That’s my favorite tree in the garden,” said Roger Gossler, as we gazed at a dazzling katsura tree in peak fall color at Gossler Farms Nursery in Springfield, Oregon. He said it was a Cercidiphyllum magnificum, not a Cercidiphyllum japonicum, as I had thought. I asked him what the difference was, and he said that C. magnificum stays smaller and has a more arching, oval shape.

I’d been vaguely aware that there were two species of katsuras, but had never had it spelled out to me. This is the kind of knowledge that Roger has in spades—knowledge that comes from a lifetime of working in the nursery business and being a passionate plantsman.

Despite his vast stores of knowledge, though, Roger is humble and unassuming. He is held in the highest regard by his fellow nurserypeople, and it was really a treat for me last month to visit him at Gossler Farms, the nursery that he runs with his mother, Marjory (“Marj”), and his brother, Eric.