History

Saunders Brothers. Inc. is a nursery and orchard operation located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Piney River, Virginia. It is a family-owned corporation started by Paul M. Saunders who started propagating boxwood in 1947 and this was the start of our nursery business. We are now a 100-acre container-grown nursery selling our products in ten states in the Mid-Atlantic region. We sell the majority of our nursery stock wholesale and specialize in azaleas, rhododendron, boxwood, hollies, junipers, perennials, annuals, flowering shrubs, and specialty color items.

Saunders Brothers, Inc. also grows over 100 acres of peaches and apples that are sold at our retail stand in Piney River as well as wholesale along the East Coast. Apple varieties include: Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Pink Lady, and others. Peaches are sold primarily retail at our packing shed near Piney River. We now have several varieties of both white and yellow peaches.

The nursery has over 300 over-wintering greenhouses including four bottom heat propagation greenhouses on the 100-acre main nursery. We also have around 40 acres of boxwood in a field planting.
 
Internships Available

Saunders Brothers, Inc., offers summer internships in the nursery where students are exposed to several facets of our nursery business. These internships are hands-on production internships where students work outside each day and learn by doing tasks.  Internships are usually divided into blocks as described below. These blocks are flexible depending on the workload, season, labor needs, management, etc. Potential candidates for Saunders Brothers internships must be flexible as needs change each year and as the season progresses.

1. Woody Plant Production: Interns will have the opportunity to work in woody plant production under the leadership of the woody grower. This experience will consist of assisting the woody plant grower in all facets of woody plant production including potting, fertilizing, pruning, spacing, pest control, field production, and other related woody plant production techniques.

2. Perennial/Annual Production: Interns will have the opportunity to work in perennial/annual production under the leadership of the perennial/annual grower. This experience will consist of assisting the perennial/annual grower in all facets of perennial and annual production including potting, fertilizing, pruning, spacing, pest control, monitoring plant growth, and other related production techniques. It will also include monitoring plants for the proper timing of plant growth regulators, application of plant growth regulators, and the monitoring of the effectiveness of plant growth regulators.

3. Quality Control: Interns will have the opportunity to work in quality control under the leadership of the quality control supervisor. This experience will consist of assisting the quality control supervisor in all facets of quality control including spraying, weed control, scouting and identifying pests, checking spray effectiveness and plant toxicity to sprays, and understanding the use of IPM measures to control pests in an economical and environmentally friendly manner.

4. Propagation: Interns will have the opportunity to work in propagation. This experience will consist of assisting the propagation manager in all aspects of propagation including seeding, grafting, taking cuttings, checking stock blocks, checking newly planted cuttings, and other jobs related to propagation.

5. Special Areas: After finishing the above intern areas, each intern may have the opportunity to work in other areas of the business. It may be spent in any of the above areas to learn more about the specific area or may be spent in a new area (sales, office, or business aspects). It also may include experiments, trials, computer analysis, new plant introduction, display garden management, new production method or any other new or innovative production method.

Housing

Housing may be available for interns. Call for information. If Saunders Brothers, Inc. provides housing, the cost will be $100 per month.

Compensation

Commensurate with qualifications.

Work Time

Normal work hours are 8am-12pm and 1-5pm with 12-1pm for lunch. On Friday all workers (except supervisory and office staff) stop at 4pm in order to allow workers time to take care of personal business. During spring (March 1-May 31) hours may be 8am-12pm and 1-6pm in the nursery. Normal Saturday hours are 8am-12pm. We may need to work later or come in to work earlier as special needs arise. In addition, it may be necessary to work on Sunday as special needs arise (i.e. load trucks, pick fruit, apply pesticides or plant growth regulators, cover greenhouses, etc.).

Applications for Internship

Anyone interested in applying for an internship with Saunders Brothers may call Adrienne Phillips at 434-277-5455 or at adrienne@saundersbrothers.com  for an application and further information.  Applications are due February 10 and all candidates will be notified by March 1.

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