Smith and Hawken employees, what now?

No matter what we say about the way Smith and Hawken was run, or it's ownership by Scott's Miracle-Gro, the people who worked there are out of work. If you worked at Smith and Hawken, and enjoyed working in horticulture you might want to head over and join our group, Garden Centers, Nurseries, and New Media. It's a LinkedIn group that's made up of the best minds in the horticultural world. You can network with other like minded people, and perhaps find new opportunities in the world of horticulture. We have well over 400 members (444 as of today). Check it out here and see if it might help. Sid Raisch made a comment at my last post about the closing.  He asks, "Maybe someone who knows for sure such as former employees and suppliers to S&H will chime in, but it is possible that Scott’s was an answer to problems that began much earlier. Is it possible that the concept of premium garden tools, decorative accessories, outdoor furniture, and related products was not scalable to a national retail platform? Did competition with other catalog companies become too intense, requiring the multi-channel Catalog-Internet-Bricks & Mortar expansion? There may have been individual stores that were well-run and self-sustaining but did they generate enough margin dollars to support the expense of the product design, sourcing, corporate systems and management overhead? Did the rapid expansion,top end growth, and outside investment mask underlying problems with the S&H concept? The store within a store at independent garden centers did have some merit, but did the wholesale margins really work? Lots of questions with the answers not apparent to draw a logical conclusion. What can others learn from S&H that will help them avoid making the same mistakes?"

Smith and Hawken Closing

Looks like Smith and Hawken is on it's last legs. According to thedeal.com "The clock is ticking fast on premium gardening chain and catalog company Smith & Hawken Ltd. as it holds out in the hope of a last-minute lifeline from a new buyer that its parent company Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. won't provide." Reuter's is reporting that, Smith and Hawken "will call in the liquidators for its 56 stores unless the corporate parent of the premium gardening chain and catalog company reaches a last-minute deal with potential buyers." We have talked about Smith and Hawken, and it's decline for quite awhile here . It's sad to see such a venerable (in the past) business closing, but when Scotts Miracle-Gro bought the chain the long slide began. Maybe someone will buy the chain and save 700 jobs, but I have my doubt's.

Politics, The White House, and Gardening.

I don't like mixing politics and gardening. I have always felt that our garden center welcomes people from both sides of the aisle. As a matter of fact I would venture to say that here in the foothills of California my customers are about evenly divided between left and right. This may surprise those of you who think of California as strictly a liberal state. Here in the foothills the trend is toward the right. My county, El Dorado typically votes to the right of issues. Right next door is Sacramento County which is typically a liberal county. So my customer base is made up of lots of different folks, who just want to garden. We don't get behind political campaigns here. If you want to hang your political sign on our fence, (a very busy intersection) it might be hung right next to the opposing sides sign. I just do not want to alienate anyone from shopping at our store. People choose where to shop based on many different factors, and I want people to choose us because we are not political. Don't get me wrong, I have very strong feelings about the subject, but I am able to leave that at home. "Let the people garden" is my motto.

Reading Garden Rant today we find that The White House garden is possibly contaminated with lead.  According to Garden Rant, "after the not-surprising attacks on the organic nature of the garden from the lobby group for Big Chem, this latest attack came curiously from the left." The post continues, "It started with a story in Mother Jones claiming that the garden, with its 93 parts per million of lead, is 'contaminated', supposedly due to the composted sewage applied to the land during the Clinton years." I wonder why we are suppose to be surprised that the attack came from the left? Are all people on the left organic gardeners? Are all people on the right chemical users?

In response to these attacks Eddie Kohan, author of the blog Obama Foodoramama responded, "The other bizarre element to the whole bashing thing is that anyone who thinks the White House left a single stone unturned in planning the garden is...what's the most delicate, diplomatic, term? Oh yeah, silly. The White House was well aware that the first food garden planted on the campus since WWII was going to be big news. Of course all details were accounted for. Of course appropriate testing was conducted. The White House has the finest minds in America, experts in every field, available for consultation. It's beyond silly to imagine that the garden wasn't thoroughly 'vetted.'" Somehow the notion that The White House has "the finest minds in America, experts in every field, available for consultation", doesn't make me feel any better. I don't like the idea of all these experts "vetting" the garden. It sounds like gardening by consultation.

While the idea of The White House garden is a great one, it has been hijacked by all sorts of different special interest groups. I would like to think that The First Lady, or President could just get into the garden, and relax. Yes, the garden is politically symbolic, and of course that's the problem. I have written about other politically symbolic gardens before here.

We have to find some common ground in the country. The garden should be the place. At the nursery I will try and steer you towards organic methods, but how you garden is up to you. As long as your pesticides, or fertilizers don't drift off your property, that little patch of land is yours to experiment in. That's the wonderful freedom we celebrate today.

Have a great Independence Day!

Social media and the garden center

When I started this blog over 5 years ago there we're not many garden bloggers out there.  People would ask why I was taking the time to post about my nursery, when the only people who we're reading it often lived hundreds or thousands of miles away. I knew that over time, more and more people that lived closer to my nursery would be on the internet, and reading blogs. So it's with great joy that I see all the years of patiently typing away starting to really pay off. Having been on the Internet, with my own blog over these years, I have carved out a niche for myself. Now local people who Google garden center in El Dorado County, or northern California, or even California, see my blog pop up on the first page. The point is that even on the internet, things do take time. Sometimes years for results to bear fruit. We have a local garden expert, Farmer Fred Hoffman, who  is a lifetime Master Gardener, and host of the KFBK Garden Show on NewsTalk 1530 KFBK in Sacramento, California each Sunday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. He also hosts "Get Growing" on Talk 650 KSTE in Sacramento, 10 a.m. to Noon. Fred recently started his own blog, The Farmer Fred Rant. His latest post is titled, "A nursery's biggest competitor my be a warehouse in Nevada."It is based on my post titled, "What a Spring", where I casual mention that our price for Sluggo Plus (an organic snail and earwig bait) is the same as Amazon.com. Our price is 11.99, and there's was $11.99 (I see they have lowred to $11.11 as of today). 

Like Fred say's, when you factor in the freight and time it takes to get the product, we are still less expensive or real close, even with our 8.25% sales tax! Everyone assumes that Amazon has the lowest prices for everything, and it's just not true. Fred and another commenter at my blog both say I should post the fact that we are the same price right by the product. Why not show folks that even our little rural garden center just down the road is on top of what the mega competition is doing. The timing is right for local owned business to point out these areas where we compete with the big boys, on price, or convenience, or even just "feel good" atmosphere.

What I have seen over time is garden blogging growing to the point that it's impossible to keep up with what's going on. So many blogs from all parts of the world. This is of course fun, but for the smaller locally owned garden center it's the local garden bloggers like Fred, who will be the champions of their favorite stores, and make the biggest impact for those stores. Make no doubt about it, social media is the wave of the future when it comes to "advertising". Fred is respected all around the Sacramento region, and is most likely the most widely listened to gardening expert on the radio in the Sacramento region. So for Fred to mention our little garden center, 40 miles east of Sacramento makes an impact. "Gee honey, why not take a trip to Gold Country and visit that little nursery Fred talks about".

What I like most about social media is how a business with a great reputation can enhance that reputation. We don't have to come up with expensive ad campaigns that more and more just don't pay off. Social media puts like minded people together, where the word of good business or bad, can spread throughout the group that most benefits by this information. Fred, as well as all the the people who have participated in my blog over the years, are now our best form of advertising. People love it when friends recommend a place to shop. You are more likely to trust a friends recommendation. Farmer Fred, and most all of the people who participate in my blog are friends. Some I have never met in person, but they know me and I know them, and I trust their advice.

What a spring!

This has been one of the longest periods between posts for me. We have been busy. It's starting to slow down now that school is out and vacations are here. We think that business will be better this summer than in past summers since most people are staying close to home this year. Fertilizers, pest control, and 4" color should continue to sell well thorough the summer. Where was the growth this year for us? Vegetables, fruit trees, organic fertilizers, premium potting soils, 4" perennials at $3.99 and $4.99. The 4" size has gone over really well as it's a few dollars less than a one gallon can and you don't have to dig as big a hole. Really the most excitment comes from the premium potting soils and organic fertilizers. They have been flying out of here this spring. We carry Foxfarm Ocean Forest, E.B. Stone "Ednas Best", and Natural and Organic Black Gold.

The availability lists at the wholesale level have never been so full. Rising sales are not lifing all boats. I beleive the wholesale growers of one gallon size plants, and larger, are suffering this year. It has been edibles, 4" size plants, and organics, that have carried the day. Now we have to help people keep those plants growing and healthy. We love people who bring us samples in plastic bags of insect problems or other concerns. It allows us to show case organic controls that may have not existed before. Sluggo plus is a boon for us as earwigs are a much bigger problem here than snails and slugs.  It's our first organic, pet safe, earwig control and it's selling very well (our price is the same as Amazon, $11.99).

One other big reason we have had a great year so far has been our beautiful spring, where we dodged the drought and have had temperatures in the 70's and 80's F.  The weather is always the most important variable in our sales. That's the price of working with nature. So this year we hit the weather jackpot. Other nurseries in other parts of the country may not be so weather lucky. When one thinks of all the variables at play in our business, it's a wonder we continue to do it. That's the life of farming and the farmer. We in the garden center business are farmers like those that grow alfalfa, or any other crop.

And when all is said and done this year, I hope we have opened the gardening door for some new gardeners. They will find out that not all Springs are as nice to our crops as this one. Bugs and disease will take their toll. Gardening can be hard work, but if you keep it up the rewards will unfold over time. A nation of new gardeners is exactly what the independent garden center has been wishing for.

Do smaller garden centers have an edge over upscale centers?

Sarah poses an interesting question at Open Register, "How badly does 'upscale' suffer in a tight economy?" She asks, "I wonder…in this economic environment, does the low-key, mom-and-pop garden center have an edge over more polished, upscale garden centers? Do low-cost perceptions influence where consumers buy plants? What are you seeing in your part of the world?" I think it depends on the operation. A poorly run Mom and Pop operation will suffer despite being a small Mom and Pop. A Mom and Pop operation that responds to the community, and is run properly does have a foot up in this economic climate.  That's why I couldn't for the life of me understand why Smith and Hawken would be pushing outdoor televisions at this time. A huge disconnect.

I have been promoting the small garden center for years. My goal is to stay small, and become indispensable to my customer base.  If you want a great selection of organics fertilizers and pesticides, as well as the knowledge to help you do it right the first time, we are it. Sure you can drive over twenty five minutes away for an equivelent selection, but why when we are right here? Plant prices are competitive, and gas prices are rising. Shop local.

Yes, I believe that a small, well run garden center has a foot up in this new world. The buy local, going organic, grow it ourselves, safe food movement is just what the smaller garden center has been waiting for.

Smith and Hawken introduces the Pantel weather-resistant outdoor TV!

One of my favorite subjects, Smith and Hawken ( A Scotts-Miracle Gro Company) has announced that they are now the exclusive dealers for,  "the Pantel weather-resistant outdoor television and the Lynx Professional Grilling Collection. Smith & Hawken has partnered with these two brands known for their unparalleled performance and superior craftsmanship. Now, the sky is the limit in creating the ultimate outdoor entertaining space." I guess they didn't take my advice and, "Bring back the Hippies". At that post we learned through Garden Chic Magazine that Smith and Hawken was, "now in the midst of a major shift to return to its ‘roots’, its horticultural beginnings.” We heard that, "the previous management and various owners lost track of their core focus.” In the article “Gordy (Erickson, CEO)proudly points to the original catalogue from the early days of the company, when the hippies-turned-visionary businessmen were still at the helm.”

So the visionaries at Smith and Hawken want to return to the day's when hippies ran the show? I wonder how Paul Hawken (one of the founders) feels about this. Is this the direction he would have taken this company? I find it weird to say the least that in these days of victory gardens and the such, that Smith and Hawken would peddle televisions through their stores.

I wrote a post about Smith and Hawkens down hill spiral here.  I would venture to say that this just about compleats the spiral. How much longer can this company go on and call itself a garden store? Now I could be wrong, and these new TV's and outdoor kitchens will lead the compnay to a brighter future. I doubt it though as it seems an odd thing to be releasing at this day and age. Right when people are looking for a connection with the garden, and trying to save a buck or two, they come out with a new outdoor television? This seems odd, but maybe you have a different take on this?

Our Garden

This year along with eveveryone else we decided to expand our garden. Our vegetable garden has been in used on and off for the last 25 years. We let it go fallow over the last few years, as we we're gardening at the nursery. Not only have we started using it again but I have doubled the size. The new ground, which is the dry area at the bottom, is full of rocks so it's going to take some conditioning. The rest of the garden has soil that is easy to work with. Right now we have an onion bed with white, red, and yellow onions, that are just starting to flower.

We love peppers so we planted 45 plants, including "Poblano", "Habanero", Yellow, Red and Green Bell Peppers.  Tomato wise we have 12 plants with 6 hybrids and 6 heirlooms. My "Celebrity" tomato has small fruit on it, which makes it earlier that the "Early Girl."

We also have 3 types of melons, 3 types of cucumbers, one zucchini, some pole beans, and in the new area some corn. I want to create a sitting space in amongst the corn where we can hide. Not from anybody, but just for the fun. I will also plant a pumpkin down there.

These are the peppers, with a space reserved for my Tepin peppers, which are suppose to be the hottest pepper on earth. They are still in the seed tray. They take almost 200 days to maturity.

The tree blooming in the background is the native Horsechestnut, which will soon turn brwon and drop it's leaves with the summer drought. The ground is already starting to dry up around here, and soon the green grass in the field will be golden brown.

We water every day as we get little or no rain for the next four months! We will hook up drip irrigation in the next week, but for now we hand water.

I am glad we have the garden at the house up and running again. So are the gophers! Yikes. I am using the GopherIt which emits a small vibration every 20 seconds or so, which is suppose to drive the gophers away. It's worked in the past, and I hope it will now as there is a gopher hole by virtually every plant.  I think they are waiting till the plants get bigger, since they haven't eaten one plant yet.

Rasies this year?

I received a e-mail from a friend who owns a garden center back East. I took the name out but here is the e-mail. "I've been trying to do some research on what the standard rates are in our industry and how big of a raise people give.  Have you ever found a discussion of this anywhere?  I'm not active on Linked In, but I thought maybe I should try asking there.  What do you think?

We give raises in June, and are at the point where giving everyone a .50 to $1 an hour will really push everyone very high and we can't afford it.  We've had a very good spring, so I'm thinking bonus with a small raise would be more appropriate.  (Wish I had been a business major!)  (Or experience as a manager somewhere else)."

This is my answer.

"If you cannot afford to give raises, then let the crew know why, and don't give them. We are all in this boat together and if giving raises means we might have to lay you off later then to what use? A one time bonus and a party, BBQ, or something like that might show how much you appreciate their hard work, better than a raise.

Is everyone pulling the same weight? I would concentrate on giving the most valuable people the raises or bonus, and not to the others. The day's of getting a raise just because it's that time of year again is over. It must be performance driven. Yea, we had a great spring, what comes next? The constant drip, drip , drip of money going out. These days I would be happy to have a secure job working for people who care, rather than a 50 cent raise.

I think a bonus based on performance is the way to go this year. That being said, if you have a super valuable person you don't want to loose, then give them a raise. I am sure not everyone deserves the same increase in salary?

It needs to be explained that while we have had a great spring, it follows some tough times and we need to make it up. That means automatic raises are just out.

This is just my 2 cents and not based on any studies.

Let me know what you decide to do. We have worked to hard over the years to just see the profits go to raises that are not affordable. You said it! You cannot afford the raises! So explain it to them, and let the chips fall where they may."

I thought I would post this here, and see if you folks had any suggestions. This is of concern to lot's of garden centers where we have had a great spring, but are trying to make up losses from earlier. Employees often don't see the long view, and wonder why if it was so busy this spring they are not sharing in the (supposed) wealth? What's your opinion?

Making hay while the sun shines

A comment from Marie at 66 Square Feet finally stirred me from my daze. Yes, I live and breathe! This has happened before, and been noted by readers like George Ball, "...As expected, he blogs depending on time available.” Lately there has been little time, and no energy to write. As is the nature of my profession we live the saying, "make hay while the sun shines". This spring has been especially busy, and as such I have been working seven days a week. Thanks to good weather, this has been a great year, but the go, go, go, does wear on you after a while. It won't be much longer, so we put our heads down and keep going. There is so much going on in the world of reatil horticulture that you don't know where to start. It's going to be really interesting to see who grows and who doesn't after the spring season. If you grow shrubs and trees here in California you are wondering what to do with all that inventory. My suppliers have inventory lists that are longer than they have ever had. My guess is that we see some more wholesale nurseries going under as the glut of plant material grows. I receive calls from nurseries in Oregon, who we have never done business with, calling looking for orders. What with the wretched winter they had, with greenhouses being destroyed by snow, and now the slow shrub and tree market, Oregon wholesale nurseries must be struggling.

This year is a homeowner inspired market. Vegetable sales have been through the roof, and our gamble of carrying a huge selection this year has paid off. My guess is that this summer we will be having record sales of organic fertilizers and pest controls as people look to maintain their hard work in the garden. Small 4" perennials, $3.99 to $4.99 have been selling well. Even some specialty plants, coral bark maples, Bloodgood maples, bamboo, etc are selling as people look to feather their nest. They are not buying complete landscapes, but rather special plants that make them feel good.

As tired as I feel, the rush of watching our little business finally getting it's stride keeps me going. Before Christmas the mood was doom and gloom. Now in the middle of one of the worst recessions in years we find ourselves bucking the retail trend, and actually doing better than the year before. I know summer is coming. The slowdown that accompanies it will arrive, but this year people will be coming in all summer with plastic bags filled with all sorts of pests and diseases that need diagnosing. People will be coming in to buy fertilizers and compost to support that plant growth. We have huge opportunities this summer to teach people how to be more successful in their gardening.

I have come to the same conclusion that I have come to in the past. Being a small garden center is where it's at. Sure we all have had delusions of grandeur at one time or the other. Building a second or third store. Growing to be a million dollar a year business, etc. By staying small we made changes this year, that a larger concern would have a hard time doing. Vegetable and fruit tree gardening looked big this year, so we invested in those areas and not in the landscape plants or materials. Our decision to invest in organic fertilizers and pest controls a few years ago has started to really pay off. As a matter of fact that is the one area that beat vegetable sales this year.

As tired as I feel some days, the knowledge that we are entering into a new era for gardening and garden retailing helps keep me going. Our Linked Group, "Garden Centers, Nurseries, and New Media" is nearing it's 400th member. We are at 395 as of right now. You can join! The groups strength is the wide range of people that are members. Anyone who has an interest in garden centers or nurseries can join. This is not a trade group, but a group of like minded individuals connecting and changing the world.

Yes Marie, I live! My job is not so much a job, but a lifestyle. Like most people involved in agriculture there are times of intense work, followed by slower periods. Right now the intensity is just starting to wane, and soon we will be ensconced in the lazy days of summer. It's tremendously hard work not suited for most people. Yet it's quite satisfying, and these days having work that is satisfying, while being able to pay the bills is rare. Just a year ago who would have though the independent garden center would lead the way in gardening for 2009? What a great time to be a nursery professional.

Thank you Home Depot!

I received a response from Home Depot concerning my post yesterday, "What a mess". Sarah, who works in Atlanta for Home Depot commented at the post. She say's, "I work at The Home Depot in Atlanta and would like to thank you for bringing this to our attention. I was alarmed when I read your post and saw your pictures. As a result of your blog we’ve alerted the stores in your area, our local leadership and our merchandising teams. This care and condition is not acceptable for the plants we sell and is not what our customers should find when they visit our garden area.""We have made many improvements in the last couple of years under new leadership in the appearance of our stores and the availability of our associates. Feedback from customers (and competitors) like you helps us understand where more resources are needed. We’ve heard a lot of very positive feedback on the changes we’ve made, and we remain committed to working on other areas that still need improvement" "I would like to ask you and your readers to contact me at anytime if you have a questions or concern for The Home Depot. I am a gardener myself, but work in corporate communications by day. Please, come back soon and let me know if we’ve improved."

Thank you – Sarah Home Depot Communications

Thanks Sarah for the gracious response!

We wanted the Big Boys to listen to us, and they are. This kind of back and forth could have never happened a few years ago. Yes, Scotts- Miracle-Gro, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. are listening, reading blogs, Tweeting, Facebooking, etc.

I have shopped at Home Depot many times in the past. I do try to use my local, smaller hardware stores when I can, but sometimes The Big Orange Box has what I need. The day I went into the local Home Depot I picked up some spray paint for the parking lot lines. Inverted spray paint was only available there. So I picked it up, and some florescent lights, and headed to the garden center where I saw the scene. I always try to check out the garden center since they are my biggest competition in the area, and I want to know what's going on.

The comment from Plant Lover is interesting since she  claims that I am, "contributing to the degradation of this planet by selling your vegetables in a plastic none biodegradable pot. As a plant lover and along with that hopefully an environmentalist you would realize the benefits of Home Depots pots. I personally don’t mind paying the mere 99 cents extra it costs to make this planet a better place for my children and yours." Plant Lover, our pots are continually recycled as much as possible. That plastic pot will hold another plant, or be recycled into something else plastic. In addition I have personally planted or helped plant thousands of trees and shrubs over the last 25 years, hardly degrading the planet. She continues, "As for the undercutting of prices by 'Big Box Stores' on your competition, what do you think is going to happen to you when Home Depot catches word of this? I feel like you are going to suffer the same fate. I hope you are starting to look for a new job." Plant lover, I am confused. Why  should be concerned when Home Depot finds out about this, which apparently they have? Are they are going to run me out of business? I can see it now in Atlanta, "Hey guy's, let's put that Blogging Nurseryman out of business . He's a real thorn in our sides".  I am the last person they should be worried about. As a matter of fact, according to Sarah they are going to try and straighten things up. Oh, oh, maybe I just created a new monster our business will have to deal with. A new and improved garden department at the Placerville Home Depot. According to Sid's comment, you as a gardener should be applauding me for helping The Depot improve their garden department, and thus helping gardeners like you. As for a new job, I am not going anywhere. What am I suppose to do, sell the business, property, and get a job at Chrysler? Besides, it's not a job, it's a lifestyle!

Plant Lover, I am thrilled you wrote. I like it when people disagree with me, and post their thoughts. It makes for a more lively  blog, and gives people who disagree with me something to cheer about. I have to this date posted every comment made at this blog, no matter how much people disagree with me. I do think however that your comment that, "I have been to your Golden Gecko Garden Center in Garden Valley and I have to say that Capital Nursery is a much better garden store then yours", is too open ended. To compare my little 2 acre, foothill located store to them is flattering to say the least.  Can I ask you for another comment? Would you kindly tell me why Capitol Nursery is a better place? What are they doing that I could do that would make for a better experience at my store? Does Capitol Nursery sell vegetables only in bio-degradable pots? Is that why they are better?

What I have learned is a big concern like Home Depot can be a lot more gracious than some individuals.  Sarah at Home Depot should be congratulated for taking the time to respond to customer complaints. I don't like seeing plants in the condition I saw them in. It's poor plant husbandry and needs to be addressed. I hope Home Depot does address this issue at our local store. As Sid said, "Every dollar they get is a financial drain in the short and long term. In the long term consumers who buy inferior and improperly cared for plants have less success and are averse to continuing to spend their time and money on something they are not good at without ever knowing they were destined to fail." According to Sid, a well run, clean Home Depot will create more successful gardeners, that may shop at my store, too. I don't know if I completely agree with Sid, but the point is well taken.

What a mess!

Visiting my local Home Depot yesterday I was amazed to see them selling vegetables in 4" size pot's for$2.98. We sell our 4" size peppers for $1.99. Of course they come with a bio-degradable pot, ours come in plastic pots. Other than that I cannot see why they are selling them for that price. Never the less they we're quite picked through by anxious shoppers. The quality of plant material that they sell at our Placerville Home Depot is evident by these pictures. The plants arrive and put on pallets crammed together, then left that way for way to long. This is lousy horticulture, and an embarrassment I would think for the corporation? The best looking displays at our Home Depot? The pallet after pallet of Scotts Miracle-Gro fertilizer and soils. Considering the care these plants receive it's a "miracle" they are purchased. How does Scotts feel having their product displayed along side these quality plants?

Am I picking on Home Depot here? Sure! I have watched for years how Home Depot crushed any local competition by undercutting the prices of better run independent garden centers. The myth of Home Depot being the cheapest is just that, a myth.

I don't know what's going on in the rest of the country, but here the Home Depot Garden Center can do nothing but improve our business and other local garden businesses. Where are all the Home Depot Certified Nurserypeople they are always talking about? Does anyone care that these plants are doomed from the get go? Who grows plants for Home Depot anymore? As a grower I would be ashamed to see my plants treated this way. As a grower I should know this is what's going to happen if I do still to them.

The nursery industry has fragmented between growers of plant material shown above, and quality growers. You cannot tell me that a grower, or nursery like Home Depot is cut from the same cloth as honest horticulturalists who would cringe at what I saw. One is just in it to turn units, while the other really cares if the plant survives at your home.

We will not buy from growers that supply Home Depot. I was going to buy some citrus from a certain grower until I saw their trees stuffed into the plant gulag at The Depot. Sorry, but that indicates a business practice I just do not want part of. I know Home Depot's in other parts of the country may be better run. Isn't there something the County Agricultural Inspector should be doing here? Isn't the sale of obviously dying plants somehow wrong?

I would love to hear back from someone at Home Depot or Scotts on what they think of this.

This too shall pass...

Gardening is a hobby, unless you intend to sell what you grow. Like any hobby there is a learning curve. At the beginning many mistakes are made and the ability to stay motivated is tested. Eventually the rudimentary task are learned and more complex situations arise, testing the gardener. Hopefully the results and pleasure of the garden will keep you occupied for the rest of your life. Gardening is one of life's pleasures. I know the vast majority of potential gardeners will drop the hobby once the ability to stay motivated is exhausted. Here in the foothills that might actually happen the first night when the deer come through and destroy everything you planted. "You mean I have to build a fence to keep the deer out?" "I fenced the deer out but now there is something eating the roots". "I put gopher wire in and now something I can't see is eating my plants at night." Etc. Etc. Etc.

The great gardening wave of 2010 will pass, like all the other waves that have come through. This makes people upset that have invested so much psychic energy in the idea of the country becomming more like Britain, where gardening is a national pastime. I hope that a percentage of new people being drawn to gardening this year will stick with it. Maybe 10 or 20%, at the very most. Actually those figures are most likely too high. Once people begin to realize that they are not going to starve if they don't have a vegetable garden, the interest in vegetable gardening that we see now will lapse.

Once we get out of the notion that the country is going to be one big garden, we can focus on the smaller percentage of people who will take the time to learn the hobby of gardening. The notion that we need a national figure to promote gardening is a bit old fashioned. I think The White House vegetable garden is a great idea, if The First Lady really wanted one. If she really wanted to garden then we should let her, and quit trying to interject all of our ideas about vegetable gardening into her garden. She should not have to garden by exit polls.

Just because the intense intrest in gardening will lapse, doesn't mean we are not still embarking upon a new era in gardening. In our garden businesses we are facing the unknown. No one knows what is comming. All boats are not rising in this new gardening world. My friends in the wholesale ornamental businesses are suffering. Not enough new construction of homes to keep the stock moving. Now they are forced to try to find enough retail outlets to sell stock to. The avilabilty list the sales people carry with them are huge. Page after page of plants, they cannot sell.

I have always felt that "small is cool" when it comes to business. Now we can see why it's so cool. No longer envious of large concerns with lot's of employees, the small garden center can keep the overhead low. No longer impressed with the big clients, who now are downsizing and can't afford to buy plants.. The smaller customer with her tomato, bag of starter food, and enthusiasm is more dependable than the big accounts. I like the idea that my customers are using the internet to learn about gardening from a local garden blogger or local celebrity, rather than some "national figure" on HGTV.

I am excited about the future, even though we have no idea what's in store. I do know that I would not want to be anywhere else but working at my small garden center with customers that really want to learn about gardening. It's a honest (long) day of work, where we help people improve their environment, and make the world a more beautiful place. We need more businesses like this.

Take a breath

Lot's of new people coming into the nursery. Either they have just discovered us, or just discovered gardening. What a great opportunity if we don't let the spring craziness get to us. Yea, they ask a hundred questions and need some hand holding, but what an opportunity to start these people off on the right foot. I write this post to myself, as much as anyone else. Take a breath, and think about what this person on front of you is embarking on. To them it's into a land of mystery and excitement. Where to start? Fertilizer, organics, annuals, perennials, 4" pot, full sun, light shade, dappled shade, herbaceous, etc. etc. It means nothing to the new gardener. They are a blank slate and willing to listen to a trustworthy source.

Let's not let the craziness of spring get to us this year. Let's realize how lucky we are to see people coming in the door, when so many businesses are not.  Slow down, and really listen (without constantly glancing at the line forming at the cash register).

Today is Saturday, temperatures in the mid-seventies, The Needle Nellies will be hanging the quilts in the garden, and I expect a lot of people walking through the door. Going to see a lot of new customers today!

Spring so far

Wanted to take a quick look at spring '09 so far. Here are some of the key things that have caught my attention. 1. Business is good, if your market is the homeowner.

2. Especially here in California, business is not so good in the landscape trades.  I am no longer envious of the nurseries that focused on servicing landscapers.

3. It's all about the weather, and here in northern California we are looking at great weather for the next week at least.

4. Vegetables rule!

5. 4" size perennials in the 3.99 and 4.99 price range are also popular.

6. Trees and shrub sales are lagging, but still doing o.k.

7. Organic fertilizers and pesticides are a hit. Our foray into hydoponics was a great move and is becoming a very poplular part of our store.  Why didn't we do this earlier?

That's it. There is actually more but it's Saturday, sunny with a high of 75 predicted, and we are staring at our busiest two weeks of the year comming up, so I am off.

Never before, that I can remember has the independent, locally owned garden center had so much going for it. It seems like all the trends right now are good for our business. Never the less, it's time to make hay while the sun shines. No time to sit around.

Have a fantastic weekend!