On the job

What do you do?

“We make people’s yards and gardens beautiful. We sell anything that grows outdoors — trees, plants, shrubbery — and also garden gifts. We also do landscape design and installation. We like to think of ourselves as a little bit different. We want to help the gardener achieve what they want. We want to make sure they have the right plant in the right spot. We want gardening to be fun. We want them to see the fruits of their efforts.”

How did you get into this business?

“DNA. My grandfather moved to this farm in 1916 or so, and established a working farm, orchard and dairy. My dad started the ornamental end of it in 1947. I grew up in it. My first memory was helping “shovel” some peat moss into the back of a truck when I was 6. Now Tina (his wife) and I have about 14 full- and part-time employees at a 10-month-a-year operation.”

What’s the best part of the job?

“Seeing the happy look on customers’ faces after implementing planting designs we recommended. I need that kind of gratification. To have no tangible evidence of your work — I would have a hard time with that.”

What’s the worst part?

“I wouldn’t say worst, but trying to keep track of ever-changing government regulations — that’s difficult. Also, the bulk of our sales occur in a six-week period. Things get busy, but that’s the nature of our business.”

What have you learned from this job?

“Every business is show business. The public assumes that every garden center will have good plants, a variety of plants and they’re all available. But you also have to do all the other stuff, such as workshops and special events. The customer wants to be entertained. It has to be a pleasurable part of their shopping experience. The customer wants what they want when they want it. Now, you can’t be out for the season — you can’t even be out for the day.”

Do you grow your own plants and trees?

“We grow a lot of our own plants, but we don’t grow everything. We grow the bulk of our annuals and perennials and some of the trees and shrubs.”

How uniform is the plant hardiness zone in Massachusetts?

“Massachusetts is dramatically different from the Cape to the Berkshires — things that can grow on the Cape can’t survive in other parts of Massachusetts. There’s also a huge difference from town to town and even from property to property. Paxton is prone to a lot of ice, but here in Spencer we might get more mixed precipitation.”

Are there some plants you’ve never been able to grow?

“Trillium is a wildflower that I’ve tried to grow several times and not been successful.”

Insects are a problem for many gardeners. Do you have some that particularly vex your efforts?

“I just find Japanese beetles to be aggravating, egotistical insects. They just sit out there on your flowers eating right in front of you. Another pest I don’t like is the hemlock wooly adelgid — an aphid-like insect that you can’t see unless you go looking for it. It just kills hemlocks.”

What’s your advice to gardeners who spread thousands of yards of bark mulch every spring?

“Don’t overmulch. The initial layer should be 2.5 inches or so. After that, you really need to add a half inch to 1 inch only. Mulch has become a status symbol, but I really think it should be a supporting role that helps accentuate your plants.”

Who are today’s gardeners and how do they differ from those of a generation ago?

“A generation ago, customers had had a continuous contact with plants since they were young. Today’s customers, if they had the initial contact, they’ve had a disconnect for some period due to college or moving into an apartment. The customer has changed dramatically in the past five years. We have a lot of new homeowners today. A lot of customers come in and tell us they just want their lawn or garden to look nice. You have to figure out whether the person is interested in the process of gardening or just the outcome.”

What’s your favorite season?

“Autumn. It’s a little more relaxed for us. Things used to slow down in the winter, but we’re traveling to trade shows during the winter. Autumn is just a little more mellow than spring. I like the nice, crisp nights and the fall colors that we in New England take for granted.”

There are all types of gardening shows on cable television. How have they changed the business and do you ever watch them?

“The TV shows and Internet have exposed the public to a whole lot of different ideas and made them willing to try different things. I do a local cable television show, so I know how hard TV can be. The national shows have to put together a program for the whole country, but the country is very different and what works in one place isn’t good somewhere else. That’s why I can’t watch them, because I’m the kind of person who yells at the TV.”

Compiled by: Business reporter Bob Kievra To have or suggest a job profile, send information to Andi Esposito, business editor, Telegram & Gazette, Box 15012, Worcester, MA, 01615-0012, or send an e-mail to aesposito@telegram.com.

Age: 44 Family: Married Native of: Worcester Current residence: Spencer Time in current job: “All my life”

Edward G. Bemis