Need a garden speaker, who you going to call?

Angela had asked how the talk at The Sacramento Organic Club went. When I left I had told Monica that if just two people came to the nursery from the talk it would be a success. Yesterday the second person showed up at the nursery. It takes about 35 minutes to make the drive to the store from Sacramento so I consider it a GREAT success. The fact that they also bought some of the things that we had talked about was a bonus. The main thing is connections have been made and now the word will continue to spread. The club also mentioned that the talk was one of the best they had in recent memory, which was also very cool.

I think the one thing I always take away from these talks is how beneficial they are for getting the word out. If you can get over the fear of public speaking the opportunities for the business and yourself are endless.

So there you go, need a speaker for your next event? You know who to call.

The City by the bay

Monica and I went down to San Francisco on Monday. I grew up here, so we like to check out the places that get missed by most tourists. This is a shot of a small garden tucked into a alley with skyscrapers rising up all around. Somehow just enough sun squeak's through to keep things alive.

It's located in Fella Alley. If you know where this is you REALLY know "The City".

All in all "The City" seems much the same as it was twenty years ago except that now I have a car with automatic transmission, which makes driving on these insane hills a lot easier now than my '68 VW Bus with the manual transmission did then. I realize how crazy I was to drive that car some of the places I did.

Start a garden center? You must be crazy.

The list of negative news for the garden industry continues. Just today I read that the circulation for garden type magazines in The United Kingdom is down. We also read that Conde Nast is shuttering its House and Garden Magazine and accompanying website.

If the magazine situation wasn't bad enough there is this, Consumer confidence drops amongst the key consumer base for garden centers, people earning $75,000 to 149,999 a year. Add to that the sub-prime mortgage problems and you would have to ask why anyone would want to run a garden center. On top of that we read that total garden sales have declined by 3% and that Home Centers have surpassed garden centers as the place for gardening purchases.

In addition we read that gardening as a whole is on decline and that the response we should have is to de-emphasize gardening. Again, I have to ask why would anyone open or run a garden center? It's like opening a buggy whip factory right after hearing about Henry Fords new invention the AUTOMOBILE. It's crazy.

At this point you might be expecting me to list the reasons why this is a great business to be in, and that these trends and figures don't amount to much at the well run garden center. Your wrong, though. I can't imagine anyone contemplating opening a small garden center. I fell into this business 28 years ago and it took me more than half that time before I owned my own business. If I had not been involved with the business, and was looking at opening a center today I would pick another industry to be involved in. The lists of closing and near closing garden centers is long and in my opinion no where near ending.

I believe that there will be many more small and medium sized gardening center shutting their doors over the next few years than opening them. I believe that gardening will continue to decline in importance with the general public, and that the number of gardening magazines and other paper publications dealing with horticulture will continue to decline. I also believe that the mega stores will continue to have the lion's share of the gardening publics money and attention.

Here is the good news. While gardening may be declining with the general public, it will gain in importance with a smaller more enthusiastic segment of the population. While gardening publications printed on paper will continue to decline, the growth of individuals and business that publish information electronically will grow. Just look at all the garden blogs sprouting up. The need for information is still there. And while there will be many more smaller nurseries closing than opening over the coming years, the ones remaining will be venturing into a exciting and completely new arena that holds lots of possibilities. I believe that the remaining garden centers will become centers of activity for the communities they serve and will thrive in that atmosphere.

We are witness to some big changes coming down the road, and it will take a certain amount of boldness, and playful craziness to survive and thrive. So yes, you have to be a bit crazy to open a garden center and that's going to be a good thing.

Sacramento Organic Gardening Club Talk Today

Continuing with the theme of “knowledge sells” I am off to speak at The Organic Garden Club of Sacramento at Carmichael Park from 11am to noon. I have never spoken to this group before as this is about 35 miles from our store. Every time I have spoken to a group in the Sacramento area a certain number of people make the trip up the hill to the nursery.

Its more than that though, as I feel it important to get out of the nursery and engage people everywhere, either through this blog or in person. Speaking is something I like doing and it would seem most others don't, so this opens up lots of opportunities for speaking engagements. Besides you never know who you are going to meet and how they might effect your business down the road.

Speaking to groups is one way for small garden centers to get the word out. You have to have someone in the organization that does it well and is willing to do it, but the payoff is huge. So huge that I would think its important for someone in the nursery to learn how to speak comfortably to groups. The opportunities for speaking are so numerous that a person could spend a lot of their time doing nothing but being a traveling representative of the garden center. Yes, I still get a bit nervous at these things but over the years it has gone from sheer terror to something much less. There is no way around it though you will have to bust through your fears to reap the benefits.

The talk will be about how our small garden center is addressing the needs of organic gardeners. I am going to take samples of the organic products and plants that we sell. I would say that 75% or more of our soils, fertilizer, and pesticides are of an organic nature. We are heading towards an even higher percentage as we ween people off the synthetics and towards our organic products.

I'll let you know how the talk goes.

Knowledge sells

A gentleman in his mid twenties came in and bought about $300 worth of fruit trees yesterday. Theses are trees that he received a 10% discount on for pre-booking before the end of October. The trees arrive in early February bare root. You get to choose from hundreds of varieties on any rootstock you like and know the trees will be there for you come February. I was quite happy to see this customer as I thought for sure we wouldn't make a fruit tree sale to him.

About five weeks ago he came in asking about some fruit trees he had bought at the local grocery store. He wanted to know why the bark was peeling away from the trunk just above ground level. Had he painted the trunk with white paint, or mulched the ground to prevent sunburn, which often results in borers getting into the trunk? No, and apparently all the trees we're like that. More than half had the peeling bark. I asked him to bring the trees in. When he did we confirmed the diagnosis and told him to remove the infected trees as they would never perform well. I also told him that since he had bought the trees at the grocery store I couldn't vouch for the condition the trees we're in when he bought them. Who knows what damage occurred out in that hot parking lot in those plastic bags.

We got the same answer we often get when people buy those “cheap” trees from grocers and box stores. They we're cheaper and we are “too expensive.” When you buy trees from us they are grown by a reputable supplier who knows how to care for the trees. In addition we select the proper rootstock for the type of soil and climate we have. Do you think they do that at the grocery store? But here is the most important reason why he should have bought the more expensive fruit trees from us last year. They would be alive, undamaged by borers, and a whole year ahead in growth. Gee, that seems worth a few dollars more for a tree. He would have left with the knowledge of the white paint and mulch to prevent sunburn. We always make sure to let our customer know that sunburn and borers are the number one reason for the death of young fruit trees here in our hot dry summers. Nobody mentioned that in the checkout line at the grocery store.

Our knowledge has value. We need to sell results, not cheap plants. What value is there in getting the information when you need it? How important is it to have a business that can answer almost any gardening question you have six days a week. After all he came to us to find out what was wrong. Why didn't he ask the grocery store manager what was wrong with the trees?

The bottom line is he made the decision to buy from us. Not everyone would. Knowledge and how we spread it may be ours and every good small and medium sized nurseries most valuable asset. We need to attach value to it and charge accordingly. We also need to quit thinking that the mega stores or grocery stores are selling the same things we are cheaper. They are not. They sell plants but thats where the similarities end. The consumer needs to know that they are getting all the information they need to complete the project properly. How much would you pay for that assurance? Many wouldn't pay extra, but some will if they understand just how valuable and powerful knowledge is.

Halloween

If you wonder where I have been, you can see from the picture I got a bit burnt. Its so hot down "there." We survived our Halloween Party at the nursery. It was a private party with friends but since the nursery is set up for crowds we did it there instead of the house. We have invested in a 25' x 30' tent that will act as our workshop/events area. We stuck a heater in it and decorated it for the season. The Devil hanging in the tent was made by Monica with chicken wire and masking tape. Yes, I am the devil and Monica a Vampire.

Since this is Halloween I though I would stop along the way to work and take a picture of one of the areas most haunted houses, The Vineyard House. This place has been the subject of numerous television shows and books on hauntings. It use to be a bed and breakfast with a dinner house and a spooky bar located in the stone basement. Louise Chalmers had her husband, who had become deranged from advanced syphilis, chained up in the basement. He died there and now haunts the house. Apparently she haunts the place, too. The house was bought by a strange couple from L.A. a couple of years ago and its never been opened since. I drive by this place everyday and hardly ever see the present owners. Very mysterious.

Just across the street is the Pioneer Cemetery, which is haunted by "The Lady in Red" who only appears on Halloween Night. The picture of the gravestone is of Louise Chalmers grave looking across the street to her old home, The Vineyard House.

We have a ton of these haunted spots, including Prospectors road which is the most haunted road in California. It is actually the old road to the nursery that the adventurous can take. I use to drive my kids down it while they searched for the ghost(s). We never did see any though.

The long memory of the dissatisfied customer

I want to point you to Carol’s latest post over at May Dreams Gardens. She bought what she thought was a fruitless Liquidambar from her local garden center. After four years the tree started fruiting since it had been mis-labeled by the grower. When she went to the garden center to point this out she was told the manager would contact her. Six years later she still hasn’t received a call. If you run a garden center please take the time to read her post.

While the garden center has most likely long forgotten this event it's clear Carol hasn’t. Oh, and did we mention that in that time Carol started a popular garden blog. The garden center is very lucky that Carol hasn’t mentioned their name. You see many people find your company website using search engines. They type your business name and up come’s a page with all the relevant results. What if Carol’s post showed up in the search right next to your web page? People could read about her displeasure while contemplating visiting your store. Carol’s blog is so popular this is what would happen.

Besides handling the encounter wrong the nursery needs a way for the consumer to reach them and then expect a reply. How about a blog? If the owner of the nursery had a blog Carol could comment and receive an answer from the owner. Of course she shouldn’t have to end up using this method since her concerns should have been handled better in the first place, but still it should be available.

I think that a blog may be one way for a small business to show that it’s not afraid to talk to the consumer. Besides, a business that takes the time to blog, and answer comments sends the signal that it wants open communication and is less likely to be the type of business that doesn’t return phone calls.

Nursery consultants and Greenhouse grower

I have never hired a nursery consultant to come to my nursery. Over the years I have listened to a number of well known consultants via nursery trade shows and nursery association meetings. I have read their writings in the many trade publications I receive. Most of the time I have enjoyed listing and reading about various ways to improve our business.

My wife and I used a general business consultant once when we were in the middle of a very messy partnership dissolution. By having someone who was divorced from the emotional involvement my wife and I were in he was able to steer us in the right direction, which to this day was a defining moment in our lives. It set us on the course we find our selves on now. So the right consultant can make a world of difference.

My generalization of what we are being told by “nursery consultants” in my last post is not based on any particular consultant or a personal experience with a nursery consultant. Rather it’s based on what I read in various trade publications that feature from time to time the views of various consultants. They are either paid by the publications or perhaps do the work “pro-bono” for the media exposure. So when I say, “We read the trade magazines, listen to the consultants, and go to the trade shows which only confuse us more,” it’s not that any one consultant is confusing, but the cacophony of consultant voices coming out of some media outlets does at times confuse.

On another note, my blog was featured last week at Sara’s Green Space Blog. Sara is managing editor of Greenhouse Grower magazine. I found out about her blog before she featured me. We don’t even have a greenhouse, yet because she is out there blogging I check back. She is not going to want to hear this but I would have probably never read the magazine in the past, since I just don’t do any greenhouse growing. Yet by reaching out through her blog she has managed to snare me as a regular reader which is good because it introduces me to a whole aspect of horticulture that I had no interest in before.

Finally, I encourage comments on my posts. Be aware that the first time you comment at the blog I have to approve your comment before it gets posted. Once it’s approved every time after that your comments will appear on the blog right after you hit “submit comment”. It’s an anti-spam measure as so far it’s working!

This can be a lonely profession.

Over at Garden Rant Amy wonders about organic growing of nursery crops. Teresa, a grower asks where the interest is? Wasn't this what everyone was asking for last year? No, it seems they like the idea of organic vegetable starts but you know what, they don't care when it's time to buy. They say they will grow them organically once they are in their yard, and the fact of the organic origins doesn't seem to matter. Sometimes being a nursery person can be a lonely occupation. Usually in a community there is one or two garden centers, maybe only one. While you may be on friendly terms with your competitor you really don't talk about business since you don't want to give away any "secrets" that might be applied by the competitor. I am not including the chain stores as I wouldn't know who runs the garden department anyway.

Spring is so busy you can't think, then comes summer with its heat and slower sales, followed by fall which we promote as planting time. Where is everybody? Why aren't people taking advantage of this season? Then comes winter with it's cold and rain and sales really slow down. Heck, some nurseries just close up for the winter. I can tell you right now that the mood of the nursery person going into winter is either relief that we have enough money to carry us until the following spring, or shear dread when we don't. I would say a good line of credit can be a nurseries best friend.

Oh well, we choose this profession and want to make it happen. 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. People supposedly just don't have the time to garden anymore.

What's an small independent to do. I find the trade organizations like CANGC(California association of garden centers and nurseries) to be ineffective in getting the message out. We don't even belong to this organization anymore. I think that when they sent our membership sign and it read "Trey Pitsenberger" instead of "Golden Gecko Garden Center" I realized they just didn't have it going on. You can bet my wife wanted to know why my name and not the company name was on there!

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.

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?)

We do have the power within our grasp, yet I think many of us are shy, worried, or just don't want to let our feelings and concerns out in the open. Our survival and future growth depends on the interaction with our customers and fellow nursery people.

I get a lot of feedback from avid gardeners all the time. This has been an unbelievable resource for me. I would like more of you in the trade to get involved, but only if your passionate about what we do. I know there are independent garden centers that really should not be in business, and they won't be for long. Passion, interaction with the consumer and other small nurseries is what keeps me going much of the time, especially when the consumer decides they have had enough of gardening for the year.

Spring can seem a long way off.

P.S. The above picture is of some Sassafras trees growing a few miles up Marshall Rd. from here. Very rare in California!

Where the garden enthusiasts are.

When I read this post about The Green Girls it made me think about winter in the nursery and how easy it would be to give up on keeping contact with my customers. Since sales go down late fall and winter why bother with the time and money to talk to people about something they most likely won't do until spring. An article in the e-news about dormant sprays, or a workshop on punning fruit trees is only going to bring in so many people and dollars. Why bother. Maybe like the ladies who write the garden column we should just close down and start fresh in spring. Just like in the garden the real work begins in the mind, and what a better time to think than in the fall and winter. Now is the time to kick ideas back and forth. Sure we all slow down and take a breath, but that doesn't mean that we can't still "garden in the mind" if we can't in the ground. We still send out e-news and snail mail newsletters during the winter. Not as many, but we do want to stay in contact. Why would I only care about my customers when the are in the shop spending money? If getting people interested in gardening more is a matter of educating them then my best chance is during the winter when they might have more time to get involved.

I think that small garden centers have a greater opportunity to build a relationship with the consumer than the larger concerns. The future of small garden centers is to build such a strong relationship with the consumer that they spread the word of your business to their friends. WOMA (word of mouth advertising) is the best and really only way for a small concern like us to get the word out. To be able to generate that word of mouth we have to be better than anyone else in our area at what we do. We are, and are exploring ways to help our customers facilitate that information to others. Most of that "thinking" work will be done during the winter.

It might have been a couple of years ago when a number of garden bloggers wondered out loud what would happen with garden blogging in the winter. Would it just stop? No, it slowed down but never stopped as gardeners and professionals continued "gardening" via the internet. The internet allows enthusiasts separated by physical distance to continue the conversation via the blogs, and one place I know I want to be is where the garden enthusiasts are, the internet.

Remembering who our target audience is.

Sarah at Open register had a post about a fall festival near her that is put on by a local garden center. Oh, to have the problem that garden center has. Sarah received a e-mail from Grossman's Country Nursery that said, "In the past, many of you had expressed your apprehension to shop with us during October weekends because of how large our fall festival had become." They are going to change the fall festival so it won't be so busy that you can't shop! So many people with kids in tow gathering pumpkins, bouncing in the bounce house, eating popcorn, and carrying free balloons that mom is just too tired to buy plants or other garden related products. How interesting! The fall festival is so successful that it is affecting business, the wrong way! They are going "'back to our roots’ and will be offering you the very best of what we do ... flowers, plants, garden and home decor that you deserve to enjoy …" I wonder if they are finding out that the age of their target consumer has risen above the child rearing years? Sure, the festival attracts lots of people, with kids. Maybe quite a few grandparents bring their grandkids, too. Its just that you can't expect much shopping to be happening while the kids are running from one event to the other.

Maybe the consumer is more like my wife and I, with the kids grown and almost out of the house. We would be looking for fun stuff to do, but not so much kid stuff. Angela went to Annies Annuals for their fall planting party. Yes, they do have Butterball the Clown doing balloons and face painting, as well a kids coloring table (keeps them in one spot),but the rest is adult oriented. Workshops, a chance to win a shopping spree, and an adult version of "musical chairs", with a $100 gift certificate the prize.

Its important to have kids and their parents involved with the nursery. This can be done with kids garden workshops, and a place for the kids to hang out (at our place this is "The Guacamole Hut"). Never the less this is a great lesson to be learned. Our bread and butter consumer is between the ages of 35 and 65, and active. They don't have to plan for what to do with the kids anymore, and they want to hang out where they're needs are met. People younger than 35, and those over 65 will still find the the garden center a inspiring and fun place to visit in fall, even as we focus on a different age demographic.

So fall is for planting?

We in the nursery industry would love to see more sales in fall. I remember last year reading a post by Amy at Garden Rant titled "Gardeners to Nurseries, Fall is the new Spring". Reading that you would think there are lots of gardeners out there that are just chomping on the bit to start fall planting". Amy even said "So there you go. Fall planting may be best for the garden, but I guess it's just not convenient for the nursery industry." So it was interesting to read this post today by Elisabeth at Garden Rant titled "Searching for Fall", where she says , "I’m totally ready to garden less. I love spending time outside in our current 80-plus October temps (soon to drop, I know), but I’d rather not weed, water, prune, or plant." She continues, "At this point in the year, I’d rather revel in nature than attempt to maintain it."

So there you have it. If you read the post by Amy, and then read the comments and the results of the poll she posted you would think that nurseries are missing the boat by not being stocked to the hilt with plants this time of year. Yet, Elisabeth who is an avid gardener most likely wont be visiting her local garden center this fall.

So which is it? Are you guys telling the horticulture industry to have more plants available for fall planting or not? I think realistically, that if you own a nursery and want to increase fall sales its going to be more a targeted campaign toward consumers like Amy. Mass media most likely won't pan out since most people feel like Elisabeth and will just pass over your ads. Thats why so many nurseries have fall festivals and what not since its these events that bring people in, not the urge to plant.

There are gardeners like Amy and the other commenter's who do want to garden in the fall, but they are in the minority. That's why lots of nurseries start looking empty this time of year. Despite our best wishes most gardeners are tired and really don't want to get to involved after gardening all spring and summer. Even here in California where in many cases fall is actually a better time to plant than spring, we just don't see that much action.

You have to imagine the courage of your local garden center if they do stock a great fall selection, since there is no guarantee that it will sell. Storm moves in, and it starts raining and your stuck with unsold merchandise. There is nothing quite like watching your money going down the drain, since most of these plants will not over winter well enough to be sold next year.

Give it away to grow.

We're getting a 24' x 40' tent with detachable sides to place in the nursery. It will be used for workshops and other events during inclement weather. Like any garden center we are always looking for ways to bring people into the store during less than perfect weather. We had been having the winter workshops in the store, where we would just wheel the display racks out of the way. In our small store it can get crowded with a class and people purchasing so its nice in the summer to have the classes out under the oaks. Yet, just a couple of weeks ago the the Divide Womens Group had to cancel a big party here because of out of season rain. With the tent we will have an option to continue the event and increase our offerings of workshops during the fall and winter. Hands on workshops have proven increasingly popular. It would seem that there is quite an interest by people in the "outside world". I am sure that this is going to increase as more people attempt to focus on the environment. Most folks just don't know that much about nature, but many are eager to learn. Where do you go to learn about these things? It should be our gardens and nursery. We should be the place you can watch, learn, and take part in fruit tree pruning, how to plant vegetables, make a broom, make a hyper-tufa pot, create a bird sanctuary, make a living wreath, etc.

I have always thought that the most important resource that we as garden centers have is the ability to dispense knowledge in a easy to understand and affable manner. After all, thats why many came to us in the first place. Before the current internet, nursery people we're the garden internet of the time. We were the ultimate resource for gardeners in the area, and we got use to having that ability to command attention. With the internet the nursery person is no longer the ultimate resource on gardening, yet its still the ability to dispense the information in a human and personal way that will keep us in business.

While you can learn to make a hyper-tufa pot via the internet there is nothing like mixing the ingredients and making one for your self. People want a hands on learning experience. I think that we as a garden center shouldn't limit our selves to the topics covered at a workshop. The only generalization would be it involves the natural world. So classes might involve propagating the native plants in the area, or using locally grown grapes in making wine! The idea being to have fun while learning and creating.

It sounds weird but the future of our garden center is in how much information we can give away. The more we enable our neighbors, both local and international to become better gardeners, the greater the pool of potential customers we will have. It's usually the gardening enthusiast that is a garden centers best word of mouth advertisement. We need to help nurture the potential enthusiasts. One way is through increased opportunities for learning new things, or learning old things in new ways. I believe the ability to dispense information in an easy to understand and affable manner is one of the most important attributes of a successful garden center.

Slow day at the nursery

It's cloudy and cold before the approaching storm. Few customers today so I took some photos of the gardens and nursery. We planted a few beds of flowers this year to fill up some space in the sunny part of the nursery. Here the cosmos bed has just about had it. I think we will plant about six or seven beds next year. Finally starting to complete the display beds along the creek. Further up you will encounter the arched willow.

It was like this when we bought the property and we are attempting to slow down the inevitable collapse. Will see if we can get a few more years since it looks so cool.

This is looking across Empire creek to our property on the other side. I want to allow customers over but we don't have a proper bridge yet. We cross an old log that has fallen across.

Looking back toward the vegetable garden, which is where the umbrella is. You can see a bench on the side of the hill. We like to sit here and look back down on the picnic area.

An industry first

According to Franchise Wire, Under the Sun Garden Center in Oklahoma is the first nursery to franchise in the industry. According to the report "Under the Sun started out as Tulsa Flowers in May 1992 in Tulsa at the corner of 41st and Hudson when Owner Craig Bay sold spring flowers from a tent." It continues, " The Company currently has three locations in Tulsa, Okla.; four locations in Oklahoma City; one in Claremore, Okla. and one in Edmond, Okla. Under The Sun’s franchise concept locations are in Edmond and Tulsa." This is certainly the first time I have heard of this. Under the Suns website claims that they have taken the local garden centers knowledge and service and combined it with the mega-stores product selection and self service to create the " industry’s best selection and service, in a relaxing and creative environment." The cost to get in on a franchise runs "between $212,500 to $913,350 and is variant upon location. This includes a franchise fee of $40,000, as well as the necessary build-out, inventory, décor, and startup costs associated with your gardening center."

I am amazed no one has thought of this before in our industry. While its not my cup of tea I can just see all the "I have always wanted to own a nursery" people licking their chops. Franchising seems to be the way for many who want a business, but also desire the perceived security of buying into a supported a system. This will be interesting to watch.