August 21, 2015 CapitalPress.com 15 Youngblood Nursery: 25 years of the unusual By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press SALEM — Youngblood Nursery brings unusual plants to the public by finding, prop- agating and wholesaling them to independent retail garden centers along the West Coast and beyond. The all-container nurs- ery, opened in 1990 by Don and Jeanne Youngblood on two acres of the family’s 142-acre farm near Salem’s Wheatland Ferry, now en- compasses 40 acres. The family’s passion for unusu- al plants caught on and the nursery soon became the farm’s mainstay, now sell- ing 300,000-320,000 4-inch to 15-gallon pots a year and offering about 400 varieties. It employs 35-40 full-time people year round. Display and trial gardens around the office include rari- ties from around the globe. Among them is Chilean native Azara microphylla, an evergreen shrub with winter blooms that exude a potent white chocolate fragrance. Rare Oregon native Chamae- cyparis lawsoniana, “Wissel’s Saguaro,” is one of their most popular shrubs. “It’s tall and upright and puts out these funky arms like a saguaro cactus,” sales associate Chris Steinke said. Ceanothus, or California li- lac, is also a big seller, as is the zig-zag-branched Camel- lia japonica “Unryu.” Young- blood’s specialty is Daphne; the nursery carries about two dozen varieties that include some dramatic departures from the norm. “The Pacific Northwest is full of nice plant geeks who travel the world and bring back these nice things,” Stein- ke said. “Once they’ve estab- lished that they will work for our climate we go out and see what they’ve got. “We don’t do a whole lot of research; we just go out and say, ‘That’s cool, let’s see if we can grow it; let’s see if we can sell it,’” Steinke said. “That’s what’s nice about working for a family nursery; we’re a good-sized nursery but it’s easy to change and add things.” Tiny Treasures is a new- er line of younger and dwarf plants in 4-inch pots for a more finished product. Such ideas often spring from net- working with fellow growers. “The nursery industry’s always been pretty much an open book,” Steinke said. “You can go to your neigh- bor/competitor and get good sound advice and they’re hap- py to give it. We have the Or- egon Association of Nurseries that does a lot of work for the industry, putting on trade shows and seminars; getting the wholesalers connected with the retailers. They’ll go to Capitol Hill to push things through.” Though the nursery likes to try out new technology, some of its biggest time- and labor-savers come from those custom inventions that tend to happen on a family farm. “We built a conveyor-fed potting machine 6 years ago that works great,” Steinke said. “Don Youngblood de- veloped a tractor-driven poly roller so you don’t have to re- move all the greenhouse cov- erings by hand.” They also came up with a custom-built watering boom; a drive-under system so workers don’t even need to get out of their vehi- cle. Youngblood’s plants are getting easier to find on the retail market. “If you want the most bi- zarre, biggest selection you might go to Portland Nurs- ery, or for really off-the-wall stuff Cistus Nursery is super cool,” Weeks said, “but there are little ‘boutique-y’ places everywhere in Portland these days; small corner nurseries that carry some pretty unique plants.” Chris Steinke shows off a mature Daphne plant in the display garden at Youngblood Nursery. The nursery sells about two dozen Daphne varieties among its many unusual offerings. Brenna Wiegand/For the Capital Press Row Mulch Spreaders For All Growers Whatcom Manufacturing’s Mulch Spreaders are specifically engineered for fast, easy and precise mulch application. Whether it’s for moisture evaporation, weed control, amendments for enhancing soil tilth, the Whatcom Manufacturing Mulch Spreader saves time and money. Created with your needs in mind, they are available in multiple sizes with numerous options and features. They are built to accommodate all applications using mulch, sawdust shaving, manure, solids, gyspum, organic compost, wood chips, etc. Whatcom Manufacturing Inc. Lynden, WA 360-354-3094 www.whatcommfg.com whatcommfg@nas.com N15-1/#24 N15-4/#7