Mandy started at Telly's in February of 1999 to learn about flowers and have some
fun.  She only planned on working until the summer was over, but then the Office
Manager position became available in July of 1999, and she jumped at the
opportunity. She has been handling all the day to day, behind the scenes aspects for
all locations of the business ever since. When Mandy isn't busy working at Telly's,
she keeps busy at home with her husband, Tony and their son, Tyler, as well as with
gardening, coaching youth soccer and youth basketball, and being Head Room Mom for
her son's class. Email Amanda at amanda@tellys.com.

Our beloved friend & comrade passed away in July of 2010. Always willing to share his vast and unique experience, & his sage and sly wit, we will miss him dearly. There is no doubt he will be fondly remembered by all who knew him, those who had the benefit of sharing in his life-path experience, and those who grew because of the seeds he planted.

Hector was our resident bonsai expert. He was a local 'boy', having grown up in Royal Oak. While working as a Mechanical Engineer, he became an avid gardener, revitalizing the landscape around the old farmhouse he lived in. After retiring, he decided he needed something more to do in our Michigan winters. He became interested in bonsai as a hobby in 1985, but didn't get serious about it until he was inspired by several bonsai masters in 1987. He was particularly inspired by Jerry Meislik, a very talented master of the artform. Hector used the 15 years he spent living in Florida as an opportunity to learn more about the tropical trees often used in the art. Moving back to Michigan, his 'hobby' and expertise continued to grow. Talking with Hector, I always came away with a new appreciation and enthusiasm for the art of bonsai. He loved nothing better than to talk with anyone who wanted to learn more about caring for, and training their trees. Thanks to Hector, Telly's now has a broad and unique selection of stock available for everyone; from the first-time grower to the collector.

old tree; furrowed bark

all leaves must fall; feed the earth

where new trees may grow

(anonymous haiku)

Eric has worked at Telly's since 1990. His mastery of the written language has awarded him numerous articles in Michigan Gardener and hundreds of entries in our advertisements and website. I have had the pleasure of traveling with Eric extensively. Together we have visited plant places from the east coast to the west, and explored the vastness of China.

Eric has attended many of horticulture's celebrated gatherings where I have seen him befuddle/bewilder some of the industries most knowledgeable experts. His responsibilities at Telly's  include the acquisition and propagation of new plant material. (Eric is constantly inroducing us to new plants.) He manages our Tropicals and Hard Goods departments (everything that's not a plant), administers the Telly's website, maintains and sells our poinsettia crop, and oversees our computerized point of sale system. In his spare time, he indulges in miniature gardening, the development of "TellyVision", and is an international award winning glass artist with works on file with the Corning Glass Museum.

Needless to say, Eric's broad range of talents continue to help make Telly's what you experience today. I think Eric has worked almost every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the last couple of decades, so it's likely that you have been helped by him in your last visit or two. His uncanny knowledge of annuals, tropicals, and woody plants will continue to amaze us for years and years. The same goes for his sense of humor. Eric, by the way, is single. Email him your digits at eric@tellys.com.

Often accused of being a horti-geek, Michael has been fascinated with plants and nature since he was a small child. His passion for gardening was first sparked in the gardens of his mother and grandfather. For 19 years, Michael's "real" job was as a computer programmer/analyst for the world's largest car hauling company. A frequent visitor to Telly's as a customer, in the spring of 2000 he decided to indulge his horticultural interest completely by working at the store part time. He quickly learned that he had an innate aptitude for the position. His knowledge and passion for plants is something he loves to share, both with customers and fellow staff members. This "hobby" soon led to a full time position when overseas outsourcing ended his IT career. After a brief absence in 2007 Mike was glad to come home to Telly's in 2008, accepting the position of Perennial Sales Manager. Email Mike at mikeh@tellys.com.

The winner of the 2007 Grower Talks Young Grower Award, Michael Maran, joined Telly's staff as Head Grower in 2008. Mike brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.

Graduating from Ohio State University in 1995, Michael has a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture. He first worked as a grower in perennial production facility in Sylvania, Ohio. He has been with a large wholesale greenhouse in Maumee, Ohio for the last 10 years as head grower. Besides growing plants, Mike has lectured to other industry professionals and students on innovative growing techniques and worked with kids in both 4H and FFA (Future Farmers of America). His dedication to overall improvement of the industry and encouraging the development of young growers is a nice fit with the Telly's vision.

Mike primarily works at Telly's production farm where he continues to produce the highest quality plant material for our gardening customers. He oversees all aspects of the 16 greenhouse operation, including Telly's new organically grown, earth-friendly production program. The innovative ideas that helped him win the award are now in practice, and contribute greatly to the quality of plants you enjoy today.

The question for the Young Grower competition was “What do we need to do to make our industry more exiting to today’s customers?” The competition is open to any grower age 35 or under and is sponsored by BASF Turf & Ornamental, Ball Horticultural and Ohio Florists Association in conjunction with Grower Talks magazine. The winners are considered the ‘best of the best’ in exhibiting innovation and a passion for overcoming industry challenges according to Steve Larson, BASF Turf & Ornamental national ornamentals accounts manager.

Telly’s prides itself on producing the highest quality plants possible. Mike believes in using such techniques as DIF (Differential Between Day/Night temperature), effective scheduling, and proper irrigation to produce the high quality plants demanded by gardeners today. These techniques are both customer friendly and environmentally friendly alternatives to the overuse of chemical growth regulators; a concept that has always been heavily valued by Telly’s owner, George Papadelis.

George and the staff at Telly’s, welcomes Mike and his ability to enhance our commitment to producing the best plants for our customers. Email Mike at mikem@tellys.com.