Tony Avent is an American

horticulturist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

and

plantsman A plantsman is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable gardener (amateur or professional), nurseryman or nurserywoman. "Plantsman" can refer to a male or female person, though the terms plantswoman, or even plantsperson, are sometimes used. The word is ...

. He and wife and business partner, Anita Avent, own

Plant Delights Nursery Plant Delights Nursery is a mail order Nursery (horticulture), plant nursery based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, specializing in herbaceous perennials, and owned by Tony Avent and partner Anita Avent. Plant Delights Nursery ...

and Juniper Level Botanic Garden in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the South ...

. In addition, he is a plant explorer, author and public speaker.

Early life and education

Avent grew up with a passion for

plants Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

and nature. Instead of playing games, he wandered the woods and fields near his home in Raleigh NC, studying wildflowers. At age five, Avent was building terrariums and dish gardens with mail-order plants, and at seven years old, his parents built a

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These ...

for him. There he grew and propagated plants and sold them as a hobby. Tony Avent attended

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universi ...

and graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in

Horticultural Science Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

. He studied under the well renowned

J. C. Raulston. Avent was inspired by Raulston who built the

JC Raulston Arboretum The JC Raulston Arboretum is a arboretum and botanical garden administered by North Carolina State University, and located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is open daily to the public without charge. History The Arboretum was established in ...

. In 1977, he married Michelle Morgan Avent (1957–2012).

Career

In 1978, he began working for the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh as its Landscape Director. He worked there for 16 years until 1994. In addition he worked as a volunteer

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of the Shade Garden at the

J. C. Raulston Arboretum The JC Raulston Arboretum is a arboretum and botanical garden administered by North Carolina State University, and located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is open daily to the public without charge. History The Arboretum was established in ...

from 1985 to 1994. He also worked as a weekly garden columnist for Raleigh's

News and Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the ''Charlotte Observer''). The paper has bee ...

newspaper from 1987 to 1998. He established

and Juniper Level Botanic Gardens in 1988 and by 1994 the business had expanded enough for him to resign his state job and become a full-time

nurseryman A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general p ...

. In addition to running the nursery, Avent is a

plant breeder Plant breeding is the science of changing the traits of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. It has been used to improve the quality of nutrition in products for humans and animals. The goals of plant breeding are to produce cr ...

who is best known for his

Hosta ''Hosta'' (, syn. ''Funkia'') is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name gibōshi. Hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants. The genus is currently placed in the fam ...

breeding program, but is actively breeding other

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial ...

as well. In addition, Tony Avent travels the world on plant hunting expeditions to search for new, rare, and unusual plants. He is also an avid

plant collector Plant collecting is the acquisition of plant specimens for the purposes of research, cultivation, or as a hobby. Plant specimens may be kept alive, but are more commonly dried and pressed to preserve the quality of the specimen. Plant collecting i ...

with a large collection of rare

variegated Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...

Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known ...

. He is a prolific writer as well, having authored a book (''So You Want to Start a Nursery'' – 2003, Timber Press) and dozens of newspaper articles, magazine articles, and web articles. Avent was featured in the book, Heroes of Horticulture by Barbara Paul Robinson, 2018; Beautiful Madness by James Dodson, 2006; The Plant Hunter’s Garden by Bobby Ward, Fall 2004, and The Collector’s Garden Book by Ken Druse, 1996. He is currently a contributing editor to Fine Gardening Magazine. In addition, every year travels the country, having given over 800 lectures on gardening topics. He also lectures each year at

. In 2018, Avent was named a Distinguished Alumni at his alma mater, North Carolina State University. Avent is married to Raleigh business woman and childhood friend Anita Avent, a B.S. and MBA graduate of

Meredith College Meredith College is a private women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school in Raleigh, North Carolina. As of 2021 Meredith enrolls approximately 1,500 women in its undergraduate programs and 300 men and women in its graduate p ...

. Anita Avent is also a

mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives from Sati (Buddhism), ''sati'', a significant ...

and

nonduality Nondualism, also called nonduality and nondual awareness, is a fuzzy concept originating in Indian philosophy and religion for which many definitions can be found, including: nondual awareness, the nonduality of seer and seen or nondiffer ...

teacher as well as a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner. She established the Center for Mindfulness and Nonduality at Juniper Level Botanic Gardens in 2013. She is a former health insurance administrator, regulator, and director with

Cigna Cigna is an American multinational managed healthcare and insurance company based in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Its insurance subsidiaries are major providers of medical, dental, disability, life and accident insurance and related products and ser ...

, the

State of North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and a

Preceptor A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a '' precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddh ...

and Faculty Associate at the Department of Health Policy and Administration at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which r ...

and mother to three adult children. She is also an independent business strategist and healthcare industry consultant appointed by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. in 1996 to serve as a Rules Review Commissioner on the State of North Carolina Rules Review Commission.

Writing

Traditional media * "Baptisia"-

The Plantsman ''The Plant Review'', published quarterly by the Royal Horticultural Society, is a 68-page magazineHorticulture Magazine Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

– June 2002 * "Bizarre Plants Only a Mother Could Love" – American Nurseryman Magazine Jan 1997 * "Confessions of a Crazed Hosta Hybridizer" –

American Hosta Society ''Hosta'' (, syn. ''Funkia'') is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name gibōshi. Hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants. The genus is currently placed in the fam ...

Journal 1989 * "Crape Murder, the Unkind Cut" –

– Spring 2008 * "Favorite New and Underused Perennials" – NM PRO Magazine Spring 2000 * "Fragrant Hostas for the Southeast" – Carolina Gardner Magazine – March 1999 * "Hardy Cacti for the Southeast" – Carolina Gardener Magazine – Fall 1994 * "Hardy Gesneriads – Exploring a Test Market" –

Gesneriad Society The Gesneriad Society, Inc., is an international horticultural society devoted to the promotion, cultivation, and study of gesneriads (plant family Gesneriaceae). The organization was founded in 1951 as the American Gloxinia Society by Elvin Mc ...

Journal – April 2006 * "Hosta Breeders and Other Strangers" –

Journal 1992 * "Hostas for the Rock Garden" – The Trillium Newsletter Fall 1992 * "Hostas for Warm Climates" – Betrock Publications 1998 * "Leaves that Light up the Garden" – Fine Gardening Magazine Fall 1992 * "Plant Delights Nursery Profile" –

Journal 1994 * "Blue Hostas" –

Fine Gardening ''Fine Gardening'' is a magazine for gardening enthusiasts of all skill levels covering the basics of garden design with advice from horticulture experts and landscape professionals. The focus is more on ornamental plants and home landscaping rath ...

November 1999 * "Plant Exploration in China" – The Trillium Newsletter Spring 1997 * "Plant Exploration in Korea" –

Journal Spring 1998 * "Plant Exploration in Mexico" – The Trillium Newsletter Spring 1995 * "Propagating and Selling Hosta" – NM PRO Magazine 1993 * "Roots, The Good, Bad, and the Ugly" –

Journal 1989 * "Running Hot and Cold/Plant Hardiness" –

Journal 1994 * "Selling and Sailing" – Nursery Manager Pro Magazine February 2000 * "Soil Preparation Part I" –

Journal Spring 1993 * "Soil Preparation Part II" –

Journal Fall 1993 * "Strange but True" – American Nurseryman Magazine May 1, 1997 * "The Curse of the Green Meatball" –

Horticulture Magazine Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

March/April 2004 * "The Trademark Myth" – NM Pro Magazine November 1999 * "The Twilight Zones" – Exploring the Mysteries of Plant Hardiness – Carolina Gardener Magazine Nov 2002 * "Trillium Tracking" – The Trillium Newsletter Summer 1998 * "Who Needs Privacy" –

Magazine Fall 1991 Books/chapters written by Avent: * The Roots of My Obsession (one chapter) - Timber Press, 2012 * Bizarre Botanicals (Foreword) by Larry Mellichamp, 2010 * My Favorite Plant (one chapter) compiled by

Jamaica Kincaid Jamaica Kincaid (; born May 25, 1949) is an Antiguan-American novelist, essayist, gardener, and gardening writer. She was born in St. John's, Antigua (part of the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda). She lives in North Bennington, Verm ...

1998 * So You Want to Start a Nursery –

Timber Press Workman Publishing Company, Inc., is an American publisher of trade books founded by Peter Workman. The company is comprised of either imprints: Workman, Workman Children’s, Workman Calendars, Artisan, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill and Algonq ...

(July 2003)

Programs/articles about Avent or Plant Delights Nursery

Newspapers *

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

– June 6, 2002 (garden/plant profile) * Chesterton Tribune, IND – November 14, 2002 *

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

– Ken Druse, Sept 14,2003 – Gardener's fantasy and a reality checkGardener's fantasy and a reality check
Chicago Tribune – Ken Druse, Sept 14,2003 *

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

, Cleveland, Ohio – January 19, 2006 (nursery profile) * Fairfield County Times, Connecticut – January 1998 (catalog profile) * Garner Times, April 10, 1996 (nursery profile) * Greensboro NC News and Record – March 1993 * Greenville Examiner – Oct 23, 2010 – NC plant hunter Tony Avent searches the world for new specimens *

High Point Enterprise ''The High Point Enterprise'' is an American, English language daily, morning newspaper that primarily serves High Point, North Carolina. The newspaper's coverage area includes parts of Guilford, Davidson, Randolph and Forsyth counties in the Pi ...

– May 5, 1999 (nursery/garden profile) *

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

, GA – January 9, 2010 (nursery profile) – N.C. nursery's plant catalog always funN.C. nursery's plant catalog always fun
Houston Chronicle, Georgia – January 9, 2010 * The Item, Sumter SC – March 13, 2004 (plant/nursery profile) *

The Louisville Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is the highest circulation newspape ...

– April 1996 (nursery profile) *

Maine Sunday Telegram The ''Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram'' is a morning daily newspaper with a website that serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area around Portland, Maine, in the United States. Founded in 1862, its roots e ...

– June 17, 2001(nursery/plant profile) * The

New York Newsday ''New York Newsday'' was an American daily newspaper that primarily served New York City and was sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The paper, established in 1985, was a New York City-specific offshoot of '' Newsday'', a Long Island ...

– February 1995 (plant profiles) * The New York Times – February 2, 1997 (nursery/plant profile) When Plant Fans Gather, a Harvest of Obsessions
The New York Times – February 2, 1997 *

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

– February 20, 1997 The Global Backyard: Weird Is In

– February 20, 1997 *

– February 20, 2003 (nursery/book profile) A Gardener Grows Balmy In Winter
The New York Times – September 12, 2003 *

– September 12, 2003 You Want a ursery, Here's a Reality Check
New York Times – September 12, 2003 * The New York Times – April 2006 (nursery profile)
The New York Times – April 2006 *

– April 28, 2010 The Plant Hunter
New York Times – April 28, 2010 *

– April 29, 2010 Some myths worth busting
New York Times – April 29, 2010 *

The News and Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...

October 19, 2002 (plant profiles) *

April 6, 2003 (personal profile) *

– December 26, 2006 (nursery) *

Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...

– January 22, 1999 (nursery/plant profile) *

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

– February 10, 2001 (nursery/plant profile)Nursery owner plants delight in growers by making gardening fun
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – February 10, 2001 *

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle The ''Democrat and Chronicle'' is a daily newspaper serving the greater Rochester, New York, area. At 245 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, the ''Democrat and Chronicle'' operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's production fac ...

– July 27, 2002 (nursery profile) * West Virginia Gazette-Mail – February 1999 (plant profiles) Magazines * The American Gardener Magazine – Fall 1996 (personal profile) * The American Gardener magazine – July/August 2006 (profile) * Arbor Friends – Friends of

US National Arboretum The United States National Arboretum is an arboretum in northeast Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It was established in 1927 by an act of Congress after a campaign by USDA ...

Newsletter – Winter 2008 (profile) * Carolina Gardener Magazine – January 1997 * Columbus OH Garden Railway Society Magazine – October 1995 (plant profile) * Early American Homes and Gardens – Spring 1999 (personal profile) *

Entrepreneur Magazine ''Entrepreneur'' is an American magazine and website that carries news stories about entrepreneurship, small business management, and business. The magazine was first published in 1977. It is published by ''Entrepreneur Media Inc''., headquarte ...

– October 1996 (nursery profile) * Fine Gardening Magazine – February 2003 (plant profiles) * Floridata On-Line Magazine – March 2004 (personal profile) * Garden and Gun Magazine – June 2008 (personal profile) * Garden Center Magazine – November 2008 (nursery profile) * Greenhouse Manager PRO Magazine – "Innovator of the Month" – March 1998 (nursery profile) * Greenhouse Manager PRO Magazine – "Catalog and Web Sales" – May 2000 (nursery profile) * Grower Talks Magazine – Summer 1999 * Haven Magazine, Denmark – March 2005 *

– March 1997 (personal profile) * House Beautiful magazine – November 1995 (nursery profile) * International Aroid Society Newsletter – July 2002 (garden profile) * Mirabella Magazine – April 1995 * NCSU Alumni Magazine – May 1994 (personal profile) * NCSU Alumni Magazine – June 2006 (profile) * NC Wildflower Preservation Society – Summer 1998 * North Carolina Magazine – June 1998 (nursery profile) * North Fork Country, New York Journal – November 2002 * Nursery Manager PRO Magazine – November 1993 * Ornamental Outlook Magazine – December 1999 (nursery profile) * Philadelphia Hort Society Green Scene Magazine – April 1996 * Plants Magazine, England – September 1999 (plant profiles) * Southern Living Magazine – January 1994 (nursery profile) * Southern Living magazine – August 2006 (garden) Books * Heroes of Horticulture by Barbara Paul Robinson, 2018 * Beautiful Madness by James Dodson, 2006 Beautiful Madness
by James Dodson * Bizarre Botanicals by Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross, 2010 Bizarre Botanicals
by Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross * The Collectors Garden Book by Ken Druse 1996
by Ken Druse * The Plant Hunters Garden by Bobby Ward, Fall 2004
by Bobby Ward TV shows * Almanac Gardener with

Mike Gray Harold Michael Gray (October 26, 1935 – April 30, 2013) was an American writer, screenwriter, cinematographer, film producer and director. Career Film and TV In 1965, Mike Gray and Jim Dennett co-founded The Film Group, a Chicago film produ ...

(NC Public Television) – numerous since 1994 * Coastal Gardener with Dave Egbert (Network) – 2008 *

Cultivating Life Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoei ...

with

Sean Conway Sean Conway, (born July 24, 1951) is a former provincial politician in Ontario, Canada and a university professor. He served for 28 years as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 2003, and was a high-profile ca ...

, Aspidistra, Ferns (PBS) – 2006 *

with

(PBS) – 2008 * Gardener's Diary with Erica Glasener (HGTV) – winter 2002/3 * Gardener's Journal with Kathy Renwald (HGTV) – 2002 * In The Garden with Bryce Lane (NC Public Television) – 2007 *

Martha Stewart Living ''Martha Stewart Living'' is a magazine and former television program featuring entertaining and lifestyle expert Martha Stewart. Both the magazine and the television program focus on lifestyle content and the domestic arts. Magazine ''Martha S ...

with

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...

, Nursery Segment (HGTV) – February 2004 *

with

, Propagation Segment (HGTV) – February 2004 *

with

, Hardy Arailaceae Segment (HGTV) – February 2004 *

with

, Extreme Propagation (NBC) – February 2007 *

with

, New Plants (NBC) – March 2008Martha Stewart Living TV Show Web Site
/ref> *

with

, New Plants (NBC) – January 26, 2011Martha Stewart Living TV Show Web Site
/ref> * Rebecca's Garden with Rebecca Kolls (Hearst Broadcasting) – 1997 * The Winter Garden Series (HGTV) – 1999 * The Secret Garden Series (HGTV) – Spring 2001

References

External links

Plant Delights NurseryJuniper Level Botanic GardensNondu.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avent, Tony American garden writers American male non-fiction writers American horticulturists Living people North Carolina State University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)