Behnke Nurseries manager joins Smithsonian as horticulturalist

Long-time Behnke Nurseries employee and manager of the Potomac garden center Alex Dencker will become the horticulturalist for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  He joins a large group of former Behnke employees who work at the White House, and for the Architect of the Capitol, the National Arboretum and the Smithsonian.

The new Potomac garden center manager is Bill Mann, who has been with Behnke for over 30 years. He earned a Bachelor's of Science in horticulture from the University of Maryland in 1978 and became a Certified Professional Horticulturist in 1986.

Mann worked for many years at Behnke’s garden center at Beltsville in the woody plant department, which he managed for a number of years. He was the tree and shrub buyer for several years before he took over management of the landscape department.