After more than 20 years with Monrovia, a wholesale grower headquartered in Azusa, Calif., Gene Blythe has returned to academia, entering the doctorate program at Auburn University. Gene discusses the move and shares his observations at this juncture of his career.

Q. Although Monrovia is known for being at the forefront of commercial plant production and in-house research, you decided to move into a new dimension of horticulture by returning to graduate school. Why are you making this change?

A. Over the past 20 years, I've been fortunate to have worked for one of the leaders in the nursery industry, having had the opportunity to do many things that I might not have been able to do elsewhere. At this point, I'm looking forward to using my nursery experience in the areas of teaching and research.

Graduate studies will help to provide me with practice in the use of the latest scientific tools and processes available to horticulture. I look forward to applying those tools in ways that can benefit our industry, while approaching research opportunities from an industry perspective.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the job has been the chance to have some part in the development of other men and women as propagators within Monrovia. I now hope to have this same opportunity as an instructor educating students who will be the future professionals in the nursery industry and related fields.

I trust that my industry background will help to provide these future professionals with a good blend of horticultural science along with its day-to-day application.

Q. What comments would you offer someone else considering such a change?

A. As we often discussed at Monrovia, change is just as essential to the growth and development of a company as it is to an individual. We all need to establish our personal and professional goals and make our best efforts toward achieving them.

Companies need to make changes if they wish to stay in business, and people need to make changes if they wish to enjoy the opportunities that life has to offer. The risky aspects of change are OK as long as they are outweighed by the enjoyment and satisfaction of accomplishing a goal or meeting a challenge.

Q. Why did you relocate to the Deep South?

A. On the professional side there is a growing nursery industry in the South, with many fine growers. Among some excellent universities in the region, Auburn is noted for its strongly industry-focused research.

On the personal side, the small-town atmosphere in Auburn will be a pleasant change from the environs of Los Angeles. The difference in climate also offers the chance to work with a different palette of plant materials.

Q. What have been some of the factors behind your success as a propagator?

A. Earlier education at Cal Poly-Pomona University had an emphasis on learning by doing, which provided a good foundation. The hands-on experience of working with the thousands of common and unique plants grown and evaluated over the years at Monrovia has also been a great learning experience.

Certainly the opportunity to work with propagators like Dennis Connor, Rick Wells, Rodger Duer and others at Monrovia had a major influence. In addition, involvement in International Plant Propagators' Society conferences and tours, as well as keeping current through major trade publications and horticultural journals, continue to be of great value.

Q. Our industry has grown tremendously since you began working with Monrovia. What are some of the major changes you have seen during this time?

A. The nursery industry has evolved to a more customer-oriented, rather than simply product-oriented, industry. Customer focus has moved in two divergent directions, one toward the independents and one toward the mass merchants. Each focus has its particular influence on a grower's product line and customer service.

Marketing has received much greater emphasis in the industry as well. We are starting to see a very positive shift away from the view of nursery stock as simply commodity items.

Of course, the Internet is introducing further changes in the industry. Automation has made some inroads into the American nursery industry and is likely to become more critical as the availability of nursery workers continues to become more limited and more costly.

Q. Along these same lines, what changes have you noted in commercial propagation?

A. For one, tissue culture has evolved from being a novelty to becoming an established propagation technique. While numerous firms entered and exited the business of tissue culture during the earlier years, the labs that are with us today have succeeded by carefully focusing on their product mix, quality and reliability.

Automation and new technologies have continued to make inroads into propagation. For example, while fixed mist nozzle systems remain the standard for cutting propagation, fog systems and traveling mist booms are becoming more common as they offer advantages in many situations. Nurseries and manufacturers are learning to work out the bugs in these systems and some growers are even building their own.

Electronic environmental controls have also made major strides. Propagation has also taken on a more international dimension as more companies source their young plant material from overseas or offshore firms, particularly with tropicals and perennials.

Q. During the past few years, you have held positions within IPPS's Western Region and International Board. What have your experiences been like?

A. IPPS has seen some exciting changes with expansion into Scandinavia, Japan, Southern Africa and Latin America, adding valuable diversity to the society. After 50 years of existence, IPPS remains a well-grounded organization in which new and experienced nursery propagators, students, educators, researchers and others can come together on an equal basis.

The IPPS motto 'to seek and to share' is truly practiced and all members can benefit through participation in this organization. The opportunity to travel, learn, share and network with other propagators in IPPS has indeed been a privilege.

Q. What are some of the pressing needs of research that you believe our university researchers should be looking at?

A. There is a definite need to continue to develop environmentally sound practices and products for nursery production. This includes developing renewable resources and recycled products for use in potting soils, and may involve partnerships with other industries that have waste products available for use.

The efficient use of fertilizers and continued development and evaluation of safe pest and disease management practices will continue to be areas of further work. There are also opportunities to search for ways of dealing in a cost-effective manner with our own nursery wastes such as used plastic pots and poly sheeting.

Universities can also work in conjunction with industry and public gardens to further develop, select and introduce new and superior types and cultivars of plants for the specific needs and growing conditions in various areas of the country.

Q. In what other ways can colleges and universities support the nursery industry?

A. Technical support and employee training, both in English and Spanish, are areas where service can be valuable to the industry, especially in the case of smaller growers who may not have the resources to support all of these resources in-house.

Colleges and universities will also need to continue to adapt to the changing student base. In addition to the traditional full-time, post high school students seeking a degree in preparation for a career, we are now seeing older students returning to school. Some are furthering their education in the evenings while working full-time during the day while others are returning to school for a second career as a change from higher stress occupations.

Also, our educational institutions, nurseries, public gardens and garden communicators all have their part in expanding and enhancing the public's knowledge and involvement in gardening. Growing plants around the home is an opportunity to escape the pressures of our fast-paced world of dot-coms and technological gadgets.

Q. What comments would you offer to horticulture students preparing for careers in the nursery industry?

A. Most of us enter the nursery industry because we enjoy the challenge and discovery of growing plants. But in addition to horticultural training, be sure to include classes in business management and Spanish.

Whenever possible, take advantage of internship and student work-experience programs. Attend meetings of organizations like IPPS. Through it all, learn what it takes to grow quality plants.

Editor's note: Special thanks to Jeff Sibley, Auburn University assistant professor, for assistance with this article.

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© 2001 Branch-Smith Publishing