Willoway Nurseries, Inc.
Willoway Nurseries, Inc. is one of the largest wholesale growers of quality nursery stock in the midwest and ranks within the top 40 nationwide. Willoway encompasses approximately 550 acres of field production and 450 acres of container stock which includes 32 acres of climate controlled greenhouses. We carry over 2,000 different plant varieties including shade trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, evergreens, perennials, and flowering annuals. Discover the Willoway Advantage!
Join us for these exciting zoom meetings live with industry leaders on plants for 2021
Behind the Scenes at Raymond Evison Clematis LIVE from Guernsey -Webinar ID: Webinar ID: 913 6864 8710 & Passcode: 592278 January 6th @ 11 am EST
Rosarian Ping Lim on building Altman Plants’ True Bloom™ rose program. Webinar ID: 936 0742 1885 Passcode: 592278 January 6th, 2021 3 pm EST.
New Plants with Dr. Michael Dirr. Live Discussion on New Hydrangea and Introductions-Webinar ID: 988 4471 1408 & Passcode: 592278 January 7th, 2021 10 am EST.
Doug Tallamy's call-to-action for planting native plants and restoring biodiversity Webinar ID: 960 9387 4426 Passcode: 592278 January 7th, 2021 1 pm EST.
Why American Beauties Native Plants® is the EASY option to increase your native plant offerings-Webinar ID: 926 7375 4525 Passcode: 592278 January 7th, 2021 3 pm EST.
Handpicked for You®: Certified to Thrive! New Brand Unveiling Webinar ID: 912 4528 7960 Passcode: 592278 January 8th, 2021 10 am EST.
A Boxwood Revolution! Live discussion on the New Gen Boxwood Collection Webinar ID: 926 3832 5365 & Passcode: 592278 January 8th, 2021 11 am EST.
Join Tim Wood to Discuss New Hydrangeas and Plants of the Year. Webinar ID: 983 9301 0195 Passcode: 592278 January 8th, 2021 1 pm EST.
Join PP&L to Discuss the Frostkiss® Hellebores and Delgenius™ Delphinium Webinar ID: 973 7848 6862 Passcode: 592278 January 8th, 2021 2 pm EST.
Brands: Willoway Nurseries, Inc. carries over 2,000 different plant varieties including including all of the top brands in the industry.
Videos
Willoway Nurseries Rooted to Grow
Willoway's Vision for 2021
2020 Great Game of Business All Star Award
Press Releases
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Willoway Nurseries Selected as a Great Game of Business All-Star Champion!
Avon, OH | September 2020
Willoway was recently selected as a 2020 All-Star Champion of the Great Game of Business!
The 20th annual All-Star Champions are chosen from the All-Star team. Chosen by a panel of judges these companies are the best of the best from around the globe that have fully embraced the principles of open-book management and The Great Game of Business and have demonstrated outstanding results.
The inspiration for the All-Star Awards came from the pioneers of open-book management themselves. This recognition program was created in 2001 to highlight the companies on the leading edge of this innovative management practice, who have discovered first-hand that when you harness the collective wisdom of your people, great things can and do happen.
But as Great Game™ practitioners know - it’s not just about generating profits, cash and wealth, but also about distributing it for the good of everyone involved. The Game starts with a sincere belief in people along with fostering trust and mutual respect. The companies recognized as Great Game All-Stars embody these concepts to the fullest. All-Star companies show tenacious dedication to open-book management and business transparency and continually spread the word to help others succeed as well.
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Willoway Receives Smart Culture Award
Cleveland, OH | August 2020
Willoway was recently recognized by Smart Business Cleveland, a Cleveland based Magazine, and presented with their Smart Culture Award in the area of Mission, Vision, and value in the work place.
Willoway was recognized for embracing core values, employee involvement & interaction, open book management, and a dedication to a strong company culture.
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Our Passion for the Environment
We are passionate about community service, education, and supporting our industry to help grow the next generation of horticulture professionals. Our Core Values compel us to always try to do the right thing. Our efforts on behalf of the environment are part of our process of continual improvement. We believe in challenging the status quo. We listen, then use our experience and technology to innovate procedures to help sustain our environment.
Here are a few of the best practices we employ in our efforts to make a difference:
Systems Approach to Nursery Certification or SANC reduces pest risk associated with nursery stock by identifying and dealing with pest hazards at all stages of the plant production system. Willoway’s SANC-certified facilities use best production practices that reduce the risk of spreading plant pests throughout the trade.
MPS (More Profitable Sustainability) is an industry initiative that grants sustainability certificates for international floral and ornamentals growers and breeders. This prestigious certification is recognized worldwide as a standard for sustainability practices. Monitoring tools encourage us to chart farm usages in water, fertilizer, crop agents, electricity, land, and fuel and identify ways to lower consumption. MPS certification increases social accountability as growers compare results to reduce impact on natural resources.
Electrochemically activated water or ECA - A better treatment of recycled water. Older methods such as ultraviolet disinfection, heat treatment, chlorination, copper-silver ionization and slow sand filtration are being replaced by electrochemically activated water (ECA). This is an environmentally friendly process that reduces the use of chemical products for water purification. Cleaner water reduces disease and the need for chemical treatments. We also use irrigation monitoring to apply the correct amount of water to reduce waste.
We are always looking for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle in the nursery. Plastic used to cover our growing houses through the winter is pulled and sent for recycling. Office products are sourced sustainably, and all of our lunchrooms and administrative offices have recycling containers. Paper use is reduced further with our digital customer portal for online availability and invoicing. We are also moving to digital versions of phytosanitary certificates to save on paper.
Integrated Pest Management or IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and nontarget organisms, and the environment.
Phenology is the study of recurring biological phenomena and their relationship to weather. Tracking this information is part of our IPM practices. Using growing degree-days (GGDs), while not perfect, is a more reliable method of predicting crop and insect development than calendar days. This measurement of the growth and development of plants and insects during the growing season gives us the ability to react proactively and limit the use of chemical needs.
Something as simple as the application of rice hulls in our containers effectively suppresses weed seed germination in container nursery production. Rice hulls are an excellent renewable resource that we use to reduce weeds and minimize the need for herbicides.
Smart Sprayers are offering a new technology that detects unique crop architecture and makes management decisions based on height, width, spacing, and density of each plant or tree.
- 47-73% reduction of spray consumption
- 40-87% reduction in spray loss beyond tree canopies.
- Up to 87% less airborne drift
- 68-93% reduction in spray loss on the ground.
- Equal or better crop protection
These are part of Willoway Nurseries’ everyday approach to continual improvement and part of our core values to do the right thing. Schedule a tour of the nursery and let us show you our tools for sustainability.
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Dec. 7, 2020
Raleigh, NC
SynRG® Charter Growers Announce Educational Programming for 2021 MANTS
Join industry visionaries and world-class breeders to get a peek behind the curtain of exciting new plant introductions! SynRG® is taking you on a trip around the world to hear the stories behind some of our favorite new plants. All times are Eastern.
- January 6, 2021 | 11:00 AM – Go behind the scenes at Raymond Evison Clematis as we join Raymond from his nursery in Guernsey Island. Raymond has spent six decades searching for, breeding and developing the world’s best clematis and has developed and introduced over 100 varieties and cultivars. Join us to hear Raymond share his story and learn about his top-quality clematis.
- January 6, 2021 | 3:00 PM – Join rosarian Ping Lim for a discussion on building Altman Plants’ True Bloom™ rose program and learn about current and future releases. True Bloom™ roses have won many awards, including at the Biltmore International Rose Trials.
- January 7, 2021 | 10:00 AM – Join horticultural legend Dr. Michael Dirr to hear about his new hydrangea breeding; including three new hydrangea that will be available from SynRG® growers in 2021. Dr. Dirr’s lifelong passion for horticulture is well-known and his teaching, research, writing, and plant introductions have made an immeasurable impact on the green industry.
- January 7, 2021 | 1:00 PM – SynRG® is partnering with American Beauties Native Plants® to bring you the opportunity to hear Doug Tallamy share his call-to-action for planting native plants and restoring biodiversity. Doug is a professor at the University of Delaware and author of several books, including Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens and Nature’s Best Hope.
- January 8, 2021 | 10:00 AM – Attend the unveiling of the new Handpicked for You® certification logo and learn why we’re Certified to Thrive! Handpicked for You® is a plant certification program designed to rigorously identify the top performing plants and shrubs in specific regional and local markets. We are committed to helping consumers become more successful with outdoor gardening by alleviating the fear of failure.
- January 8, 2021 | 11:00 AM – Join the Boxwood Revolution and hear from the team behind the ground-breaking NewGen Boxwood introductions that have better resistance to Boxwood Blight, better resistance to Boxwood Leafminer, and overall stunning appearances.
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