The Blogging Nurseryman by Trey Pitsenberger

Interesting article concerning Hines Nurseries at Grower Talks Magazine. Titled “The Rebirth of Hines” the article talks to Steve Thigpen, CEO of Hines Nurseries (then Hines Horticulture), and his long-time Hines colleague and friend Joe Gray. Ten years ago Grower Talks Magazine interviewed Steve about the direction of the business which at the time was rapidly growing and the first publicly traded nursery company.

Over the last 10 years the companies sales have fallen, from $423 million to $130 million. In between a bankruptcy, a change in management, and now it’s no longer publicly traded.  As it tries to rebuild it’s business one thing is clear, the nursery business is splitting into two different factions. One side dominated by box stores and their suppliers, and the rest of us and our suppliers. As Joe Gray say’s, “The more data we get, the more information, the more planning we can receive, it helps us in our production and in servicing them (box stores). Personally, I think we’re getting closer, we have a better working relationship, we understand each other’s needs a lot better. I think it’s good. I think a good, healthy relationship helps us plan out our production and our business and partner better.”

The box stores and their suppliers  must work more closely together. With the relationship becoming tighter it only seems logical that the independent garden center will have to search out alternative suppliers for it’s needs. The days of independents and box stores using the same vendors seems antiquated. How can the independent distinguish itself from the box stores if it is selling the same plants as the box stores?

There will always be people who favor the box stores over independents. There are also people who want to support smaller locally owned businesses and make a point of not shopping at boxes. Then there is a whole group of people who shop at both. The best bet for the smaller independent is to service the second group. I have seen an increase in the number of people who want to shop with us not just because we have what they want, but also to support the local business. I think we are entering an era where many people are becoming more conscious of the ultimate cost of loosing locally owned business. If you don’t shop there, one day they will be gone.

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According to The Los Angeles Times, the new lawn at the LAPD headquarters has been installed. As  the paper mention’s, “Just after the new 10-story building and its landscaping were dedicated last fall, trucks and cranes rolled in to erect a massive tent for a Los Angeles Police Foundation fundraiser. Work on the gala ended up destroying the lawn, the LAPD says.” Here is the background story. “The rare open space, a hit with downtown loft-dwellers and their dogs, debuted as an alluring oasis in the city’s urban core, complete with a stand of palm trees at one end and edges of benches, native plants and tall grasses,” said The Times. “Just after the 10-story building and its sustainable, park-like landscaping were dedicated last fall, trucks and cranes rolled in to erect a massive tent for a Los Angeles Police Foundation fundraiser. Ironically, work on the gala, which raises money to help improve the department, ended up destroying the green, the LAPD says. Vehicle tracks gouged in the turf can still be seen, and sprinklers in a water-conserving irrigation system were damaged, officials say.”Here are some more before and after pictures. 

My question is, in a city where the average rainfall amounts to approx. 15 inches a year could we have come up with a better alternative to this expanse of green? I am not anti-lawn, except where conditions don’t seem right. This would seem to be one of those situations. Los Angeles is a desert served with water shipped from many miles away. In addition the city offers a rebate to citizens for ripping out their lawns. The rebate was offered in June of 2009, during one of the areas frequent droughts.

What happens with the next drought? Will this lawn be ripped out and replaced with a water conserving landscape? What message does this send to citizens of the city? Could this area have been designed a bit differently?

My last post on embracing change talked about how gardening information is being dispensed through media not usually associated with gardening. Just after the post I checked the site meter and found some incoming links from this source. Checking it out I found the comment board discussing late blight on tomatoes. What’s the site? “AR15.com, Home of The Black Rifle”. It’s a gun site devoted to the “history, manuals, ammo, manufacturers, discussion groups, mailing lists, and distributors of AR-15s” (a type of gun). What is it about guns and gardening? I would gather it has to do with the whole self-reliance trend. No matter how you feel about guns, the fact that still another magazine like Garden & Gun, Soul of the New South exists shows how gardening information is now being dispensed through areas not formally considered “garden related.”

It’s a huge opportunity for the local garden center to reach out to people and groups that formally might not have been considered “garden focused.” Interesting…

The interest in gardening has never been more intense, yet we see more and more wholesale and retail nurseries closing. What’s up? I don’t think the interest in gardening overall is growing, just certain aspects or gardening. Our sales this year indicate the change. The interest in our “little neck of the woods” is in consumables, and color spots. Just try selling Japanese Maples or ornamental conifers and you’ll see what I mean. Sod sales are non-existent. Operations that catered to the landscape crowd are doing poorly, while nurseries that cater to the “home grown” group are doing better. Just ask my shrub and tree suppliers. Our sales are way down with these folks.

We’re happy with the change.  I enjoy helping people become more self-reliant. People will pay for vegetables, fruit trees, and the assorted items that help them succeed.  The younger crowd is especially interested in self-reliance. Generation y and z will spend money on gardening, but not so much the ornamental type of gardening. They are rightly concerned with their futures, and many see the answer in growing their own. This is reflected in magazines where gardening is discussed but not the center of attention. Backwoods Home Magazine, Mother Earth News, Backyard Poultry Magazine, Maximum Yield, etc. It’s more about creating a self-reliant lifestyle than creating a “outdoor room.”

As our country seems at times to be rudderless, people naturally want to steer their own course. The smaller garden center as a huge opportunity to be the place to help people reach their goals. My sales this year indicate that vegetables, color spots, soils, seeds, and fertilizers are where peoples interests are. People will pay a premium for local, expert information. It’s been great to see first time gardeners coming back this year. They we’re successful in their gardens last year and want to continue the trend. They do want to support locally owned businesses if you can supply them with their needs, and be there when they need help. The information part is so important. People want to connect with someone they can come to and know they will be steered in the right direction.

What a great time to be a small, locally owned nursery. Small, because you can change course quickly to suit your customers needs. Locally owned, because people want to know that the nursery they shop at has a vested interest in the community.

We have been busy this spring! Now that summer has arrived with temps. in the 100F degree range it’s starting to slow down. Typical in this business. We will hold a drip irrigation workshop this Saturday at 10 to 11am. Drip irrigation is really big here in northern California where no rain falls all summer. We sell all the parts necessary to install and operate a drip system.During summer our sales are mostly in the fertilizer, pest control and drip irrigation departments. Most folks have planted their gardens and are now in the maintenance mode.

Here in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada our soils are lacking in key nutrients for plant health. The addition of fertilizer to the garden is almost a must. At planting time a starter fertilizer high in phosphorus is applied. Our soils lack phosphorus as well as calcium and other minor nutrients. In addition our soil is typically acid, anywhere between 4 to 5.5 in the pH range. At those readings many nutrients are locked up and unavailable for plants to use. Most vegetables need a pH of about 6.5, while some need a lower pH. Having an understanding of pH and how to adjust it are important. To that end we have been  selling pH meters like there is no tomorrow. These $9.99 meters are accurate and quick enough for most people.  The most important aspect is it get’s people thinking about their soil and how it affects plant growth.

The meters we sell also have a moisture reading component. After 30 years in the nursery biz you would think I would know when the soil is dry and my tomatoes need watering, not. You can imagine how dry our soil looks with high temps and no rain in summer. It’s common for people to over water here since it’s so hot outside the plants must need water. So the moisture meter is perfect as once you push the probes into the ground you find out that under that dry soil the soil has moisture in it. I have been able to increase the length of time between watering my vegetables making for healthier plants and a lower water bill. Sometimes having a tool that confirms or denies what you think you know is a very valuable asset. For the customer is confirms what we tell them concerning raising or lowering the pH and it’s relationship to fertilizer they will need.

Jodee commented in the last post about holding workshops or classes through the summer for beginning gardeners. I think classes or workshops are a great idea for the garden center. There are a lot of people who find gardening interesting but don’t know how to begin. Yes, there is all sorts of information on the internet but many people would rather connect and learn from people in the garden. The problem with the internet is there is too much info, and often not localized enough.

The only problem with summer classes is the competition with other activities that pop up. I have found that once school gets out in June the attendance seems to drop. Just because the attendance drops does not mean you can’t hold classes that will be beneficial for the gardener and nursery.  We will be holding our drip irrigation class in two weeks. By then people will be dealing with the chore of watering their gardens and looking for more efficient ways to water. I think people will respond to most classes if the subject matter is important enough to them.

We’ve had classes that where very well attended, and classes where NOBODY showed up. The important thing is to just do them and try to make changes that will attract more people next time. Workshops are a great way to connect with the community and gain customers. Often the same people who attend the workshops end up enthused and purchase goods turning a slower day into a more profitable one.

We had a class last week on using native plants for fire protection. Fire is our biggest threat here in the foothills and the proper landscaping can mean the difference between saving or loosing ones home. The class was put on by our native plant wholesale partners, Lotus Valley Natives. A couple of weeks earlier we had Carolyn Singer who authored the book Deer in My Garden speak. The Divide Garden Club and guests showed up and everyone enjoyed her talk. Right as she started we lost power to the workshop building. Oh well, run extension cords and get the coffee machines back up and running! We have had it rain on classes, had the wrong date posted, no one show up, too many show up, etc. The main thing is to just keep doing them.

Become indispensable to your community.  If all we do is carry the same things that the local box stores carry then we are doomed. Find the areas they are not addressing and build a niche. Become the local information center for all things horticultural. There is a real need out there for information presented in a friendly atmosphere. Most people who are developing an interest in gardening are also aware there is so much to learn. They will embrace a place that provides that information on a regular basis. Many also like the idea that we are a smaller operation that really appreciates their patronage. Their hard earned money can make a difference they can see, both at their homes and your store.

So now that spring is coming to an end how was your season? We we’re busy, but not selling the things we use to sell a few years ago. Consumables are the driving force these days. Grow your own is the new mantra. Soil conditioners, fertilizers, vegetable starts, and seeds all increased. Shrubs, tress, and landscaping are still poor sellers. Small four inch container and jumbo pack flowers sell well. People still want to pretty up the yard, just not with expensive Japanese maples, ornamental conifers and the rest.

We are going to position the garden center as the place to go for the stuff necessary to feed your family. The place where soils, fertilizers, and ideas that you can use to create a sense of self sufficiency for your family is what we are becoming.  I am finding it harder and harder to get excited about the next ever blooming hydrangea or Proven Winners introduction.  What I find interesting is how we as communities can create a vibrant culture of self-sufficiency. I see the garden center as a critical component of this movement.  So many people have lost touch with what it takes to grow your own. Having a place where one can re-learn that lost ability will be critical in our communities future. The garden center can be that place.

True garden centers will become indispensable components in our communities, rather than just a place to buy flowers. The industry is gravitating in this direction now. The large box store garden centers are becoming the places for cheap flowers and landscaping. They have the power of size and vendors committed to them that they now own that space. Why compete with them? Independent garden centers can niche out the “grow your own”, and “self-reliance” field for themselves. When the information you need means the difference between feeding your family or going hungry who are you going to trust? The box store, or your neighbors at the locally owned garden center? Huge opportunity for independent garden centers.

While we all wait to see how the Health Care Reform Act will affect us some interesting tidbits are sneaking out. One such tidbit has nothing to do with health care reform (big surprise). According to The Wall Street Journal, “the law also requires all businesses to issue IRS 1099 forms to document every business-to-business transaction of $600 or more. To someone who’s never run a business, this may sound like nothing. But Congress hopes to raise $17 billion in added tax revenues and fees from this new mandate. That’s hardly nothing.”

Can someone tell me how this improves our health care? This is huge! Filling out a 1099 form every time we purchase stuff to sell at the nursery.  As the article states, if you don’t own a small business it may seem like a small deal, but virtually every time we purchase something for resale it comes to more than $600. Good grief! Running a small business is difficult enough without having to fill out a government form every time we buy something for resale.

This is another example of our present government at work.  Work on health care reform, but while we are at it let’s screw all the hardworking small businesses that account for so much of our economy. As if it wasn’t hard enough to make a profit lets add a layer of government over site to the equation. Lets make the day just a little longer filling out government forms so we can really go home tired at the end of the day. Of course we will need to hire a few thousand extra IRS agents to wade through this tsunami of paper work. More government!

This is what happens when the people who wrote the law can’t even tell us what’s in it. We get the pleasure of seeing bits of it float to the surface from time to time. If as a small business owner you wondered how this health care bill would affect you, we are starting to find out. It’s not pretty.

Wired.com has a Geek Gardening guide to Domestic Terraforming. It’s fun to see how gardening, ooops I mean domestic terraforming is viewed by the geeky crowd. As the article states, “Gardeners are among the world’s most charming snobs. Rightly so: As with music and mathematics, the more you know, the more elegant your work. Erudition is valued, and so is a smattering of pretension. If you are a geek looking to put down roots, welcome to gardening. We offer you common ground. Think of it as localized terraforming, if that helps.”

The Transatlantic Plantsman, Graham Rice has a post today titled “Don’t buy hostas from Home Depot“. Graham bemoans the fact that he “found their hosta labeling in complete chaos.” He continues, “even allowing for the fact that all the plants were very soft and had clearly been forced, and for the fact that the foliage of young plants is often not typical of mature specimens - well, it’s entirely possible that none of the names are right!”

This is really not surprising. As a horticulturalist Graham knows the importance of plant names and keeping them straight.  The problem is the corporate mindset at the box stores could care less. As in my last post concerning the re-emergence of tomato blight the box stores attitude is, it’s not our concern but our suppliers. Concerning letting the customers know about tomato blight and the possible control methods available the answer is, “the grower, Bonnie, conducts quality control at its centers.” I am sure the answer to the hosta mislabeling would also be, “it’s our growers responsibility, not ours.”

This seems to be a trend at the mass merchants. They are just conduits for plants that are grown by others. If there is a problem they just ship the stuff back to the grower and don’t pay. It’s called pay at scan. Invasive plants, sick plants, and mis-labeled plants are the growers problem, not the garden center at the box store. Of course the average customer at the box store could care less about these issues. Just give me a pretty plant to stick in my yard.

I am well aware that what we are saying here will have virtually no impact on sales or customers at the mass merchants. Our local Home Depot  is most likely the single largest supplier of plant material in our area. On a typical weekend it is packed with eager shoppers just dying to plant their tomato upside down, buy shade plants (they’re called hostas?) or get some bougainvillea (an expensive annual in our area). Oh well, as the operations manager at Lowes commented, “it’s business as usual in the garden department… we have people literally waiting for the [plant] truck to show up.”