Ohio Landscape Contractor to be Honored at Flower Show

The Cincinnati Horticulture Society will honor longtime Boone County, Ohio, green thumb Dick Ammon at the Cincinnati Flower Show Gala April 20.

Ammon, a Burlington resident and a 1948 Lloyd High School graduate, once owned Ammon Nursery, Ammon Landscape and Ammon Garden Center (now closed) in Boone County.

The horticulture society said one of Ammon's favorite jobs was the design and planting of Kings Island in Ohio.

In the community, son Greg Ammon said his father designed and helped oversee the installation of the Boone County Arboretum. He is a former deacon at Burlington Baptist Church. He is a former chairman of the Northern Kentucky Baptist Convalescent Home's board.

Mary Margaret Rochford, president of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society, said in a statement that Ammon "has set the standard for horticulture not only locally but also nationally. His depth of knowledge, his attention to detail and his many accomplishments in his field should be an inspiration to all of us."

The Cincinnati Flower Show is April 21-29 at Coney Island.

"I always liked to grow plants but when I was in high school I always admired greenhouses," Ammon said.

In March 1950, Ammon decided to start his own business. His father gave him 3.5 acres where the present day Mall Road in Florence begins. His wife helped him with the business.

Ammon later turned over the landscaping business to his daughter Pam Bulla who in 2002 sold it to Dave Jones. The business is now called Ammon-Jones Landscape. Jones worked for Ammon for eight years. Ammon gives Jones advice and still works for him part-time.

"He is just a true mentor in every sense of the word not only as a businessman but also as a person, as a father, as a husband," Jones said, noting Ammon has a wealth of knowledge and is very personable.

Dick's son Greg Ammon owns Ammon Wholesale Nursery. That business and Ammon-Jones Landscape are doing well. Ammon-Jones has about 18 employees; Ammon Wholesale Nursery has about 25-28 employees and is now owned by Dick's son, Greg.

Greg Ammon said his father has been so successful because of being innovative and keeping up with new plant material. Three generations of Ammons are involved in the nursery and landscaping business. Greg's son Clay works for Jones.

"It's great to see my son follow actually more into his grandfather's footsteps and I'm really proud of him and happy for him that he enjoys it," Greg said.

Dick Ammon is a past president of the Kentucky Nurserymen's Association and the Southern Nursery Association.