Casey Groff, Community Horticulturist

Kendal-Crosslands Communities offers residents natural, beautiful scenery that can’t be found at just any retirement community. The 500-acre campus features an accredited arboretum, woodlands, meadows and plenty of green space, all for the enjoyment of residents and staff.

“Being surrounded by nature in any time of your life has health benefits,” says Casey Groff, the Kendal-Crosslands Communities’ Horticulturist. “I only imagine that as we get older that these benefits would be amplified.”

Casey has worked at Kendal-Crosslands for nearly six years as the Horticulture Supervisor. He oversees a team of 10 that manage and manicure the significantly sized campus.

“As a kid, I was always interested in living things,” says Casey. “I was always interested in the natural world, and had lots of exposure as a child, hiking and fishing.”

His day begins before the sun rises, writing emails and making phone calls to plan the day’s work. The remainder of the day involves “keeping the plates spinning,” meeting the needs of his team, and monitoring the landscape and gardens.

“It’s a very seasonal job,” he adds. “Spring is very busy, when we spend time planting and monitoring. Winter is a time for planning, training, reading and researching.”

An Accredited Arboretum

When Casey began working at Kendal-Crosslands, he recognized the natural beauty of the campus. He did some investigation and suggested to the residents that they apply to become an accredited arboretum. The idea stuck and residents quickly formed a committee to become accredited.

Now, residents have been able to acquire the level two arboretum which includes a significant increase in policy regulation and collection management.

“We obtained a grant to purchase a machine that embosses plants with metal tags so that they can be identified,” says Casey. “We’ve put an identification tag on all the collections, include all woody plants. It’s a huge undertaking that involves research and records management. It’s really amazing that the residents are leading this force.”

A Beautiful Campus for All

Kendal-Crosslands Communities features a variety of terrain and ecosystems, offering beautiful views and natural scenes for all to enjoy.

“One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to work with plants to both beautify and solve problems,” says Casey. “Secondly, working with residents, working to solve their problems and answering their concerns. It’s very pleasing to make them happy.”

Residents also manage and maintain their own food and flower gardens throughout the campus, sprinkling the campus with unique garden plots and orchards.

For more information on the natural beauty of Kendal-Crosslands Communities, please give us a call today at 844-907-1800.