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CapitalPress.com
Friday, August 12, 2022
COLUMBIA NURSERY
First generation growers raise a family and a nursery
By MOLLY CRUSE
Capital Press
CANBY, Ore. — Hundreds of
shades of green and purple deco-
rate Columbia Nursery — from
hardy conifers to stunning Japa-
nese maples — the relatively new
nursery already boasts a wide vari-
ety of tree stock.
Wayne and Amanda Staehely
bought the 80-acre nursery in
2013. Although neither Wayne nor
Amanda are new to farming, being
fi rst generation nursery owners has
come with its challenges.
“Originally, I had nothing to do
with the nursery,” said Amanda,
who grew up on a nursery but
decided instead to pursue her pas-
sion of becoming a ballerina.
“When Wayne and I fi rst got mar-
ried, he said, ‘I think the nursery
is gonna be my thing, and you’re
gonna have your thing, too. Is that
OK?’”
Initially, Amanda
agreed.
Growing up, both of her par-
ents worked on her family’s nurs-
ery full-time. “My mom did offi ce
and my dad worked outside in the
fi eld,” Amanda said. “I didn’t want
that.” So instead, Amanda opened
a pilates studio.
But nine years later, Amanda
sold her studio and now works at
the nursery full-time.
“I started helping with the
books and the trucks and ship-
ping, and then I ended up jump-
ing into all of it,” said Amanda.
“Now I order everything, I do
the fertilizer, I run the crew, and
it’s so fun. I’ve learned a lot and
Molly Cruse/Capital Press
Amanda and Wayne Staehely stand in front of a few of their conifer trees at Columbia Nursery. Although
the couple started in the nursery industry in 2005, they moved to their current location in 2013.
I like that challenge. And then at
night when Wayne comes home,
he tells me everything I did wrong
and what we need to do the next
day. And then we just keep mov-
ing forward.”
Although Columbia Nurs-
ery was initially born of Wayne’s
love for plants, it has thrived on
Wayne and Amanda’s combined
dedication to working together and
Amanda’s industry knowledge and
business mindset.
“I think that Wayne and I work
well together,” said Amanda.
“Because his passion is defi nitely
these plants. He loves plants and I
love the business and the nursery
industry. I like the people in the
industry a lot. And I love the fam-
ily life it provides for us.”
Amanda has grown to love
working on the nursery so much
that even her kids have taken
notice. “Last year, my husband
was pruning a tree and while he’s
cutting it, my youngest (child)
goes: ‘No, don’t do that to Mom-
my’s trees,’” Amanda said.
In addition to the nurs-
ery, Wayne works full-time as a
steamfi tter.
“Time management is the big-
gest challenge,” said Wayne.
Together, Amanda and Wayne
have three children, all under 8
years old. “Family is important. So
I’m trying to focus on family and
the kids. But the nursery is a living
thing. You always have to be out
there, making sure (the plants) are
alive. It never stops.”
Throughout Columbia Nursery,
there is evidence that it is not only
a thriving business, but also a fam-
ily home. Yellow toy diggers and
children’s excavation toys deco-
rate a mulch pile near the Staehelys’
home. For Amanda, the best part of
living and working at the nursery
full-time has been the lifestyle it’s
created for her and her family.
“I love the freedom of the fact
I get to do this with my kids,” she
said. “…My son, who’s in pre-
school, is here in the afternoons.
And when he’s not in preschool,
he’s here helping me load a truck,
or my 8-year-old will drive a loader
and help me go get plants ready for
the next load.”
Although Columbia Nursery
has 10 employees, one of Amanda
and Wayne’s favorite parts of their
nursery operation is being able to
work together.
“Wayne defi nitely says that his
absolute favorite times are when
we walk around at night, and it’s
getting dark,” said Amanda. “In
the summer especially, and we
go to change water and we have
a drink and we’re walking around
the fi elds. And we start asking
each other questions about diff er-
ent plants. And he’ll tell me, ‘This
is what I used to dream about.’”