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Class Description:

We all have the sheer sense of joy when we walk into our favorite nursery to just ‘sneak a peek’ at what plants are trending each season, and we all walk out with more plants than we have room for. Often, we don’t think about what it took to make that plant retail nursery ready and look more beautiful than we could imagine.

In this class, we will visit Puget Sound Plants, a wholesale nursery in Snohomish, WA, to gain an understanding of how much work goes into supplying our community with high quality plants. We will discuss what it takes to grow plants from seeds, cuttings, and tissue culture and how long it takes to get your plants ready for market. While stunning plants and happy customers are the end goal, the work that is required to make sure pests are managed sustainably, fertilizers are used properly, water is balanced, and the elements are controlled as much as possible, is never ending.

Puget Sound Plants is a family-owned wholesale nursery that sells plants to landscape professionals throughout Washington State. They focus primarily on growing trees, shrubs, and perennials. Over the last decade Puget Sound Plants has expanded to include five locations. They have three production sites around the state, totaling over 400 acres that provide everything from container plants to in-ground grown material.

Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase plants from a selection of shrubs & perennials, preselected for our group.  Credit card preferred, cash accepted, no checks.

Instructor(s) Bio:

Zack Zobrist is currently a Senior Manager and the Production Manager at Puget Sound Plants. With 8 years of professional industry experience in nursery production, Zack has managed to introduce various sustainable practices to increase plant health success and reduce the use of chemicals and fertilizers in the nursery. Zack holds a Bachelor of Science in integrated plant sciences with a focus on landscape nursery and greenhouse management from Washington State University. Zack was a proud member of FFA in high school and placed at nationals in floriculture in Indianapolis.

Michelle Rau is a horticultural educator, plant nerd and all-around hoot. With 10 years of experience in horticulture she offers a unique perspective on plants, and how to identify and care for them. In addition to being an NHS Board Member, she is a Certified Professional Horticulturist, ISA Certified Arborist and Faculty Member at Edmonds College.

LIMIT: 25 (MAXIMUM 2 PER REGISTRATION) – FEE IS PER PERSON