My buddy of work

Yale YoungbloodI count a lot of you as dear friends, but I have to ’fess up to a mini “crush” on the great Alice Longfellow. Now, lest the rumors o’ scandal commence and I soon find my face becoming a lead character at Checkout Stand Theater, please allow me to explain ...

It was several years ago – maybe, even, several several – and an industry magazine had printed a report after quizzing hort folk on a variety of subjects of interest. One of the categories in the survey was “Most Influential People in and on the Industry” – or some such. Whatever it was called isn’t the gist of the story.

THIS IS: Midway down page 34, under a picture of someone named Alice Longfellow, was a list of names of the members of her veritable “Hort Hall of Fame.” We’re talking industry legends: Ian Baldwin, Peter Konjoian, Michael Dirr, Allan Armitage. Even Martha Stewart, her-own-self, made the ranks of non-hort “all stars” on Alice’s dream team. Ditto, Dr. Laura, as in “this is Dr. Laura, is the caller on the line? And if you are, get ready, because I’m about to be rude to you.”

Oh, yeah, the list featured one more item of note – to me, anyway. There in the third spot of the list of THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN ALL THE WORLD (OR AT LEAST THE HORTICULTURE PORTION OF IT) was this reference:

“Yale Youngblood”

I remember wondering at the time how many people actually spewed their Diet Shastas when they got to this part of the survey and saw whose name was tabbed in such a significant spot. I also remember wondering whether I would ever get to meet Alice – and if I did whether it would be deemed inappropriate to plant a big kiss on her cheek while simultaneously executing my best bear-hug maneuver.

Luckily, several years later, I found out – at least about the meeting Alice part. It happened at a trade show, when she introduced herself following a speech I had given and that she had attended. I can’t remember all of what I said during the meet-and-greet, but I’m virtually certain my lines included the words “forever be in your debt” and “I don’t know how I could ever pay you back.”

WELL, THIS MONTH, I get a chance to try. As you saw on the cover, we’re pitching some trends we hope you hit for a home run. And I asked Alice, owner of Longfellow’s Garden Center in Centertown, Mo., to match my two cents’ worth with some opinions of her own. I will almost guarantee that when you check out the story, which features a variety of takes on what it will take to succeed in 2010, you’ll find Alice to be among our industry’s wiser observers.

Of course, I might be a tad biased.