Hi, I have seven questions, and I would really appreciate it if some one who really knows these stuff help me to start. Lets assume that I want to open a big nursury or a few of them in different location with different weather conditions, and a few amazing gardens which are totally different from each other, and I mean AMAZING, and then get into basicly everything related to plants, like growing herbs, and producing useful products from those herbs, etc (just don't laugh), now: 1- Do I need to go to a school for this, or I can just read a few books just to get started, and then continue to increase my knowledge by just reading books as I need them? 2- What is the best school with the most comprehensive curriculum in Canada? 3- What is the best/most prestigious/most famous school for these purposes in the world? 4- How realistic is it to just open a nursury and become successful in Canada/other countries? How much money do you need? 5- What kind of programs/schools people who study herbs and their usage get into? What is it called? Where are these programs offered? For example people who make skin care or health care products from plants? 6- Is it OK to take a plant(a fruit plant, an herb, or a tree, etc) from a country to another country, both from legal point of view, and from agricultural point of view, i.e. messing up the ecosystem, assuming that you would really be careful, and would do tests to ensure you are not importing any pests? And from the ecosystem point of view whom would you ask, or who has the knowledge to tell you whether it is ok to take a plant to another region? and how sure they can be? and what would happen if you do it anyway? 7- Where can I meet people who are interested or are doing these stuff in Vancouver/ other cities around the world? I appreciate any help from anyone Thank you so much
Hi farid--wow, what a huge question/questions! I have just a few thoughts from my experiences in the Vancouver, BC area. You can browse lots of good books on nurseries/business/horticulture in both the Macdonald library at UBC, and the Kwantlen Langley campus library. One book specifically is called something like "So you want to start a nursery" by Tony Avent...very well written to exactly the sort of person you seem to be! Another thing is to attend the Canwest nursery show in September, and try to talk to as many of the nursery folk there as possible. For a few bucks, you can meet so many people in just a day or two. Also, try to chat for a few minutes to some of the local nursery owners/managers. Things have calmed down a bit from the spring rush, so you may be able to bend their ears for a few moments in their normally hectic schedules. I've talked to some for hours, but consider myself very lucky...these are extremely busy people in a business that is harder and harder to survive in. Finally, you could enquire directly to the horticulture program at Kwantlen Langley, which trains both retail and field workers locally. Also, I talked years ago to a nursery specialist with Ag Canada in Abbotsford who was paid to answer all these questions...(I use the past tense coz gov't programs are known to come and go, and I haven't bumped into this fellow for a while)... Money, yes you will need some, perhaps a lot. And to quote one owner, you'll never get rich in this business. It can be something you love, tho, which is important.
I would say that it is like any business, to own one, you dont need to know squat about the products you sell, you need to know how to run a business. On the other hand if you wanted to work in the business you could only perform duties that you are experienced in or knowledgeable of, if that leaves you with minimal duties due to lack of ability, then yes, you certainly need to go to school or get experience in the field. Personally I started working in garden centers during high school, I read everything (books, labels, signs) I could, listened when the knowledgeable people spoke, took every seminar and short course the boss would pay for, watched garden shows and videos and as suggested, I went to Canwest every year, still do in fact, and met everyone I could. after about 18 years of this I have met many great people, learned lots of cool stuff and I still like what I do for a living. Would I open and run a garden center? nope. I will continue to work in them as long as its fun though, a day a week in the spring is enough for me. :)
Addressing number six - no, generally not without government permission. Some countries will refuse the export of their biodiversity resources due to past biopiracy. Anyone considering the import / export of wild material needs to be familiar with the Convention on Biological Diversity, though it does depend on what country you live in. Very few have not ratified the CBD (USA) and a few have not become a signatory (Iraq) (see CBD list of Parties That's one layer of bureaucracy. A second layer involves the import / export of protected / endangered plants: see [WIKI]CITES[/WIKI] And then a third layer involves agricultural protection - preventing the import of invasive plants and diseases. That varies from country to country (and can even vary from state to state in the US)
My immediate first thought would be what species are you interested in learning about? It is a big world out there when it comes to plants. Some sources say you have literally millions of species! Others say less than 500,000. Regardless, there are a bunch of plants out there to learn about. Far more than any one person can ever master. So, do you want to specialize in trees? Aroids? Impatiens? Orchids? Native species? Tropical species? Flowering species? I could list a list so long it would take a week to read it! The very best botanists in any field are specialists. Some work with only a few thousand species! Dr. Tom Croat, who is a personal friend, is the top aroid botanist in the United States. He has only a very few peers his equal in the world. And Tom would tell you very quickly he still has a lot to learn. Most will quickly tell you they do not know much, yet. I say that, because no one is simply going to "read a few books" and become a plant expert. Learning about plants can easily become a lifetime occupation or avocation. The comment about Tony Avent is a great one. Tony runs a great nursery but he is also a plant researcher. He comments on a few boards from time to time and on at least one board to which I also contribute regularly. People who converse with him, and I have done so via email, know him as a very intelligent teacher. He knows his plants! Now, if all you want to do is sell plants you can likely learn all you need to do that in a reasonable period of time. Or better yet, just hire the folks who have already learned it and let them do the selling. But if you really want to learn about plants, you've got a big road out in front of you. Will you know how to give an itellegent answer if someone asks you a technical question? Believe me, I run into technical questions every single day I do not understand! I've been researching the aroid group, the orchid group and several others for over twenty years and learn new things every single day. Fortunately, there are good people out there who have already learned the answers, or who are also seeking those answers, and will gladly help. So do just about all the plant researchers I converse with all the time! So think a little broader than you already have. Good start. But you may have a long way to go.
