Good seeds

As one of Florida’s leading horticultural companies, Cherry Lake grows a variety of beautiful and sustainable trees, palms, and shrubs.

But the Groveland-based company is also planting seeds of imagination, nurturing knowledge, and helping grow the next generation of farmers, gardeners, and environmentalists.

During Florida’s statewide Agricultural Literacy Day last April, several company employees visited more than 250 kindergarten students at Mascotte Elementary School and Groveland Elementary School.

To say the day was rooted in fun would be an understatement. Students huddled around Joaquin Perez, human resources manager at Cherry Lake, as he read “Drive Through Florida Vegetables” to them. In addition, employees gave students azalea seeds and explained how they could successfully grow azaleas at home.

“We were proud to be part of Agricultural Literacy Day because it corresponds with two of our company’s main outreach goals—promoting agricultural awareness and supporting local schools,” says Tim Sallin, president of Cherry Lake. “It was well-received, and you could tell how much the kindergarteners enjoyed us being there based on the questions they asked. Learning about agriculture naturally captures their imagination.”

Cherry Lake has engaged in other community projects. Last winter, the company partnered with Keep Lake Beautiful and completed a landscape beautification project at Groveland Elementary School. Employees planted more than a dozen trees and several hundred shrubs along various parts of the school’s property.

“That was also a very exciting event that allowed us to do our part in beautifying the community,” Sallin says.