Dale Deppe

International Award of Honor, 2010

Dale Deppe was selected to receive the 2010 International Award of Honor from the Board of Directors of the International Plant Propagators’ Society. He is a member of the Eastern Region of North America. Dale’s horticultural career began at the age of 14, working for $0.25 cents an hour planting onions.

Always finding a way to maximize his return on investment, he soon moved to ornamental horticulture when he learned that a local nursery was paying $1.00 an hour. It was while working for the local nursery that his passion for ornamental plants and the nursery industry was realized.

After graduating from Michigan State University, he worked as the Propagation Manager for Zelenka Nursery for 12 years. In 1981, he and his wife, Liz, started their own nursery with 20 acres of land, two young kids and a lot of enthusiasm. It started with one homemade Quonset house, and within the first few years of operation he was able to double the size of the operation.

Spring Meadow Nursery is now a world market leader in new and exciting flowering potted liner shrubs. The nursery has state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art propagation facilities including retractable roof greenhouses, flood floor irrigation, high pressure fog systems, traveling booms, bottom heat floors and computerized controls. Over 35 acres of established stock plants serve as the source of true to name cultivars from around the world and a trialing area for potential introductions. Their best new varieties are introduced and marketed under the Proven Winners® “ColorChoice®” brand.

A consistent leader in the nursery industry in both state and national nursery associations, leadership positions have included his service as President of the Horticultural Research Institute in 2006. He has shared his knowledge with his peers as a speaker at trade shows, workshops, area and annual IPPS Eastern Region meetings as well as writing for trade journals and magazines. His diligent work resulted in recognition as 2003 Nursery Grower of the Year by Nursery Manager Pro Magazine. Dale’s method of identifying and marketing new plant material has made his nursery one of the largest providers of proprietary plant materials in the country.