maria Zampini \u2014 May 1, 2013<\/p>\n

In March I had the distinct honor of being asked to speak at the \u201cChicks in Horticulture\u201d brunch.<\/p>\n

The event was hosted in March by the Long Island Chapter of the New York Nursery and Landscape Association and, believe it or not, it was my first trip to that part of New York! Last year\u2019s speaker was Anna Ball, so when they asked me, I thought that those are some big shoes to fill! Of course I was able to tie in visits to HGTV HOME Plant Collection partners Kirk Weiss Greenhouses and Martin Viette Nursery, both located on Long Island. When I think of what I saw at both businesses, all I can say is \u201cwow!\u201d Very impressive, to say the least.<\/p>\n

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Anyway, whether I\u2019m a speaker or an attendee, I try to take away at least one thing from an event. I can only hope I gave as much as I received at the \u201cChicks in Hort,\u201d as it was an eye-opener for me. I found the vibe at this gathering to be uniquely positive. Each of us was asked to stand and share our name, company and what we do. I was amazed at the diversity: landscapers, arborists, extension, designers, salespeople, authors and more. I\u2019ve got to say this was no hen party! There was an overwhelming air of support for one another unlike any I\u2019ve experience before.<\/p>\n

I found it interesting that several ladies stood and said, \u201cI\u2019m just the bookkeeper, accountant or secretary.\u201d I\u2019d like to acknowledge those companies, like East Coast Nurseries for example, who invited those working behind the scenes to attend. It is important for those ladies to be acknowledged for the very important role they play on a daily basis. And broadening their professional horizons can only help strengthen a business.<\/p>\n

The event also connected me with two inspirational women. There I met Melissa Priois Daniels, owner of Plant Connection Inc. and president of the Long Island Chapter of the NYSNLA, who reinvented a traditional wholesale nursery to become a leading grower and designer in the world of GroWalls and GroRoofs in the United States. Next was June Croon, President of The Plantage Inc. June\u2019s sister Lois was the original founder of this perennial-based company. Sadly Lois passed from breast cancer in 1997. June stepped to the plate, however, to continue Lois\u2019s vision and even expand upon it.<\/p>\n

Have you ever noticed how many times things happen in threes? Well, at the same time as \u201cChicks in Horticulture,\u201d two other \u201cgirl power\u201d projects occurred simultaneously.<\/p>\n

First off, two energetic young ladies, Brienne Gluvna Arthur of Camellia Forest Nursery in North Carolina and Katie Ketelsen, on-line editor for invited me to join the Facebook group \u201cGreen Women Unite.\u201d So far this group has proved to be extremely positive, encouraging, supportive and full of ideas. I\u2019m glad these two \u201cchicks\u201d are in my life, as I think they\u2019re going to help keep me feeling young and inspired while helping push the envelope!<\/p>\n

Secondly, the Foolproof Plants app highlighting some of the best options for ornamental plants that stay a manageable size was launched on both iTunes and Google Play. The production of this app was spearheaded by Susan Morrison, author of Blue Planet Garden Blog and co-author of Garden Up! Susan collaborated with four female co-authors to profile plants appropriate for each hardiness zone; these include Katie Elzer-Peters (Zone 7), Jenny Peterson (Zone 8), Genevieve Schmidt (Zone 9) and last but not least, me profiling plants for Zones 5 and 6.<\/p>\n

While the number of women in our industry has certainly increased since I graduated from college, I do question the lack of females serving in leadership positions both in businesses and in industry associations. Quite often I\u2019m the only woman at a male-dominated table, where the discussion revolves around what consumers want. I find it somewhat amusing that our target demographic is predominantly female, yet from where I sit, I think there are not nearly enough women being consulted in the decision-making process of the business equation. Hmmm \u2026 interesting, yes?<\/p>\n

\u201cThink like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as trade associations are concerned, in its 135-year history, the American Nursery and Landscape Association has had one female president: Joanne Kostecky. Since its inception in 1929, OFA has also had one female president: Kathy Benken. From 1908 until now there has been one female president of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association: me! Quoting B.R. Ambedkar, the most prominent Indian politician besides Mahatma Gandhi, \u201cI measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.\u201d I ask what does this lack of female leadership say, if anything, about our industry?<\/p>\n

In closing, I\u2019d like to thank the editor of American Nurseryman Sally Benson. Without her, I\u2019m quite sure my second career path would not have occurred \u2013 nor have been quite as successful. To the visionary gentlemen I\u2019ve encountered in my career who saw me not as a woman or an adversary but as an ally, thank you for the opportunity to work alongside you and prove my worth. To all the women in hort, I\u2019d like to say keep doing what you\u2019re doing. Listen to what Oprah Winfrey once said: \u201cThink like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria Zampini is the president of UpShoot LLC. Her company\u2019s focus is \u201cliving, sharing and supporting horticulture\u201d through new plant introduction representation including LCN Selections. She can be reached at [email protected]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

maria Zampini \u2014 May 1, 2013 In March I had the distinct honor of being asked to speak at the \u201cChicks in Horticulture\u201d brunch. The event was hosted in March by the Long Island Chapter of the New York Nursery and Landscape Association and, believe it or not, it was my first trip to that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nursery"],"yoast_head":"\n