Loma Vista Nursery Employee Features

We at Loma Vista Nursery are not only proud of our plants, but we are also proud of our operations and the people who work here, which is why we are featuring blogs and videos about the people who make up our incredible team and how we run our nursery.

Introducing: Ryan Blake

Ryan is one of our section leaders here at Loma Vista Nursery. Our 310 acre container facility is divided into five sections, and each section has a leader. Ryan is in charge of Section 4, which is all of our container, pot-in-pot trees. We have 14,000 pots in the ground connected to drip irrigation. Ryan’s job is to maintain the trees and keep them in tiptop shape to be sold. He and his team fertilize, monitor water intake, weed, and scout for any diseases on the trees each day. In the winter, Ryan threads muelle tape between each tree and Velcros them to the tape. This helps the trees stay upright and fight off the wind without damaging the trunk. He then takes it off in the summer.

Ryan (above) in Section 4 between our Regal Prince columnar oaks.

Not only is Ryan a section leader, but he is also our SANC Program Manager. SANC (A Systems Approach to Nursery Certification) is a voluntary program created by the National Plant Board that goes beyond federal regulations to implement production practices that will best reduce pest and disease risks for nursery plants. “I am maintaining the certification, so the nursery stays up on its best management practices,” Ryan says. His job entails making sure everyone at the nursery is following our SANC procedures and trains new hires on the certification and practices. He also manages the scouting program that regularly checks our plants for diseases and pests. Check out all about why we became SANC certified and what it means for our company in our Nursery Management article HERE.

His ‘Roots’

Ryan is a native of Oklahoma. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology with a Minor in Entomology. Ryan may be one of the most passionate about plants people here at the nursery. His apartment seems more like an arboretum due to the amount of plants he owns personally. When he is not managing SANC or taking care of our container trees, Ryan likes to study ancient history. His current obsession is Ancient Rome. Also, his passion for plants is closely followed by a fascination with bugs (hence why he has a minor in entomology). Some of his favorite insects are tiger moths, bombardier beetles, and he cannot get over all of the different colors velvet ants come in.

Ryan (above) scouting our Dianthus Firestar.

Loma Vista, More than Just Plants

Yeah, Ryan is a plant-enthusiast to say the least, but getting to work with awesome trees is not the only reason he loves working at Loma Vista Nursery. “The people are why I like best,” he says. Ryan feels that everyone here not only gets along super well, but everyone is eager to help and support one another. Learning about and managing plants is no simple task, so it is comforting for Ryan to feel a part of a team that always has his back. He says, “I appreciate being able to have a good team I can always ask questions to.” Everyone on the nursery is a resource which creates a friendly and supportive work environment. If you are interested in learning Ryan’s favorite plants, check out his Top 5 Plants list HERE.

above: Karen helping one of our pullers, Kevin, select some grasses for an order.

Come Work With Us (And Ryan!)

Interested in joining our team at Loma Vista Nursery? Check out our career page HERE or contact us for general inquiries. Email: sales@lomavistanursery.com Phone: (785) 229-7200

Check out Ryan’s Top 5 Plants Here!