Mike manages the landscape installation crews for Behnke Nurseries, and has been a valuable addition to our team since July of 2007.

With 4 crews currently working out of our Beltsville and Potomac locations, Mike has a big job, especially in the spring and summer months when crews may be working six or seven days a week.

With a background of working for other landscape, grounds maintenance and contruction firms, Mike is well-versed in both hardscape and plantscape installations. Fluency in Spanish helps as he works with a multilingual staff.

Mike came to the landscape business from a love of working outdoors and with his hands. He enjoys seeing a project through from start to finish. A Hoosier, he spent several years at Indiana University majoring in mathematics before he made the decision to proceed with the practical instead of the theoretical.

As befits an outdoorsman, he loves sports, both playing (ice hockey, football); watching (a season-ticket holder for of the Washington Redskins); and listening (sports radio).

When a Behnke Nurseries installation crew arrives at your home or business to begin a job, feel confident that Mike Wilson is in charge. We at Behnke Nurseries certainly do.

Meet: Evelyn Kinville
  

Evelyn Kinville, manager of Behnke Nurseries’ Floral Division, is a world-class florist.

Growing up in dry, west Texas, she learned at an early age the soothing effects of plants and how fresh flowers can brighten a room. She decided to combine her love of flowers and artistic abilities in her college work, and earned a BS in horticulture from Texas Tech.

Following a stint in the Peace Corps in Bolivia, she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where she began her floral career at Felly’s Flowers. She spent 22 years at Felly’s, managing the largest floral shop in Wisconsin. Over that time, she estimates that she designed the flowers for over 1500 weddings!

Looking for a change, she joined Hallmark to develop a pilot project to add fresh-flower offerings to the Hallmark gift stores.  Over a four year period, she coordinated the program in two test markets. She then moved to 1-800-FLOWERS, where she opened new retail stores in several states, served as product manager for fresh flowers, and as a flower stylist for many professional photography sessions. She also served as Director of Marketing for USA Floral Products during which time she worked with Martha Stewart’s team to develop packaging for MarthaStewart.com floral products.

When she visited Behnke Nurseries, she fell in love with the little flower shop at the Potomac site, and she has been Potomac’s “florist of choice” for six years. She specializes in custom work for homes and commercial venues, as well as for parties, weddings and other events. If you are looking for an experienced florist with an artist’s touch, then you should make an appointment with Evelyn. You won’t be disappointed!

Meet Larry Hurley

    
Larry, the editor of the Behnke Nurseries’ print newsletter, the Behnke GardeNews, joined Behnkes in 1984. Larry grew up in Wisconsin, where he earned a BS in Zoology and an MS in horticulture at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. During and following his schooling, he worked as a lab technician in a plant tissue culture lab, and as a houseplant expert at Felly’s Flowers.

In 1984, after a six-year stint in Dallas as inventory controller for Nortex, a large wholesale grower, Larry came to Behnkes. He spent 12 years at our former Largo, MD facility, where he alternated between our retail store and perennial production.In 1996 he moved to our administrative offices at Beltsville. In addition to his work on our newsletter, he is also the buyer for the perennial department. In this capacity, he determines which perennials Behnke Nurseries grows at our Lothian, Maryland nursery as well as which perennials we purchase from our other fine suppliers.

Meet Jill Gonzalez

A high energy level and plenty of plant expertise make Jill Gonzalez ideally suited for her job as manager of two busy departments: Seasonal Plants and Perennials.

“I enjoy working with plants,” Jill says, “they don’t talk back!” She prefers to be outside or in the greenhouses. “No office job for me, I am a very active person and working at the Nursery is a perfect fit.”

Jill grew up in Spring Mills, PA, and earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Horticulture in 1986 from Penn State University.

She was hired by Behnke grower Hank Doong shortly thereafter. She has learned a great many things over her years at Behnke’s and has particularly enjoyed learning the ins and outs of growing Easter lilies and poinsettias.

Jill met her husband Jose when they both worked for Behnke’s. (Jose is now a director of a Toys R Us store.) Their son, Chris, is a freshman at Penn State, majoring in engineering. Jill says, “I am very happy and proud that he chose to enroll at Penn State, my old alma mater!” Now that Chris is away at college, she lavishes her attention on two dogs, Rudy and Trinka.
In her spare time, Jill enjoys gardening, reading, and most of all, exercising. She is a Certified Aerobics Instructor and Personal Trainer at a local fitness center, and she teaches a class involving yoga, tai chi and pilates. You’ll often find her working out at the gym, teaching, or training members.

In her other spare time, Jill plays championship tennis! Her team was crowned number one in 2004 and 2005.

Next time you see Jill at our Beltsville store, say hello — if you can catch her!