Spring is the time for an industry in bloom
| The new crop of homes and commercial buildings in Western North Carolina may encroach on farmland, but it has a major upside for some growers, especially those in landscaping and greenhouse-related businesses. Savvy producers of flowers, perennials, shade trees and sod have tapped into a burgeoning market that has supplanted tobacco as the top crop in North Carolina. In Henderson County — long considered the apple capital of North Carolina — the nursery and greenhouse industry generates 10 times the revenue of that traditional crop. |
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The robust greenhouse and nursery industry has surpassed tobacco as the top crop in the Tar Heel state. In 2004, the industry generated $832 million in sales, compared to $620 million for tobacco. And that doesn’t count Christmas trees, which generated another $101 million. In his nine years on the job, Cliff Ruth, an agent specializing in ornamentals for the Henderson County office of the N.C. Cooperative Extension, has seen ornamental and greenhouse-related businesses increase from 240 to more than 500 in Henderson County alone, and from about 1,000 employees to 3,000.
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