Flower Confidential

Amy Stewart’s book “Flower Confidential” is out! This has been fun to watch as I have followed her over the last year, so to see the book finally come to fruition is great.

I first found out about Amy when she noticed my blog here. I followed the link over to her blog and found out there was a lot more going on with garden blogging than I realized.

The floriculture business has many of the same issues as the garden center business. Especially on the independent side the small and medium size florist is competing with grocery stores and chains like Costco that sell cut flowers. I am sure the floriculture industry is going through some major changes and it will be interesting to watch as they do it.

Why I Blog.

I was asked to write a piece about "Why I blog" for the folks at Garden Center Magazine. The publishers Branch-Smith are also responsible for The Green Beam, an internet site for the nursery industry. They recently started a company blog titled Open Register and that’s where the article resides. Check it out here.

Gardening Trends

We in the garden center trade are under intense pressure by media and experts to follow trends. They say the way to success is to look at what the mass of people are doing. Selling organic products from your store is now trendy because everyone is into it. When you have Wal-mart selling organics, Scotts putting out a line of organics, and the media types all telling how organic they are you know it's a trend.

I think the trend towards organics is great! As a business person we sell lots of organics and the more people are aware of them the better sales will be. Of course the list of places where you will be buying organics will be increasing so to stay ahead of the curve we in the garden business will do like we have always done. Offer a better product, packaged more thoughtfully, and backed with better information on how to use.

The problem with following trends is everybody else is doing it. To stay ahead as an independent small garden center you have to create the trends. The hard part of that is that its lonely creating trends, and most of the time you don't know you are doing it. Sometimes you're the first to notice the very beginnings of an upcoming trend and can ride the wave. Most of the time you're just doing what makes sense to you but it takes awhile for the consumer and especially the industry to notice.

Garden centers selling organics is nothing new. John Dromgoole, owner of The Natural Gardener Nursery in Austin, TX has been involved with organic gardening for thirty years. He has been teaching and selling organics before it was trendy. You can hear him speak at the upcoming Independent Garden Center show in Chicago. He must think it's great to have so much interest now in what he has been doing for so long. Still he must wonder why there is so much excitement in the garden center industry now. Where has everyone been? The time to have gotten involved with this and reaped the greater profits was years ago. Sure there is room for the organic market to grow but the competition is getting a lot tighter. Now that Scott's and Wal-mart has recognized the importance it's going to be everywhere. We are about to be bombarded with an advertising campaign that will try to incorporate every eco-catch phrase possible. Organic, ecological, natural, eco-friendly, and earth friendly seem to be the most popular now. I think we'll be The Home of Eco-Friendly Gardening.

The secret to success as an independent is to not follow the money but rather have the money follow you. If you follow the big money it leads to large corporations who leave nothing to chance and only move a certain direction when they are very certain of a result. By the time they are certain this trend will be profitable for them the real trend setters have already moved in a different direction. The real trend setters might not know the direction they are moving. An aversion to following trends will lead them to a niche that they might enjoy for awhile, before everyone else figures it out. Real change takes place on the fringes, not in the middle.

What's the next trend going to be? I don't know. Most likely it's getting started by someone who is passionate about what they do and willing to buck the trends and set their own course. Following trends is safe but boring, bucking the trends and creating your own style is scary but ultimately more rewarding.

Nursery Trade Show Time.

It’s winter and the Daphne is blooming so it must be trade show time. During the slow season various nursery trade shows vie for our attention. In my area we have a Sacramento Nursery and Landscape Expo, then the slightly larger Nor Cal Show in San Mateo, then the even larger Far West show in Portland, and now the mega-show in Chicago “The Independent Garden Center Show.

Generally the shows follow somewhat the same format. They are staged in large halls with row after row of vendors each with a display trying to attract your attention. Someone selling beneficial insects might be right next to a booth by Bayer or Scott’s. It’s all a bit overwhelming. You pick up a plastic bag, usually emblazoned with some corporate logo to put all the papers and samples from the different vendors. Business cards, brochures, fertilizer packets, and anything else you’re given. Some of the vendors will offer discounts if you buy product at the show. Buy “x” amount of plants and receive a discount and maybe delayed billing.

There are seminars with various experts on all sorts of subjects. The IGC is going to have seminars with a store management consultant, garden café consultant, color trends expert, counter trends expert, garden center marketing expert, organic garden expert, store design global consultant, international garden retail expert, store display expert, garden retail industry consultant, Jim “cares about independents” Hagerdorn of Scott’s, and Susie Coelho of HGTV fame.

What I find interesting is how every one of the speakers has a different title, with some being quite creative. Garden café consultant is a new one for me. It may be the first. What a great niche to have discovered. Counter trends expert is a bit confusing. I am not sure what that means. I like “store design global consultant.” Not just store design consultant, but "global" to boot.

In our rush to embrace what’s new and hip I hope we don’t forget the little things that make or break a small business. While we discussed cafes in garden centers http://thegoldengecko.blogspot.com/2006/10/garden-center-cafes.html I wonder if we aren’t just getting a bit too carried away. Building a café or coffee kiosk may be out of the budget for some, but upgrading to a better coffee maker and a better brand of coffee may be all we really need. I stopped in a local garden center the other day and saw they had a coffee maker with a sign that said “help yourself.” I did and threw away the cold coffee. What a bummer, it was a cold day and I wanted to warm my hands. Does this garden center really need a café if they can’t even brew a decent pot of hot coffee? Maybe they should lease out the spot to someone else that will make the coffee for them.

Many of the speakers at the IGC show and other shows have interesting stories to tell. If they have an enthusiastic, upbeat outlook just listening can be worth it. My question is why should have to get that information second hand from “consultants”? I interact with the consumer daily via my nursery and blog. Garden bloggers in Austin, TX turned me on to John Dromgoole and “The Natural Gardener” nursery last year. I have already “visited” his store and had a taste of his philosophy long before he will be speaking in Chicago at the IGC Show. We have already talked about Jim Hagedorn of Scott’s and Susie Coelho of HGTV at this blog last year. I think we have a handle on what these folks will be telling us.

If you really want to be different and create a niche for yourself I doubt any consultants are going to be able to help you. You have to believe that your ideas have merit and that following the consensus is often an avenue to mediocrity. The interesting, funky garden centers are that way because that’s the way the people running it are. You can’t fake it. I get nervous when everyone starts doing the same thing. It seems lately that if you don’t have garden center that looks like it came straight out of Europe, complete with pet center and coffee bar you are doomed. Sometimes I think we listen to “experts” because we had the same idea long before but need the ‘approval’ of experts before trying it out ourselves. That way if it fails we can blame the “experts”.

There are a couple of new nursery bloggers out there and I wanted to point them out. “Mallee Native Plants”. It's written by Corinne and her small native plant nursery and home block in country South Australia. "Growing Up” is a blog by Sherwood Green Houses located one mile east of the Regina Tourist Booth, on the North Service Road Regina, Saskatchewan. They say “Running a retail greenhouse operation on the Canadian Prairies could be considered a bit of a challenge. A short summer season, a long intense winter and a couple of days of spring and fall stuck between. But, --Hey it's better than not working. It is my hope to record our daily activities and describe seeding, plants, planting and everything in-between. Finally, Daleys Fruit Tree Blog, Australia. They have the “You Tube” thing down and the enthusiasm they have for their craft is evident. Check it out!

A Gold Country Landscape.

Driving from Placerville to Coloma via Hwy. 49 you pass this house. It has had the same landscape for at least the last 20 years. This area is called “Gold Country” and that is the theme here. The giant piece of “gold” gets a yearly coat of fresh paint. While it’s not my idea of a xeriscape landscape it is unique and as such could be called “garden art”.

Sleepy Hollow Nursery in Placerville closed last year after having just remodeled the store. They did a beautiful job of construction. They put in a coffee shop complete with the giant espresso machine that you see at Starbucks. Six months later they were closed. While there are a lot of reasons this store didn’t make it the final straw, according to the owner was the new Home Depot that went in a block away.

Walking through the Placerville Home Depot you come across all sorts of dead and dying plants that are just left in displays that can only be called “thoughtless”. This was the final straw for Sleepy Hollow? This Home Depot sent shivers through all sorts of business when it opened last year. This is what everyone is afraid of? I read an old German proverb the other day that say’s “Fear often makes the wolf appear bigger than he really is.”

I think that if Sleepy Hollow had changed their focus a bit they might have been able to capitalize on the close proximity of The Depot. I would think that it would be a great opportunity to highlight the differences between the nursery and the Home Depot. Why not even mention you closeness to The Depot in advertising. Everyone knows where the Home Depot is. Not everyone knew where the nursery was. “We’re just a block away from the Home Depot, but a world away in style, quality, service, etc.” Maybe instead of worrying about the arrival of a new chain store we should be excited to show how we do things better.

I think the days of running in fear of the box stores should be over. As much as they tout their new “focus” on customer service and quality they will never be able to do it the way a quality independent can.

Blueberries are in.

My talk with the Auburn Garden Club went well. This is one of the most active garden clubs around. The topic was “What’s new and exciting in the garden center.” I was given lots of new introductions by Monrovia that I was able to share. The southern high bush blueberries, which are a more heat tolerant type good for our region, were especially well received. Blueberries are again popular this year as we are quickly selling out of our bare root types. These southern high bush types are completely taking over the California market from the low bush types.

What’s interesting is how the sales are being fueled by health conscious people looking for the antioxidants contained in the berry. We are also seeing some interest in fruiting Mulberries for the same reason. It’s funny because the fruitless mulberry just like the olive tree where once scorned as being to messy so sterile varieties were produced and sold over the years at the nursery.

Another reason the blueberries are selling well is people realize they can containerize them. Our soil is not the best for blueberry culture but by growing them in containers with our planting mix, which is just right for blueberries, they can be successful.

While the interest in home grown fruit and vegetables is increasing most people don’t realize that bare root season is the time to buy many of the fruiting trees and shrubs. The whole bare root season is a challenge. People just don’t know about it and most don’t want to shop at a garden center in the winter. Our pre-booking of fruit trees, which ends in November, is growing. The advantage to pre-booking is you can buy one or two of any fruit tree on our growers list. We don’t have to buy in unusual varieties that might not sell well during bare root season. So the selection of varieties is huge and people are still gardening in fall and more likely to buy at that time. We bundle the trees by customer when they arrive in winter.

The citrus were hit pretty hard by the cold we experienced a couple of weeks ago. Even though they were covered and under the deck the night temperatures got down to 19°F. Fortunately we don’t carry a lot of citrus at the nursery. We will wait and see if they leaf out in this spring. After two weeks of record cold I am now running around in a tee shirt as the temps are now in the 60’s. This is now the driest January on record. I am not going to complain as we could see gully washers this spring like the last two years. We’ll just make hay while the sun shines.

Naturally, a better way to garden!

I will be giving my annual talk to the Auburn Garden Club this Monday. This will be about the eighth time I have spoken and its fun to do since this is a very active club with over a hundred in attendance at my last talk. The theme is always what’s new and exciting at the nursery. Generally we will talk about new plant introductions, garden supplies, or trends that are appearing.

Monrovia Nursery sent me quite a number of their new plant introductions to take to the event, so we will discuss those as well as our greater emphasis on gardening naturally as we talked about at this post.

There is no doubt this is a trend as I received my latest issue of “Garden Chic, the art of niche retailing.” Over all this is one of the better trade magazines I receive and the latest issue dealt with how to be successful in the organic market. I opened this magazine the day after I posted about this very subject. In addition there is a great article about how to involve the kids at the nursery which we also discussed. This shows that these trends are just starting to be recognized by my industry and those who embrace these ideas will be some of the first to do so.

There was also an article on The Natural Gardener in Austin (warning: when the web page opens a you hear a rooster crow, irritating!) and how they have captured the organic market in that area. It’s a great piece and fun to read. But just so you know why blogging is important to me I had a number of comments from some readers that live in Austin after I had written a post last year. They informed me of this place then and I had checked out their web page, so it was fun to read about it yesterday in the magazine.

One complaint I have is in the section of the magazine called “you can!” It say’s “What not to do in the garden? An online blog provides insight on what many frown upon. Among the hated looks-plastic, in-ground walkway lights, lining every which way of every walkway: ‘It looks like a landing strip for an alien spacecraft.’ Military formation-style plantings with boring shrubs lined up like soldiers didn’t go over very well, either. Overuse of mulch stacked too deep and high around trees to form the infamous ‘Volcano’ look was also noticed.

Now I can’t remember weather I read that in Garden Rant or another blog, but it would be nice if they give credit to the blog. Calling it an “online blog” is unfair to the author. It’s nice to see garden blogs being noticed, but give credit where credit is due.

The Guacamole Hut as Kid Central

We have finally figured out how best to utilize “The Gaucamole Shed”. It is separated from the store and has been a seed department, water garden department, and gift shop. The problem is its not big enough for any of our departments and it’s separated from the store which is a bit of a hassle. What are we going to do? Turn it over to the kid’s!

We are going to put a table with coloring books featuring our mascot “Gordie The Golden Gecko”. We want to put a chalk wall up so they can draw. Book’s to read. Basically anything to keep them occupied while the parents can shop. What we will put in there will revolve around the outside world in a general way. In other words keeping them entertained is foremost but well see if we can’t stir their interest in “The Outdoor Foothill Lifestyle”™.

“The Outdoor Foothill Lifestyle”™ represents our excitement in bringing about a renewed interest in the garden by expanding what it means to garden. We will incorporate all of our ideas on how to create a beautiful outdoor space which include our ideas on "Naturally a Better Way to Garden"™ . Most of the people coming to The Foothills are moving from Sacramento, The Bay Area, or Southern California and have had to adapt to our different climate and attitude. We are a little less stressed out and laid back than those places and we want to be the place you go to pick up ideas and items to help enjoy this new lifestyle.

This is really quite exciting as it frees us up to expand our focus from being a place to buy plants to a place to buy plants, garden art, bird watching supplies, outdoor furniture, BBQ cooking classes, herb and vegetable growing, and gifts You will also learn through our workshops and e-news how to garden with wildlife and learn to enjoy the natural beauty we have all around us. We are hopping to create a new attitude that will invigorate people to spend more time outside in the garden. If we can get the kid’s interested in the outside world then it’s natural they will want to enhance and protect the world when they become adults.

Starting a small garden center.

I have been talking with Anna who is contemplating "trying to start a small garden centre in the south of Spain. The area is a south-facing mountain range (about 1000m above sea level) and to date there are no other garden centres in the entire area." She continues, "This is obviously not necessarily good news (no customers, perhaps?!), but I think there is a niche. The area is changing from traditional agriculture (old men on donkeys picking their almonds) to rural tourism and lots of foreigners buying second homes (a culture of shopping in garden centres, an interest in gardens (as opposed to agriculture) and (hopefully) disposable income!). The nearest garden centres are at least 30 minutes drive (most are an hour) and are very 'industrial' experiences when you get their, if you know what I mean (low plastic greenhouses, no landscaping, no cafe, no personal touch)."

How exciting! I love hearing from people thinking of opening a small garden center or nursery. The above picture is my brother-in-law and I working on the landing to the garden shop before opening. Many of the same issues face us with regional differences of course. While I don't know much about the regional habits of the clientele the questions Anna brings to the table are the same that we all face. She asks "is it a realistic way of planning to make a living?! There are days when everything points to the fact that we may actually get huge orders, particularly for the local trees (people have immense plots of land and in theory - rumour has it! - need large quantites of trees, every so often) and then other days I try to calculate how many 1 euro geraniums we will have to sell to pay the rent, overheads, wages........ and I go pale!" That just about summarizes everyone's fear when thinking about starting a business.

What do I say? That there are days when you will "go pale" There are also day's when you can't keep up with the orders. It's a huge risk and there are no guarantees. But with the risk comes the potential of being first in the area and setting the standard.

We are going on our third year and sometimes just being able to open your doors for another day of business is a success. You have to be able to keep moving forward when the weather and those around you might be less than encouraging.The reason why business successes are often hard to come by is they are "hard to come by".

When Anna mentions there are no garden centers in the area she is right to ask "This is obviously not necessarily good news (no customers, perhaps?!), but I think there is a niche." How bold she will have to be to take a chance and be the first and develop that niche. I believe that she needs to trust her instincts, do some research (but don't over research it), start small, but get started! How many times have we said, "I wish I had thought of that's", but did nothing? I hope that we will be able to watch a new garden center sprout as the area changes, bringing new customers and causing Anna one day to ask what it was that she was so worried about.

On The Way To Cool.

This is a sign at the corner of Marshall Rd. and Hwy. 49 on the way to the nursery. Usually Cal-trans pulls stuff like this down quick, but maybe they figure it’s worth the second looks it gets. This should put to rest any questions about the quality of our education system.

Over at "Garden Rant" they have an interview with Brent and Becky’s Bulbs. “Brent say’s business is just fine, growing steadily every year, despite the downturn in the bulb industry generally. (Some blame the box stores, others lazy gardeners.) B&B doesn't sell to the boxes at all but instead, appeals to people for whom planting bulbs is a ‘fun sport’. We know exactly who he's talking about - real gardeners, us.”

I know at our nursery and our last nursery venture bulb sales have been declining steadily. I do believe that it’s the same reason that bare root sales are declining. They are sold during a season that most people are not into gardening, fall and winter. In addition you have to plan ahead to get the beauty in spring. I wish more people we’re into bulbs but the reality is they are not. I also think the chain stores have pretty much captured the low end of the bulb market. They buy and sell smaller bulbs, but at a very cheap price. Most people don’t know the difference between all the grades bulbs come in and how that determines the quality of the flower.

In addition folks like Brent and Becky have captured the “collector" market with a broad selection that can’t be matched by a brick and mortar store. Bulbs are easy to transport compared to other plants. This is actually where I think the people who treasure the unusual should get their bulbs.

We in the garden centers sell more bulbs based on people noticing them when they come into the store. “Oh, look they have bulb’s”, or we plant them up with other flowers in a container and sell the blooming bulbs in spring. To that end I think there will always be a place for bulbs in the garden center, but I don’t see the category growing much.

Which leads me to the post by Elizabeth at “Gardening While Intoxicated”. She mentions how she loves shopping on the Internet for her unusual seeds and flowers. She say’s “ I know many of my fellow garden blogger's are very familiar with ordering from catalogs, but for those who aren't, give it a try! You buy everything else in your pajamas—why not plants? Or at least plants you’re not going to be able to find at your local nurseries.” She also say’s “I’ll be spending lots of money locally (oh yes, indeed), but the final clincher for online purchasing is that you don’t have to wonder if your local places will carry your gotta-have plants—a nice bit of insurance for us compulsive types.”

This is where the Internet shines, the sales of unusual, smaller sized plants that can be transported within a couple of days. I am sure that flower and vegetable starts, blooming annuals and perennials will still make up a large portion of our business, but I don’t see the sales of bulbs and seed’s ever being what it once was. That’s o.k. though as it frees us up to focus on the areas that will provide the growth in the future.

Naturally a Better Way to Gardenâ„¢

We’re back from vacation and the nursery is open for the first time this year. We are charged up and ready to make this our best year ever. We have been open now 2 ½ years! We have had some very rainy springs that have cut into profits and slowed down our growth. We can’t use the weather as an excuse this year! We are going to have to grow the business if we are going to reach our goals. Sure the weather can hamper things, but we are a business and must do what is necessary to soften the blows the weather causes and find the areas that will help with the growth.

To that end we have decided to focus are energies on creating a new path for the nursery. The Golden Gecko Garden Center, . Our new focus will be "Naturally a Better Way to Garden"™ showing people how to garden in a more natural way. We feel that gardening is looked upon as a chore by many people. They have gotten “stuck” maintaining the garden rather than enjoying it. We hope to plant the seed of an idea that to really enjoy the garden we have to reduce the amount of time maintaining it. In our region of dry summers and wet winters it is time consuming to maintain plants that are from regions that require larger amounts of water and effort to keep looking good. This was driven home to us when we left our house to live at the nursery for a year. The water line was disconnected and some of our landscaping died. Upon our return we decided that we want to create a garden that is beautiful, wildlife friendly, able to withstand the drought of summer better, and requires less time to maintain. After all I garden for a living and would like some time off when I am at home.

I think there are a lot of people like us and we want to reach them. Do they know about all the great new plant introductions coming from Australia? We are finding out that Grevillea is a lot more cold tolerant than first expected and that’s great news for us in the foothills. It’s also deer resistant! What about the idea that using organic fertilizers will help make stronger and better adapted plants than if you use synthetics? What about the idea that here in northern California you have better success planting in the fall than spring? What with the winter rains coming and the cooler temperatures after a hot summer plants establish better planted in fall. How about focusing you energies on the aspect of gardening you enjoy most. By landscaping with "like climate plants" in a more natural way we free ourselves up to concentrate on our hobby of vegetable gardening, fruit tree growing, container gardening, boating, traveling, or whatever.

Here in California we have taken gardening more appropriate to other climates and made it work. The cost though has be in increased watering, fertilizing, and time spent supporting these plantings. The ideas we are talking about are not new but are often looked upon separately by people, where instead they need to be grouped together to create a more natural and effortless garden. We are not saying that you must garden organically. In our area of large parcels Round-up is often used for fence lines and other areas where hand weeding is not appropriate. Gardening in a more natural way means planting and using what works best for your situation. It happens that organics tend to improve soil structure, benefiting plants where synthetic don’t. This is exciting since it takes the argument from organic versus non- organic. Use what works best and in most cases it’s the organics.

We will also be increasing our selection of Mediterranean climate plants. We feel that native plants deserve a much greater representation in our landscape along with other like climate plants. Growing a strictly native garden might be a fun horticultural pursuit but by incorporating other plants from like climate regions we can create a beautiful garden that is unique to our region. Why try for the Cape Cod look or the Tuscan look when we should develop our own unique look. By gardening in a more natural way we will be creating a garden that expresses our region and personalities better.

Here is what we will be doing. Increasing the selection of natives and Mediterranean style plants that we carry, while decreasing the selection of plants that don’t fit in with our goals of creating a more natural garden. Promoting organic fertilizers and pesticides used properly. Encouraging wildlife friendly gardening, and yes this includes the deer! We will work to increase the awareness of fall as a more natural time to plant here. Most of all we will be increasing our efforts to get the word out by making available the information people need to embrace this style of gardening.

I also want to take the time to answer a couple of questions I received about my last post. The chapel pictured is small. It’s might hold 20 people comfortably. The pruned Monterey Cypress has a flat statue of a lady sitting underneath it and if you look very closely a “bird house” has been pruned into the very top of the tree. It stands up above the flat top of the tree.

Mendocino is a lot like Coloma near us. During the season it is packed with tourists and quite as can be in the winter. We wanted to enjoy the quiet and we did. It rained part of one day which we found enjoyable as rain on the coast is different than in the mountains, more mild and breezy. We stayed at a bed and breakfast, the Packard House and had the place all to ourselves for a day. We enjoyed the quiet. Thats our room "The Pacific View" in the piture above. Other than driving to Ft. Bragg we stayed in town exploring the hidden alleys, unique shops, and beaches. If you want to enjoy one of the most beautiful drives in the world take Hwy. 1 from Mendocino to San Francisco.

Back from the coast.

We’re back from Mendocino but not quite done with vacation. It's always amazing to see the wealth of flowers and plants that grow in the benign climate of the coast. A native, Garrya elliptica is in full bloom.

Driving down Hwy. 1 near Point Arena we spotted these Monterey cypresses that have been pruned for many years. While I don't usually like formally pruned plants these are eye catching and whimsical enough to get me to pull over and take a photo.

Down the road further in Gualala was a nursery that uses giant dinosaurs to attract attention. I think this is what happens to nursery people who decide to live full time on the coast. This area is so beautiful, but so isolated that it takes a certain outlook to live there.

This little building is in Sea Ranch. It is a chapel and a good representative of the carefree buildings and people who inhabit this place.

I am gathering up some plants to take to my talk in Sacramento at the California Home and Flower show tomorrow. After the talk Monica and I will wonder around and see what's new or exciting for 2007.

The Snowdrops are blooming!

We're at the nursery today feeding the cats and checking on things. We have been off for one week now and have until next Tuesday off. We came by to stand up the plants that have blown over and check on watering.

Just out front the first flowers of the year have started blooming. The Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) are poking up out of the ground. In most climates they wait to bloom until the end of winter. Here things are a bit different and it is not unusual to see these bulbs as well as narcissus blooming now. It's about 65 degrees Fahrenheit today so it’s no wonder these plants think its spring.

We're going to head out to Mendocino on the coast. Stay at a bed and breakfast for a couple of days. We’ll come back Saturday and give a talk at The California Home and Garden Show in Sacramento. Then it's back to work on Tuesday the 9th. Bare root fruit trees will arrive that week!

This last year of blogging has been wonderful! Garden bloggers are unique people and I enjoy the company of people who have interesting things to say. We'll talk again when we get back from the coast.

Happy New Year!

First Day of Winter

I don’t get to work on my blog as much as I would like. Since moving out of the garden center back to our house the only computer I have is here at work. What with the day to day activities I don’t have the leisure time necessary to do as much with the blog. The remedy is to get another computer just for home where I can do fun things as opposed to “work”.

We are getting ready for our winter break which means the store will be closed from Christmas through January 6^th. I would love to take more time off but we have to get back to deal with the bare root fruit trees which arrive about then. In addition we don’t get a paid vacation here. Store closed equals little income.

Right now we are selling garden gift items and gift cards. We had a big 25% to 50% off sale just last month and it helped in moving some plants. I think our winter plant inventory is right about where it should be. This is the time of year when I look out and see too much planting mix and potting soil left over. Sure we can sell it next spring but why did I make that last order? Monica said we could hold off, but I never want to be out of a key item so I ordered it. Sure enough she was right.

There is so much to do here that it is overwhelming at times. We have a number of dead trees that need to be removed. I want to extend the sprinkler system to a new area which means digging trenches. We would like to get the main part of our newsletters ready for next year. Trying to write an e-news and snail mail newsletter during the busy spring is crazy. If we can get about six months done now it would be a great.

A post or two ago U.K. Bob left a comment. He said “Such as you and I keep on gardening no mater what the time of year because it's our life but I've noticed just by reading the blogs that were full of gardening when I first started to read them in August are now given over to other things like cakes and Christmas decorations. I notice also the last few times I've been to our garden centre it's been empty, it’s actually felt weird being the only one in the place. So I'm sure things will pick up for you, what you need is an early spring to get people out gardening again.”

I don’t like to see it but the fact that even in gardening crazy England the garden centre’s are slow this time of year gives me solace in that our occupation shares many of the same quirks no mater where you do business. While many people enjoy not thinking about the garden in winter we are busy planning for next year. We have to as if we wait we will be too busy when spring comes.

This is a good time to get out and spread the word. I will be talking at the California Home Show at the Sacramento Convention Center on Saturday Jan. 6^th at 12:45. The topic is Mediterranean climate gardening. This will give us exposure to many people in the city who might want to make the drive up to the foothills to visit. On January 22^nd I will speak at the Auburn Garden Club Meeting. This has been an annual engagement for me the last 8 or 9 years now. The subject is always “What’s new and exciting for 2007 at the garden center.” They are one of the most active garden clubs around with about 120 people coming to my last presentation.

Winter has arrived today! I like the fact that slowly but surely the days are getting longer and the nights shorter. Each day may only gain a minute or two of light but the minutes add up and soon I won’t be closing the store in the dark.

Keeping invasives in check

In an effort to prevent the spread of invasive species a new program known as “Plant Right” has taken root in California. It is made up of various horticultural groups who are devising a list of potential invasive plants that should be avoided. The list is not out yet but it will be interesting to see what ends up on it.

Most likely pampas grass, scotch broom, and vinca major will be listed. It looks like what they want is for nurseries to voluntarily avoid selling these plants. We do sell pampas grass but these are sterile types. We can’t sell scotch broom in El Dorado County, even though there are sterile varieties available. Vinca major is a common ground cover and planted all over. I don’t like it as much as Vinca minor which has a less aggressive nature.

There are plenty of alternatives for these plants, but I hope that the sterile and non-aggressive varieties don’t get thrown out with the true pests. I look forward to seeing this list and making sure that true aggressive species are not sold.

This area is covered with the yellow blooms of Scotch Broom during the spring. This plant was brought over in the gold rush and has spread through out the hills. It is aggressive and pops up in disturbed areas along side roads or new construction. The sight of its yellow blooms in spring is spectacular, which I would guess is the reason it spread so much. Another plant brought over in the gold rush was Ailanthus altissima, the Tree of Heaven. I guess it’s a pest all across the country. It shoots up seemingly through concrete.