DATE: Friday, October 10, 1997              TAG: 9710080146

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 08   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   63 lines

I-64 CHASED THIS OLD GREENBRIER NURSERY ALL THE WAY TO HICKORY

WHAT IS GREENBRIER Farms doing in the Hickory section of Chesapeake?

``We had to move when I-64 went in,'' said Jim Small, director of the plant center for the nursery.

The nursery, which is named for Greenbrier, W.Va., home of the business's founders, opened before the first World War. The Greenbrier area of Chesapeake gots its name from the nursery, now run by its founders' descendants.

Greenbrier Farms originally grew apple tree whips (young apple trees) for the apple-growing states of the West Coast.

``Back then, the humus in Chesapeake had a 20-inch base,'' Small said. ``It takes 10,000 years for one inch of humus to accumulate.''

Before long, the nursery expanded and grew much more than apple tree whips. Today, the nursery's inventory includes more than 550 varieties of plants, including 25 different types of camellias, annuals, perennials and numerous shade and evergreen trees.

Now, the proposed Chesapeake bypass is scheduled to intersect the nursery again, but this time, the business isn't budging.

``It will clip off a part of our land, but we're staying,'' said Small, one of 45 employees of the nursery that boasts 750 acres of trees, bushes and other plants.

``We even have a few trees on the White House lawn, and we've shipped trees to Canada and Colorado,'' Small boasted.

Owners of the business said the nursery only recently started selling its many varieties of plants to the public.

``Before that we only sold to landscapers and commercially,'' said Marshall Hogge, vice-president of the nursery.

Employees are now bracing for their busiest time of year.

``In the fall we move a lot of shade trees,'' said Hogge.

Customers don't just have a wide selection of plants to choose from, Small said.

``We will instruct the customer on proper planting techniques and plant care,'' Small said.

Small would likely be the person to give that information. In addition to his knowledge of plants, he has an unusual knowledge of Chesapeake soil conditions.

``I used to install underground television cables so I got to know Chesapeake soil very, very well,'' he said.

Small said city soil varies widely from development to development.

``It depends on how the land was handled by the developer,'' he said. ``Some left the top soil in place, but others sold it.''

Small said that customers today are fairly well educated about plants, thanks to the many home-and-garden shows offered on television.

But you can never know too much, said Hogge.

``We plan to offer seminars and courses on plants in the future,'' he said. MEMO: For more information, call Greenbrier Farms at 421-2141. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS

Jim Small, left, the plant center manager; Marshall Hogge,

vice-president of the nursery; and Ken Crisp, general manager, help

guide Greenbrier Farms, which only recently began selling to the

public.

Workmen at Greenbrier Farms load freshly dug red maple trees for

shipment. A few trees from the nursery are on the White House lawn.

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