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Exceptional by nature

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Plants West Inc. provides an assortment of conifers topiaries, shrubs and deciduous plants. Photo by Curt Kipp

Plants West Inc. provides an assortment of conifers topiaries, shrubs and deciduous plants. Photo by Curt Kipp

There are many reasons we call Oregon “Nursery Country.” The climate is mild, with enough winter cold for dormancy. That’s essential for spring growth.

Oregon’s Top Agricultural Commodities, 2017The growing season is long. Plants grow faster to market-ready size and can be shipped sooner.  And in the Willamette Valley, rainfall is abundant. Plants can grow and thrive even as the spring showers give way to sunshine.

These natural advantages have encouraged Oregon farmers to fully embrace horticulture. They have devoted 61,099 acres to nursery production, more than any other state.  And in 2017, that investment of land and resources paid off with $947.7 million in gross sales. No wonder nursery products have earned the number one slot on Oregon’s list of agricultural commodities.

All of this is possible because of Oregon’s natural advantages, but the plants don’t grow themselves. They are guided from propagation to destination by some of the foremost growers in the entire nursery industry, who invest great passion and time into their work.

Digger magazine has published the Nursery Country series (previously called State of Perfection) since 2009 so you can get to know some of these expert growers. Over the years we have featured 46 different Oregon nurseries, and this year we are proud to add three more:

• Kuenzi Turf & Nursery, Salem, Oregon. Turf and tree nursery providing liners, specimen trees, Japanese maples and sod to customers, including an innovative root bag growing program.

• Plants West Inc., Canby, Oregon. Broker and grower providing a wide variety of ornamentals, conifers, topiaries, shrubs and deciduous plants to customers.

• Arrowhead Ornamentals, Hubbard and St. Paul, Oregon. Tree nursery providing finished caliper trees to landscapers and rewholesalers and liners to other growers.

We hope you enjoy reading their stories. They represent the care, expertise and passion that Oregon growers bring to the marketplace. But they are just the beginning.

Oregon is the nation's top seller of deciduous shade trees (20 percent of the market) Oregon is the nation's top seller of deciduous flowering trees (13 percent) Oregon is the nation's top seller of coniferous evergreens (23 percent) Oregon is the nation's third largest seller of broadleaf evergreens and deciduous shrubsWhatever your needs, Oregon is a good place to fill them, and www.NurseryGuide.com is where you can find the plants you are looking for. You can search for 4,809 different plant varieties provided by 402 growers to find what you want in the format you need. The site has 19,947 plant, service and supply listings overall.

See Oregon’s quality for yourself by touring the farms and attending the Farwest Show, which is set for Wednesday–Friday, August 21–23, 2019 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. These Oregon growers and many others would love to meet you there and show you what they offer.

Oregon is the nation's top producer of: Oregon is the nation’s top producer of the following trees and shrubs, which can be found on • Arborvitae • Ash • Barberry • Birch • Boxwood • Cedar • Christmas trees • Crabapple • Flowering cherry • Flowering plum • Honey locust • Linden • Japanese maple • Maple — other • Norway maple • Pieris • Pine • Red maple • Spruce Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Census of Horticultural Specialties, 2014

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Read the next Nursery Country 2019 grower profile:

Kuenzi Turf and Nursery |  Plant West Inc.  |  Arrowhead Ornamentals

Explore the Nursery Country Issue Archives!

Nursery Country 2018  |  Nursery Country 2017 |  Nursery Country 2016