chenyi

[Shawne Penwell]

Hello...I am a new member to the A-L line and I hope I do not offend
anyone, but I have been watching, and reading and feel I must respond to
the Chen Yi controversy.
I have been working in the nursery business for a "short" 6 yrs. I am a
Novice, have NO WAY the knowledge, vocabulary, or experience to keep up
with most of you, but I have an opinion.
Chen Yi (Kaichen) has been around longer than most of the people I'm
familiar with. Possibly, she once had plants in boxes inside her
apartment, but I don't know of anyone who didn't begin with plants in
the basement ,.....or garage...... The same as anyone else!
I worked for Millstone Coffee and remember when they had a roaster in
the garage and we went door to door, like a newspaper boy, delivering
coffee. I retired when Millstone sold to Proctor and Gamble!(11 years
later!)
China, and Chen Yi are not any different than anything I've seen in this
country. Here in the Pacific Northwest we have "raped" our hills and
sold the timber! We don't seem to care about the loss of life, Salmon,
Spotted Owl, or people (landslides) as long as we make a profit!
The blame does NOT lie with the people that are selling....they're
simply trying to make a living. The blame lies with the people who buy,
and then complain about the sellers!! Did someone mention the word
greed?
I can say from past experience, ( I left one reputable Nursery and was
fortunate enough to find a position at another reputable Nursery) that
our dealings with Chen Yi have been good. The paper work is always in
order, and the plants have been amazingly healthy, and large! There is
no doubt that these plants are collected from the wild. We do not claim
they aren't, and always tell our customers their origin. If someone has
to "wonder" whether a plant was collected or grown, I would have to
question their knowledge! Are they Nurserymen, or Marketers?
I would suggest we be thankful for being allowed to receive this
wonderful species, take a breath and step back, and continue to do all
we can to correctly identify the "gift" we've been allowed to
experience!......... and Propagate!
I would also suggest that no one  take for granted the plants they buy
from the "more reputable nurseries" are any different than the plants
the rest of us buy! NEVER take for granted a plant is "nursery grown".
Ask where it came from!!
Thanks for listening!
Shawn