Q&A With James Saunders

NM: How did you get started in horticulture?

JS: I got started in horticulture pretty much since the time I was born — grew up on the farm with cousins, brothers, parents, grandparents. I’ve been involved since a very young age. I remember when we were first able to walk and out of diapers, we were taking plastic hammers and thinking we were nailing greenhouse covers right before winter closes up, so I’ve been involved with horticulture pretty much my whole life. I went away to college to study agribusiness and went away for a short stint, did some banking, and now I’m back here at the farm at Saunders Brothers.

NM: Over the years, what have you learned about the nursery business?

JS: At Saunders Brothers, we really try to be a family atmosphere. We try to take in all of our employees and treat them as family, and one thing that I noted at a very early age was some of our migrant help that come up through Mexico (a part of the H-2A program) have been such an integral part of our growth as a company, and we’re just so thankful for them.

I think one of the cool things about not only Saunders Brothers, but the industry itself, is the willingness to share information between farms, individuals and positions — traveling to different farms, learning about how they produce maples differently than we do and learning how to grow a better hydrangea, echinacea or whatever it is, it seems like the doors are always open.

NM: Do you have a first memory of being at the nursery?

JS: We used to have what we called “Grandma Day,” My Grandma, who lived right across the street, would bring us to the farm, and we would climb on mulch piles. We would help with potting. We made boxes in the packing shed for peaches and apples and several other memories of wanting to stay with cousins over spring break, but the one stipulation is that we would have to get up in the morning and go help them plant boxwood, so those cold spring morning days when we thought we’d be inside watching cartoons, we were actually outside planting boxwood.

NM: As a younger generation nurseryman, is there anything new you’re looking forward to incorporating at the nursery?

JS: Oh, there’s several things. We haven’t looked into it a tremendous amount yet, but AI is something that everyone is talking about and how can we use it to our advantage. How that really pertains to Saunders brothers, I’m not sure yet, but it’s coming where there’s a need and there certainly would be a fit somewhere. We just have to figure out where that is. Several years ago, we started purchasing some machines from Holland to help with pruning, and that’s been a huge plus for us. The uniformity of the plants after the prune has been great for us. … I think mechanization is one of the names of the game for us going forward — robotics, mechanization, all that stuff. I feel like we certainly have plenty of room to grow there.

NM: What advice would you give to someone interested in working in this industry?

JS: I think one of the big things would be get out there, get your hands dirty, understand what the job calls for, understand the quirks of it. I think the only way you can learn the job is by doing it. I think if you get your hands dirty and understand the job, understand the quirks of it, it’s going to be a whole lot easier to have a career in the nursery industry. It’s a great industry. ... Getting your hands dirty and seeing something from start to finish is really gratifying.

NM: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

JS: I have two kids, three and one, so I’m in the early stages of it, and we love being outside. I love golfing, gardening, hunting, fishing, anything that allows me to be outside. I’m willing to be out there with my family, cousins, friends, whatever it is. So being outside, doing whatever I can outside, I’m happy.

Watch a video of this Q&A to hear more from James.

FOR MORE: saundersbrothers.com