Aug 20th, 2021

CVNLA: Central Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association

Elizabeth Fogel is a woman on a mission. As the new president of the Central Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association, she wants to make the group more relevant than ever. CVNLA is an organization of local green industry professionals with a focus on quality horticultural materials and services and a code of ethics that promotes honest and dependable service at a fair price.

Elizabeth Fogel standing in front of the Sydnor Lake edge.

More recently, they’ve also been supporting their members to have the latest, most up-to-date information on the newest trends in the horticultural trade. More and more customers are interested in gardens featuring native plants, rain gardens, eco-friendly semi-permeable hardscapes and other landscape and design trends that reflect a renewed interest in environmental conservation in home gardens. As invasive species, severe weather events and extreme temperatures continue to affect what grows well in central Virginia, CVNLA supports landscapers and horticulturists in this changing world.

“Our goal is to help our members embrace the changing role of horticulture and to recognize opportunities to enhance and increase their businesses by offering the latest trends in horticulture, such as native and pollinator gardens, conservation landscapes, and organic care options,” Fogel says.  “Can we be the organization that inspires and helps businesses to expand their services?”

Fogel, also a Senior Horticulturist at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, spearheaded the lake edge renovations along Sydnor Lake, a project focused on improving the local ecosystem using native plants and cultivars that are both beautiful and ecologically sound choices. Fogel spent two years as the inaugural Frank L. Robinson Endowed Chair researching ecological landscapes and regenerative ecosystems that support wildlife, then designing and planting sections of the lake edge. Fogel’s goal was to improve the aesthetics of a challenging site while providing support for local pollinators and protecting water quality.  So it’s not surprising she’s bringing a bit of her knowledge and expertise from that complex and ecologically beneficial project into her leadership role with CVNLA.

In addition to supporting those in the horticulture and landscape industry, CVNLA promotes networking, monthly educational speakers for continuing education credit, provides a study course for those seeking horticulture certification with the Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association, plans the CVNLA Winter Symposium (in partnership with Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and Virginia Cooperative Extension), and provides scholarships for horticulture students and horticulture internships.

Fogel says she’s excited to take on the challenge and grateful for the support of the board and leadership team at CVNLA, which includes a bit of who’s who from the landscape and horticulture world. The leadership team includes Vice President Dustin Wooten from GreenField Landscaping, Treasurer Sean Proietti from Maymont, Secretary Matt Brinckman from Bartlett Tree Experts, Kate Leffler from Colesville Nursery, Matt Tovey with Davey Tree and Executive Secretary Laura Schumm also from Bartlett Tree Experts.

Jonah Holland is Digital Content Manager at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, where she has worked for 14 years overseeing social media, the blog, and the website. She is also a mom, yogi, open water swimmer, gardener, and seeker. She's been known to go for a walk in the Garden and come back with hundreds of plant photos, completely inspired to write her next blog post.

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