What works for GET Group Inc.

Carsten Hoffmeyer came to the United States from Denmark 26 years ago. He dreamed of owning a nursery, and now runs two companies -- GET Group and Hoffie Nursery. GET Group grows perennial liners, which are shipped throughout the United States and Canada. Hoffie Nursery grows perennials, native plants, herbs and ornamental grasses. Hoffmeyer also serves as president of the Illinois Green Industry Association.

GMPRO asked Hoffmeyer to identify some of his top picks in plant material and production aids.

Monarda didyma ‘Coral Reef,’ from Morden Research Station in Manitoba , Canada , is a mildew-resistant bee balm. This stunning variety flowers with whorls of pink tubular petals with an undertone of coral. The foliage is green, glossy and wonderfully aromatic. Foliage has a mint scent when crushed. It grows 42 inches tall and flowers from June to July. It’s deer and rabbit resistant, and it attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. It’s hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9.

Prunella ‘Summer Daze’ was bred in the United Kingdom by Graham Spencer. This compact plant has oak-leaved foliage and a mass of showy, rich-pink flowers. The blossoms are an added bonus to the finely cut foliage that holds its own. It grows 18 inches tall and flowers from June to September. It’s hardy in Zones 4-9.

GET Group’s pruning machine is a time-saver and a back-saver. Hoffmeyer and Ross Benner, GET’s shipping manager, designed the machine to fit the grower’s flats. The operator can adjust heights. Using a conveyer belt built to specs, an electric lawn mower and an assortment of other materials, Benner built an efficient and safe pruner for a minimal price. With safety as a concern, precautions for injures were also incorporated in the design. The conveyer eliminates the possibility of hands and blades making contact. What previously took three people to prune in a week’s time can now be done by two people in one day. As a result, plants grow at very uniform and compact rates. It’s electric powered to minimize noise and eliminate potential harmful fumes.

GET Group Inc.

Founded: Hoffie Nursery was founded in 1990 and GET Group in 2002 by Carsten Hoffmeyer.

Locations: Union , Ill.

Crops: Hoffie Nursery grows perennials, native plants, herbs and ornamental grasses. GET Group sells perennial liners.

Market: Hoffie sells to garden centers and landscape contractors in the Midwest . GET Group ships liners across the United States and Canada .

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For more: GET Group/Hoffie Nursery, (815) 923-2518; www.perennialquality.com. 

- Kelli Rodda