Angela Palmer’s Biography
Angela Palmer co-owns Plants Nouveau, a trendy new plant marketing company where she manages the annuals, perennials, and grasses as well as the website, marketing, photography, and social media aspect of the business.
Angela has a Bachelors of Science in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Delaware. She has a storied career in horticulture. She worked for many years as the Director of New Products for one of the largest wholesale nurseries on the East Coast, The Conard-Pyle Company, where she was instrumental in introducing Knock Out rose. She also previously managed the Plant Introduction Program for Chicagoland Grows as well as the staff and development of 1/2 of the collections at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC as well as the arboretum’s Elite Plant Introduction Program. She also served as the Conference Director for the annual Native Plants in the Landscape Conference held at Millersville University for 12 years.
She currently lives in New England where she has fun gardening in her home garden and pursuing another passion of hers, coaching girl’s lacrosse teams. You can learn more about Angela on her company’s website plantsnouveau.com, and on Instagram her handle is @plantweenie.
Show Notes
Angela’s pet moss as a four year old
Her transition from engineering into horticulture at University of Delaware
Gary Smith’s approach to teaching landscape design and teaching students to see everything
First jobs in horticulture including vegetable packing, a Christmas tree farm, and integrated pest management at Star roses and move up into overseeing new plants
How Angela’s curiosity was a plus in helping her level up in her career
The origin of the Knock Out® rose from breeder William Radler
Plant breeders rights
Angela’s thoughts on patents, trademarks, and nomenclature
Angela reflects on Knock Out® rose’s success
Her experience at Chicagoland Grows and the US National Arboretum
Angela striking out on her own by starting Plants Nouveau with Linda Guy
A step-by-step of how new plants are introduced to market and complications with the process
Trends Angela is seeing including smaller plants, edible ornamentals, and compact selling perennials that will actually grow in the ground (or, sleep, creep, and leap!)
The shift from double back to single Echinacea and the importance of plants for pollinators
How it takes time for consumers to get to know a plant by name
Angela’s interest in marketing and exploring brands and trends outside the industry
Staying fresh with plants by planting container gardens, visiting the gardens of friends, and traveling for conferences or trade shows
What Angela is reading including English gardening magazines; Fine Gardening; marketing, social media, and engagement; and marketing gurus like Seth Godin
“It’s all about the why“ and how Angela has integrated that into her life
The Akimbo workshops started by Seth Godin
Daily rituals including scrolling Instagram and visiting her greenhouse
The myth that hydrangeas always need shade
Angela’s work to increase the availability of Itoh peonies to the market
Angela’s advice on women who are cultivating careers in horticulture
How to propagate more gardeners through technology including better plant tags, personalized information, and geotagged information
Find more about Angela on her company’s website plantsnouveau.com, and on Instagram @plantweenie