A Dios vais Andee

Word comes from Stuart of the passing of Andee at Gardener in Chacala . Andee visited my blog now and then, usually leaving a comment. I loved the pictures she would post from Mexico. During the winter these pictures would make me jealous, as she lived in a most beautiful place.

It is nice know that the garden blogging community really is a community. I never met Andee “in person” but she was a friend none the less, and I will miss her visits. Thanks go to her son who took the time to let us know about her passing. Per his wishes I will be extra nice to the cats today and next time I have a Coke I'll toast her memory.

Adios, Andee

The sexy gardener

So consumer spending on pesticide is going to grow by 4.8% to 1.7 billion by 2011. At first blush this sounds like we are going backward when it comes to sustainability. What the study doesn't seem to reflect, or I couldn't find is what type of pesticides we are talking about. I would assume this includes all pesticides including organic and synthetic. I would like to know if organics are a big portion of this increase or are we talking about more Scotts synthetic products for the lawn? My guess it is probably a combination of the two types.

Billy Goodnick over at Garden Wise Guy has figured out the secret! If you want to increase your web site traffic nothing like a little sex to help. He says his post “Have they no shame?Erotica on the streets of Santa Barbara.” increased traffic five times! As soon as I read the headline I made a beeline over to his site since Monica and I had just returned from that fair city. I thought maybe Billy had been snooping around the motel or something. No, it was a case or "hort-erotica" concerning a fig and a Canary Island date palm that have “embraced” right on the streets for everyone to see.

Billy as well as the rest of us that have blogging for a little while know that if you put a sexy title on a post its bound to get more traffic. I like it! Gardening is all about being sexy. Just about everything we do in the garden is about helping our plants in their reproductive urges. We wouldn't be eating if it wasn't for the birds and the bees and the plants frolicking in the garden. Somewhere along the line, I would guess Victorian times, gardening became something of a prudish pursuit in the eyes of many. We may not feel sexy while digging in the ground, or pulling weeds but thats our own fault. It's perception. I say bring back the sexy allure of gardening and watch interest grow.

You might think I am being tongue and check about this subject but I believe the secret to getting more people involved in gardening is through sex appeal. We are already hearing about how good gardening is for weight control and overall health but what about its mental benefits, which would naturally include ours and the gardens sex lives. Nothing like the sound of buzzing bees and tomato plants with big, plump, juicy fruit to set the scene. We're talking about more than just the visual cues that some plants might give, but the more subtle sexuality of the garden. The fragrance of a freshly cut musk melon enjoyed in the garden, while the sound of buzzing bees and bird calls fill the air. The feel of the warm sun on our bodies (naked or not), and the knowledge that growing our own delicious healthful fruit will only make us feel better about our selves, but the world too. Now that's sexy!

P.S. I think the sexier gardening is the less likely you are to use synthetic pesticides. Synthetic pesticides are about the end result, while organic and natural products are more about the "process", and the end result. I use all natural products in the garden. The garden and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm a gardener"

This might be old news to you but I found this interesting. George Harrison, the quiet Beetle said this about the music business in the late 1990's. “I’m really quite simple. I don’t want to be in the business full time because I’m a gardener. I plant flowers and watch them grow. I don’t go out to clubs and partying. I stay at home and watch the river flow.” Here was a man who had all the money and fame a person could possibly want, and he would still rather be known as a “gardener”. Interesting.

5o year record winds!

Returning to work last Friday we had no idea that the weather had gotten so bad while we we're gone. In southern California we kept hearing about the approaching storm. While in Riverside the wind did pick up but not that bad. It was interesting that while we were in Santa Barbara it did rain one night but by morning it was clear.

So when we got to the nursery we we're surprised to hear the power had been out four days. The wind was a 50 year record! Trees were down all over northern California and in the foothills power remained out for some as long as seven days. We had power at the nursery but it was weird. Some things worked, others didn't. Lights glowed at half their strength. PG&E said we had lost our negative wire when the trees blew against the power pole. This is a dangerous situation that Monica and I had no idea about. They cut the power to the store, fixed the pole, and got us power, all in the dark! One guy in a boom truck with a chain saw and lights got the job done. Our utility deserves credit for their hard work. Just a couple of miles from here a utility repairman was electrocuted trying to get the power back on.

The clean up will take days but we are glad we didn't loose any large trees like Alden Lane Nursery did. That nursery, located a couple of hours from here in Livermore lost one of, if not "the" signature oak tree of the nursery, which had stood for centuries. I have been to Alden Lane and met owner Jackie Courtright and she must be devastated at the loss. Here is a link to their website and I assume the tree mentioned is the one in the picture. What a storm!

This next week we should receive our bare root fruit trees. While I don't like the physical part of dealing with them (as I get older my back "talks" to me more) I do like having something new and fresh to get the season rolling. We will plant up half of the trees right away for spring sales and sell the rest “bare root”. I wish bare root season was a growing side of the business but as people become less knowledgeable about gardening many don't even realize there is a bare root season. Customers want fruit trees when they are shopping in spring, hence the reason we pot half of them up. We may start potting up a greater percentage in the future if sales dictate it.

We are having our fruit tree pruning workshop this Saturday from 11 to noon. It is in the event tent, which I am amazed didn't blow over. We'll have coffee, hot chocolate and tea. See you there.

The future begins now.

My blog, which started as just a way for me to talk to my potential customers as blossomed into something more. I realized this after someone ended up at my site after Googgling “we want to start a nursery”. Low and behold it is, as of this writing the first site to show up. I have been getting more and more interest from people who want to know what it means to start and run a small nursery or garden center. Of course I am still trying to figure that out, but I do realize that some of the stuff I take for granted is of great interest to someone just starting out.

This year I am going to try and give you a feel for what some of the day to day issues that come up in a small garden center are. Maybe it will help you decide if this business is right for you. I don't have all the answers. No nursery person does. Its through sharing that we will all be more successful in our efforts. I have received invaluable advice from this blog. Fellow nuserypeople as well as enthusiastic gardeners have given me advice as well as inspiration which we have acted on. Being open this spring seven days a week was one such result of reader feedback.

I invite everyone to participate. If you are a gardener but don't feel your ideas would be appreciated by a professional, you are wrong! Its your advice that I need to help design a better garden center experience. I also appreciate professional advice from people who have been where I find myself now in my garden center career. Realize that while I appreciate your advice there are others who are visiting this blog who are also listening and learning. By helping me you will be helping lots of people who still find this profession interesting and worth while. The challenges are many but through our “connection” we will be able to meet those challenges and enthusiastically work together to create the “garden scene” of the future. I see a gardening revolution taking place as we speak! Revolutions are generally messy and uncertain, but at the other end I see a stronger “garden scene” that we will all remember because we we're there at the Renaissance.

All right, enough of that. Monica is giving me that look that says “get off that computer and let's get to work”. It's off to the first working day of the new year. Cheers!

A lonely survivor

While we we're visiting my daughter and granddaughter in Riverside I just had to get another picture of her next to the Parent Navel Orange Tree. It was just about two years ago that I took the earlier picture of her. The Parent Navel Orange Tree is the original “Washington” Navel Orange Tree from which all others descended. It was this tree that spawned the great citrus industry in California. You can read more about it at a earlier post from two years ago. It is the tree on the right.

The earlier post is my most widely viewed post to this day. It is used as a reference for the Wikipedia entry for orange (fruit). I am footnote #2 Its amazing how this encyclopedia is becoming the reference source for certain subjects. I find myself using it more and more as I search the web.

We stayed at The Mission Inn in Riverside which is where the other Navel Orange was planted by Theodore Roosevelt. That tree died shortly after and the one I wrote about is the survivor.

The Mission Inn and The Parent Navel Orange Tree are reminders of a California that has long passed, yet changed the development of of the west, especially southern California, forever. I find the lonely orange tree at the busy intersection quite moving. It's a little sad to think about how this one tree spawned and then outlived the great citrus era of The Late 1800's to the 1950's. It stands ignored by the thousands that drive by everyday.

Welcome Garden Rant Readers

Over at Garden Rant Amy has posted a survey asking “who are Garden Rant Readers?” Head on over and take the survey.

Amy, one of the writers for Garden Rant was nice enough to mention my blog in her latest post. Needless to say I am excited and proud that she actually reads my blog. Nothing strokes a bloggers ego more than being mentioned by another blogger, especially one who I have always looked to as an example of a great writer. Amy has her own blog and it was there where she caught wind of my blog a couple of years ago, and posted on it. That was where I found out about the larger world of garden blogging, which I wasn't aware of then and I thank Amy for that.

I am passionate about business blogs. If you have a business and are not blogging I think you are missing out. Small business especially can benefit from the conversation that blogging brings. Its a way to let your customers and potential customers know about who you are and what your business is all about. It gives the small business a equal footing with the big players, as they hardly ever will be able to blog in a really honest and open way. Corporate culture just won't allow the honesty necessary to produce an interesting blog. There are to many “secrets” that can't be reveled.

The future of business, especially small business is in not having any secrets. The customer we are trying to attract wants to know more about the business they shop at. They want to make sure that the money they spend not only buys the “stuff” they want but also supports the type of business they like. Blogs are a way to let the customer know what the business stands for. Its also a way for the customer to respond, as long as you allow comments.

The future of small business is to reduce the feeling of “us” (business) and “them” (customers), and increase the felling of “we”. Small business needs customers who will spread the word about the great new business they have discovered. One way to help spread that word is through a business blog. When I Google a business I am interested in I look to see if there is a blog and check that out. Its generally less buttoned down than the company web site, and a more honest look at who runs the company.

Now that I have been blogging for a few years I am starting to see a lot more horticultural professionals visiting my blog. This is cool as our industry tends to be a bit slow when it comes to change. Never the less I have built this blog on my relationship with non-professional gardeners. They are the customers that give me the vital feedback to build our business. They may not actually ever visit my “physical” location, but I consider them my customers never the less.

P.S. The above picture was one of the last of our vacation. We really enjoyed our coastal adventure from L.A. to S.F. It has rejuvenated us and now we are actually looking forward to getting back to work.

Back from vacation

We're back from our vacation to southern California and the coast. We headed down to Riverside to visit my daughter and granddaughter. While there we stayed at The Mission Inn which is a National Historic Building that is a must see if your ever in that area. It is a cross between a hotel, mission, and castle. Covering a whole city block Monica and I spent two days exploring. It is truly a magical place.

From Riverside we drove up the coast to Santa Barbara for a couple of days. After that it was up Hwy. 1 through Big Sur and to Monterey. Then up to San Francisco and home. We had a great time and feel refreshed, which is what vacation is for, right?

Just wanted to let you know where we have been. I will post more once I find out where I left my eclectic toothbrush holder, (I meant electric but it was a bit of an eclectic toothbrush, too), (Santa Barbara likely) and my camera cord used for downloading pictures, (lost somewhere after Santa Barbara and before Monterey). They do call that “The Lost Coast”, now I know why.

No rush honey, I am going to sit over here.

I think that there are a lot of us that could have said “duh” to this story. Open Register points us to a Forbes magazine article titled, “Shop 'Til Your Husband Drops”.

Here is the gist of the article. Major retailers like Bloomingdales have made a HUGE discovery. After a “comprehensive analysis to learn how to make shopping more enjoyable.” “Stores need more areas for weary shoppers to relax.” Of course it's only the wise retailers that are catching on, “'Park-your-husband lounges'” are slowly making their way into retailers from Bloomingdales to Kohl's.”

Its taken these retail giants this long to figure it out! I love this from the article, “Retail analysts say it's impossible to quantify the return on investment these lounges bring in. But the results speak for themselves.” Those analysts always have to quantify everything, don't they?

When you read stuff like this it makes you wonder how these business have become retail giants and stayed in business for this long. I guess we as customers have been willing to put up with this stuff for so long that it now seems like news that most men would like to sit and relax while the ladies shop.

What this says is that the most obvious things that matter in the shopping experience have been, in some cases completely ignored by the major retailers. I am sure many of us could have told these stores just what they needed to do, YEARS AGO! You can imagine the amount of money spent on analysis just to figure out that a few chairs for the men to sit in might make a difference. Of course it will take much more analysis and money to discover that its not just men that need a place to sit, but with the aging population there might be a need for the elderly to sit while the younger member of the families shop.

This all goes to show that just because these places are large with multiple outlets they can be completely oblivious to the most obvious things. I hear that in store sales this year are likely to be a bit softer than they had hoped. Yet, Internet sales rose by 20%. Maybe its not just price, but the fact that you can shop comfortably from home without having to drag the mate to the store, where they will just bug you complaining about the lack of a place to sit.

Vacation!

I know a lot of people end up here at my blog because they would like to start a nursery and are looking for advice. Most recently Joe in Florida wants to know if starting a nursery is the right thing to do . He has received mostly negative feedback so needless to say he is confused. I would imagine the same thing holds for most small business. I for one can't imagine starting a restaurant. That must be an awful hard and difficult business to make profitable. The same could be said for opening a bookstore. The competition from the chains as well as peoples changing shopping habits make starting a new business in almost any field a difficult endeavor. The fact that its a difficult proposition explains why so few people own and run their own small business. There is no safety net. If things go wrong you can blame the economy, competition, the weather, you name it. Just because you can blame the competition for your woes won't cause the empty feeling in the pit of your stomach from going away. You must see, like I do business going in where you ask, "what are they thinking?" We have small business going in and out of business all the time in Placerville. Its like a revolving door.

I got involved in this trade right out of junior college in the late 70's. It was a time when the independent nursery ruled. The only chain competition was K-Mart, and they did a terrible job with the garden department. I remember the first Home Depots going in. The nursery I worked at, Christensen's nursery was located in Belmont, just south of San Francisco. It was a business that catered to the carriage trade and as such the Home Depot's didn't have much of an effect. It's gone now. The land became too valuable to operate a garden center on. It's now condominiums.

Where am I going with this? I don't know except that the business of garden centers has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Would I still get involved in the business now? I don't know. When I got into the business it was "cool" to be into gardening. You had the hippies moving out of the Haight and into the mountains where they could "get back to the earth". So times have changed, or is it myself that has changed. Both I suppose.

We are on vacation for two and a half weeks now. The nursery is closed until Jan. 12. This will be a good time to plan out what we want to do next year. I find that time away from work helps open your eyes to new ideas that might have been hidden when you are simply focused on work. That's one of the hard things to do when you work for yourself, finding time to get away. It's most important as I find the best ideas often come from "out of the blue", when you least expect it.

I love the outside world, and working in and owning a garden center has allowed me to enjoy that world. Whether or not I would start a nursery today is meaningless. I have one now, and we are committed to having the best one possible. To those of you contemplating opening a nursery don't get bogged down in the negativity. Search out successful business of all types, not just nurseries. See if some of the ideas they are using might work in your business. You cannot just sell plants anymore. You have to sell the whole experience. Gardening has been and will continue to be a source of joy for a large segment of the population. Why would those people want to come to your store? What are you offering that the competition isn't? What could you do better than the competition? How can you continually "wow" the consumer that walks through the door so as to turn them into and keep them as customers. Figure that out and you will be in business as long as you want. We're still working on it.

Here is an link to a garden forum at Garden Web discussing starting a nursery.

The Internet is a great resource that wasn't available when I started out. There are more and more websites you can use to find out more about horticultural business. I am thrilled to think that people would come here to seek advice. Thank you.

Mandarin season

It’s Mandarin season is here and this year they are extra good. We had a long spell of dry weather when they we’re ripening and that may have helped in the flavor. The larger trees in the background are Washington Navel Oranges, which will be ripe in another month or so. The mandarins are Owari Satsuma’s, also known as “zipper skin”. The skin will peel off in one fell swoop, plus few if any seeds!

At about 1400 foot elevation its one of the higher elevation citrus groves in the foothills. It’s located at Gold Hill, which I drive by on the way to work each day. Its self-serve, you leave the money in a slot by the door and take your bag of fruit.

Not closed on Mondays

The response for my “Closed on Mondays” post has been great. Hearing from both the consumer as well as industry professionals has been very helpful. We have decided to make some changes based on these recommendations, as well as our own feelings on the subject.

First, we will be open seven days a week during the spring and possibly the summer. I agree with the commenter's that Monday can be a good sales day. We have always found that Saturday or Sunday is our best sales day's with Monday or Friday being the best weekdays for sales. Spring is just so important for our business, with almost half of the years sales coming during that time, that to be closed any day just cuts into the profitability of the business. So, will take good care of our selves and just “go for it” during that time of year. We've done it before!

During spring we will not only be open seven days a week but will stay open till 6 pm, instead of our current 5 pm closing. This will allow people to stop by after work. During the weekend we will likely close at 5, maybe continue with the 4 pm Sunday closing.

Summer is interesting since it usually gets so hot here that most people don't do a lot of gardening, especially from July to September. We are thinking of opening earlier, about 8:30 pm, instead of our current 10 am so folks can get out to the nursery before the heat is on. By 5 pm its often the hottest part of the day and I am tempted to close earlier, but we will see.

So for now we will stick with our decision to be open 7 days a week during the critical spring season as well as staying open until 6 pm. Thanks to everyone who commented. Your advice helped us to make some important decisions. The sharing of ideas with like minded people from across the globe is one of the promises of the Internet that will help small business stay in business.

Closed on Mondays

I came across this post titled “Restaurants and Monday Nights” at “Fishing for Customers”blog. This stuff is likely well known in Restaurant circles but it was news to me. The post deals with why restaurants are not busy on Monday nights. The post talks about how our first instinct is to build Monday business by increasing our advertising, and offering deals to increase traffic flow. The blog author Chuck tells us why this might not be the way to go.

This made me think of our garden center and how hard we try to build business during times of the year when folks just don't want to garden, like now! Remember that I write from California where the tradition is for nurseries to be open all year. I know of garden centers in other parts of the country that close down for winter, since the ground is frozen and absolutely no one would come in anyway. Here there is always the chance that someone will come in since the ground does not freeze and we have warmer winter temps. Yet the time of year from November to February is the land of small sales and little or no profit.

We are also closed on Mondays. We chose that day since it seems everyone else closes on Mondays. Monica and I run the store so we needed to pick a day to have off and Monday worked out. Yet, when I wanted to go shopping at downtown Placerville on Main St. last Monday, lot's of the stores we're closed. Monday seems to be the day lot's of small business close. I wonder if we are making a mistake? One reason we chose Monday was we need to be at the store Tuesdays to place orders with some of our vendors for Wednesday deliveries. In other words we let our suppliers dictate to us when we should be closed. Again I wonder if this is backwards?

I would love to hear your take on this. Sometimes it feels like we are spinning our wheels when it comes to certain times of the year. Why throw a lot of advertising $$$ during a season that people just are not going to garden. Maybe we should open Mondays when everyone else is closed and close down another day. Maybe we should be open 7 days a week during spring and only a couple of days during winter. During winter we could open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and close the other days.

Wishful thinking doesn't pay the bills. Sure it would be nice to have more business this time of year but I wonder if thats just wishful thinking?

Aquascapes problems

Aquascapes is a multi-million dollar organization that has seen an amazing rise in its fortunes over the last couple of years. They we’re featured in Inc.com in an article titled, “And there was happiness in Aqualand.” The article written August of this year describes the amazing perks that the people working at Aquascapes have. The article describes how employees came to owner Greg Wittstock and said, "we have no soccer field. When we play in the parking lot after work, our shins, they get scraped, and we cannot do our sweet moves."

‘If I built you a soccer field, would that make you happy?’ the CEO asked.

‘Almost,’ answered the employees. ‘We could use a hot tub.’

‘I will see what I can do,’ the CEO said.

As he was walking away, the employees added, ‘Oh, and if we could have a place to nap in the afternoons, that would be great. Thanks!’”

Did I say they built everything the employees asked for, including the nap room? The Inc.com article continues with, “Oh, and they did some work too. The company grew to $56 million in annual sales.

And they all lived happily after.” (my italics)

Fast forward to today when I read at Open Register about owner Greg Wittstocks new blog. It would seem that just four months later all is not so well at Aquascapes. As a matter of fact things have gone downhill fast. They have recently laid off 17 employees and Greg has admitted that they are having a serious cash flow problem. If you read the blog check out the comments from some former employees. It must really hurt being the owner and having to read that stuff. Never the less that comes with the territory.

Let’s give Greg credit for starting his blog and laying out the problems for all to see. It is a bit weird that he started the blog one post before admitting all was not well at the company. Better late than never, perhaps.

Hines nurseries, one of the countries largest wholesale nurseries is having something of the same problem. They do not have a blog and as such folks have been finding my post of August detailing Hines de-listing on the stock exchange. The comments continue to trickle in. The problem for Hines is no one at the company is trying to get the organizations point of view out, so there is nowhere to get up to date info and as such people are using my blog post to vent. That’s o.k., but Hines really should be out in front laying its cards on the table concerning its future. It has been and continues to be my belief that a blog is a necessity for a well run company.

Workshops are fun

Chigiy asked about some pictures of the fragrant wreath making class. Eucalyptus, incense cedar, rosemary, California bay, and lavender were some of the fragrant plants that could make up your wreath. The one common denominator was the grape vines used as the frame.

Sean mentioned “Nice area, makes a great day trip for those that live in Sacramento. Trey, do you get a lot of tourist traffic, locals or Sacramento traffic (a combo or all)?” With the wreath class we had a couple of people from Sacramento, most from the immediate area. We seem to get a few people from Sacramento, Davis, or other places that are at least 20 miles away when we have these workshops. I ask why they come up here and the reason they give generally is “no one is doing it there”.

If you live in the metropolitan area of Sacramento and want to do something for your days off it often becomes either “lets go west to San Francisco” or "lets head east up into the foothills." It’s a step back into “old California” and the region is starting to address the tourist trade more every year. We are located just 5.5 miles from The American River and Coloma, which is one of the most visited state parks in the state. There are a number of wineries located nearby as well as other small farms that cater to the individual. We are members of El Dorado County Farm Trails which has maps and information on all the stuff going on. We actively work at attracting people from outside our immediate area to the nursery.

Josh asks “Do you ever reach a point where it seems like workshops that were popular, no longer are? Almost like everyone who wanted to do it, has? Maybe you are in a highly populated enough area that it isn’t an issue, but that has happened here.” The answer is yes, but we just keep trying! I have had workshops where no one came! We look at weather we did something wrong in promoting it and ask “should we try again”? If it just wasn’t well received we try the next idea. Wreath making might be a class that’s been done before but we thought the “fragrant” aspect set it apart. In addition all the material's for the wreaths where gathered locally, which we didn’t but should have promoted. Next time we will.

We are also stepping outside what might be traditional gardening workshops and heading wherever it leads. Generally the workshops have to do with the outside world. I am a bird watcher so we are going to have a bird watching workshop next year. Our Tin punch class was a step "back into time", and well received. How about a B.B.Q. cooking class? We are trying to think fresh. We don't want to let our long time in the business cloud our judgment.

I’ll go one step further and say that the image we want people to have of the nursery is “not a place that sells plants.” Places that "sell plants" are a dime a dozen. We are trying to offer so much more, an “experience” if you will. What is it that we can do that no one else is doing, or doing right? I don’t quite have the answer, but we will keep asking the questions.