When Jamie Turner entered Northern Bedford County High School, she made a career decision that proved fateful. This New Enterprise native grew up on a dairy farm, and chose horticulture as her curriculum concentration. “I always liked working with plants and being outdoors, and I thought horticulture would be fun,” she said. By her senior year she took the knowledge learned in her classes to the real world, working at a new start-up retail greenhouse in Loysburg, Countryside Gardens. Over the years Jamie said she learned as the business grew - she also traveled with the business when it moved to its present location on the Mile Level East of Bedford more than a dozen years ago. Today, 18 years later, she is the manager, overseeing all aspects of the retail operation - from hiring and supervising employees, to growing plants, to ordering stock to working with customers. “You name it, I do it,” she said, laughing.

She said she enjoys almost all aspects of her job - especially helping customers and being able to work in an outdoor environment. That environment isn’t all positive, however. “It can get really hot in the summer and cold in the winter when you work outdoors, but that’s just part of the business,” she said.

She advises prospective employees to learn as much as they can about plants before applying for a job. “They can’t begin to work here if they don’t know one plant from another and basics about plant care,” she said. She noted that much of her time on the job is spent giving customers advice to select and care for plants. “We have people come in all the time asking for guidance. We try to give them as much help as we can. Running a business like this is much more than simply growing plants - providing customer service is critical to success.”

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