Meet the Growers, Jill and Jason

How long have you been with Al’s and what are your responsibilities?

Jill:  I’ve been at Al’s for just under two years.  Actually Halloween will be the official two year anniversary of my arrival in Oregon, as well as Al’s.  I’m originally from the East Coast (I grew up in Pennsylvania and then spent the past 10 years in New Hampshire) and fall has always been, hands down, my favorite season.  I love the atmosphere and textures and colors of the plants in the fall, the celebration of the harvest, so I’m happy to have such a great milestone attached to one of my already favorite holidays.  That and it’s a convenient excuse to sneak a little extra from the candy bowl. 

I am the Head Annuals Grower, which means I oversee the production, care, scheduling, and maintenance of all the annuals and vegetables that we grow throughout the year, as well as specialty crops like Poinsettias. 

Jason:  I have been with Al’s for almost two years. I am the Head Perennial Grower and I am responsible for planning, scheduling and growing all of Al’s perennials. I begin with planning and finding seeds, cuttings, root divisions or young plants from other growers and finish when the plants have been sent to the garden center.  I make sure the perennials at Al’s are ready on time, healthy and ready for the consumer.

What got you interested in plants or made you decide that you wanted to be a grower?
Jill:  I was always interested in biology and the natural world in school, and I intended my college major to be environmental science.  Penn State was my destination, but before I could officially pick a major I had to attend a summer orientation where all of the departments that were part of the Agricultural Program got to make their pitches to the students. The rep from the Horticulture department spoke - something clicked and I was hooked, and I haven’t looked back since. 

While in school, I still wasn’t studying to be a grower.  My focus was on plant breeding and I was fully expecting to embark on a career in that area.  However, when I graduated, one of my earliest job opportunities was for an assistant grower, so I took it on a whim, figuring it would be good experience.  Again, something clicked and I was hooked and I haven’t looked back.  I like the challenge and the fast pace, but I’m also looking forward to being an eccentric hobbyist plant breeder in my retirement.

Jason:  My family always had a garden when I was growing up. I have always enjoyed getting dirty and digging in the earth, so I suppose I have always been interested in plants. To be honest, I never knew that this was a career option until I had graduated from college and was looking for a way to put my horticulture degree to good use. There are many career options in the horticulture industry, but I love being on the front line, so to speak, and actually producing the final product.

What is your most valuable tip for new gardeners?
Jill:  This is coming from a self proclaimed perfectionist, so I know first hand how hard this can be sometimes (okay a lot of the time) but the greatest piece of advice I can give is to not be discouraged if things don’t turn out perfectly.  To me, the journey is the most fun.  Sure, we’d all love to end up with the perfect crop of vegetables or perfect flower bed, but if it doesn’t turn out the way you expected  - I think it makes it that much more rewarding in the end when you learn what went wrong and how to fix it.  Besides, if it was perfect all the time, where would all the funny stories come from? 

Jason:  My best advice to new gardeners is to know where the sun shines. I see a lot of shade plants fry in the sun and a lot of plants fail in the shade. I myself have been guilty of planting a beautiful garden only to realize months later that the trees have leafed out and shaded what was once a sunny spot.

Which plant gives you the most headaches as a grower, but is totally worth it?
Jill:  Strobilanthes hands down.  Persian Shield, as it’s more commonly known, is one of those plants that’s difficult to propagate and get started.  It likes to flower under short days (when the natural daylight is less than 12 hours per day), and when it goes into flower, it doesn’t like to grow.  It also loves the heat, so if it’s too cold - it doesn’t like to grow.  However, when you time it right and grow it at the right time of year, you end up with a plant that has beautiful purple leaves with an iridescent shimmer to them.  Each leaf can grow 4-7 inches long, and the plant itself will grow 2-3 feet, making it a striking focal point in containers or in the landscape.  This plant is prized for it’s foliage, but when the days turn short again in the fall, small blue flowers will appear on stalks like you would see with a coleus or catmint.

Jason: Hellebores are plant that can be problematic in a greenhouse especially in pots in the hot summer sun, but are amazing when they are in full bloom in December and January. Not to fear though they do fine in the ground and are evergreen as well.

What are some of your favorite plants for foliage this fall?
Jill:  I think when most people think of annuals, flowers and color immediately come to mind, so I feel like annual foliage plants often get neglected.  Which is why, when choosing what I wanted to include in this fall collection, I went heavier to plants with interesting foliage characteristics - be it texture or color.   For containers or window boxes, one of my favorites is Creeping Jenny.  Pretty basic, true, but I think it’s really cool when it’s been allowed to grow and trail like it wants to.  It looks like a chain of coins and is very noticeable from a distance, especially in late summer/fall when the foliage intensifies in color, either deep emerald green or bright yellow. 

Jason:  Heucheras are my favorite for foilage. They come in tons of colors, are easy to grow and will take the shade. They come speckled, splotched, striped, or in solid colors.  There is something for everyone. 

What are some of your favorite blooming plants for fall?
Jill:  I’ve recently become really interested in fibrous begonias as a great versatile plant, especially in late summer/early fall.  I never really thought twice about them until last summer when I saw them in the landscape near the farm in August and they were huge and absolutely covered with flowers.  You could see them from a distance and I had to do a double take when I got close and saw they were begonias.  I was used to begonias being stuck in the shade (my east coast bias kicking in again - summers are hot and humid so begonias can’t hack the sun), but in Oregon they seem to thrive in the sun and put on a great show.

Jason:  Rudbeckias.   They bloom in shades of yellow, orange and red. They love the heat and are fairly drought tolerant. They can get fairly large as well so they make an impressive display when in full bloom. Some varieties are truly hardy perennials and others are annual.

What are some workhorse plants that look great, and are relatively easy to care for that everyone should have in their yard this fall?
Jill:  I’m going to leave this question to Jason!

Jason:  I would have to say sedums. Sedums are hard to kill, barely need water and come in lots of colors, sizes and textures. There are creeping varieties for groundcovers, containers or rock gardens. Upright varieties can be fine specimen plants or incorporated into any garden. Some have impressive flowers but nearly all of them have great foliage.

What plants do you think are the most misunderstood, but can be fantastic in the landscape in fall?
Jill:  Osteos have been traditionally associated with early spring, as they thrive in cool temperatures, but for some reason we never think of them in the fall when they would be equally as happy when the temperatures start to cool off again.  I’ve included two colors in our fall collection - White, which is the traditional white flower with the blue center (and little hints of lilac on the back of the petals), and Sunset, which is part of a new trend in colors for Osteos.  It’s a nice terracotta orange color, perfect for fall. 

Jason:  Ornamental grasses are one group of plants that many people under appreciate. At first glance it may look like something that should be mowed but the multitude of textures forms sizes and colors are quite varied. My favorites for fall are the larger ones in full blooms that have the size to blow in the breeze like ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass, or the smaller sedges in oranges and yellows, which are better suited for containers.

And finally, what is your favorite “plant nerd” fact? 
Jill:  This may be a little off subject, but I find this fascinating.  I like to bake, and I’ve always wondered why vanilla extract is SO expensive!  Turns out while Vanilla plants are self-fertile, they can’t self pollinate.  Attempts at introducing pollinators like bees into commercial production farms have failed and so the vast majority of vanilla bean production is pollinated by hand!  This accounts for 40% of the labor cost for the entire production, and if a flower isn’t pollinated on the morning it opens, the flower closes in the afternoon and drops off the plant.  Vanilla is apparently very high maintenance, so I no longer balk at the price because I appreciate what a tedious job that must be hand pollinating all those flowers. 

Jason:  Favorite plant trivia: aphids are born pregnant, yuck.

Pictured right:  The 2010 J & J Collection:  Persian Shield, Hellebore, Sedum, Osteo, Rudbeckia, Orange Sedge, Creeping Jenny, Fibrous Begonia