A Grower Perspective

I did not personally know Carl Ekstrom of Ekstrom Nursery but I was sad to learn he had passed away. I heard his name many times and knew that he was one of Oregon’s nursery industry legends. I doubt Carl Ekstrom would have remembered briefly meeting me but that moment has stuck with me for years.

Nearly a decade ago, Mr. Ekstrom was walking by our booth at the Farwest Show.  I noticed this older unassuming man dressed like he was on

his way to work – work boots and work clothes. He was strolling past our booth with his bag full of Farwest Show materials. He seemed to be very purposefully making his way through the show. He caught a glimpse of our booth and stopped to study our backdrop filled with photos. Then he came forward, shook my hand with a firm handshake and introduced himself. He proceeded to ask some very relevant questions about field growing and our nursery. He seemed genuinely interested in what I was saying. When he was ready to leave, he turned and kindly said, “Looks like you’re doing a very good job young man. Keep it up.”

Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure to know Mr. Ekstrom beyond that brief conversation. However, it meant a lot to have a respected and seasoned “old timer” take the time to talk with me and to notice that we were doing a good job. Funny how such a simple thing can mean so much.