Agricultural production of ornamental plants in Chatham County includes greenhouse crops such as poinsettias and bedding plants, outdoor flowers such as perennials and garden mums, and ornamental shrubs and trees. Documenting the impact of this thriving group of growers requires more background understanding and site visits than more traditional agricultural crops.

Many crops such as tobacco or soybeans go through standard marketing channels, and the volume of the crop as well as value of sales can be readily documented. For ornamental crops there is no such clearing house. Growers may sell direct to the consumer, to landscapers, to garden centers, to other nurseries, and now through internet sales. Nurseries are either wholesale, retail, or sometimes both.

Ornamental Sales in Chatham County 1999
Greenhouse crops	61,600 sq ft	$384,306.31
Outdoor flowers	4.7 acres	$136,727.28
Ornamental shrubs and trees	55.7 acres	$3,937,212.31
Total value of ornamental sales in Chatham County in 1999		$4,458,245.90

Many but not all growers of ornamental plants are certified or registered nurseries. The certification/registration process creates a record with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture that includes the acreage in production as well as type of crops grown. Beyond this data, on-site visits and consultations with growers has led to estimates of acreage or square footage of greenhouse space in cultivation. Many growers have also disclosed the total gross sales for 1999. These numbers have been averaged for dollar value of crop per acre and then reapplied to the total known acreage to arrive at a value of ornamental crops to Chatham County. According to Tony Tucker, Chatham County Economic Development Director, this income can be expected to change hands from 5 to 7 times within the county, providing a significant impact on the overall health of the county economy.

A significant number of these nurseries are represented in the Chatham Growers' Association, "a non-profit, educational and networking organization of nursery growers, greenhouse growers, and landscapers in Chatham County." This group meets monthly to discuss common problems, consider new ideas, and develop programs to market their business. On September 15 & 16, they held their first ever Chatham County Growers' Tour with grant assistance from Chatham County Travel and Tourism.

Several growers recently attended a Twilight Nursery Field Day at the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in Raleigh to view current research in ornamental plant production. Several ideas are being considered for bringing this work back for demonstration in Chatham County in cooperation with the Cooperative Extension Service.