In some cases, individuals who became statesmen of the horticulture industry didn’t know what they were getting into. Some of these people include (from left) Steven Still, Carolyn Still, Cheryl Bennerup, Pierre Bennerup, Rose Bush, and Allen Bush. Photo: Allan Armitage
I recently attended the Perennial Plant Association (PPA)’s 2024 National Meeting in Asheville, NC. It was a fine excuse to visit with many friends and colleagues. The laid-back trade show was fun, the talks were enlightening, and the tour was wonderful. If you attend enough of these meetings, be they Cultivate, MANTS (Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show), Georgia Green Industry Association, etc., you could probably summarize all of them in much the same way.
However, every now and then I snuck into some of the lectures. One I did not want to miss was a short history of the PPA delivered by my dear colleague, Allen Bush. If you know Allen, you quickly recognize that he is a statesman, a leader, and one of our finest flagbearers for horticulture. It is hard to believe that PPA celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, so I wanted to hear from Allen, one of its initial advocates, on how the organization came to be. I should not have been surprised when he spurned the podium and sat in a comfortable chair (Mr. Rogers style) and chatted about the past.
Allen had already started his perennial plant nursery called Holbrook Farm, a small, must-stop nursery near Fletcher, NC, in 1981. I remember my colleague Michael Dirr and myself taking our students at the University of Georgia to visit Allen at his rather quaint business, where he propagated thousands of perennials for the fledgling perennial plant market.
Allen went on to speak about the 40 years of PPA and mentioned the founders such as Dr. Steve Still (The Ohio State University), Pierre Bunnerup (Sunny Border Nursery), Aine Busse, (Busse Gardens), and others who saw the need for more information on these little-known plants.
But what I remember the most from his talk was his admission that while Holbrook Nursery was a grand success, he, like many of us, really did not know what he was getting into. “But,” he said, “I went forward with the absolute confidence of ignorance.”
Allen’s wisdom resonated with me in so many ways. I have been lauded as having accomplished this or that; people actually think I may be smart. However, I know that whatever I have supposedly done, I believed I could do it because I, too, experienced the absolute confidence of ignorance. I knew a whole lot less than I thought I did but was too ignorant to realize it.
As I look at the genesis of other national organizations, such as the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (in its 35th year), regional groups (we started our local Tour of Athens Gardens 30 years ago), and so many more, there is something to be said about the certainty that obliviousness allows. While my resume and curriculum vitae may fake out others, I am not sure I would have done anything if I had studied the possible downsides too closely.
I have absolutely no doubt that Allen’s expression could envelop the accomplishments of nearly every leader in our business. Having said that, I don’t believe it has ever been embraced by any schools of business. Ignorance should never be a goal — nor should we be frightened by it.
As I put my pen away and peruse these thoughts, I smile once more as I recall our great American philosopher, Yogi Berra, who summed it all up by saying. “When the path forks, take it.”
For comprehensive coverage of the Perennial Plant Association’s history, find John Friel’s four-part report at perennialplant.org/page/History.
