09 / INTERVIEW
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Ireland’s founding nursery businesses were family run affairs. And while this remains the case for the majority, subsequent generations have been slow to pick up where parents left off. The result being closure and sale. “Who can blame THEM?" I hear you ask. Running a nursery is a tough, demanding job, with little thanks and profits often at the mercy of factors way beyond control and challenging to plan for. The reality of nursery operations is far from the romantic ideals of those on the outside. There are benefits of course, but seeing how hard nursery people work, it’s amazing that any children follow in their parents’ footsteps. Thankfully for the sector, some have taken up the challenge and the opportunity. Tim Schram is one of them. The son of now retired nursery founders, Flip and Muriel Schram, has taken the reigns with gusto, building on the knowledge and wisdom his parents passed on with energy, passion and confidence in the future. Taking a very short break from his schedule Tim talked with me about his own horticultural journey, the rewards and drawbacks of nursery operation and his positive view of what lies ahead.
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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016
Barry Lupton Interviews Tim Schram
Barry: For those unfamiliar with Schram Plants, can you provide some insight into the scope and focus of the business? Tim: Schram Plants is a wholesale nursery, based in Co Kildare and specialising in supplying the garden centre and landscape market with quality grown herbaceous perennials, alpines, herbs, ferns and grasses. We have developed the “Nice & Easy” brand, which is a strong brand aimed at the retail garden centre market. Barry: Your father moved to Ireland from Holland in the late 1970s and established a landscape design business. What motivated him to move here and subsequently enter the nursery trade? Tim: Yes, both my parents wanted to move abroad at the time, they
