40 Under 40, Class of 2025

Courtney Knight

North Creek Nurseries

Propagation manager

What 3 to 4 professional and/or personal accomplishments are you most proud of?

Making the jump into the horticulture industry right after college although I didn’t have any experience.
Earning my bachelor’s degree in biology from Delaware Valley University.
Taking on challenges at work, including new job titles and responsibilities. I started as the stock grower, moved onto a production administrator role managing the production of plants from tissue culture, ferns and sedums, and now I am propagation manager. Each role seemed very intimidating at first, but I’ve loved each job and have learned so much in each position.

What led you to work in the horticulture industry?

I’ve always loved being outside in nature; I grew up right off of the Chesapeake Bay, and the importance of native species and a healthy/balanced ecosystem was always a highly stressed lesson every year throughout school.
During my senior year of college, I took a tropical ecology course and worked as an intern for Heritage Conservancy. I worked to remove invasive plant species and re-establish native plant species in the hopes of benefiting the overall native ecosystem and restoring natural lands. During the course, we had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica for 10 days to study the biodiversity in the various biomes there. Between these two experiences, I fell in love with native plants and all they provide for their natural habitat.
Especially during my internship, I realized the huge disconnect between homeowners and native plants and the cost it was taking on local landscapes. I thought it was so strange how the average homeowner seemed so uneducated regarding the plants they were using around their homes by planting aggressive and/or invasive plants in lieu of native species that are also attractive plants. I wanted to support the production of native plants, get them out into the market and then into the landscape to benefit the environment.

What’s the best thing about your job? (Please select one)

Describe to a 6-year-old what you do in life?

What are your favorite hobbies?

When you’re not working, what are 2 to 3 things we could find you doing?

Do you have any unusual talents, or can you tell us something interesting about yourself that other people may be surprised to find out?

I didn’t quite realize how passionate I was about native plants until late in my senior year of college; up until that point I thought I’d graduate and find a job involving zoology, wildlife conservation or anything involving animals/wildlife.
Instead I fell in love with plants, especially natives. With months left until graduation I decided I would start looking for a growing position to try and start my career in horticulture. I was studying biology with a specialization in zoology and all of my friends (future veterinarians) thought that it was hilarious that it took me so long to figure out that I wanted to work with plants. Apparently, they all knew and were waiting for me to also come to the realization. It seemed fitting that I decorated my cap for graduation with the phrase “Turns out I like plants??? BA : Biology:Zoology.”
Despite finding my passion a little late, I consider myself extremely lucky since a few months after graduation I found North Creek Nurseries through a Google search for native plants and have been here learning everything I can from my colleagues ever since.

One thing you can’t live without?