Horticulture Magazine now a part of "Living Ready"

If there was any doubt in your mind about peoples interests in self-sufficiency or survival subjects this is for you. “Horticulture, The Art and Science of Smart Gardening” magazine is becoming a part of “Living Ready”.  Here is what Living Ready say’s they are all about.

"You will love being a member of LIVING READY if you are honing, or want to begin honing, life skills such as: • growing your own food, and canning & preserving that food • hunting for food, and then preparing and storing the catch • using herbal remedies to save a trip to the doctor's office • creating non-toxic cleaners for your home • raising small animals such as chickens, rabbits, pygmy goats • beekeeping • bartering and networking to meet the needs of yourself and your family • training to be suitably armed to survive threats against you and your"

According to Living Ready Community Leader Patty Craft Dunning, " Horticulture: The Art & Science of Smart Gardening will continue to be published in print just as it always has. Nothing has changed there, and Living Ready 's magazine and website will be able to share similar info as what you read in Horticulture (for example, edible gardening topics like what Peter Garnham writes for Hort, understanding pest management, how to plan and plant edibles for canning, etc.)" Patty adds, "our parent company, @F+W Media, also publishes Gun Digest. And, yes, there will plenty of info in Living Ready about how to be suitably armed to hunt-and-gather food as well as how to protect yourself and your family in threatening situations."

Smart move on this companies part. The interest in these subjects will only grow as we continue to see the poor response of our government when it comes to situations like Hurricane Sandy, and other natural and man made disasters. It’s seems only wise to be prepared where ever you live.

In addition, people are just interested in learning some of the skills that we have forgotten over the last couple of generations. Growing your own food, protecting your family, and being able to deal with the various natural and man made disasters that pop up. This interest is especially strong with the younger demographic like Generation Y, who we in the horticulture trades want to attract. For some there is a "doomsday" type feel to this, but for most people it's just exciting to be able to take charge, and see if you can do it. It's about living better, and closer to the land.

Interesting times in the horticulture field these days. If you have followed this blog you know I encourage garden centers to become the local source of information and tools to help people reach those goals. It’s one way for smaller independent locally owned garden centers to stay relevant. Become indispensable to your community by providing them the tools and services they are most interested in. It would appear being prepared, and self-sufficiency are two of them.

Stop Stealing Dreams

So after I post the inspiring story yesterday concerning the Classroom Farm in the Bronx I was directed to an article in the NY Daily News. The article say's the program was terminated. According to the Daily News, "A celebrated classroom farm that yielded fresh produce and great jobs for students at a South Bronx public high school has been quietly shut down." It continues, "Green Bronx Machine withered last August when Ritz was moved to a basement classroom and told to stop growing food at Discovery". The Daily News says, "The city Department of Education referred questions to Discovery Principal Rolando Rivera, who failed to return repeated requests for an interview about why the program was shut down." Without the details it's hard to understand why the program was halted. Maybe a New York reader might have the answer? I do know our school system is broken. Here is a great video with Seth Godin that I watched right after watching the video on the school farm. What Seth say's dovetailed so well with what I saw in that Bronx video. It's called, "Stop stealing Dreams" It's 16 minutes well spent if your at all concerned with how the kids are being "educated" and what we can do about it. Seems the title, "Stop Stealing Dreams" fits well with the closing of the school program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc

Organizing by not organizing

I read in the latest edition of “Today’s Garden Center” magazine an article titled “Slow Down”. Written by Sid Raisch of The Garden Center Group, it’s an interesting read concerning the changing garden retail landscape. What caught my eye was this. “Slow Retail Is Not Organized. There is no single controlling organization to the Slow movement. Its momentum is created worldwide by individuals who endorse and spread their passion that the Slow way is the better way.” This is the way it’s going to be going forward. Groups of like minded people connecting via The Internet and creating the change necessary to achieve their goals. Often the groups form without any real motivation or goals, but rather a shared interest. Soon themes may emerge that strike the groups fancy, and the group takes on a more proactive role. I see this in our trade group, Independent Garden Centers and Nurseries. Started as a place to just “talk shop”, it has morphed into a dynamic, action oriented group that is literally changing how business is being done in the horticultural world.

So rather than try and come up with a “plan of action”, such as the trade’s current fixation on creating "campaigns", use the “slow down” idea. Using “slow movement” thinking themes and ideas emerge through collaboration that can help the individual nurseries and garden centers who take part. Help the individual nursery do a better job, the customers will follow, and the “trade” will benefit. Actionable ideas that have a direct impact on the business, rather than a campaign which will have little or no effect on individual business. Guess I am just getting a bit tired of campaigns. So often it’s a forced movement that has no real underlying passion.

“Slow Gardening”, that’s something I can relate to. Our customers might ask, “I am already hungry for change in my life; show me how the garden can help. Help me slow down, and reconnect with the natural world. “ We ought to show the customers the benefit of doing business with us. That will really do something for our businesses.

If you’re an owner or employee of a independent garden center or nursery and want to join us go here.

To join our other trade group for nurseries, vendors, and garden media. Go here.

Capitol Nursery in Sacramento closing it's flagship store

Capitol Nursery in Sacramento will be closing it's original retail outlet on Freeport Blvd. this Labor Day. According to The Sacramento Bee, "The chain's longtime owner, Chuck Armstrong, whose father and uncle founded the company in 1936, will retire at the end of August." Capitol Nursery has two other locations which will remain open.Over 40 part and full time employees will lose their jobs. Capitol Nurseries problems can be traced to a couple of obvious reasons. As Farmer Fred Hoffman said in The Bee Article, "It's the economy,...with the foreclosures, all those empty homes don't need landscaping." Also important, when gardening changed Capitol didn't change with it. According to owner Chuck Armstrong, "the closure of his flagship location indicates a disappointing culture change. Gardening no longer holds the old-fashioned allure that it did in the past. He said, "Years ago, on just about any block on a spring day, you would see dozens of people out in their yards, gardening. You just don't see that anymore."

This is why I feel staying small and nimble is the best bet for garden centers at this time. The changes come faster and faster these days, and large operations like Capitol have a difficult time turning the ship of commerce when necessary. When we went from selling mostly ornamental plants to selling vegetables there we're just too many gardening places still in business for the need. According to The Bee, "Since the start of the recession, nurseries around the country – including a half-dozen in the Sacramento region – have closed." There are plenty more to come.

What many people don't see are the suppliers who get hurt when this happens. Klupenger's Nursery, which has been supplying garden centers for 60 years just announced the closure of their Aurora, Oregon business. Between Capitol and Klupenger's there is 100 years of nursery experience being lost. While it's easy to say this or that is the reason these places are closing, it's a shame to see so many good nursery people out of work. Best of luck to them all.

I received this press release from Capitol Nursery after this post was written. Thanks to Keith Miner for forwarding this to me.

"Capital Nursery Freeport is Relocating All Operations to Elk Grove and Citrus Heights Stores. After 76 years, the Freeport Boulevard store is closing. The Elk Grove and Citrus Heights stores are under new management.

Capital Nursery, Northern California's premier choice for plants, landscape products, and garden services for more than three generations, is relocating its Freeport Boulevard operations to its Elk Grove and Citrus Heights stores at the end of this month. Under new management, the Elk Grove and Citrus Heights locations are ready to reclaim their long-held position as the number one trusted retail nursery in Northern California.

The Raley's supermarket chain, which for years has been interested in purchasing the nursery's Freeport property, recently made an offer that Capital Nursery could not turn down. A store closing sale will commence this weekend, offering a great opportunity for customers to stock up on gardening and landscaping needs. With the consolidation of operations into two locations, Capital Nursery is positioning itself to vigorously reestablish itself in the market, reconnect with longtime loyal customers, expand its customer base, and recreate the special quality garden center environment that Sacramento families have enjoyed visiting for decades.

About Capital Nursery

Founded in 1936 by the Armstrong brothers, Eugene and Charles, family-owned Capital Nursery has served multiple generations of Sacramento gardeners and homeowners. For decades, it had been the preeminent nursery in Northern California—with a reputation for the finest plant material and quality landscaping."

The cost of cheap, Panama Pottery closes after 99 years

Panama Pottery has been operating out of Sacramento for the last 99 years but is now closing.  As one of

the last  pottery makers in the area the current owners cited State regulations and the box stores for their demise. According to The Sacramento Bee, the current owner, Carol Honda says she ..."got roped in by its charm. There are kilns as big as rooms and mounds of shards that tempt you to dig deep for a piece of the place's 99-year history." Unfortunately, after buying the facility the owners we're informed by CAl OSHA (California Occupational Safety and Health Administration) that "expensive renovations (we're) needed to continue running the factory". In addition customers said they could buy similar products at Home Depot and Costco at lower prices. According to Honda, "the pots that we were making didn't work any different than the ones coming from Mexico and China, and they cost twice as much. In addition she adds "'foreign companies"' buy the clay from Lincoln, CA. They ship it to Mexico, make a pot and ship it back to us for cheaper than we could manufacture it.'"

How is it that the clay which is local, can be shipped to another country and made into pots cheaper than we can do it here? Do people realize that this kind of stuff is why we are losing our place as "makers", and have become a country of "users". Do the customers who say they can buy stuff cheaper at Home Depot or Costco realize what they are responsible for? Yes, where you do your shopping does make a difference. Instead of always looking for the "cheapest" stuff maybe we could look at the big picture once and awhile?

The decline of the county fair

The El Dorado County Fair has come, and gone. It's turning into the amazing shrinking county fair, and if the trend continues it may just disappear. Why do we have the fair in June? School is out, and they need kids spending money on the rides to make it work. If they wait till late summer, when fairs would normally be held, the kids have already headed back to school.

According the the fairs website, "The purpose of today’s fairs is to promote agricultural and animal husbandry, local resource and industrial promotion, education, entertainment, competition, youth development, and community outreach. Several trends over the years have allowed the fairgrounds to become revenue generating entertainment and exhibition venue that operates on a year round basis." How can you have a "biggest tomato" or " best tasting apple pie" or "plumpest chicken" contest, when the first tomato hasn't even ripened on the vine?

I wish the fair would go back to being what county fairs once where. A place to show off local agricultural wonders, and have some fun.  The fair has turned into a carnival, with a smattering of agricultural displays. Let's hold the fair in the late summer, and emphasize the agricultural side of the show. Since the fair is already struggling, let's have a make over where the interest in growing your own, and competing with others is the main focus. Sure, the kids will have gone back to school. So what? Hold the fair on the weekend. Give us a place to share and compete with others with real agricultural products. The time is "ripe" to re-emphasize the importance of fresh food, agriculture, and seasonality in our lives by bringing back the county fairs of the past.

The indispensable garden center

The closest hydroponic shop to us is selling plants now. They are also touting the “local”, as in “your local garden center”. Fortunately for us, they don’t know what they are doing, but the trend is clear. Here in California the hydroponic market is beginning the great unwinding we predicted. Also as predicted, the forward thinking garden centers are starting to capture some of the formally exclusive hydroponic market, which includes the coveted “non-gardening” younger generations. You see, they are super enthusiastic about gardening, but on their own terms. Don’t patronize or talk down to these customers. They just want to know the “why” and “how” and “where from” more so than our older customers.

Today a trade magazine representative asked how we feel about our future as a garden center. The future is as bright as it can be in these uncertain times. In this particular northern California location my customer base is likely 50% under 30 years of age. So we have an interested younger group of potential long term customers. The separation of the hydro business and conventional garden centers is blurring, allowing us a larger customer base who just want to “grow their own”. Growing organically is huge and getting bigger. This is perfect for separating our business from the chemically heavy competition of box stores. They don’t carry three types of bat guano, brew their own compost tea, or sell “veganic” nutrients. The uncertainty in the economy, especially here in northern California continues to drive people to grow their own.

The challenges we face in the future should not be discounted. Yet, on this first day of summer I feel like some of what we have discussed and implemented over the last few years is paying off. Stay small, accessible, and enthusiastic. Drop lines and companies that don’t work. Carry stuff the competition doesn't, and be able to explain why it’s better. Go organic, and encourage your customers to do so by having what they need to accomplish it. I foresee a time when the local garden supply store may very well take its place once again as an indispensable part of the community. Be bold, and remember “small is cool”.

Saying one thing, doing another.

An interesting moment on Twitter today when a garden media personality got excited about seeing a certain plant brand in their local Lowe's, and decided to Tweet their excitement. A couple of independent garden centers decided to Tweet their displeasure to the personality. You see, they also carry that particular brand of plants, and are not too happy about being left out of the marketing.

You will see more of this as smaller, locally owned garden centers realize that they have the ability to answer back. It's also going to get a whole lot harder for "media" people and branding companies to claim they want to support independent, locally owned business all the while promoting the box stores instead.

Exciting times in gardening

I have been remiss in cultivating this blog, and thank a long time reader for reminding me to do just that. We have been busy at the nursery with a spring not dominated by cold and rain, like last year. The weather has cooperated and people continue to buy edibles like there is no tomorrow. I enjoy the edible crowd as they have put a lot of effort into their garden, and they will do what's right to keep it productive. When you hear that generation x or y are not into gardening, check the source. No sign of that here. My customer base is at least 50% under 30 years of age. They are excited about growing the stuff they consume and want to patronize local business, if you have what they want. They don't want synthetics! Get your organic groove on, because they want to know how to do it all! I disagree with those who say we are not in the job of education. I think that's exactly what is needed, and what we should do. Teach a person how to garden...

Small is cool! After thirty years in this biz I can say, keep it small and keep your cool! It's so easy when everything is riding on your decisions to work yourself to exhaustion. If it feels like it's getting out of control, slow down. Take the time to focus on the person in front of you at the moment. That's what it's all about. Not saying we don't need to "make hay while the sun shines", but we can only do so much.

There is no better time for the smaller garden business. Being small means you can react to changes that come faster and faster every day. Being small means you can excel at your craft, and command the price for your work that you need to stay in business. The future of garden bio-diversity rests in the hands of gardeners, and small garden businesses.

How great it is to be alive when so much is changing. In the garden trades we get to help guide people in their efforts to live better.It's a trade that is perfectly suited for the world we live in. Did I say these we're exciting times?

Know Your Local Garden Pro

We had a new neighbor and customer come in yesterday all jazzed about growing their first vegetable garden. It seemed she was thankful to find someone to talk with about the local conditions. It seems that while The Internet has all the answers, it’s almost impossible to find the right answer for the right geographic location. You get info from all over the world, how do you narrow it down? Many if not most new gardeners would love to have someone local they can ask questions of. If you just moved to a new area, or are gardening for the first time the best advice you might receive is, “Know your local garden pro”

In some communities it might be the local Master Gardeners, garden club members, or neighbor that take on the role of "Garden Pro". In most places however it can, and should be the local well run garden center. They are the ones who deal day in and day out with the peculiarities and advantages of where you garden.  Here in the foothills and mountains of The Sierra we have folks all the time who see plants for sale way too early down in the Sacramento Valley, or our local box store. It falls to us, the "Local Garden Pro" to explain why they should wait to put those tomatoes in until May. Some don't like to hear that, and plant too early. After a year or two of disappointment, they finally realize we we're right.

We deal daily with younger people just starting out with their gardening. They have all the savvy and knowledge to look this stuff up on The Internet. I sense they are also looking for a trusted adviser to bounce ideas off. “Hey Trey, I just saw tomatoes for sale down in Folsom. Can we plant them here now?” The answer will save them time, money, and a huge amount of frustration. That’s where the locally owned garden center can really shine. What we said about The Internet is true in the neighborhood. Honesty and trust will, in the long run, trump the quick buck. The solution? Get to "know your local garden pro".

I'm part of the "big business, energy- and resource-consuming compost tea industrial complex"

We started selling compost tea last year, and soon enough the name Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott came up. Dr. Chalker-Scott is a professor at WSU (Washington State University) who has written about compost tea before. She feels the science is far from proven, and has emerged as the most visible counter point to the compost tea hysteria going on in northern California. Yesterday in "The Garden Professors" Dr. Chalker-Scott posted "Compost tea-now a part of landscape design?", as an answer to the APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers) recently published "Guide to sustainable soils".

Dr. Chalker-Scott say's, "Imagine my frustation, then, when I was sent the national APLD 'Guide to Sustainable Soils.'  Most of this document is very good - lots of information and graphics from the USDA and other reliable resources.  But scroll down to page 5, under the section 'Soil Additives.'  And yes, there it is, compost tea.  Acccording to the APLD member who sent me this (not a Washington state member, by the way), the advisory committees that write these guidelines include people who make money from selling compost tea.  Surprised, no.  Disappointed yes."

Dr. Chalker-Scott makes valid points, just as proponents of compost tea do. At the end of her post Dr. Chalker-Scott says, "Compost tea is marketed, very effectively, through targeting emotional response.  We've already got science on our side, so here's my suggestion to those of you who fight the compost tea battle:start a little emotional targeting yourself:" You can read the suggestions for "fighting the battle", but the part that caught my attention was where the she suggests to, "point out that using compost is a natural, environmentally friendly approach to caring for the soil, rather than the big business, energy- and resource-consuming compost tea industrial complex that's exploded in that last decade."

As a seller of compost tea that puts me in the “big business, energy-and resource-consuming compost tea industrial complex”.  It seems that beyond the science there is a bit anger that people are making money selling tea. Dr. Chalker-Scott say’s “In this economy, there aren’t many people who can afford to live on principle rather than a paycheck.”

Why is it so important to “fight the compost tea battle”? Wouldn’t it be better that we sell compost tea that my customers like rather than some synthetic fertilizer produced by a real "industrial complex"? I don’t mind talking about, and discussing all aspects of compost tea. What I want to point out is that most tea brewers in my area are small business, not the ” big business, energy-and resource-consuming compost tea industrial complex” described.

Up-cycling?

How are your up-cycling efforts going? Do you find much of your recycling efforts go towards down-cycling instead? Do you have any idea what either if those terms mean? Neither did I until yesterday. How many of us in the "green knowledge" fields do?

When often use terms that we're more appropriate to the past. Terms like "garden center", "nurseryman", or "recycling" are somewhat archaic. How many places that sell horticultural supplies are truly the "center" of most peoples gardening efforts anymore? 20 years ago there was only one place to buy horticultural supplies, the local garden center. Not today. The term "nurseryman" really doesn't describe what most people selling garden supplies in retail do these days.

I am wondering if semantics may be a larger impediment to the survival of the "local garden center"  than we think. Do the younger generations just entering into their love affair with greenery even know what we mean when we say, "garden center"? I don't know. It caught me, and a roomful of Sacramento "Master  Gardeners" (another outdated term?) by surprise when the term up-cycling was used last night.  None of us knew, until someone online looked it up for us.

Words are powerful symbols. Maybe it's time to be more imaginative, and update our terminology to reflect the world we live in today? I am not suggesting we rush into making any huge changes yet. We should however open our minds to the idea that how we describe ourselves  or our offerings, may not relate in tomorrows world.

Garden Centres Having Trouble in Britain?

Those of us in the garden center trades have been told for years that we needed to look to Great Britain for the future of  garden retail.  We we're told that the British, with their love of all things gardening somehow had unlocked the secrets to gardening retail.

All is not well with garden retail in Britain. In Garden Center Magazines,  "Reflections from across the pond" author Ian Baldwin say's, "British operators seem to have put gardening 'on hold...'" WHAT!?! The British nurseryman putting gardening on hold? Yes, it seems the British have the same issues we are dealing with here in many parts of North America. According to Ian, who visits Europe regularly as part of his consultation business, "many places had a tired look from the front of the 'Car Park.' Some outdoor sales areas had simply been allowed to go backwards without even a screen or fence to hide them. Only one or two centers had continued the creative standards of merchandising, POP (point of purchase) and even cleanliness in the plant areas that we took for granted in the past 20 years."

This is a profound change!  Nothing could stop the motivated British gardener from pursuing their craft, or so we believed. In addition The British have their own box stores. Ian say's, "many stores we saw on our yearly tours were no longer owned by the original family, having been acquired by small chains of investment companies or, in one case, by Tesco, the U.K.’s biggest retailer. "

In "Finding Mr. Flowerdew?"  written in 2006, I quoted Sir Roy Strong, historian and former longtime director of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Sir Roy said, "Gardening is one of the few things holding British society together". If that is the case it sounds like British society is going through much the same angst our own society is experiencing.

In October 2007 I wrote, "This can be a lonely profession".  I said, "we read the trade magazines, listen to the consultants, and go to the trade shows which only confuse us more. People only want flowers in color, they don’t want to garden themselves (DIFM), drop the Latin Names (we’re told the consumer just doesn't care), put a coffee shop in, basically just try to make gardening as work free and instant as possible. " Glad we didn't follow that advice.

In the same 2006 article mentioned above the nucleus for our current garden center groups was formulated. I said, "the solution is communication within the individual garden centers. I enjoy reading other nursery peoples experiences with these important subjects. Since we are generally separated by distance, the idea of talking to the 'competitor' changes to talking with a fellow nursery person. There seems to be a freer exchange of information and experiences."

The post continues, "I would like to hear from more of you in the trade. Many of us are like Teresa who says, 'This article has finally gotten me to step out of my silent reader status' and comment. I think many of us don’t speak up because we are afraid of rocking the boat. We’ll its time for the boat rocking to commence. We independents must speak up to the wholesale concerns that supply our plants, we need to speak up to the large retailers that continue to dumb down gardening and attempt to convince people that gardening is problem free (two year guarantee?)."

That was the catalyst to starting my LinkedIn group, "Garden Centers, Nurseries, and New Media", which as of today has over 2800 members (anyone with an interest in gardening businesses can join). Our Facebook Group, Independent Garden Centers and Nurseries has over 355 of the most forward thinking nursery people as members (you should be there!). Finally, our newest group, Retail Independent Garden Centers, Vendors, and Media now has 180 members. Did I mention we have members from across the pond now, too? In our interconnected world we are more alike, than different. We can all learn from each other.

No cup for you!

A story about lousy customer service from a small town merchant.

Monica and I we're in Nevada City yesterday. It's Victorian Christmas, a huge celebration designed to get people in the mood, and shopping. As we wondered through town we saw a coffee cup displayed in the window of a small shop. It had a design, a dog carrying a basket. It  has  a name, "Doggie Do-Good".  It was identical to a cup Monica and I had when first met. Lot's of sentimental value. So we wonder in and ask the man inside "how much is that doggie cup in the window?" He doesn't know so he get's the boss.  The boss doesn't know. We asked if they had anymore in the store? No, said the man, it hadn't sold so we moved it to the display in the window to get some attention.  Great! So how much is it?. The manager said that if he sold it, the display would be ruined. He then walked away.

We we're left looking at each other dumbfounded. It didn't sell in back of the store, they move it to the window display so it might sell, and when asked to sell it refuse, because it's too much trouble.

Small store, small town.  It doesn't matter the size of the store, or whether it's locally owned or not. Customer service can be lousy anywhere.  Oh, and it's available at ebay for $14.99, used! At least they know the price.

Don't Support Your Local Bookstore (or garden center)

I often feel like garden centers are up against much of the same issues as book stores. Having grown up in smaller, indie bookstores (that's all there once was), I find this post, "Don't support Your Local Bookseller" at Slate interesting.  Could the same things be said about your local garden center? How would you respond to a post titled, "Don't Support Your local Garden Center"? Interesting reading with one commenter saying that, "indie bookstores are like indie record stores (or indie garden centers)— they’re either great, or lousy, without much in-between. When the staff is composed of hipsters (experts) who look down on customers, they’re lousy". What say you?