Cornelius Nursery a gem more than ever

When I was a kid horticulturist, getting to meet Sterling Cornelius was like sitting down with Mickey Mantle.

And going to his nursery at 2223 Voss Rd. in Houston was like a trip to Disneyland.

Lynn and I went back to Voss Rd. two days ago, and it’s still as exciting as it was back in the 60s when the store was brand new. (I’ve been back many times.) Great greenhouses. Great nursery sales lot. And that fabulous shop of garden décor begun by Mrs. Cornelius who showed the Texas nursery industry how to keep people flowing into garden centers all through the year – especially at Christmas!

Ross Newton, the assistant manager of the Voss Rd. Cornelius, has been at that store for 12 years. We had a great visit about the store, about Sterling Cornelius, and about the impact both have had on South Texas horticulture.

Ross is a Texas Master Certified Nursery Professional. I told Ross I was present when Mr. Cornelius was awarded Texas Certified Nurseryman Certificate Number 1 in honor of his leadership in getting the entire program up and running more than 40 years ago.

The obituary for Sterling Cornelius in 2003 lists all his awards and accomplishments. It’s amazing, but he never mentioned any of them. He just set out humbly to work on the next task, whether in or out of horticulture. Suffice to say, quoting one short part of that obit, “The Texas Nursery and Landscape Association presented him … with every honor that the association gives.”

When Mr. Cornelius decided to retire in 1999, he found a group of fellow nursery professionals of the same ultimately high standards – the leaders of Calloway’s in DFW. The two merged in 1999. They immediately decided to leave the name “Cornelius” intact in South Texas to honor his legacy.

And that legacy continues. Earlier this year Cornelius Nursery was recognized by the Texas Historical Commission with its coveted Texas Treasure Business Award.

This special recognition was established by the Texas State Senate in 2005 to recognize well-established Texas businesses and their exceptional historical contributions to the state’s economic growth and prosperity.

Marce Ward, CEO of Calloway’s Nursery said, “This award pays tribute to the incredible legacy built by the Cornelius family that carries on to this day, and we are honored to be recognized by the State of Texas.”

Just a closing thought…
As I finish up, I thought you might be interested in reading words from the inside back cover of my 1986 Texas Sesquicentennial Calendar. I worked for many months collecting quotes and facts about Texas horticulture to fit into this die-cut wall calendar. What Sterling Cornelius wrote and sent back to me was so exceptional and prophetic, I quote it here in its entirety.

Texas Gardening in 2036 A.D.
The Bicentennial
(Predictions of Sterling Cornelius written in 1985 – almost 40 years ago!)

“Horticultural retailing will be dominated by mass merchandisers and multi-unit garden center chains. However, there will always be a place for the aggressive, service- and quality-oriented independent.

Professional landscaping will be largely confined to large commercial and public installations. Residential landscaping will be handled by small, low overhead firms that can satisfy the individual needs of the homeowner. Residential landscape maintenance firms will install and maintain the smaller sites of the future.

Commercial landscape maintenance will grow faster than all other segments of the industry.

Wholesale tree and shrub production will be totally containerized and automated considerably. Chemicals will be used for pruning, weed control, and nutrition much more efficiently, thus diminishing labor cost in production. Improved water utilization and conservation will be mandated by governmental decree.

Horticultural wholesale distribution centers will multiply and expand better to serve the landscape installers, maintenance companies, small retail centers and corporate in-house staffs.

Bio-tech installations will increase and bring to the market difficult to propagate plant materials and disease-resistant plants. Also, through cell manipulation, new plants will be brought to our lives to feed, clothe, and satisfy our psychological needs. We will enjoy plants we have never seen, and we will better fill our nutritional requirements with new, edible cereal grains, fruits and vegetables that don’t exist at this time.

And this is just the beginning!