Greenhouse Grower to Grower

Chris Rocheleau is the General Manager of Foremost Company’s 20-acre Phoenix Foliage farm in Winter Garden, Florida. He has more than 20 years of experience in the horticulture industry, with a focus on high-quality production of foliage plants, consumer trends, and more. I recently caught up with Chris to talk about how the foliage and tropical plant market has evolved, the key trends driving the industry’s future, and more. Here’s our conversation. 

AmericanHort’s Plug and Cutting Conference is an every-other-year event that dives deep into young plant production, and is a must-attend gathering for anyone involved in this part of the supply chain. In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Rachel Rawls and Alejandra Feliciano from AmericanHort, as well as Ivan Tchakarov and Juan Ponce of Metrolina Greenhouses, to talk about this year’s program and what attendees can expect to learn. And because the conference will be held in Philadelphia, we also talk about history. And cheesesteaks. Here’s our conversation. 

What better way to commemorate the 100th episode of the Greenhouse Grower to Grower podcast than by checking in with our very first guest, Abe Van Wingerden of Metrolina Greenhouses? In this episode, Abe looks back at lessons learned from this past spring, how the company is expanding to keep up with consumer demand, and the key factors that will determine its success moving forward. Here’s our conversation.

One of the many panel discussions that took place at Cultivate last month revolved around the topic of succession planning. I was in attendance for that discussion, and it was honestly so compelling that I left the room with a long list of questions that remained unanswered. So I invited the panelists to join me on the podcast for a follow-up discussion. In this episode, I’m joined by Karin Walters of Walters Gardens, Keith Berns of Berns Garden Center and Landscaping, and Robert Saunders of Saunders Brothers. We talked about everything from how the business transition conversation should start, to how each of them are running the business different from previous generations. Here’s our conversation. 

Lionel van der Walt was announced as the new president and CEO of AmericanHort in early June, and Cultivate was his first chance to officially introduce himself to the industry. With Cultivate behind him, he’s now getting out into the field and talking to industry members. These travels included a recent visit to Greenhouse Grower’s main offices in Willoughby, OH, where I took the opportunity to sit down with Lionel in person to talk about his past experience, his short- and long-term goals for AmericanHort, and why he’s anxious to continue bringing the industry together with one unified voice. Here’s our conversation.

Earlier this week, The Plant Company announced expanded access to its leafjoy houseplants to independent garden centers through an agreement with Eason Horticultural Resources. That announcement was just the latest in a number of steps The Plant Company is taking to make it easier for consumers to find new varieties in this quickly growing category. In this episode of the Greenhouse Grower to Grower podcast, I talk to Dave Thorne, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Plant Company, about all of this, as well as why quality starts with the breeding process and evolves through investments in high-quality plant production. Here’s our conversation. 

It’s not just experienced growers, suppliers, and other industry members who attend events like Cultivate. This year a group of undergrad students from North Carolina State University made their way to Columbus, Ohio, for their first Cultivate experience. They walked the trade show floor, attended educational sessions, and made connections that will hopefully lead them to long careers in the industry. In this episode of the Greenhouse Grower to Grower podcast, I talk to two of these students – Alex Slepova and Symone McCoy – to get their perspectives. 

In this episode, Greenhouse Grower Editor Brian Sparks shows some of his initial takeaways and insights from AmericanHort’s Cultivate’26.