KANSAS CITY – Paul Westervelt of Saunders Brothers will be presenting “Are they Better or Just New” at the 2020 Western in Kansas City which runs from Jan. 15-17. Westervelt will be presenting on Thursday morning of the conference.
In his talk, Westervelt will share some of the winners and losers of recent plant introductions. With so many new perennials released every year, it can be difficult to distinguish legitimately better cultivars from those that are simply marketable. Through production trials, garden visits, vendor visits and collaboration with other growers, Westervelt works to select the true winners.
Westervelt is a professional plant geek who has run the annual and perennial program for Saunders Brothers Nursery in Piney River, Virginia since 2004, where he grows over 800 varieties across 13 programs. He grew up in Winchester, Virginia, across from a multi-acre Oehme van Sweden garden. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Horticulture from Virginia Tech (2001 and 2003 respectively). In 2009 he was awarded the "Young Professional of the Year" by the Perennial Plant Association. He was selected for the 2013 Class of 40 Under 40 for Greenhouse Product News.
Each year, GPN recognizes 40 industry professionals under the age of 40 who are helping to determine the future of the horticulture industry. Westervelt is a contributing columnist for Grower Talks Magazine and is a popular speaker at national and regional events.
Westervelt lives and gardens with his wife and two children on their farm in central Virginia.