Bailey Nurseries 2024 Creator Event
For any serious and passionate gardener it's important to attend botanical events that can inform and inspire - as I always say, "learn something new every day."
Last week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota for the first ever Creator event at Bailey Nurseries. He joined more than 20 other garden influencers to learn about the Bailey brands Endless Summer® Hydrangeas, First Editions® Shrubs & Trees, and Easy Elegance® Roses, and tour the greenhouses and growing fields. I have many plants from Bailey Nurseries in my gardens. This was a great way for Ryan to see up close how plants are grown and nurtured before coming to my beloved Cantitoe Corners.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Bailey Nurseries is a fifth-generation, family-owned company. Its main mission is to help retailers, growers and landscapers create a “world landscape” that is beautiful, diverse, and fully sustainable.
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- This was the first-ever creator event for the company. Digital creator, Ryan McEnaney, who is part of the fifth-generation of the Bailey Family, welcomed everyone to the event and presented an introductory video.
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- The Bailey facilities are massive. The group started at Nord Farm in the propagation greenhouse.
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- There were thousands of hydrangeas being grown and nurtured in the ground. The group learned about the different methods of propagation, both by seed and by cuttings.
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- Look how big this is – bigger than Ryan’s hand. This panicle hydrangea is called ‘Strawberry Sundae’ – noted as a strong shrub for use in hedges and tight spaces. The flowers start of white and then change to red in the fall.
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- All the Bailey greenhouses are equipped with advanced irrigation systems. Hoses move from one end to the other watering the plants from above.
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- In the another area, root cuttings are placed on flats, and then processed through a conveyor belt for watering and then placement in the greenhouse.
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- This is production manager, Dave Gross. He oversees 22 acres under cover plus two acres of outdoor fields. Here he explains and shows the components for the soil mix. One of the materials used is hydro fiber, a pine by-product.
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- During the tour, Ryan spotted some linden trees. I am a big fan of lindens and have many growing at my farm. Two of several allées are made of lindens.
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- Outside, Ryan is standing in front of a large display of hydrangeas featuring three varieties – “Vanilla Strawberry,” “Berry White,” and First Editions “Little Hottie.”
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- This is Great Star Hydrangea. It has bold clusters of white star-shaped flowers with creamy white overtones at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall.
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- Ryan and the group also toured the fields – rows and rows of gorgeous shrubs growing in the ground. Spiraea, sometimes spelled spirea, is commonly known as meadowsweets or steeplebushes. It is a genus of about 80 to 100 species of shrubs in the family Rosaceae. They are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, especially in eastern Asia.
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- In another section, rows and rows of lilacs.
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- And then a sight to behold – thousands of blooming hydrangeas. The two varieties blooming here are “Little Hottie” and “Berry White.”
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- The flower heads are so huge and every one is so perfect.
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- The container fields were next. At any given time there could be more than a million containers of plants in these fields – plants in one, three, and five gallon pots. These plats are ready to go to retailers.
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- This dwarf panicle hydrangea is called Bobo®. It features large white flowers in summer held upright on strong stems.
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- There were also so many pots of bold colored barberry. This is Orange rocket barberry which shows off vibrant coral-orange new foliage that turns ruby red in autumn.
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- Outdoor displays show other flowering plants offered by Baileys.
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- There was a lot of phlox, that hardy long-lived perennial. I also have a lot growing in my gardens.
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- This is Echinacea purpurea, the eastern purple coneflower, purple coneflower, hedgehog coneflower, or simply echinacea. It is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.
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- … And of course, roses.
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- Ryan had a great time, learned a lot about Bailey’s history and its growing practices, and met lots of interesting people. Now, back to New York and back to work…
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