Growing organic

Nestled in Henderson County, Texas, is Athens Organic Supply Home & Garden Center. But you can call it Athens Organic Supply for short (www.athensorganicsupply.com). The business prides itself on being the source for organic gardening goods—and much more.

Horticulturist Nick Rosenberg is part of the team running this truly grassroots operation. The current incarnation of the business got its start in 2004, as a part-time retail establishment open on Fridays, Saturdays and by appointment. Over the years demand for organic products grew, and local residents grew tired of trekking to Dallas or Tyler, Texas, to make purchases. In response, Athens Organic Supply began opening its doors six days a week, added more staff and expanded its organic offerings.

Rosenberg talked with Garden Center recently about how he helps gardeners grow organic.
 

GARDEN CENTER: A brand-new gardener walks in your door with little to no knowledge of organic methods. What’s the main message you try to share with them before they leave?
NICK ROSENBERG: The first thing we tell them is healthy soil produces healthy plants. The main objective of organic gardening is to produce healthy soil, which leads to healthy plants. We tell people to work with nature, not against it.

We also let them know that you have to have realistic expectations—especially when you’re working with nature. It takes a little bit of time to establish an organic gardening routine. But the biggest advantage, overall, is that it’s awesome for the environment. We tell our customers it takes more dedication up front. But once you get it rolling—get those microorganisms going—it kind of takes over. We’re picking up where Mother Nature left off. Failure only comes when people give up.
 

GC: Your customers deal with a challenging climate. What are the top three plants you tend to recommend that will take the Texas heat?
NR: I always turn to the ornamental grasses—Miscanthus, Pennisetum—they take the heat. Also loropetalum—those do equally well in sun or shade. For color, lantana is always wonderful. And any kind of yaupon holly is good. There are so many new varieties out there. Indian hawthorne ‘Oriental Pearl’ is another variety that’s great for this area.
 

GC: How would you describe your own, personal garden? What are you favorite plants among the ones you’re growing?
NR: Design-wise, it’s pretty near to what I would call a typical East Texas garden; very characteristic to the Tyler/Palestine area. I’ve got a beautiful Lavender Twist weeping redbud, dogwoods, azaleas.
 

I always like to try new varieties in my garden. Like the ‘Purple Pixie’ loropetalum, for example. Another thing that’s great to experiment with, too, is variegated privet. It’s fun trying to take old standards and put a new twist to them. The trend now among customers is they don’t want to do a lot of pruning. So I advise giving plants the room they need to not just live, but to thrive.
 

GC: How did you get interested in gardening and horticulture?
NR: When I was young I was always out in the yard. My mom was an avid gardener, and we would often win “yard of the month.” In high school I started my own landscape maintenance company. Then I went into the army for eight years. After I got out my mom said, “You need to get back into landscaping and gardening.” I went to work for Breedlove Nursery in Tyler, Texas. Over the years I worked with several other companies—and even opened my own company. Now I’m with Athens Organic Supply doing all the landscaping, plant buying and other projects.
 

GC: When you’re not at the store or in the garden, where would folks most likely find you?
NR: Hanging out with my wife and two precious kids. I also love to play golf. And woodworking is my passion. I create handmade pens. I also build decks, arbors—lots of carpentry.
 

GC: What’s your favorite “garden knowledge” resource? Do you tend to go online for information? Or are you more likely to turn to books and magazines?
NR: For gardening information, I tend to make a lot of calls to my mentors—folks I know personally who have taken me under their wings. For organic information, I’ll turn to Howard Garrett (www.dirtdoctor.com). And for plant-type info, Neil Sperry is a great source (www.neilsperry.com).

Working in the nursery is great, too. You learn so much from your customers. They’ll say, “I tried this, and by golly it worked! I also do a lot of garden club talk, and those folks are wonderful. I do a lot of research online, too. And I attend the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association Expo every year. It’s a great opportunity to learn from other people in the industry and get the continuing-education units for your nursery certification.