From the editor: Strive valiantly

My younger son joined the cross-country team this year. He’s in seventh grade, so this is his first year of organized school sports. He was complaining about a litany of aches, pains and constant cramps. I sympathize, as it’s definitely no party to start a new athletic activity when your body would prefer that you continued to read comic books on the couch.

When I asked him what he thought of being on the team, he said “It’s not easy.” It was like the skies parted and the heavens themselves presented my opportunity. I hit him with the line my own father used on me at least a dozen times over the years.

Nothing worth doing ever is.

My dad is a retired gym teacher and football coach. He is a huge admirer of Teddy Roosevelt, our nation’s 26th president, military hero, rugged outdoorsman and champion of conservation. That phrase about the value of hard work originated from Roosevelt’s oft-quoted 1910 speech “Citizenship in a Republic.”

Before particularly important football games, my dad would print out copies of Roosevelt’s speech (specifically the “Man in the Arena” part) and leave them in the players’ lockers. For those of us who could block, tackle and read above a 10th -grade-level, it was inspirational, which of course, was his intention.

This month’s cover story is the first of several profiles of our 2026 Horticultural Industries Leadership Awards honorees. We were lucky to honor them in person at Cultivate, and hear their own stories about their lives and careers. No one had it easy. None of them will be counted among those cold and timid souls who know neither triumph nor defeat. Read about Danny Shreckhise here, and watch for more profiles in the coming months. In the meantime, check nurserymag.com for videos of their HILA acceptance speeches.

Also in this issue, Michael Dirr shares the hard-won secrets of “bluing” hydrangea.

Keep an eye out for our annual State of the Industry survey this month. Every year, we ask you, our loyal readers, to share your insights on your business, specifically, and the industry in general. If you feel like a trip down memory lane, you can go all the way back to the 2012 report on our website.