Greetings! To begin with, I’d like to thank all of my team members for welcoming me into their family. I am one of the newest additions to the Darwin Perennials team, having joined this past June, and it has been an amazing experience thus far.
A little about myself.
I come from a production background. I have been growing, almost exclusively, perennials for the past 30 years at Swift Greenhouses in Iowa. There was no handbook for propagating and growing perennials when I started, and there was no Google. I had to learn it on my own and with the help of consultants. During those 30 years I have accumulated a wealth of information and experience, which I now bring to my new role with the Darwin Perennials team.
My position is unique in that I have a dual role as a product representative for both Darwin Perennials and Kieft Seed. All things perennial. A perfect fit for me. My goal in this position? Not just to promote Darwin and Kieft genetics, of course, but to help our customers have successful perennial programs and avoid some of the many pitfalls I have experienced.
The best part of this position? The customer visits. Working directly with growers, managers and sales teams on scheduling, variety selection, culture, etc. Everything it takes to have a successful and profitable perennial program.
To that end, I humbly take up the mantle of dearly missed Star® Roses and Darwin Perennials team member Greg Soles. His Notes From The Road presentations and blogs were just the avenue our customers needed to find that perennial production success. Losing Greg unexpectedly in 2018 meant a hiatus for Notes From The Road, but I am thrilled to keep his good work going, and will report on my customer visits, trials results and any other perennial trouble-shooting insight I can.
Stay tuned for upcoming and ongoing Notes From The Road, or send me a note if there are any topics you’d like me to address in this informational and educational blog.