The History of American Nurseryman Magazine

Serving the complete horticulture industry
American Nurseryman is the only national trade magazine that nursery growers, landscapers and garden center owners are willing to pay to receive twice a month — 24 times a year. American Nurseryman is proud of its name and tradition. In 2004, American Nurseryman celebrated its 100th year as the “bible of the nursery industry!” There are many reasons for the magazine’s trusted status among commercial horticulture professionals. Accuracy, objectivity and value of content in covering the nursery industry continue to be the standards by which readers have judged American Nurseryman since its founding in 1904.

What we stand for
A century ago, American Nurseryman pledged to provide its readers with honest, unbiased industry coverage. Today — in 2004 — we look to the next 100 years with the same dedication and promise.

by Sally D. Benson

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

When American Nurseryman founder Ralph Olcott stated early last century that his magazine stood for “clean chronicling of commercial news” and called this position “an honest, fearless policy in harmony with the growing ethics of modern business methods,” he set the tone for decades of publishing integrity. What was important to Olcott then remains critical to this company today: “American Nurseryman is not the official journal of any organization,” he stated. “It is untrammeled in its absolutely independent position. … This magazine has no connection whatever with a particular enterprise. Absolutely unbiased and independent in all its dealings.”

And so it remains.

To say that American Nurseryman abides by a century-old tradition is not to say we remain rooted in the past. Rather, we’re proud to produce a publication that honors its tradition of integrity while offering the most current, up-to-date information. We maintain old-fashioned values to bring you contemporary coverage of an ever-growing, ever-evolving industry. Given the mandate to publish independently and honestly, we’ve held to that directive and stayed the course. Our look has evolved and our production methods have been modernized, but the heart of our mission remains the same: neutral, unbiased and ethical coverage of a vibrant, growing industry.

As a small company in a sea of corporate publishing giants, American Nurseryman Publishing Co. reflects the industry it represents. It is dedicated to serving the broad-based market of commercial horticulture, comprising growers, landscape professionals and garden center retailers. That’s all we do. For a century, we’ve published the only magazine that does so.

After 100 years of publishing the industry’s premier trade journal, what does American Nurseryman stand for?

We stand for Authority. Long ago tagged the “bible of the industry,” American Nurseryman speaks to its readers from a position of authority. Because the majority of its articles are penned by experts in the varied fields of commercial horticulture — as they have been since our premiere issue — subscribers learn from the best. Within the pages of this magazine, colleague speaks to colleague and peer teaches peer. Occasionally, though, it’s difficult to find an impartial individual to cover a particular topic. We then turn to our experienced staff editors, who seek the counsel and knowledge of those in the know: the industry professionals. Relying on their guidance, their statements and their advice, we present an unbiased, accurate, authoritative story.

We stand for Balance. Rarely is there only one side to a story. And rarely is there only one segment of the industry that’s affected. Whether this magazine addresses hot topics like natives and invasives, labor management, promotion orders and legislation, or other, seemingly benign subjects, our internal guidelines drive us. Is it fair? Is it appropriate? Is it relevant? Is it applicable? Is it timely? Who will benefit? And, finally, is it balanced?

We stand for Perspective. From its very beginning, this publication recognized the need for an integrated approach to industry coverage. To this day, it remains the only one to do so. We reach growers, landscape professionals and garden center retailers — all professionals who must deal with each other day to day. In an industry that is at once fragmented and integrated, it’s critical that every segment understand one another. Thus, our pledge to serve the entire market serves individuals as well as the industry as a whole.

We stand for Value. Solid, applicable, trustworthy information arrives twice each month. Twenty-four issues each year, American Nurseryman provides timely and significant coverage of the most important topics in the industry. That’s valuable information — twice as often as any other publication. That’s value.

We stand for Longevity. One hundred years. Four publishers. An employee roster that, while small, boasts 195 years of collective professional experience in this company alone. Most of our crew came to American Nurseryman with years of previous professional experience behind them. Our president and publisher this year observes his 30th anniversary with the company; the editor her 10th. In the field of trade publishing, that’s unusual. And in the field of trade publishing, that’s stability. The magazine you’re holding has been published continuously throughout a century of economic and industry turmoil. It’s survived two World Wars, the Depression, several recessions and the myriad ups and downs of tumultuous decades. And still it arrives twice each month.

We stand for Accuracy. American Nurseryman magazine is the final product of a comprehensive process of checks and balances. Editorial copy is not merely scanned from press releases and scammed from other publications. It is original to this publication, whether submitted by a professional in the field of commercial horticulture or written by an American Nurseryman staff editor. Each and every editorial item must be checked — and verified — for accuracy; our reference library is unparalleled. Further, we do not allow articles to be published without the final approval of each author: Once we’ve done our work, the author must then review the piece for accuracy before we go to press. This process is observed for each feature, each issue, twice each month.

We stand for Trust. It is our long-standing, steadfast policy that advertorial copy has no place in American Nurseryman: Editorial coverage simply cannot be purchased. What you read in this magazine is unbiased reporting of industry news, trends, research and plants. In fairness to all, we give no special favor to our valued advertisers who purchase display and classified ad space. Readers deserve nothing less, and advertisers respect our stand. Because of this policy, advertisers know the buyers they reach through American Nurseryman trust its content — and, therefore, trust our advertisers.

We stand for Quality. Within the pages of American Nurseryman, authoritative professionals present useful information in a format that’s attractive, accessible, easy-to-read and entertaining. We require focused, crisp writing. We feature clear, pertinent illustrations. We insist on a representative and eye-catching cover. And while we remain stable and true to specific principles, we are not afraid to change to better serve our readers.

We stand for Respect. American Nurseryman readers are educated, intelligent, successful business professionals. And we recognize that. We don’t “dumb it down.” We don’t play games. We don’t waste their time with puzzles and trivia and useless information. At American Nurseryman, we know we can’t fool our readers, and we wouldn’t try to.

Most of all, we stand for Integrity. We say what we mean. We mean what we say. American Nurseryman stands by its word to present its readers with honest, forthright and accurate coverage of the nursery and landscape industry. We’ve done it for 100 years. And that’s just the beginning.

Sally D. Benson is the editorial director of American Nurseryman.