Sunnyside Staff
Over the nursery’s 76 years of being your neighborhood nursery, we’ve had the honor of having so many knowledgable & passionate people be a part of our staff family. While here in the nursery, you will see lots of friendly staff faces ready to help you with your plant & growing adventures, but below are a few key staff we’d like to highlight…
Owner
Ben
Quite literally growing up in the nursery business, Ben is the son of Sunnyside’s previous owner Steve Smith & is now carrying on the nursery’s legacy. We are excited for the passion & fresh energy he brings to the company to help our beloved neighborhood nursery last another 76 wonderful years!
Some of our knowledgable staff…
Kerry, CPH
Kerry continues her 'families heritage' of gardening with her over 40 years of experience. Her passion is "just digging in the dirt" and loves beautiful blooms, foliage & textures in the garden.
Daniel
Daniel got his first love of gardening here at Sunnyside & has been with us ever since. He's passionate about roses & Japanese maples, all of their many stunning varieties. He loves helping people create beautiful yards for their homes. Ask him anything and he'll help you out!
Trevor, CPH
Trevor started in his grandmother's garden and now has over 30 years of experience. His passion is sharing his love for gardening with his two boys just like his parents did for me. When choosing a favorite plant he said "That's a tough one.. How 'bout I'm a 'plantaphile!'" Read Trevor’s blog...
More info about our current expert staff coming soon…
What‘s a CPH?
At Sunnyside Nursery, we are proud of the fact that we have five Certified Professional Horticulturists (CPH) on staff. But what exactly does that mean to you, the consumer? It means that you can be confident that you are getting excellent gardening advice from employees who really know their stuff.
Not just anybody can be a CPH
That’s right! Just like any other professional, we go through an extensive training period. We study botany, plant propagation, entomology and other sustainable gardening basics. We also study plant naming and identification, and homescaping.
After we hit the books, we have to prove ourselves worthy. We take a written exam, testing our skills and knowledge as a horticultural professional, based on study materials and practical applications.
In addition to being book smart, we have to be garden smart. Would you want gardening advice from someone who was afraid of a little dirt? Well, neither would we! That is why CPH’s must have at least 2,000 hours in the field or one year’s work experience with a licensed nursery, landscape contractor or WSNLA approved business or institution.
After passing the exam, CPH’s are required to improve their knowledge and skills by taking classes and seminars in order to maintain their certification.
So, when you have lawn and garden questions, ask a CPH. They really know their stuff!
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