix of varieties . Our customer have responded well to the Westcountry Lupines . They are superior lupines in world-wide , prosperous in production , and they stomach heat and perform good than seed varieties . Lychnis ‘ Petit Henri ’ and ‘ Petite Jenny ’ are very telling and we ’re pick up a quite a little of need for them . Buddleja ‘ Butterfly Gold ’ is a beautiful new variety and Polemonium ‘ Brise d’Anjou ’ is a preferent , mass love it .
What are your hopes for the future of the industry?I think it would be keen if the green industry became more green than it presently is . The use of plastics and peat really is n’t sustainable , and I ’m glad to see many masses are doing work to make ripe selection . I hope greener practices become more widespread in the near future tense . We , as an industry , are in the job of make natural beauty . What effective direction to help our industry thrive than by investing in practices that aid us become more connected with our ecosystem and our satellite as a whole ? This would be a bully way to give back to our client , our community , and our environment .
