Greenhouse Grower to Grower

For the team here at Greenhouse Grower, May means the Top 100 Growers. Throughout this month, we’ll be featuring conversations with members of our 2026 Top 100 Growers list, which you can learn more about in our May issue. This week, I’m joined by Tom Van Wingerden of Van Wingerden Greenhouses in Washington state. Over the past couple years, Van Wingerden Greenhouses has taken on several new projects, including launching a new fund...

Earlier this year, Amy Ryan assumed ownership of Stonehouse Nursery, a Southwest Michigan-based wholesale grower of native and classic perennial liners. Amy’s roots at Stonehouse Nursery go back nearly 30 years when she first joined the summer potting crew. She earned her degree in Nursery and Greenhouse Production and Management from The Ohio State University, and after gaining additional industry experience, she returned to Stone...

The March 2026 issue of Greenhouse Grower featured a closer look at how PCR and DNA sequencing are improving pathogen testing and identification in greenhouses. In this episode of the Greenhouse Grower to Grower podcast, we dig a bit deeper into how this type of technology is evolving, and how growers can best take advantage of it, from the perspective of two industry insiders. I’m joined by Aubry Field, Founder and Lead Scientist ...

The floriculture industry never stops innovating, and that includes growers as well as industry suppliers. This episode is the fourth and final part of our Leaders in Floriculture podcast series, where we talk to experts in plant breeding, plant health, and greenhouse technology, about the important roles they play in innovation, sustainability, and helping to shape the future of floriculture. In this episode, I talk to AmericanHor...

Jazmin Albarran is the main voice behind Seed Your Future, which works to build connections between the horticulture industry and students of all ages. In between her many travels to visit with students and industry members, I caught up with Jazmin to talk about Seed Your Future’s biggest accomplishments in 2025, how students were able to connect personally with horticulture companies at industry events in early 2026, and the new “...

The floriculture industry never stops innovating, and that includes growers as well as industry suppliers. This episode is the third part of our Leaders in Floriculture podcast series, where we talk to experts in plant breeding, plant health, and greenhouse technology, about the important roles they play in innovation, sustainability, and helping to shape the future of floriculture. In this episode, we talk to Sakata, Lambert Peat ...

In late January of this year, our team at Greenhouse Grower broke the news that Smith Gardens, a Pacific Northwest-based fourth generation Top 100 growing operation, had been acquired by the Hoffmann Family of Companies, which just last year had also acquired N.G. Heimos Greenhouses in Illinois. The partnership expands Hoffmann’s rapidly growing agricultural assets into a new geographic region, and perhaps more importantly, it allo...

Amanda Solliday has become a go-to resource for sustainability in the green industry. She recently became Senior Program Manager for American Floral Endowment’s Sustainabloom project, and she also co-wrote a research paper on improving environmental practices in horticulture. Prior to that, she worked with a team to produce a series of industry guides that provide insights and practical strategies for implementing and understanding...

The floriculture industry never stops innovating, and that includes growers as well as industry suppliers. This episode is the first part of our Leaders in Floriculture podcast series, where we talk to experts in plant breeding, plant health, and greenhouse technology, about the important roles they play in innovation, sustainability, and helping to shape the future of floriculture. In this episode, we talk to Prospiant, Container ...

The floriculture industry never stops innovating, and that includes growers as well as industry suppliers. This episode is the first part of our Leaders in Floriculture podcast series, where we talk to experts in plant breeding, plant health, and greenhouse technology, about the important roles they play in innovation, sustainability, and helping to shape the future of floriculture. In this episode, we talk to Westbrook Greenhouse ...

In October of 2025, Blooma Farms, a wholesale plant grower in Colorado, purchased five acres of greenhouses previously owned by Welby Gardens, a family operation that had been forced to close earlier in the year. I recently caught up with Jeremy Friedman, owner of Blooma Farms, to talk more about what the acquisition means for Blooma Farms and its customers, how it has expanded the company’s liner offerings, and much more. Here’s o...

We’re excited to kick off our 2026 podcast season with a conversation with Dr. Charlie Hall, AmericanHort’s Chief Economist, Professor and Ellison Chair at Texas A&M University, and coordinator of the Executive Academy for Growth and Leadership program for horticultural business certification, otherwise known as EAGL. In this episode, we look back at how the green industry performed in 2025, and the economic factors that will i...

This week Metrolina Greenhouses and South Central Growers announced a strategic merger. The two companies have a long history of collaboration and shared values and business philosophies, and together, they will form a growth-focused organization designed to respond to evolving customer expectations and increasing industry complexity. While the news was breaking, I caught up with Abe VanWingerden, CEO of Metrolina Greenhouses, and ...

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association represents companies that are actively involved in the extraction and processing of peat. CSPMA members are committed to responsible peatland management and sustainability, ensuring their practices meet high environmental and industry standards. In this episode, I was joined by my colleague Marisa Reyes for a discussion with CSPMA President Asha Hingorani, Vice President of Science and Re...