Are We Chasing Our Tails?
Sorry this week’s letter is late. I’ve been a bit busy.
Just a bit…
I’m writing while on a plane once again, traveling this time to the Perennial Plant Symposium and trade show. I have a vase of cut Echinacea ‘Hot Papaya’ and ‘Marmalade’ flower stems between my feet on the floor of the plane. The flight attendant wanted me to put them in the overhead locker…ugh.
Finally got permission to let the guy who is sitting near the window hold them at his feet during take off and landing. I wouldn’t want my flower stems to get in anyone’s way whilst they are jumping out of the plane – should we go down in flames. Too funny- as if a vase of flowers would stop anyone.
Haha. Stupid rules.
This week, I have the honor of accepting the Young Professional Award while I’m there for the symposium. Young? Me? That’s funny. I would expect an award of this moniker to go to some up and coming star in his or her twenties. Maybe they don’t know how old I am? I do use, and have for many years, really good wrinkle cream.
I’m not sure what prompted the award and I have no idea who nominated me, but I’m hoping The Weeding Gnome and my often crazy opining has something to do with it.
I’m honored, nonetheless.
Last week I had the honor of watching Spain beat my Netherlands team in the World Cup finals. It was so great to be at a tradeshow with so many people from The Netherlands. The tradeshow floor was orange on Sunday. I really had fun. I brought face paint crayons and we painted flags on peoples cheeks, I wore my oranje van Persi jersey and I had my vivuzela (and some hand sanitizer to clean it each time) for people to blow. There wasn’t much blowing during the game since it was a low scoring game, but people were very interested to blow the horn all day before the game started.
It was a quiet afternoon and even quieter when they lost.
Onward and upward, right?
The show was great. Lots of enthusiasm and everyone we talked to in the booth was very upbeat about 2011. Sadly, most had written off 2010 because it’s taken a real big turn for the worse.
Our new Echinacea selections, Marmalade and Raspberry Truffle gained many admirers, even though their color was a bit off in the indoor lights. They were still attractive and the fact sheet pictures were gorgeous. The new banner I made for Heuchera ‘Dark Chocolate’ and ‘Stainless Steel’ attracted major attention and everyone was impressed with us touting their extreme drought and humidity tolerance, something you rarely see in a heuchera (coral bell) that doesn’t have the species villosa in it’s heritage.
Last time, I promised we would have some reader feedback from my previous letter (The Nursery Industry is a Mess). I can’t think of a better way to try and solve what’s wrong with the nursery industry than provoking thoughtful conversation from our loyal readers.
Brent Horvath, owner of Intrinsic Perennials, a second-generation family owned nursery and fellow plantweenie who has introduced many new perennial selections sent 6 emails. He had lots to say about the state of the nursery industry.
Here’s an excerpt from his thoughts:
“We have too many plants from outside our area, that for one reason or another are marginal or unsustainable. I keep coming back to plants that are growing locally. These are naturally sustainable (solutions).
The big boxes work on proven probabilities like: it does not matter if its not hardy here and (if) we sell it as a perennial most people will not care one way or another. One problem with this is the gardener might get discouraged thinking they are a poor gardener (when the plant dies).
Local is sustainable, global is not. It’s part of the sustainable mantra, think globally, act locally. Getting (the plants) to us is a big part of the non-sustainability. Why should the ‘Red Head’ fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) at the local Home Depot come from Texas, when I can reasonably send the same thing for similar enough price at a similar time?”
Brent’s solution is support locally grown plants, like those that come from his perennial nursery. I concur, but where does this leave the growers who try and service the entire United States?
Tammy Clayton, garden designer, former nursery owner, writer and finder of our new Phlox paniculata (summer phlox) called ‘Lord Clayton’ always has a lot to say about the state of the industry, but that week, she was really worked up.
I love getting people all kerfluffled over a topic. That’s when new ideas come out and problems are solved. Make the people think…
Tammy had these comments:
“Firstly, with so many landscape companies belly up nationwide, did the nursery industry think they would just sail through unscathed? If people’s (income keeps declining), how can they afford professional landscaping? To make matters worse, those that can afford it want the Taj Mahal for pennies on the dollar. They complain about everything – including their own choices! People are crazy. There has been a severe swing in mindset. After two decades of designing landscapes and gardens, I for one drew my final landscape design about 2 years ago today. I wash my hands of the whole sordid mess, writing is so much more friendly.
But this all goes back much further than the last few years with the nursery trade. I remember when the only perennials you could buy in a container were boring Hosta var. albo marginata and ditch lilies. If you wanted something different, you had to go to the flower farmer who dug things up on the spot, placed you order into separate paper bags and did business in his garage. Tagging? (There was no tagging.) He wrote the name of the plant on the side of each bag with his ever-present No. 2 pencil. (It was) cash and carry, 10 acres of beauty with an island in the middle occupied by his house and garages. The majority of business was from homeowners, not professional contractors. That was the mid 70′s.
Between then and 1990 when I got involved in design beyond begonias and geraniums, the population returned again to wanting perennials, (not just) masses of annual color. Clients started asking for plants they saw in Wayside Gardens and White (Flower Farms mail order) catalogs. I got so frustrated I began questioning the nursery we bought from most often on their choice of plant material. People (didn’t want) these over planted bushes, trees and perennials. They wanted their yard to look different from everyone else on their street. A tall order!
Angela – the nursery industry is like a dog chasing its own tail. In order to fill the order for a job, a contractor with vision has to drive to every supplier within 60 miles just to gather the plant material, and substitute a lot (because he can’t find what he is looking for). I’ve been to Carolina Nurseries several times. If they can’t stay afloat, then a lot of people are really doomed.”
My take on all of this is maybe the big boxes have the right idea. Buy local. It’s all the rage for food right now. It gives people a warm and fuzzy feeling to know they are supporting local business.
If it doesn’t, it should…
Supporting local growers who have a limited shipping range, but grow plants adaptable and good for their shipping area would be a really great thing.
But what about the big nurseries, like Monrovia and Greenleaf Nursery who try and sell to the entire United States? Where does that leave them?
Is that what happened to Carolina Nurseries? Did they try to grow and sell too much? Were they reaching too far?
Big growers are selling off auxiliary properties left and right to cut costs, but that means they’ll sell and ship even more stuff from far away places. If more medium sized growers, who only sell to two or three states, only serviced local independent garden centers and even the big boxes, would the plant material for sale be more relevant?
Would it be more timely and in bloom when Mother Nature intended? Would they be more acclimated to local climes? Would they be willing to try new things to bring in customers?
There are many medium sized nurseries throughout the US. They seem to be faring well, even though the economy and the weather have dealt the industry a really bad hand. The big guys that try to service everyone, from coast to coast, don’t seem to be handling the current situation quite as well.
Is that the answer?
Try bringing in local color to drive traffic to your store without shipping plants from one coast to another and wasting all that gas.
It’s a start…
I’ll be reporting this week from the Perennial Plant Symposium in lovely (and cool…) Portland, Oregon. We’ll talk a bit about adding beautiful vegetables to your spring line – especially for containers. After talking to garden center buyers last week in Ohio, I think I need to do a little ranting on the beauty of veg.
Until then, Happy weeding!
Angela Treadwell-Palmer
President, Plants Nouveau
P.S. If I haven’t said this before, Astilbe ‘Deft Lace’ is really all the rage this summer. At the shows, in garden centers, on Twitter, and just about everywhere I display this plant, people are amazed.
I’m not sure what gets them. Maybe it’s the glossy, deep maroon foliage, or the clear pink, non-fading plumes on top of deep red stems. Maybe it’s the fact that it doesn’t die on the first hot, dry day after you plant it and forget to water it really well.
That could be it. You think?
This astilbe is tough – really tough. Remember my garden is super dry. We affectionately call it the tiarella torture chamber. If things can survive in my dry shade amidst pin oak and white pine roots, they get my vote for sure.
I’ve killed many astilbes. Delft Lace has survived.
It really is a fantastic performer and a stunningly beautiful selection. Try one and let me know how it did for you. We are all sold out of samples for 2010, but I’d be happy to share some bare root plants this winter if you are interested.