Rooted in Warren County

Two McMinnville-based organizations are joining forces next week to bring Tennessee’s nursery industry together.

The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association (TNLA) and Middle Tennessee Nursery Association (MTNA) will host TNGRO’s Rooted Oct. 15-16 at the Farm Bureau Expo Center in Lebanon. It marks the first time the two organizations have partnered for an industry event since 2019.

This year’s event will feature 115 vendors from across the country, bringing together growers, buyers, suppliers and businesses that support the horticulture industry.

“Many people see the finished landscapes, parks and gardens, but they don’t always see the growers behind them,” said event co-chair and TNLA Vice President Trista Pirtle Bond. “Rooted gives us a chance to showcase the businesses and families that help supply the plants used in communities throughout the United States.”

In Warren and surrounding counties, the industry is part of everyday life. Rows of trees stretch across fields, greenhouses line the landscape, and trucks loaded with plant material head out for destinations across the country. Behind them are growers, employees, drivers, suppliers, and family businesses, many carrying forward generations of experience.

That local activity is part of a much larger Tennessee industry. According to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, the state’s wholesale nursery sector accounts for more than $430 million annually in expenditures, payroll and net returns. With retail included, that figure approaches $965 million.

“Tennessee is a great place to be a plant,” said event co-chair Katie Beth Stanfield. “Growers have a rich history and have built a national reputation for quality, consistency and quantity.”

Stanfield said the event welcomes those already working in horticulture as well as those looking to enter the industry, including plant buyers, growers, transportation companies, equipment dealers and landscape suppliers.

Registration is open to industry professionals. More information is available at https://tnla.com/TNGRO