Plant Delights Nursery
Encyclopedia
Plant Delights Nursery is a mail order
plant nursery
based in Raleigh
, North Carolina
specializing in herbaceous
perennials. Plant Delights was founded in 1988 by the plantsman
Tony Avent
and his wife Michelle Avent. The nursery currently has a 2.5 acre production facility. Proceeds from the nursery help fund the Juniper Level Botanic Gardens
which is located on the same parcel of land. The nursery is run primarily as a mail order
plant nursery
but also has an extensive online shopping presence and has periodic open houses where it sells plants directly to the public. Plant Delights has a widely acclaimed specialty catalog
with humorous, topical covers drawn by the acclaimed cartoonist Jack Pittman
. Plant Delights Nursery has been featured in many newspapers, magazines, and on television.
had a life-long love of plants and dreamed of owning a plant nursery. His parents built him a greenhouse
when he was 8 years old and as a child he grew and sold plants as a hobby. Tony studied Horticulture
at North Carolina State University
under the late renowned horticulturist JC Raulston. After college, he worked for the North Carolina State Fairgrounds as its Landscape Director
. While there, he purchased a home and some property at 9241 Sauls Road in Raleigh. This parcel would eventually become Plant Delights Nursery.
When Plant Delights Nursery first opened its doors in 1988, it was run as a part-time operation in the Avents' back yard. The business grew quickly and in 1994 Tony quit his day job to focus on the nursery full time. From its initial production area of just one greenhouse, the business has grown to 30 greenhouses covering 2.5 acres. As the business expanded, the Avents' purchased adjacent properties. The nursery conducts extensive field trials
in research beds at the Juniper Level Botanic Gardens
before releasing new plants to the public.
Tony Avent
collects
rare and unusual plants from all over the world during his frequent plant hunting expeditions. These and plants from other prominent collectors such as Dan Hinkley
, Darrell Probst, Barry Yinger, Ozzie Johnson, Hans Hansen, Alan Galloway and Bleddyn Wynn-Jones are trialed for several years in the nursery's field trial beds before being made available for sale. In addition, the nursery evaluates plants from plant breeders, botanic gardens, and plant collectors all over the world to determine their suitabilty for gardens in the southeastern United States. Tony Avent
also conducts his own plant breeding
programs with a special focus on Aroids, Crinum
, Cyclamen
, Hosta
, Trillium
and Zephyranthes
.
The original home on the 9241 Sauls Road property was converted into the main business office and the Avents' moved into a house on an adjacent property in 1996. Today the nursery and botanic gardens
employs more than a dozen full time employees as well as many part-time and seasonal employees. In addition, the botanic gardens
has several volunteer workers who help with garden upkeep and maintaining the research trial beds.
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
plant nursery
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
based in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
specializing in herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennials. Plant Delights was founded in 1988 by the plantsman
Plantsman
A plantsman is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable gardener , nurseryman or nurserywoman. "Plantsman" can refer to a male or female person, though the terms plantswoman, or even plantsperson, are sometimes used....
Tony Avent
Tony Avent
Tony Avent is an American Horticulturist and Plantsman. He is the owner of Plant Delights Nursery and the founder of the Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition, he is a well-known plant explorer, author and public speaker....
and his wife Michelle Avent. The nursery currently has a 2.5 acre production facility. Proceeds from the nursery help fund the Juniper Level Botanic Gardens
Juniper Level Botanic Gardens
Juniper Level Botanic Gardens are privately-owned botanical gardens located at 9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh, North Carolina. They are scheduled to be open eight weekends per year; other visits must be coordinated with the garden staff....
which is located on the same parcel of land. The nursery is run primarily as a mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
plant nursery
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
but also has an extensive online shopping presence and has periodic open houses where it sells plants directly to the public. Plant Delights has a widely acclaimed specialty catalog
Specialty catalogs
Specialty catalogs are a promotion and distribution technique commonly employed by direct marketers. They describe, graphically and verbally, a limited range of products....
with humorous, topical covers drawn by the acclaimed cartoonist Jack Pittman
Jack Pittman
Jack Pittman is a freelance American cartoonist and illustrator whose work has appeared in advertisements for American Express, Coca-Cola, General Motors, and other prominent campaigns. He received the National Cartoonist Society Advertising and Illustration Award for 1995 and 1998, with an...
. Plant Delights Nursery has been featured in many newspapers, magazines, and on television.
History
Owner Tony AventTony Avent
Tony Avent is an American Horticulturist and Plantsman. He is the owner of Plant Delights Nursery and the founder of the Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition, he is a well-known plant explorer, author and public speaker....
had a life-long love of plants and dreamed of owning a plant nursery. His parents built him a greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
when he was 8 years old and as a child he grew and sold plants as a hobby. Tony studied Horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
under the late renowned horticulturist JC Raulston. After college, he worked for the North Carolina State Fairgrounds as its Landscape Director
Landscape manager
Landscape managers are professionally trained and qualified experts in landscaping management for conservation and recreation stewardship of designed and natural landscapes.-Scope of work:...
. While there, he purchased a home and some property at 9241 Sauls Road in Raleigh. This parcel would eventually become Plant Delights Nursery.
When Plant Delights Nursery first opened its doors in 1988, it was run as a part-time operation in the Avents' back yard. The business grew quickly and in 1994 Tony quit his day job to focus on the nursery full time. From its initial production area of just one greenhouse, the business has grown to 30 greenhouses covering 2.5 acres. As the business expanded, the Avents' purchased adjacent properties. The nursery conducts extensive field trials
Trial garden
A garden grown specifically for the purpose of testing and evaluating plants is called a trial garden. Universities, plant breeders, and garden-industry companies frequently have trial gardens, as do many private and public botanical gardens and professional garden journalists...
in research beds at the Juniper Level Botanic Gardens
Juniper Level Botanic Gardens
Juniper Level Botanic Gardens are privately-owned botanical gardens located at 9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh, North Carolina. They are scheduled to be open eight weekends per year; other visits must be coordinated with the garden staff....
before releasing new plants to the public.
Tony Avent
Tony Avent
Tony Avent is an American Horticulturist and Plantsman. He is the owner of Plant Delights Nursery and the founder of the Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition, he is a well-known plant explorer, author and public speaker....
collects
Plant collecting
Plant collecting involves procuring live or dried plant specimens, for the purposes of research, cultivation or as a hobby.-Collection of live specimens:...
rare and unusual plants from all over the world during his frequent plant hunting expeditions. These and plants from other prominent collectors such as Dan Hinkley
Daniel J. Hinkley
Daniel John Hinkley is an American plantsman, garden writer, horticulturist and nurseryman. He is best known for establishing Heronswood Nursery, in Kingston, Washington; and Windcliff, on the Kitsap Peninsula near Indianola, WA; and for collecting, propagating, and naming varieties of plants new...
, Darrell Probst, Barry Yinger, Ozzie Johnson, Hans Hansen, Alan Galloway and Bleddyn Wynn-Jones are trialed for several years in the nursery's field trial beds before being made available for sale. In addition, the nursery evaluates plants from plant breeders, botanic gardens, and plant collectors all over the world to determine their suitabilty for gardens in the southeastern United States. Tony Avent
Tony Avent
Tony Avent is an American Horticulturist and Plantsman. He is the owner of Plant Delights Nursery and the founder of the Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition, he is a well-known plant explorer, author and public speaker....
also conducts his own plant breeding
Plant breeding
Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular...
programs with a special focus on Aroids, Crinum
Crinum
Crinum is a genus of about 180 species of perennial plants that have large showy flowers on leafless stems, and develop from bulbs. They are found along the sides of streams and lakes in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide, including South Africa....
, Cyclamen
Cyclamen
Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of perennials growing from tubers, valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves...
, Hosta
Hosta
Hosta is a genus of about 23–45 species of lily-like plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae, native to northeast Asia. They have been placed in their own family, Hostaceae ; like many 'lilioid monocots', they were once classified in the Liliaceae...
, Trillium
Trillium
Trillium is a genus of about 40–50 species of spring ephemeral perennials, native to temperate regions of North America and Asia....
and Zephyranthes
Zephyranthes
Zephyranthes is a genus of 71 species in the Amaryllis family . There are numerous hybrids and cultivars. Common names for species in this genus include fairy lily, rainflower, zephyr lily, magic lily, Atamasco lily, and rain lily.The name is derived from Ζέφυρος , the Greek god of the west...
.
The original home on the 9241 Sauls Road property was converted into the main business office and the Avents' moved into a house on an adjacent property in 1996. Today the nursery and botanic gardens
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
employs more than a dozen full time employees as well as many part-time and seasonal employees. In addition, the botanic gardens
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
has several volunteer workers who help with garden upkeep and maintaining the research trial beds.
External links
- http://www.plantdelights.com