Josh Henry

Ball Horticultural Co.

Technical services specialist

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

• I’m a first-generation college graduate who went on to earn my doctorate.
• This year will be my 10th wedding anniversary, and we have two very high-spirited sons.
• I have the opportunity to travel all over North America to help growers produce their best crops ever.

What led you to work in the horticulture industry?

• As a child, I attended Benjamin Franklin Elementary, a Cleveland public school that worked with the Ohio State Extension master gardeners to teach fourth graders about plants. I loved working with the master gardeners and volunteered with them in the gardens every year until college. 
• I also began volunteering at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and got my first job at the local community garden. When I graduated, I knew I wanted to work with plants and decided to start my college education at The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute with an associate’s degree in greenhouse management. All of this led me to where I am today.

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

• Problem-solving

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

• I travel around to greenhouses all over North America to help people solve problems and grow great flowers.

What are your favorite hobbies?

• Baking
• Exercising
• Yardwork

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

• Baking
• Exercising
• Working in the yard

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 have 18 chickens at home that provide a lot of eggs. We rarely have to buy eggs, and during the summer we give them away to friends and family.

One thing you can’t live without?

• My family, closely followed by chocolate

What are you (un)secretly good at?

• Baking breads, pies and other pastries

What are your top three bucket list items?

• Become fluent in Spanish
• Have my own greenhouse (just as a hobby)
• Visit all U.S. states and Canadian provinces

What’s your favorite plant variety and why?

• Ficus maclellandii. My wife and I propagated this plant together in college when we met as lab partners in plant propagation. We still have the original ficus 13 years later.

You’re buying a vacation package to anywhere in the world without a budget, where are you going?

• Honestly, with how much I travel, I would choose to stay home.