On one of the only rainy days this summer, our teachers decided to gather some students and embark on a journey that would introduce us to some of the top horticultural operations in Ohio. The two-day quest started in Columbus and finished in northwestern Ohio. The requirement for this journey is to choose a company of interest and write a report about them. The problem with this is choosing just one. After pondering my decision, I came to a conclusion, Willoway.
Willoway was our last stop on the first day of our excursion, and after taking an hour and a half nap since our last establishment, we were awakened in awe. The Ohio State bus made a left hand turn into what looked like a sea of poly and glass. I have never seen so many poly houses in my life. Of course what do you expect from one of the largest wholesale nurseries in Ohio and, not to boast, one of the top 40 in the United States. Willoway is located in Avon, Ohio just southwest of Cleveland. It was started on ten acres with the focus of landscaping and just enough product to use in their designs. Willoway gave up their landscape division and devoted their time to production. Currently, the nursery consists of 700 acres of field production, 150 acres of container production, and five acres in greenhouses. They grow over 1100 plants with the help of a devoted work force of 325 in the spring and summer to 160 full time employees in the cold and slow months.
Winter however seems not to stop Willoway. With the help of their climate- control enclosed holding area in their shipping yard, they force plant material for local malls and flower shows, even the CENT show held in Columbus. Employees also spend the winter further extending their education in health and safety in the nursery, and subjects that help them better understand the quality product that they are growing.
Tom was nice enough to give a personally guided tour of his establishment that is so big that we had to ride on wagons in order to see the front one third of the nursery. Everything in the nursery is self-contained. They own their own state of the art soil and media mixing facility, which is state of the art. They have an irrigation system so large that every growing area accessible. The nursery is also graded in order to hold and recycle all the water for conservational and environmental reasons. The water drains from the fields, poly houses, and the shipping and greenhouse areas, down to a holding pond where any contaminants are isolated and filtered out.
After the tractor ride and the overwhelming tour we thought we were finished, but there was more. We all got on the bus to see one of the most state of the art container production facilities that was just completed. It was laser leveled in such a fashion that plants were never sitting in water and the whole system was self contained separated from the rest of the nursery. It had its own water and electric supply with poly houses as far as the eyes could see. At the end of this facility was the Pot in Pot operation. Larger caliper trees are grown in containers which sit inside other container that are set in the ground. This is designed to supply the demand of container plants due to their popularity with landscape firms around Ohio. This process is easier to turn over and the containers are safe in the warmth of there natural environment during the winter. No more mulching.
Willoway as you can see just overwhelmed me as well as most of the class. It is a reminder that Horticulture can be what you make of it. Many think that the green industry doesn't have much money in it, but if after the end of the year, you see your company produce over $14,000,000 in annual sales, I think your doing something right.