NCNLA MEMBER NEWS
Philip Dark’s Passion for
Gardenias Phil Dark with his beloved gardenias
‘Prince Charles’ gardenia
Philip Dark of Oakmont Nursery, Siler City, sold his business in March in order to enjoy retirement with his wife, Jane, and focus on his passion: breeding gardenias. Established in 1987, the nursery provided trees and shrubs to retailers and wholesalers, as well as new cultivars to the national and global marketplace. Dark will work with the new owners (who are under wraps for now) until they are acclimated, but he is eager to create bigger, better gardenias through projects with North Carolina State University and the JC Raulston Arboretum. 12 NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES || SPRING 2021
