Worry free

When you grow over 2,000 different varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, and edibles on about 290 acres for your regional independent garden centers and landscape professionals, it’s nice to know that some of them are quite “worry free.” For Overdevest Nurseriesin southern New Jersey, the quest to find worry free plants is anything but self-serving. The team behind Overdevest Nurseries and its partners in the SynRG® collaboration of breeders, growers, and retailers are driven by the best interests of their customers and the end consumer, which is what inspired them to create a whole collection of WorryFree^® plants that “deliver solutions so you can spend time relaxing.” This is where a collection of infertile Pennisetum and Miscanthus from Emerald Coast Growers fits in perfectly as truly worry free ornamental grasses.

Overdevest has been sourcing quality ornamental grass and perennial liners from Emerald Coast Growers (ECG) for many years. “We have a keen interest in new varieties, and ECG has been a leader in bringing new genetics to market,” explains Ryan Overdevest, CFO of Overdevest Nurseries, and 3rd generation in the family business.

When asked what specifically attracted them to the infertile grass selections from ECG, Overdevest explained that in the nursery, they could see the tendency of certain grasses to seed-out into areas adjoining the production beds. “ECG had the foresight to recognize the emerging issue and to partner with breeders and universities to address this challenge with respect to ornamental grasses,” states Overdevest.

Overdevest Nurseries buys 38-cell and 72-cell liners from Emerald Coast and finishes them in 1-gallon, 3-gallon, and 4-gallon containers. ECG varieties currently in the WorryFree^® program are Miscanthus sinensis ‘Bandwidth’ and Miscanthus sinensis ‘High Frequency’ bred by Tom Ranney from North Carolina State University, as well as Miscanthus sinensis ‘Scout’, Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Cayenne’, Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Etouffee’, Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hush Puppy’, and Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Praline’, which were developed by Dr. Wayne Hanna from the University of Georgia.

Thanks to these infertile grasses from ECG, Overdevest is able to include beautiful ornamental grasses in its curated WorryFree^® program to offer a homeowner-winning solution in the landscape and boast all of the form, color, and reliability of the original species. Careful breeding created infertility that prevents these plants from spreading beyond the bounds of the landscape and guarantees gardeners that their beloved grasses remain true to name. Another, perhaps less obvious advantage of infertile grasses is that because the plants aren’t putting energy into producing seeds, they are more vigorous, flower earlier, and produce flowers for a longer period of time.

With Emerald Coast Growers and Overdevest Nurseries both being multi-generational family businesses, it is no surprise that the two companies share similar values and connect over more than just a shared love for exceptional plants. “ECG is a prime example of what makes our industry great… good people, doing good things, in a good way to better the world around us,” states Ryan Overdevest. “That, along with their consummate professionalism and customer focus, has substantially increased our business relationship with them over time, and we look forward to many more years to come.”

For more information about infertile grasses, please visit www.ecgrowers.com. More information about Overdevest Nurseries can be found at www.grownbyoverdevest.com.