Kevin's Greenhouse Angle

Amazon.com: A Grower’s New Frontier

2011-04-25T11:21:00.003-04:00

My hometown newspaper, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, published an interesting story last week about a grower-retailer who went from a traditional family grower-retail business to one that generates about 70 percent of its annual sales from Amazon.com. I've heard mixed stories over the years about growers who've tried e-commerce, but this particular grower-retailer, Hirt's Gardens, has found Amazon to be a great fit.

Alan Hirt, 63, says his company originally tried to sell products on its own website, but sales through it and eBay weren't enough to support Hirt's seven employees. Hirt always thought of Amazon as a book website first, but he found an opportunity for his own businesss there. Hirt's has grown tremendously over the last five years.

Sales are now $3 million, Hirt says -- 300 percent times what they were in 2006 -- and average orders are around $20. Hirt's Gardens doesn't just sell plants through Amazon, either. It sells other garden products and gifts.

"It didn't take long for us to realize that it's very expensive trying to drive people to your website with Internet advertising," Alan Hirt told The Plain Dealer. "Overnight we expanded our customer base to include the whole country."

The Plain Dealer indicates Hirt's Gardens is the only grower Amazon is currently working with.

Visit Hirt's Gardens on its Amazon Web store.

Trees, Flowers Add Character To MLB Parks

2011-03-11T10:06:00.003-04:00

I came across an unusual story this morning about 14 black spruces at the Minnesota Twins’ Target Field in Minneapolis. The Twins had 14 black spruces planted in center field for their inaugural season at Target Field last season, but the trees were recently removed for 2011 because batters found them distracting as they tried to follow the baseball out of the pitcher’s hand.

Fortunately, those trees have a temporary home at Bergen’s Greenhouses, a Top 100 Grower, and they’ll eventually be relocated to state parks and other parts of Target Field.

I’m a huge baseball fan and I’ve always believed the trees, shrubs and flowers you find at ballparks across the country add tremendous character to them. Here in Cleveland, Progressive Field had the Davey Tree Backyard Picnic Area for a number of years, and Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. (pictured above right)and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia have flower boxes atop their outfield walls.

I haven’t seen Minnesota’s Target Field yet but the article I read on the Forest Lake Times online indicates Bergen’s is putting geraniums and pansies in the outfield there this season.

“Hopefully they’ll make it to the postseason and we’ll have postseason mums,” says Kevin Johnson, co-owner of Bergen’s Greenhouse.

The Blue Orchid

2011-01-24T17:43:00.008-04:00

One of the most-talked about products unveiled at last week's Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition (TPIE) was Silver Vase's blue orchid, 'Blue Mystique.' You've probably seen 'Blue Mystique' by now and cast a hate-it or love-it judgement. Personally, I think it's interesting. It's not something I'd buy for myself -- no, I'm not much of an orchid lover -- but at least a few growers seem to be casting 'Blue Mystique' aside as "the next painted poinsettia," or a product that's going to taint an otherwise healthy, existing market.

If you're a blooming potted grower, the more appropriate question than "what do you think of 'Blue Mystique,'" is whether or not there is indeed a market for it. Put aside your personal feelings and consider whether or not consumers would buy into blue. I've already heard one potential marketing approach for 'Blue Mystique' in "It's a boy!" Surely, there are other possibilities blue can build on.

My point is growers sometimes base their buying decisions on their own preferences when they should be basing them on the consumer's. I remember having at least a few conversations with greenhouse industry folks -- Marshall Dirks, Proven Winners' director of marketing & public relations, certainly is one -- who point out the backward decision-making that takes place in our industry at times.

Arguably 95 percent of the people doing the growing (a.k.a. product selection) are men, while arguably 95 percent of the people doing the purchasing are women. Wouldn't it make sense, then, to keep the consumer in mind? And buy based on the consumer's preferences rather than your own?

Most growers, I'm sure, keep the consumer in mind when they select product. It just makes me wonder if enough are dismissing new, much-talked-about products without having a rational conversation about that product's potential for their business.

State Of Botanical Gardens A Red Flag

2010-08-09T14:52:00.002-04:00

Botanical gardens aren’t just looking for gardeners to come visit them these days. They’re looking for people who go to art museums and zoos.

So says Pat Matheson, the executive director of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, who’s quoted in a New York Times story last month in which author Judith H. Dobrzynski explores how botanical gardens across the United States are pulling the reins back on gardening and looking for new ways to attract visitors.

Gardening is, of course, still a primary draw of botanical gardens. But botanical garden directors are turning to food festivals, concerts and sculptures to draw crowds that used to visit solely for the showcase of flowers.

Times change, though.

“There’s a generation that will be less interested in gardens, but that generation is incredibly interested in what’s happening with the planet,” Daniel J. Stark, executive director of the public gardens association told The New York Times. “Recently, my own two daughters, and a friend, were reading me the riot act about cutting down some trees.”

Shockingly, Stark’s daughters are 4 and 8. And if they already care enough to preserve trees, our industry needs to be front and center explaining to them why gardening is just as vital.

The same should be the case for our nation’s botanical gardens. Food festivals and concerts shouldn’t be the primary motivation for visiting them. Plants should be the primary purpose, while events add value to the botanical garden experience.

Unfortunately, we have work to do to convince next generations gardening is worth the effort and our botanical gardens are worth a visit. The two go hand in hand, of course. So let the state of our botanical gardens serve as yet another reminder that gardening, in general, needs a boost.

Rethinking America In Bloom

2010-07-16T09:29:00.005-04:00

America In Bloom (AIB) has been around since 2002, leading the charge to beautify our communities, towns and cities with floriculture. But despite the nine years AIB has spent spreading the word of our industry, growth has been somewhat hard to come by.

AIB, of course, has involved 180 cities in its competition over the last eight years, and it has made its presence known in 38 states. But at a Tuesday breakfast at OFA Short Course, growers, retailers and other industry leaders discussed ways to reshape AIB with leaders of OFA and AIB.

First, a grassroots program like America In Bloom is only possible because of the volunteer board and judges who dedicate time away from their regular jobs to make sure AIB grows and connects more and more people to plants via education and its friendly competition.

Still, AIB needs more financing to connect more communities, cities and states to our industry. A full-time paid director and staff could propel AIB into thousands of towns over the next few years rather than the near 200. But from where will the financing come?

Ultimately, it should come from growers. But AIB needs to show growers precisely what its impact is on them. AIB leaders say the program has engaged 22 million people since its 2002 inception. And I firmly believe AIB’s role has generated more interest in plants, which, in turn, has resulted in more plant buying from the public.

But as Blooms of Bressingham’s Gary Doerr asked Tuesday, how do we measure the additional plant buying? If AIB can show how many more plants growers can sell as a result of having their community involved in the beautification program, more growers would be compelled to support AIB.

Of course, I’m not sure exactly how you measure AIB’s impact on purchasing – the industry leaders in the room don’t seem to have the formula in mind, either – but I do believe more growers would support America In Bloom financially if they knew the program directly benefited them.

Another point that emerged from Tuesday’s meeting is this: AIB is geared toward beautifying cities when, perhaps, it should be focused on neighborhoods and communities. How, as Doerr pointed out, can AIB beautify New York City? It’s a daunting challenge, yes, but beautifying Coney Island or the Upper East Side is a more manageable project.

Then, once you’ve showed Coney Island and the Upper East Side the value of plants, perhaps they’ll peak the interest of adjacent neighborhoods who want to get involved.

The bottom line is America In Bloom is a good program – a very good program. And it’s definitely the vehicle that can take our industry to new heights. Perhaps it just needs a makeover, as OFA President Danny Takao suggests in Greenhouse Grower’s July issue.

Planting Pride: Lompoc Valley

2010-02-17T14:45:00.005-04:00

Lompoc Valley, a city in California that competed and won the America In Bloom competition last year, recently painted a mural honoring 100 years of the local flower seed industry in the city. The mural was completed in January and 200 volunteers from the area participated in painting it.

"All ages showed up to add their personal touch - from local high school students to business and community leaders, as well as employed and retired senior citizens," says Dennis Headrick, executive assistant for the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau. The festivities also included musical entertainment and food for the volunteer participants."

How’s This For Consumer Advertising?

2009-11-18T10:13:00.005-04:00

If you picked up a copy of Vogue magazine’s November issue – I’ll admit I didn’t, but that’s only because I’m a Sports Illustrated guy – you may have noticed Proven Winners is featured in a piece that links fashion to gardening.

You can check out an example in the picture to the right (click to enlarge), which is actually page 202 of the magazine. You’ll see Proven Winners pots at the bottom of the Vogue page at the base of the blue truck.

Danielle Ernest, public relations and brand development coordinator for Proven Winners, says Proven Winners was super excited to see the piece. She also shared some interesting data on who Vogue reaches each week:

• Circulation: 1.2 million
• Median Age: 35 years
• Median Income: $65,908

Danielle adds that a one-page ad in Vogue costs $128,220 – and Proven Winners’ product placement was not paid for.

How’s that for consumer advertising?

Last Plant Standing: 'Snow Princess'

2009-10-28T15:20:00.010-04:00

I visited Four Star Greenhouse back in August and was fortunate to tour its Proven Winners trial garden on site. If you haven't visited the operation or seen the trials, I'd recommend making a visit to Carleton, Mich.

Anyway, one of the varieties that was absolutely thriving in the trial gardens upon my visit was 'Snow Princess.' You've probably heard plenty about 'Snow Princess' by now, as it won Greenhouse Grower's Editor's Choice and Industry's Choice awards this year.

Now that November's nearly here, you'd think it'd be time to remove 'Snow Princess' and its annual companions from the garden. But not at Four Star, where Marketing Director George Strimpel says 'Snow Princess' is one of just a few annuals that hasn't yet been removed.

"It looks too good," says George, who also mentioned 'Snow Princess' has survived many frosts.

Check out late-season 'Snow Princess' for yourself at Four Star in this YouTube video link.

My Visit To The Netherlands

2009-10-21T14:30:00.004-04:00

I was in The Netherlands all last week as part of a program the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of The Netherlands hosted. The experience was one of the greatest I've ever had because of the many things I learned and saw and the people I met.

The Dutch ministry invited 22 journalists from 16 countries to Amsterdam so we could share all-things-Dutch horticulture with the world. I visited Horti Fair in Amsterdam, the FloraHolland Trade Fair and the Dutch Flower Auction in Aalsmeer and other institutions that play a vital role in the success of Dutch horticulture.

If you're interested, check out what I found most interesting in The Netherlands on Greenhouse Grower's International blog. I'll continue to update that blog over the next few weeks, and you can expect more coverage on my visit to The Netherlands in Greenhouse Grower's upcoming December issue.

Hook 'Em While They're Young

2009-10-21T14:07:00.007-04:00

Macaroni & Cheese, Ramen noodles and Hot Pockets are staples of a typical college student's diet, but Matthew Lehman, a college student at Hesston College in Kansas, is growing fresh vegetables in his dorm room.

Lehman's blogging about his successes and failures as a gardener, too. You can check out his most recent blog post here.

I imagine the space Lehman dedicates to his garden is substantial. Remember your dorm room? It probably felt more like a bathroom in size than a master bedroom.

Still, maybe there's a large audience our industry is missing: college students. Imagine the potential for our industry if every college student thought Lehman's way. Most students aren't self starters like Lehman, but colleges and universities with horticulture departments could easily deliver a healthy lifestyle message by promoting dorm room gardens. Local growers could even help out, providing a starter kit for freshmen or other students with an interest.

If anything, dorm room gardens are one way to connect with Generation Y and the generations to come. Hook consumers while they're confined to dorm rooms for three or four years. If we can show students the benefits of growing their own healthy vegetables, there's potential to hook them on flowers and other products when it comes time for those students to buy homes.

Taking H1N1 Seriously

2009-10-06T11:28:00.005-04:00

Experienced growers have learned how to combat diseases like downy mildew, powdery mildew and pythium, but a handful of growers may find themselves in uncharted territory in the coming months if greenhouse workers come down with the H1N1 flu virus.

Personally, I'm an H1N1 skeptic. Until I see a wide spread of the virus in the United States, I'll continue to believe there really isn't much to worry about. Thousands of people die from the flu every year anyway, and H1N1 hasn't become the Black Plague yet. I do agree the better-safe-than-sorry preparation avenue is the right one, though.

So, whether you're an H1N1 non-believer like me or a believer that an H1N1 outbreak is imminent in the U.S., the following action items the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued should serve as good simple yet good preparatory steps for you and your employees.

1. Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

2. Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes. Germs spread this way.

3. Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or cough and sneeze into your elbow. Dispose of tissues in no-touch trash receptables.

4. Keep frequently touched common surfaces clean.

5. Do not use other workers' phones, desks, offices or other work tools and equipment.

6. Don't spread the flu! If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home.

7. Get vaccinated against seasonal flu. It can protect you against seasonal influenza viruses, but not against 2009 H1N1.

8. Ask your doctor if you should get the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine. Pregnant women and people with chronic medical condittions (i.e. asthma, heart disease or diabetes) are all recommended to receive the H1N1 flu vaccine when it becomes available. People living with or caring for infants under 6 months old should also be vaccinated.

I'd be interested to learn if any growers sat down with their employees or posted H1N1-specific preventative instructions within their facilities.

Is H1N1 something you're taking seriously, or is "just another flu season" on the horizon? Let me know!

Bonnie Taking Blogosphere By Storm

2009-08-05T08:44:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I spoke with Dennis Thomas, general manager of Bonnie Plants. Thomas shed light on the latest Late Blight news developments in the Northeast, some of which he says are false because Bonnie Plants has not been told by states like Maine that its vegetables are plauged with Late Blight.

Thomas set the record straight in a Greenhouse Grower interview, and you can read a Q&A with Thomas here.

Not surprisingly, Thomas says the Northeast Late Blight outbreak is the most significant disease development he's been a part of in his 15 years with Bonnie Plants. Thomas is actually supposed to be retired now – and technically he is – but Bonnie has been inundated with media requests recently, and he's spent the first official days of his retirement answering questions about the outbreak.

It's Time To Warm To Facebook

2009-08-04T14:37:00.003-04:00

Not a believer in Facebook? You’re not the only grower, as many are slow to warm to the social networking site. When you do finally realize the advantages, though, there are nine suggested rules all small businesses should follow on Facebook.

In a recent post on AllFacebook.com, Nick O'Neill lists nine rules of Facebook promotion every small business should follow. You can read more about O'Neill's rules here, but I'll list them below:

1. Go Slow & Steady, Don't Overdo It
2. Contact Your Fans Directly
3. Don't Spam
4. Consider It An Educational Experience
5. Limit Your Advertising Budget
6. Create A Facebook Page, Not New Profiles
7. Use Coupons & Other Incentives
8. Emphasize Mobile Subscriptions
9. Post Occasional Entertaining Statuses

At this point, there's no reason your growing operation should not have a Facebook page. One recurring sentiment we all hear as an industry is how we don't connect well with younger generations. We're always looking for someone else to devise a solution to lure Generation X and Y to our products.

Facebook is that link. Your customers 40-and-under are probably already on Facebook. Ask them about it. Your customers 40-and-under are also probably fans of other growers and industry groups marketing themselves to the users. It's time you start marketing yourselves.

Got a question about Facebook? Leave a comment below, and I'll give you an answer or some feedback.

Top 100 Growers Dish On Industry Issues

2009-07-13T10:49:00.000-04:00

Greenhouse Grower hosted its second annual Top 100 Growers breakfast roundtable Monday morning. The roundtable gives Top 100 Growers a chance to get together, discuss their spring outcomes and dish on other industry topics.

This year, our roundtable included a panel of four Top 100 Growers: Gary Mangum of Bell Nursery (Md.), Mike Rimland of Costa Farms (Fla.), Brian Sullivan of Ivy Acres (N.Y.) and Mike Treiber of Color Spot Nursery (Calif.). The four answered questions about the markets and big box retailers they serve, buying decisions and spring demand.

All four growers were upbeat about Spring 2009, as were several Top 100 Growers in attendance. Costa Farms now focuses 75 percent of its production on blooming potted plants, but the rest of the business centers around annual bedding plants. Rimland says Suntory’s mandevillas were standouts this year. Costa increased production of the mandevillas, and sell through of them was extraordinary.

The weather was the biggest factor in Ivy Acres’ success this year. Mangum, whose operation is well known for serving Home Depot, says spring weather hampered the business a bit but sales were better than usual when the sun shined. “I don’t believe the economy had the effect some thought it might this year,” he says.

A reason Bell Nursery, Costa Farms and Ivy Acres are traditionally successful during spring, they say, is because of the grower and retailer relationships they’ve formed over the years. Color Spot grows all of its own product, but as merchants asked the other three growers to increase their SKUs, they turned to other growers – some who’ve become monoculturists – who’ve helped them meet the quality and quantity needs of the retailers they serve. Partnering with operations that focus on one or two crops increases consistency of the product grown – and consistency is, of course, one major component all big box retailers emphasize.

“We count on partners from the outside,” Sullivan says. “We moved from 15 to 65 SKUs a few years ago. We can’t do 65 SKUs all by ourselves. Seventy percent of our revenue is earned in eight weeks, so we build more relationships each year.”

Mangum says Bell Nursery has a waiting list of about 20 growers that are capable of serving as competent partners. And all four panelists agree their merchants leave it up to them to find growers who can be good partners.

On consolidation, Mangum says he still has a lot to learn. Risk and responsibilities have shifted from the merchant’s balance sheet to the grower’s, and Top 100 Growers like Bell Nursery are continuously adjusting as risk and responsibilities shifte.

One thing has not changed for growers like Bell, Costa, Ivy Acres and Color Spot, though: All growers, vendors and merchants should be treated with respect, the panelists say, and they expect the same business treatment in return. It’s increasingly important bills are paid on time, too. If they’re not, big growers can partner with other growers.

“I come from an era that paid bills the day they were received,” Mangum says. “We get product from people who do that. When there are problems, we’ll deal with them head on.”
Rimland agrees: “You build a long-term relationship with people you treat with respect,” he says. “People call us and say they want to work with us still because we treat them with respect.”

Up Close With Bill Rigo

2009-06-29T14:08:00.023-04:00

Bill Rigo, director of creative services at Meister Media Worldwide, is the designer of the new Greenhouse Grower logo. Bill has been a Meister Media employee for 24 years, and he's played a key role in the look of Greenhouse Grower magazine as he's watched the greenhouse industry evolve tremendously during his tenure.

Below, Bill shares his thoughts on the new Greenhouse Grower logo design, the third in the magazine's 26-year history.

What makes the new Greenhouse Grower logo a standout?

I hope the new Greenhouse Grower logo is a standout. Early on in the process of giving Greenhouse Grower magazine a facelift, specific goals were established by the whole GG business team. One goal was to create a brighter, cleaner and more user-friendly magazine. Brad Kish, one of our senior graphic designers, did an excellent job conveying all our goals in the print product. Working with Brad, I was able to take the “feel” of what was established for the magazine and express that in a new face for the brand.

From an artistic standpoint, what separates the new Greenhouse Grower logo from the old one?

The old logo was a second or third step in an evolution of designs since Greenhouse Grower’s inception in 1983. Our new design is completely new. Starting with a clean slate and referring to the new magazine design cues, I set out to create a new emblem that reflected today’s greenhouse industry.

Did you draw on any inspiration in the development of the logo?

My main inspiration was the greenhouse industry itself. I’ve been involved in the creative direction of Greenhouse Grower since the early 1990s, and I have witnessed the evolution of this industry. My sense is that greenhouse grower’s are a very progressive group, and very plugged in to technology, as well as having a close relationship with the retail segment.

I wanted the new image of Greenhouse Grower to speak to them, and have them relate to it as well.

Some subliminal design cues that I tried to incorporate were: lowercase stylized lettering for the word “greenhouse” to depict plant material (the letter “h” creates leaves to support our “Variety Central” flower logo), the large but thin capital lettering for “GROWER,” first, because that’s what this brand is all about (the grower), but also to depict the greenhouse structure. The logo incorporates both elements of the industry: the plant material and the greenhouse structure.

The colors chosen also reflected today’s industry – the natural green color for obvious reasons, and the purple color is one we use to reflect our varieties coverage, as well the masthead color established for GreenhouseGrower.com earlier this year.

Ultimately I want the viewer of the new branding to feel that it’s clean, friendly, inviting yet strong, and easily recognizable as the greenhouse industry’s leading information source.

The New-Look Greenhouse Grower Magazine

2009-06-29T08:23:00.012-04:00

Greenhouse Grower has a new look, and you'll get your first glance at the print redesign when you pull your July issue out of the mailbox in the next few days.

But before you sift through pages, I wanted to give you a crash course in the new-look Greenhouse Grower and remind you many of the elements to which you've become familiar over the years are still there.

Keeping the people we at Greenhouse Grower serve in mind, the redesigned magazine continues to focus on the knowledge and tools you need to sustain and enhance the vitality of your business. The biggest difference between the old and new designs is the ease by which information can be read and used.

A big part of the new design are the pillars on which the magazine is built. By now, you’re familiar with BenchPress, our regular columnists and extensive varieties coverage. All those elements are still here. We’ve simply broken them into four sections you’ll see in every issue: News & People, Production, Profit Center and Variety Central.

The people you’ve come to know and trust over the years are still part of Greenhouse Grower. You’ll continue to read Will Carlson’s take on news and people in the industry and Allan Armitage’s take on varieties. And you’ll be seeing some new contributors, as well.

Guest grower columnists will appear in the Production section, and experts like Charlie Hall and Laurie Scullin will anchor Profit Center, a new section that adds a bottom-line focus to the former Market Watch section. We realize marketing is only part of the equation that makes your business profitable these days. Profit Center keeps marketing in mind, but we’re taking a broader approach each month to help you generate more revenue and reduce costs.

Our new Greenhouse Grower logo might make you do a double take, too. Bill Rigo, director of creative services at Meister Media Worldwide, teamed with senior graphic designer Brad Kish to create the new logo, which reflects the cleaner, crisper look we think you’ll prefer on our pages. Bill explains more about the logo here.

We’re also devoting a little more page space to photography, particularly in our varieties coverage, because photos of the products you grow really are worth a thousand words.

Let us know what you think of the new look after reading the July issue. Our goal, after all, is to help you grow.

Support America In Bloom For Shot At $5,000

2009-06-24T14:21:00.002-04:00

My boss and colleague Delilah Onofrey, a founder and member of America In Bloom (AIB), is selling tickets for AIB's annual raffle at the OFA Short Course. Raffle tickets are $100 apiece, and the minimum to participate is $10 if you enter the fundraiser as part of a group. Three prizes will be drawn, including a grand prize of $5,000. Second place wins $1,000 and third wins $500.

AIB is a national campaign and contest that engages cities directly in planting and beautification efforts and raises awareness about the value of landscaping in public life. In eight years, AIB has engaged more than 170 communities ranging in populations from a few hundred people (Echo, Ore.) to millions (Chicago).

All the proceeds from the fundraiser will be earmarked for marketing activities to get more cities involved in the program and create awareness.

If you're interested in entering, visit www.americainbloom.org/funevents.

Terror At The Phoenix

2009-06-23T16:55:00.002-04:00

Sound like a good name for a movie? Probably, but it's also an appropriate description for my experience last Friday night at The Phoenix Inn, located less than a quarter mile from the Carolina First Center in Greenville, S.C.

The power went completely off in parts of the hotel around 10 o'clock, and it flickered on and off in others. Account representative Ann Reiss, who had an adjoining room to group publisher Bob West and I, was one of the unfortunate guests without power right around 10.

The Phoenix's remaining power continued to flicker on and off for some time, and it gave me an uneasy feeling watching the dozen lights through our window across the parking lot simultaneously turn on and off while emitting that electrical "zzzzz" sound each time. The end surely felt near.

Eventually, Bob and my luck ran out, and our power blew as a transformer exploded. I can't remember how it went -- maybe with a pop or a bang -- but it startled me so much it prompted me to scream. Bob is still giving me a hard time about it, and rightfully so.

The kicker of the evening came around midnight, though, with no air conditioning, complete silence and the room starting to sweat like a sauna. Amid the silence, the sound of a chainsaw rose -- and I surely thought THAT was the end.

And, rightfully so, Bob is still giving me grief about it. LOL

The power outage struck a chord with other Southeast Greenhouse Conference attendees. Rita Randolph, a Tennessee grower who led an educational session at the Carolina First Center the next morning, started her hour by asking the audience: "Did any of you stay at the Phoenix last night?"

Maybe you had to be there, but if I were you, I'd plan on staying elsewhere if you plan on attending the Southeast Greenhouse Conference next year!

Early Industry Pulse Survey Results

2009-06-23T16:40:00.003-04:00

I've been back in the office a couple days now from Greenville, S.C., and I checked out early results from Greenhouse Grower's 2009 Industry Pulse Follow-Up survey. We send a survey out to growers Monday asking them questions related to spring, and the response has been pretty positive.

Vegetables and herbs, for example, had tremendous growth this spring. We've all heard anecdotally how this crop category boomed, and our survey clearly supports that notion.

The question: If you grow vegetables and herbs, how did Spring 2009 sales of them compare to Spring 2008 sales?

The results: More than 37 percent of growers reports sales increases of more than 10 percent in the category. Another 20 percent say sales increased between 5 and 10 percent, and 9 percent of respondents report an increase of less than 5 percent.

In fact, only four of 100 respondents through this afternoon report sales decreases in vegetables and herbs. Unbelievably, even I had a shot at growing and selling vegetables this year. The category essentially proved to be a can't miss.

Other early survey results indicate sales growth for bedding plants and similar sales compared to 2007 for container perennials and flowering potted plants.

Ball, Goldsmith Booths Rock

2009-06-20T12:03:00.003-04:00

Ball Horticultural Co. took Best of Show booth honors at the Southeast Greenhouse Conference this year with a very welcoming park-like setup of Ball varieties. Goldsmith's booth (pictured at right) was quite the attraction too, taking Best Green Goods booth. 'Cora' vinca is a beauty, and marigold 'Antigua' (see all that yellow?) really stands out in this vignette..

A few folks were recognized for their service to the industry, as well. Carole Barton and David Rickenbacker were recipients of the Doug Hull Service Award for their devotion to the success of the Southeast Greenhouse Conference. Bill Miller was the recipient of the Horticulture Initiative Award for his contribution to the floriculture industry.

Armitage Draws A Crowd

2009-06-20T09:43:00.002-04:00

Southeast Greenhouse Conference attendees love their Krispy Kremes bright and early. The Krispy Kreme shop down the street has been a big attraction the last couple days.

But Allan Armitage, the well-known author and speaker at the University of Georgia (UGA), is a big attraction too. He pulled close to 100 conference attendees out of bed for an 8 a.m. session Saturday. Attendees all wanted to hear Allan's take on perennials and learn a little about his favorites at the Trial Gardens at UGA.

"Night temperatures are really dictating the success of perennials," Allan says. "They don't always work, so you have to choose carefully. Listen to your resources."

Just a few of Allan's favorites are:

• Stachys 'Helene von Stein'
• Coreopsis 'Jethro Tull'
• Rudbeckia 'Henry Eilers'
• Echinacea Big Sky series
• Gaillardia 'Tizzy'
• Gaillardia 'Sunburst Tangerine'

Echinacea have a multitude of colors now, Allan says, and they all look fantastic when flowering. Still, he urges growers and retailers not to fall in love with echinacea that simply looks good once and won't flower again the following spring.

"Start with purple (echinacea)," Allan says. "They're gonna come back. We've had lot of echinacea go wrong and they sell well because they look beautiful, but they don't necessarily come back. So don't get too carried away with 'flash.'"

In the coming weeks, we'll be posting video of Allan on GGTV walking viewers through the garden and sharing insight on plants that work.

It's Raining, Now What?

2009-06-19T22:28:00.004-04:00

Yes, rainy weekends are sales killers. But do they have to be?

What if rainy weekends presented garden center retailers and customers a unique opportunity, one unlike the experience shopping for plants on sunny Saturdays and Sundays?

Those questions flowed through my mind after hearing John Gaydos, director of product development and promotion for Proven Winners, address an audience during his Friday session titled "Trends You Can Bank On." Gaydos mentioned several industry trends growers and retailers should capitalize on, including staycations, vegetables, home investments, locally grown products and community involvement.

Weather isn't a trend. It's always going to affect us one way or another. But what if retailers offered customers special discounts on rainy Saturdays and Sundays? I'm not thinking 25 or 50 percent off product, particularly during the heart of spring. A small 5, 10 or 15 percent discount could, however, motivate customers to get off the couch during the most miserable weather and buy product that typically would still be on garden center shelves come Monday morning.

Discounts for shopping in rain, you're thinking? Is it risky? Crazy? The initial thought sounds crazy, but there's no better time to take risks then when stakes are low and retailers are assuming little to no sales anyway.

Still, if you offer special rain discounts, shoppers will simply wait for rain to shop. Right?

Not necessarily. Not if you take this approach during the week leading up to potentially rainy weekends. "If it rains this Saturday or Sunday, customers will receive an X percent discount off Y plants."

Yet another question enters the equation, though: How do retailers judge the rain? Does a five-minute shower equal a discount? Does drizzle? Does thunder and lighting? You be the judge of that, set a standard and stick to it.

Retailers would, of course, have to promote the idea heavily. If it doesn't initially work, make an adjustment. And if it ultimately doesn't make sense, you tried.

Great weather has always been the No. 1 driving factor for garden center sales, and that fact won't change anytime soon. But retailers can make the garden center a destination even in bad weather, and if they can prove a plant purchased in rain is the same as the one purchased in sun, maybe they finally put a chink in Mother Nature's armor.

Then again, maybe not. But why should retailers lie down every time rain clouds the weekend? They shouldn't. Instead, they should try taking the approach that rain, snow or shine are all factors that drive customers to purchase plants.

PCA Thinking Out Of The Box

2009-06-19T22:19:00.004-04:00

I had never heard of the Packaging Corporation of America (PCA), but Dick Kearley, owner of Robrick Nursery, knows the company well. PCA is based in Orlando, Fla., and it's based less than two hours from Kearley's operation.

I passed by PCA's booth today and met Cheryl Hicks, a sales and service representative who told me a little about Bulk Liner Shippers. The beauty of Bulk Liner Shippers is growers can ship up to 60 trays of 3-inch liner trays in a single box. If growers need to ship 4-inch liners, they can send 42 4-inch liner trays at a time, and 30 6-inch trays will fit in a single box if that's what growers need to ship.

Hicks says Robrick is able to ship plants in Bulk Liner Shippers at about $36 per box. An alternative to a box of this size, of course, is a bunch of smaller boxes. Robrick used to ship liners in boxes that measured about 2 feet squared, but it only shipped four trays at a time.

Bulk Shippers Liners have now changed how Robrick Nursery ships.

"Everybody has had plenty of experience with plants being shipped on Federal Express in a conventional box," Kearley says. "They know about plants tumbling -- or, if you drive off the dock with a forklift. We've had no damage in over 500 shipments in this box. No tumbling, bouncing and breaking."

"The box normally holds 30 trays of plants, but it's strong enough that if you put a second box on top of it you can put 60 trays of plants on a pallet."

Rush Creek's Latest

2009-06-19T12:59:00.004-04:00

Rush Creek Designs debuted four new planters at the Southeast Greenhouse Conference, including the Denali, Coronado, Acadia and Meridian. To me, the most striking of the four is the Coronado (pictured at right) because of its rippled look.

Rush Creek's Ken Kooistra expects the company's growth to be "huge" in the next year, and he attributes it partly to the new introductions. The company's first quarter was "great" despite the economy, Kooistra says.

"The economy has made business tough, but coming up with something new keeps you ahead of the pack," Kooistra says.

All four new planters are suitable for retailers and growers looking for a container in which plants can finish. Rush Creek's Starpoint pot covers another way to jazz up products. I like them because they have a coffee filter look, but they're made in more cheerful colors and called Apple, Strawberry, Mango, Banana and Cherry.

A-ROO Sleeves 'Wow'

2009-06-19T10:45:00.003-04:00

A couple weeks ago, a conversation I had with a Top 100 Grower drifted to the topic of differentiation and how it's more important than ever to have a unique look to products. Consumers don't want the same, boring black pot anymore, and the plant won't necessarily sell on its own today. So how do you upgrade your plants? How do you differentiate?

Sleeves are one way to go. As I approach A-ROO's booth yesterday, I was struck by several busy multi-colored sheet designs. I had seen A-ROO sleeves on its website and on literature before, but they didn't grab me like seeing them in person around plants.

The beauty of A-ROO is it has a variety of designs. The purple sleeves to the far left of the photo are part of A-ROO's Petaluma line, in which circles dance whimsically to an array of colors. Some of the color schemes available are aubergine and goldenrod, holly and berry, turquoise and lime, blush and carnation, chocolate and mint, and grape and lavender.

Remember, all growers boast the fact they grow quality plants. Even if their plants are mediocre or subpar, they'll still boast the fact they're selling quality. So rather than beat the quality bush over and over, I'd suggest looking into simple upgrades like these to set yourselves apart from your competition. Odds are you do have the best plants around. But that's not enough for consumers anymore.

Fafard's Rebranding Effort

2009-06-19T10:34:00.004-04:00

I stopped by the Fafard booth yesterday and spoke with Ann Bryan, marketing services manager, about Fafard's new packaging look. Fafard has redesigned both its retail and professional packaging to reflect a whole new brand approach. Products offer the same quality and consistency as before, but Fafard wanted to emphasize "the science behind the art" of making each blend.

3B Mix, pictured to the right, is in a particularly sharp bag. The back of packaging includes a story on each Fafard brand, the blend's benefits and directions for use. 2 Mix (red) and 52 Mix (black) are equally as sharp and informative. Fafard's retail packaging has a similar look to its grower packaging to keep all blends in the same family.

Hall: Growers Should Be Confident

2009-06-18T18:08:00.005-04:00

Charlie Hall, chairholder of the Ellison Chair at Texas A&M University, spoke to growers on the first day of the Southeast Greenhouse Conference. Hall gave growers plenty of reasons to be optimistic about their future. A few of reasons he cited are:

-New home sales are finally increasing again.
-The stock market has improved and returned to the position it was pre-October 2008.
-Consumer confidence is improving.
-The weather reminded us the industry is recession proof

"The past six recessions (in U.S. history) occured during unfavorable weather years," Hall says. "Whether you have bad snowstorms or wet weather, sales tend to decline."

Hall offered a refreshing reminder about the housing market, too.

"More people can afford to buy a house today than at any point in U.S. history," he says. "Housting starts actually increased last month. Now, we just need a little bit of a sign that there's a turnaround."

Hall told his grower audience we're most likely out of the recession right now. Consumer spending this spring attests to it, but we won't officially know we're out of the recession until the numbers are crunched sometime next year.

"Recession is a normal part of business," Hall says. "The reality is recessions are a necessary part of business to curb inflation."

How Was Your Spring?

2009-06-17T11:32:00.002-04:00

Were sales better this spring or worse? Which spring crops presented opportunities and which will you stay away from come 2010? We want to know how your greenhouse operation fared this spring. Take our Industry Pulse survey on spring, and look for results of it in our coverage this August.

Greenhouses Gone Vertical?

2009-06-09T17:07:00.004-04:00

I came across a news story a couple days ago about Plantagon, a Swedish-based company that's in the midst of developing a vertical greenhouse designed specifically to be built in the middle of crowded cities where land isn't exactly plentiful.

As if growing in standard horizontal greenhouses isn't difficult enough!

The idea of a vertical greenhouse for cities intrigues me, though, as do other greenhouse projects that seem out of this world (i.e. building a greenhouse on the moon). According to the story I found, an inventor came up with the vertical greenhouse idea 20 years ago, but he was essentially laughed at and turned away everywhere he pitched it. Ten years ago, the inventor pitched it to Plantagon vice president Hans Hassle, who made a commitment to build vertically.

Now, Plantagon is peddling the vertical greenhouse as the urban marketplace where urban dwellers (i.e. consumers) can buy their fruits and vegetables.

I'm not as familiar with the European landscape, for which vertical greenhouses are probably better suited, but I can't imagine any U.S. cities seriously considering construction of an vertical greenhouse -- particularly for the $30 million price tag each installation would cost.

A first impression of the major U.S. cities nearest me (Cleveland, Detroit, Columbus, Cincinnati) is they're not as suitable for comfortable living as the suburbs or rural areas. Cleveland's population has declined dramatically in recent years. People are moving to the suburbs and are subsequently getting their fruits and vegetables from grocery stores or local markets. One massive grower-retailer here doesn't make sense. I'd be curious to see how fruits and veggies from one massive grower-retailer in cities were priced.

Memorial Day At The Botanical Garden

2009-05-27T17:08:00.003-04:00

Cleveland isn't always cloudy and gray, as my photos taken during a Memorial Day visit to the Cleveland Botanical Garden prove. Next time you have a few hours to spare while you're in town, check it out. The whole University Circle area with the city's art and history museums is worth a visit, and the botanical garden is a nice getaway.

The Cleveland Botanical Garden is conducting some interesting long-term research with liquid crystal greenhouse panels, too.

Lovin' O2 For You

2009-05-22T14:15:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite industry marketing campaigns right now is O2 For You: Plants With A Purpose. It's a Costa Farms project that kicked off last year, and the people involved have put just as much energy into the promotion this year – if not more energy – as they did in Year 1.

As part of the campaign last year, Costa Farms visited mothers of newborn babies in hospitals across the country and presented them with indoor potted plants. Costa looks at the indoor potted plants they're sharing with mothers as a "breath of fresh air" for newborns, and it's on a mission again this year visiting hospitals. Just last week, Costa visited hospitals in Boston. And it has plans to promote the O2 For You program in Chicago and Miami hospitals later this year.

Costa didn't just wing this campaign, either. It did its homework and gathered good, solid facts about the benefits of indoor plants before it put O2 For You on the market. There's some great research information on the O2 For You website, including info that expains how plants clean the air and a list of plants that act as good indoor air purifiers.

I'm taking Costa's message to heart at the office with a few potted plants, including a potted foliage plant from Costa Farms (pictured at right) that I picked up at Lowe's last week. I'm breathing easy these days. Or, perhaps it's because Memorial Day weekend's on the flip side of this afternoon!