Floriculture Industry Mourns Passing of Two Plant Leaders
January 12, 2026 
Gary Mangum, Ludwig Kientzler
The floriculture industry is mourning the loss of two industry leaders. Ludwig Kientzler passed away on Jan. 4, 2026 in Costa Rica, and leaves a global legacy of innovation and transformation in the international horticulture industry. The following information comes from Garry Grüber at Cultivaris:
“Born in post-WWII Germany as the eldest son of Ludwig and Else Kientzler, he experienced the world of horticulture first-hand by working in the family’s typical, medium-sized nursery in Bad Kreuznach. The sudden death of Ludwig’s father galvanized the will of his widow to preserve and expand the family nursery for her three still very young children and set up a new location in nearby Gensingen. This difficult period also nurtured Ludwig Kientzler’s independent nature and his striving for perpetual change; even at a young age, he was very much involved in the expansion of the Kientzler company in Gensingen.
The biggest change for the company came in the 1980s with the introduction of the first, unique New Guinea Impatiens varieties from the U.S. Ludwig Kientzler quickly recognized the potential of this truly novel crop but was dissatisfied with the very heterogenous growth and flowering habit of the first hybrids. Hence, he took a hands-on approach and started breeding with this attractive new crop. His Paradise® series took the market by storm, both at the grower and consumer levels, and after all these years, the series is still very successful in the marketplace. Ludwig Kientzler recognized that the market for totally new crops was ripe and commenced to upset the stagnant bedding plant assortment with new crops and new varieties, which eventually led to major changes in the international floriculture market.
Towards the end of the 1980s, new plant diseases from abroad appeared – a major challenge for young-plant suppliers such as Kientzler. Ludwig Kientzler set the groundwork for a testing program for phytopathogenic diseases – beginning with the hot new crops, but then expanding the program to include all crops in production. Such an elaborate elite-stock system for bedding plant crops had to date only been applied to Pelargonium – hence, it was ground-breaking that such a stringent clean-stock program with virus indexing and tissue culture techniques was implemented for such a wide range of crops, with thousands of elite cultures in the lab and in insect-proof greenhouses. Consequently, the Kientzler subsidiary InnovaPlant GmbH & Co. KG was founded in the early 1990s specifically for the elite program, for license management, breeding, and product development.
At this point in time, Kientzler was not yet in a position to actively explore overseas markets, but Kientzler/InnovaPlant had some interesting new crops with clean starter material to offer. Thus began the search for distribution partners, and Ludwig Kientzler and his team developed a network of like-minded young plant nurseries that cover their respective markets and jointly introduce these new crops from clean stock and with solid marketing in place, which culminated in the founding of the Proven Winners® network – so to speak the outstretched arm of Kientzler/InnovaPlant in North America, Europe, and Japan.
The ever-increasing demand from the U.S. market and in Europe, exposed the urgent need for a large-scale mother stock facility, and resulted in the formation of InnovaPlant de Costa Rica s.a. and later TicoPlant s.a. in order to supply the international Proven Winners network with high-quality unrooted cuttings and tissue-cultured plantlets. Under Ludwig Kientzler’s supervision, coffee fields were transformed into 12 hectares of modern greenhouse facilities and a state-of-the-art tissue-culture laboratory.
Ludwig Kientzler was especially proud of the conception and realization of the beautiful Jardín Botanico Else Kientzler in Costa Rica – initially conceived as a gene bank for the rich indigenous flora, now a lush magnet for visitors in Sarchi/Central Valley of this tropical country.
Ludwig Kientzler explored and successfully developed new markets, fundamentally changed the horticulture industry with totally new crops, intensive breeding programs and solid marketing concepts, and set up networks all around the globe – much to the benefit of the entire horticulture industry. Throughout his life, Ludwig Kientzler was a driving force that inherently disdained stagnation and complacency – he always had new projects and ideas in mind which he implemented hands-on and very successfully.
He loved life and lived his life to the fullest. His laughter, his entrepreneurial spirit and his charisma will be sorely missed indeed.”
Bell Nursery’s Gary Mangum Passes Away
Gary L Mangum of Stevensville, MD, passed away at his home on the Chesapeake Bay on December 15, 2025. He was 69 years old. Gary is survived by his beloved wife of 31 years, Sonia Johnson Mangum, his children Chase Mangum (Sommer) and Kyle Mangum, Heather Hamilton (Mike), Lindsay Mangum, and his grandchildren Jake, Violet, and Callen. He is also survived by three siblings: Lori Connor (Kevin), Dale Mangum (Margaret), and Lisa McCarthy (Mike) and many adoring nieces and nephews.
The following comes directly from Gary’s obituary:
Gary was born in Takoma Park, MD, on July 25, 1956 to the late Robert T. and Shirley Benner Mangum. Much of Gary’s youth was spent in Ashton, MD, where he graduated from Sherwood High School in 1974. Gary was an entrepreneur from an early age, working first for his parent’s flower shop, Bell Flowers in Silver Spring, MD, and then later, under his parents’ leadership as the horticultural businesses grew and expanded. He and his partner, and brother-in-law, Mike McCarthy, grew the growing operation, Bell Nursery, from less than $1 million when it was acquired from Gary’s parents in 1994, to $186 million in annual sales by the time the business was sold in 2018. Over the years, hundreds of millions of plants were sold through The Home Depot, where the partners’ innovative approach to helping change the gardening retail environment has been adopted by virtually all major growers across the country. The Bell Nursery model — investing in service personnel in their signature purple shirts in all Home Depot locations that Bell served, sophisticated merchandising, pay by scan, and large scale recycling have now become the industry norm. Gary also pioneered the State of Maryland’s first medical marijuana growing facility and held positions in a number of other business ventures. He served as President of the Landscape Contractors Association, Chairman of Associated Landscape Contractors of America, and was an active member of the Maryland Farm Bureau and the American Horticultural Society. He was a founding member of the Plants for Clean Air Council, and served on the Green Industry Task Force for Pollinator Habitat. Gary also served as an Industry Liaison for the NASA Stennis Space Center Plant-Based Research. He received numerous awards, including “Visionary of the Year” Award from the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.
Gary’s influence extended to state and local politics. In 2014, Gary took an active role in the successful campaign of Governor Larry Hogan, later helping to grow the Executive Finance Committee and, in 2015, accepting an appointment to the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Critical Areas Commission where his longstanding passion for the environment, especially the Chesapeake Bay, proved indispensable. In 2022, Gary was appointed to the University of Maryland Medical System Board (UMMS), where he helped oversee ongoing and unique medical research and programs while helping garner both public and private support for various UMMS initiatives.
Just before he retired in 2024, Gary was instrumental in fundraising efforts for the new hospital in Easton, MD, currently under construction.
During his life, Gary worked to serve the communities in which he lived and the causes that were dear to him. He was a generous advocate and supporter for the Walter Reed Medical Center, Chesapeake Charities, Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department, Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff, the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Truckin for Troops, Gold Star Moms of Maryland, Project Serve, the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Center of Maryland, and the Ruth M Kirk Learning & Recreation Center in downtown Baltimore.
Gary had a curious mind, was an avid reader, an eloquent writer, a thoughtful and willing debater, and a kind and generous friend. He enjoyed photography in and around his home on the bay. Those who knew him could always look forward to receiving a copy of his annual “Chesapeake Sunsets” calendar.
For anyone wishing to make a memorial donation, the family appreciates a donation to The Ruth M Kirk Learning & Recreation Center. Donations can be made through Chesapeake Charities, c/o The Ruth M Kirk Learning and Recreation Center in memory of Gary L Mangum.
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