Charlie Parkerson is known for helping other nurseries in need.

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo devastated Carolina Nurseries in Moncks Corner, S.C., more than 450 miles away from Lancaster Farms. In less than 12 hours, a van full of Lancaster Farms' employees and a truck loaded with equipment cut its way through fallen trees and debris to reach the nursery.

"I was handed a note from Charlie that said, 'Here are a dozen of my best people. I've stayed behind to take care of things here, but use them for as long as you need them,'" said J. Guy, co-owner of Carolina Nurseries.

The Lancaster Farms employees were there for a week helping to repair equipment and irrigation systems. What makes the gesture even more amazing is that Carolina Nurseries is Parkerson's direct competitor. Parkerson wouldn't accept gratuity for his actions.

"The whole time the employees were here, they were eyeing some variegated liriope saying, 'We like that. We don't have any liriope like that.'" Guy said. "After a couple weeks we sent a trailer load of it, about 7,000 pots, to Lancaster Farms with an invoice for $0.

"About two weeks later I got a letter from Charlie that said, 'Dear J., you're in no position to be giving plants away,' with a check for full payment."

Parkerson dismisses his actions as no big deal.

"It didn't take that long to get the job done. J. Guy and his people did the work. What we did was get them started and maybe inspired them a little," Parkerson said.

Parkerson also sent a crew to help Fair View Nursery in Wilson, N.C., in 1999 after it was flooded by Hurricane Floyd. He doesn't mind assisting companies as long as they return the favor.

That's exactly what J. Guy did. Hurricane Fran severely damaged Robbins Nursery in Willard, N.C., in 1996. To the surprise of co-owner Red Robbins, Guy showed up to help the company get back on its feet.

"Red asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'. I responded, 'I'm just returning the favor. I'm passing the torch. Next time, it's your turn.'"

The nursery business is known for its giving nature. Parkerson credits this to a movement that started more than 50 years ago.

"Around 1951, our industry was dying. The old codgers of the industry were dying and not passing along the information they'd learned through the years. The International Plant Propagators' Society was founded to try to foster some cooperation among nurseries," Parkerson said. "The IPPS motto is 'To seek and to share,' and that has permeated the entire industry."