Receiving the 2021 ACS Justin C. “Chub” Harper Award for Development in the Field of Conifers was both an honor and a reflection of years spent in a craft that continues to surprise and inspire. The recognition from the American Conifer Society and my colleagues is deeply meaningful, not only as a personal milestone but as a validation of the larger work so many of us engage in: preserving, expanding, and sharing the diversity of conifers for future generations.
The article in Conifer Quarterly captures the breadth of this work well. From the early years of focusing on propagation and the careful grafting of unique witches’ broom specimens, to operating Appeldoorn Landscape Nursery in Bostic, NC, each phase has brought new challenges and discoveries. The nursery has remained focused on southeastern conifers, producing material that is often difficult to find elsewhere, and collaborating with collectors, broom hunters, and institutions along the way.
Workshops and propagation demonstrations have allowed me to share hard-earned knowledge with others—methods refined over years of trial and recordkeeping, tracking everything from rootstock success rates to the subtle influence of seasonal timing and scion condition. In this field, data matter, but so does the patient hand.
Beyond the walls of the nursery, partnerships with organizations like the US National Arboretum and The Cox Arboretum have helped introduce some of these southeastern forms into broader circulation, ensuring that the material doesn’t remain hidden or limited to a single garden. The Harper Award is, to me, a reflection of this broader mission: cultivating not only plants, but networks of people who value the extraordinary diversity that conifers have to offer. I remain grateful to Sandy Horn, Scott Antrim, Tom Cox, and Jennifer Harvey for their roles in capturing and sharing this story.