Breaking new ground

When given the assignment to write Christmas-themed stories in second grade, most of the kids in Chuck Pavlich’s class wrote about Santa, reindeer or new toys. Pavlich, however, “wrote about hybridizing holly,” he recalls, “which led to a parent-teacher conference where my teacher asked my mom, ‘Is that boy alright?’”

Quite alright, in fact, as Pavlich turned his fascination with plants into a colorful career in the green industry. A nursery manager by age 22, Pavlich spent 30 years in the retail nursery business before joining Terra Nova Nurseries in 2007 as operations manager.

After attending a breeder’s meeting to discuss new breeding ideas, Pavlich quickly moved into the role of director of new product development. In this role, Pavlich oversees Terra Nova’s breeding process and shepherds new products into the global perennial market.

“My goal is to make a lasting impact on the industry,” Pavlich says, by “bringing the most novel, gorgeous and profitable plants to the market.”

Here’s how he keeps Terra Nova’s breeding program one step ahead.

Pushing innovation

In a word, Pavlich describes Terra Nova’s breeding program as “adventurous.”

“I always think, ‘What if?’” he says. “I believe in trying anything in plant breeding at least once or twice, maybe even a third time if I can pinpoint the mistake in methodology.”

With about half of Terra Nova’s R&D greenhouse space dedicated to his projects, Pavlich has plenty of room (about 6,000 square feet) to experiment. Most of his breeding work involves Polemonium, Heuchera and Begonia — most notably, releases like Terra Nova’s Begonia T Rex and Cocoa series and the Silver collection of hardy begonias.

Over time, Terra Nova has introduced more than a thousand new plants and holds more than 700 active plant patents in the U.S. and Europe — some of which Pavlich has earned. Every year, the nursery invests more than $1 million in plant research and development to fuel this steady pace of innovation.

“I’ve never wanted to be a ‘me too’ breeder,” Pavlich says. “I’ll never make a knock-off of someone else’s breeding — that is not Terra Nova’s lane. My advice is to be original.”

Exploring the world

Back in second grade, Pavlich probably never dreamed that his plant fascination would take him around the world on a quest for horticultural treasure.

“I’ve traveled a fair portion of the globe searching for new plants and finding better species to use for breeding,” says Pavlich, who regularly travels to Terra Nova’s contract labs around the world.

Earlier this spring, for example, Pavlich traveled to Yunnan, a province in southwestern China that he calls “one of the richest botanical areas in the world.” He was visiting one of Terra Nova’s licensees, Xia Yu, at Dama Flower Valley: a public garden and tranquil retreat built into the Chinese mountainside, featuring huge numbers of Terra Nova’s begonias and heuchera. As much as Pavlich enjoyed his host’s homemade liquor and meals prepared in her on-site restaurant, the best part of the trip was exploring the far side of the mountain with her.

Staying ahead

As excited as he felt finding those rare blooms on the Chinese mountainside, Pavlich wants other growers to feel that same excitement for plants from Terra Nova. Whether his introductions end up with wholesale growers, plant brokers, independent garden centers, collectors or in a neighbor’s garden, Pavlich expects his plants to thrive.

“Our main goals are to breed plants that add value at every level of the supply chain — from grower to wholesaler to retailer and, finally, to the consumer,” he says. “Breeding pretty flowers is the easiest part of the job. Building a great habit and finding disease-resistant parents is much harder.”

That aspect of breeding can take multiple generations — and several years — to achieve. For example, Terra Nova’s Polemonium ‘Hurricane Ridge’ was a 10-year project involving crosses among three species, Pavlich says.

“Our breeding programs are often long-term because we start from species rather than using hybrids created by others,” he says. “This gives our plants a strong pedigree and ensures the best possible selections for the market. Many of our breeding efforts span years, with each generation contributing to the ongoing improvement of the plant.”

Patience is paramount, but the key is constantly evolving and improving with each iteration. “The best lesson?” he says. “Don’t rush a product to market, but always aim to stay two steps ahead of it.”

Brooke Bilyj owns and operates Bantamedia, a national award-winning content, PR and SEO firm based in Cleveland. She is a frequent contributor to GIE Media’s horticulture publications.