Revel in the Spirit of Sustainable Holiday Plants: A Certified Organic Greenhouse Operation
Peace Tree Farm
Kintnersville, Bucks County
Thursday, November 18, 2010
10am - 4pm
$15 PASA members, $25 all others; lunch will be provided.
Lloyd and Candy Traven, Peace Tree Farm
Funds provided through grant support from the
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA Region III)
Experience the Peace Tree Farm greenhouses in their seasonal glory! Llyod and Candy Traven have one of the first certified organic greenhouses in the region, providing herbs, begonias, poinsettias, and other specialty plants. Located in Kintnersville, in the countryside of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Peace Tree Farm encompasses an acre of greenhouses on a historic 25-acre farm. Plants from Peace Tree Farm have been seen at Longwood Gardens, Chanticleer, New York Botanical Garden, Winterthur Museum, Washington National Cathedral and the Smithsonian Institution.
We’ll revel in the plants of the seasons as we tour the greenhouses. Lloyd and his crew will discuss their cultivation and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices. While these practices are not species specific, we will spend some concentrated time on the plants of this season: poinsettias, cyclamen, and amaryllis. And no one can escape Peace Tree Farms without talking about begonias! Peace Tree Farms has one of the largest collections of begonias anywhere.
About the Presenters
Lloyd and Candy Traven purchased the Peace Tree Farm property in Bucks County, PA in 1983. They have grown Peace Tree Farm from 'the little greenhouses up on the hill' to an established and respected operation among international horticulture.
Lloyd is a technology guru and advocate for small growers, being among the first to successfully invest in sophisticated environmental control systems for their operation. Friends and fellow horticulturalists have called Lloyd a 'mad scientist' and 'plant geek' due to his passion for growing quality plants matched only by his commitment to using advanced technology combined with sustainable and organic growing techniques. Lloyd graduated summa cum laude from Delaware Valley College of Science & Agriculture in 1979 and attended Cornell University Graduate School in floriculture and ornamental horticulture. In the 1980's Lloyd worked in market research and special projects at Ball Seed Company developing Spark Plug, pelleted seed products and worked on the Genesis Seed project. As an author, Lloyd has contributed to GMPro Magazine, OFA Bulletin, Greenhouse Product News, Greenhouse Grower, and GrowerTalks.
If Lloyd is the technological mastermind behind Peace Tree Farm, then certainly Candy is the heart of the operation. Her gift of a potted coleus to him early in their courtship was beginning of their journey together as growers. Before they purchased Peace Tree Farm Candy managed a retail plant store in Philadelphia, worked as a plant breeder in the Department of Plant Breeding and Biometrics at Cornell University and as an interior plantscaper in Illinois. Candy is skilled in the art of creating container gardens and decorative elements such as topiaries. She convinced Lloyd that they should specialize in growing herbs. As a result, Peace Tree Farm's production of herbs has grown from 5,000 plants in their first year to over 800,000 last year. Her sound instincts and steady hand on the business side of Peace Tree operations has helped the company remain strong through many seasons.
Click here for directions, available on the Google Maps page.
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