help me find a career in conifering!

12 years ago

Hello, friends. I am at a point in my life where I need to decide what I am going to do for my career. As many of you know, I have a profound interest in conifer trees, especially dwarfs and their use as ornamentals.

I would like to be able to have a career cultivating rare conifers and discovering/introducing new cultivars through grafting. Later this month I will have an amazing opportunity to learn how to graft from Bob Fincham, and I hope this will help me to better understand the concept and process of propagation.

I also enjoy photographing plants, and I would love to take pictures of plants for publications or nursery catalogs.

I am currently volunteering at a non-profit garden in my community, Albers Vista Gardens. I take photographs for our website; I manage the plant database; I am also responsible for selecting and ordering new plants for the garden and orchestrating delivery. I have been honored to have a section of the garden named after me, and I have chosen many new plants to place in this location. Group plantings and aesthetic appearances are another exciting attribute of gardening with dwarf conifers.

I would love to find a job that can utilize these skills and passions of mine. If you could give me any advice or references about how I could get a job doing what I love, I would be forever grateful! Thank you so much for your willingness to help me "cultivate" my interest in conifer trees, and I am excited to see what I could do in the future.

Regards, and happy conifering to you all.

-Sam

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Comments (9)

dietzjm
12 years ago
Below is a link to a great book by Tony Avent, So You Want to Start a Nursery. It gives a great overview of the industry to anyone thinking of doing this either as a full time career or on the side as a hobby.

I think you're still in high school? If you, so you go for your Botany or Horticulture degree,do research and eventually get your doctorate to become a professor in the field.

If you're serious about this, I would definitely recommend getting a job at a local garden center. You can get your foot in the door while gaining valuable experience...plus you'd probably get some nice employee discounts.

-Matt

Here is a link that might be useful: So you want to start a nursery
whaas_5a
12 years ago
Your level of maturity and desire to pursue a career at such an early age is quite inspiring.

Pay your dues, pursue a niche and you'll be successful in the industry.
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I too grew up in the conifer-rich pacific northwest and have (I blush to admit) always sort of yawned over the local flora. My early gardening years were entirely focussed on perennials and deciduous shrubs and the like. I began to be interested in conifers as several things happened at once. First, I tripped over Garden Web and found myself particularly stuck in the landscape design and conifers forum; second, I was becoming frustrated at how amorphous my plantings and my yard in general looked. Third, I had a problem bed, a foot wide along a sidewalk that needs to be kept clear, with which I had been struggling for years, and when I applied conifers to this problem, it suddenly became a snap to design something nice that didn't reach out and trip someone. Conifers have improved all my plantings, and are gradually reducing my interest in other plants, as I absorb the same aesthetic that leads Botann to say that "Conifers look best in communities of conifers with deciduous plants taking a minor role." I've even come to admire shearing, though I don't do any yet, as I realize that some people (like Botann) shear character into conifers, rather than out of them. I don't know that cultivating a certain garden taste in advance of a house purchase will serve you well, though. Although it may help drive your choice, it tends to be more likely that you will be looking for a style to fit whatever conditions you land in.
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Why not do something parttime to 'audition' it? If you like writing, the obvious choice would be to be a stringer for your local newspaper. Doesn't pay a whole lot, but you could probably work at it parttime, around your 'regular' hours on your job--do that for a couple of years, and you're status is going to change drastically. You'll be eligible for Medicare at age 65--so that needs to be considered. Back to the newspaper thing? I'm a year younger than you, and have been a columnist for our local paper for about the past 3 years. It's a LOT of fun, and I just love seeing and being involved in the workings of the paper. I've met some great people, and have even had a couple of my columns picked up by other papers (a real feather in a columnist's cap!) Why not write up a sample column--something you're interested in--be it local news, politics, arts, etc--and have a chat with the editor(s) at your local paper? Otherwise, why not look into the apprenticeship programs at your local community college. DD didn't go the apprenticeship route, but many in her major did--and most of the students in her major (opticianry) were 50's-60's somethings who were looking to start a second career. By going as an apprentice, they were able to work and make money while they took the classes required to become certified in our state. There are loads of apprenticeship programs--paralegal would be a field where your writing skills could be a real asset. Good luck
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Ron, needle cast. Bob, I've never heard of a Korean fir growing that much. That's interesting to me. I gave a 1-gallon (beautiful seedling) to a friend in WI with wonderful, rich, black-loam; this was I'd say five-years ago and she told me it "has really grown." Apparently, from a foot to now 2.5' she 'approaching 3''. I thought that was a ton considering the first 4-5 years trees put a lot of energy into the roots - as their priority. Here, on loamy clay after 8-years I have Nordmann firs now 3' tall or 3.5' I'd guess. I also have Canaan firs going on 10-12'; Serbian spruces going on 9'; These all being from a 12=16" bare-root seedling pl. 2008. What size root-system was your Korean fir and what year planted? Dax
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kbguess
12 years ago
As you get a little further along, be an intern at Iseli. If I didn't have kids and a mortgage ...

Here is a link that might be useful: Iseli intern brochure
Cher
12 years ago
That is a heck of an opportunity Iseli offers. I would think enough referrals would be able to come from some of our folks on here to help him along with them.
Cher
severnside
12 years ago
Climb all you can in your area of passion YES but equip yourself with skills that can be diversified and cross used. Computer and photography, logistics and management are great. You're already a Swiss Army Knife. The hard coin isn't always where you'd like to find it but maybe along and across in a not too disagreeable way. In the economic meltdown internships, minimum wage and yes, volunteering (the 3rd sector, lol) are replacing a day's work for a day's somewhat decent pay. Shine a harsh light on what pays what in the conifer industry.
PRO
David Olszyk, President, American Conifer Society
12 years ago
Hi Sam,

local garden center -- definitely *not* the way to go. Been there, done that. They're not into the passion, the science; they're into making enough money over mother's day weekend to pay the rent and stay solvent.

Happy to hear that you're going to work some with Bob. I'll be helping out there myself over grafting season and look forward to working and learning with you.

If I were young and had your ambition toward the art of conifer development, I'd definitely move to Oregon and try to latch onto either Iseli or Buchholz. They seem to be hitting the sweet spot in the industry right now. Another good prospect would be with Bizon or Boyko nursies. They're a bit smaller, but are also on the cutting edge.

Keep in mind that your ambition is one that will never make you a lot of money. One thing that I've realized over the years is that the best way to burn out on a fun hobby is to try to earn a living doing it. Tread lightly, my friend.

good luck!
~Dave
monkeytreeboy15
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you for all of the helpful advice and suggestions.
For now I plan to continue working at Albers Vista Gardens while I earn some more money with a good, steady job here locally.
Perhaps some day I will be able to convert my interest into a small nursery business. Wish me luck!

-Sam
coniferjoy
12 years ago
Good luck!
firefightergardener
12 years ago
Sam, with the staggeringly early start you have, your passion, knowing the right people and your already deep knowledge base, I'd say you're a shoe-in to have a nice career in the industry. Just remember(cliche warning): Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. Keep on learning and trying until something works.

-Will

help me find a career in conifering!

Comments (9)

dietzjm

whaas_5a

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kbguess

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severnside

David Olszyk, President, American Conifer Society

monkeytreeboy15
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help me find a career in conifering!

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monkeytreeboy15Original Author

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