Editor Matt McClellan toured Monrovia Nurseries in Oregon during its 100th anniversary celebration.
The wholesale grower tour during Farwest 2026 visited Gold Family Farms, Buchholz & Buchholz Nursery, Krueger Tree Farm and Eshraghi Nurseries.
Stop four on the wholesale grower tour was Eshraghi Nurseries. This 500-acre operation was the largest on this tour. The woman-owned business specializes in Japanese maples and has 150 different varieties available.
One highlight was watching the innovative grafting setup. The art of combining two plants into one is usually a low-tech process, utilizing a knife and tape. At Eshraghi, it involves power tools.
Skilled employees carry out the graft with their hands while they operate a drill with a sewing machine foot pedal to speed up the process. Eshraghi grafts 250,000 Japanese maples and 200,000 conifers each year.