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CapitalPress.com
Friday, August 12, 2022
WEST COAST NURSERY
Beauty evolves from tragedy
By HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
For the Capital Press
West Coast Nursery
Becky Crisp with
daughter, Stevie.
her
wholesale prices to everyone.
This is easier than trying to
mark it up and then discount
it, plus gives us an edge
on our competition,” she
said.
She also owns a large
dump-truck business, Fischer
Trucking, which she took
West Coast Nursery
Chris Bruner does tractor
work at West Coast Nursery.
Jaylen Crisp and Natalie Holcolm at a farmers market.
The nursery has seven full-time employees.
over 3 years ago, after her
husband died.
“It was depression/suicide.
Losing him was part of the
reason I bought this nursery.
I have a 7-year-old daugh-
ter and I felt this would be a
good place for her to grow up
— along with incorporating
the trucking business with
the nursery,” Becky said.
“We plan on doing fam-
ily events with memorial
tree days, addressing men-
tal health/suicide awareness.
This was one of the reasons
I bought the nursery, as well
as the fact I felt it was a good
investment and a place to
raise a daughter,” she said.
Many people like to plant
a tree in memory of a loved
one — so she’s been setting
up special dates for these
events.
Becky has also been
attending farmers mar-
kets at Monroe, Duvall and
Snohomish.
“We sell perennial plants
at those markets and also
have kids’ crafts and coloring
sheets related to the nursery,
and some fun potting proj-
ects for the kids,” she said.
“At the Monroe farmers mar-
ket in early July they had a
kids’ day, and I brought small
annuals and little pots and the
kids sat at picnic tables to pot
their own flowers for free.”
“When I bought this
place I had no idea what we
grew. It was like when my
husband passed away and I
didn’t know how many dump
trucks we had. I just had to
learn, and kept that business
running,” Becky said.
“It’s amazing how much
a person can learn in a short
time. My daughter knows
every tree we grow at the
nursery, and she’s only
seven. We grow a variety of
trees and shrubs and bring
in others,” she said. “We do
some plant brokering and
FRESH SAWDUST
• Fresh Sawdust or
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• HogFuel also available
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Pricing
S272949-1
S223654-1
MONROE, Wash. —
For more than 40 years, this
22-acre nursery in Mon-
roe, Wash., has been grow-
ing conifers, flowering and
shade trees, privacy hedges
plus a wide range of con-
tainer perennials for garden
projects.
Specialties include Japa-
nese maples, red maples, kat-
sura, stewartia, dogwoods,
excelsa cedar, hinoki cypress,
laurels, emerald green arbor-
vitae and many other trees.
Becky Crisp purchased
the nursery in November,
2021.
“There were two owners
before me and it was mainly
wholesale. Now we sell
wholesale and retail but offer
CALL TODAY FOR PRICING!
503-849-0216 •
FOREST GROVE, OR
lately have been sending
orders to Alaska, supplying
nurseries there.
“People also call when
they need native plants for
restoration projects or mit-
igation programs,” Becky
said.
The nursery has 7 full-
time employees and is open
every day. Dinicio Karman
has been with the nursery 17
years as field manager. He is
responsible for planting the
trees, digging them up to sell
and maintaining their health.
April Samuelson does
the greenhouses and takes
care of all the plants that are
brought in, shifting them to
larger pots and taking care
of them.
Chris Bruner has an
extensive background in
trees and plants. Natalie
Holcolm is office assistant
and helps with sales and
coordinating the farmers
markets. Everyone plays an
important role in the team
effort, she said.
“In the fall we do all
our digging, and spring and
summer tend to be our bus-
ier months with selling. We
have many regular land-
scaping customers and cur-
rently doing a big order for
a restoration/mitigation pro-
gram near Chelan and deliv-
ering plants for a new hous-
ing development,” she said.
The nursery also sells
bulk materials, soils, com-
post and gravel and has sev-
eral large greenhouses that
house a variety of shrubs
and perennial plants. One
greenhouse is strictly for
plants native to Washington.
“We also take in feral
cats. They help keep down
rodents, which are hard on
young trees,” she said. “Peo-
ple are welcome to visit the
nursery, and we have little
riding tractors for the kids so
they can ride around while
their parents shop.”