The Newest Thing Is Old Hat

Wednesday I had the great good fortune to attend a seminar at Spring Creek Growers, presented in part by Ball Horticultural Company.  The idea is introduce garden center folks and landscape contractors to the newest, most innovative "plant material" out there, in the hopes that we can entice our own customers to buy them.  (That's what they call it sometimes, plant material.  Isn't that a little, well, dreary?) 

'Phantom' Petunia

I love these events.  I love to hear about all the research and development that goes into the creation of a "new" plant.  I get all plant-geeky inside, just hearing words like vegetative or triploid.  And the facility at Spring Creek is very, very nice, and the food was delicious, and it makes for a great start for the spring season.

'Breathless' Euphorbia

What thrills me about springtime, though, does not necessarily thrill the customers.  The panel discussion pointed up a disconnect between what the Ball folks were promoting, and what the landscape contractors, re-wholesalers and garden center owners were looking for.  The Ball representative started the discussion by asking each of the participants how they felt about new plants, new innovations, new products.  You could tell he was very excited about Ball's product line, and he was right to be -- there are some very interesting new plants on the market.  However...

Zinnia 'Zahara Double Duo'

One by one, the panel participants said, in not so many words, that simply being "new" was not good enough.  The landscape contractor said that her clients never come to her, asking for the newest thing.  They rely on her to put together a plan that works for them, in their budget.  She believed it was important for her to find out about new plants, but the customer wasn't driving that.  The garden center owner said that a few of her customers came into the store looking for the latest in new plants, but that only happened if there were a big national marketing push behind the product.  She also said that much of the time, the new products failed to deliver on the promises made by these marketing campaigns.  The Wave petunias are a good example -- they don't perform here nearly as well as promised here, in our climate, as other petunias might.  The rewholesaler, who provides plants primarily to landscapers, said that he had to push the new products -- there wasn't a demand from his clients specifically for the newest varieties.

Coleus 'Redhead'

The discussions went on in this vein for about half an hour.  None of the panelists were using social media or traditional advertising to promote new products.  None of the panelists felt that "newness" provided a higher price point or profit margin.  In fact, while there was excitement about specific plants, I thought I detected a general skepticism about "newness" in general.  Simply being new doesn't mean a plant can solve a customer's problem or meet a customer's need.  It's hard to say what was going through the Ball rep's mind -- he put up a good front.  But it's got to be discouraging to have your customers tell you new's not where it's at.

Verbena 'Aztec'

I'll put my customer hat on for a minute.  Would I rather have a new petunia, in the rare and unusual shade of black?  Or would I rather just have a petunia that can make it longer through the heat and humidity of our summers?  I appreciate what Ball's doing here and I love some of the new plants.  But I hope they don't overestimate the importance of new and different.  I think many of us would be satisfied with a good quality, virus-free same-old, same-old.


All photos courtesy Ball Horticultural Company, and a big thanks to Spring Creek Growers for hosting us.  It was a very interesting, thought-provoking event!

Fall Clearance? Caveat Emptor!

Happy Labor Day!  Or should I holler out "70% Off!"  Labor Day marks the start of the fall clearance, in which one of our local garden center chains puts everything on sale to move out old inventory, make room for Christmas trees and maybe invigorate the customer for the new season.

Yippee.  Not.

Is this a good deal?  In my opinion, not so much.  Recently I visited one of these garden centers, already 70% off a little before Labor Day.  I looked at annual and seasonal color, perennials, shrubs and trees.  Let me share with you a few of my impressions.

Petra croton.  Originally $19.99.

Zinnia.  $8.99.

Begonia for $8.99.  Shocking.

The annuals and seasonal color were mostly in fairly good shape, but not all of them were 70% off, either.  The crotons were mostly Petra (the most popular variety) and were originally $19.99 and "on sale" for $9.99.  Which would be half price, if anyone ever paid $20 for a lightly-rooted 3-gallon croton.  The zinnias and begonias were pretty and packaged as $8.99 color bowls, with 3 plants in each pot.  The little plants, however, were no bigger than standard 4" nursery pots, which retail at about $1.49 around here.  So,  while they were pretty, the original price should have been closer to $4.50, not $8.99.  It's a decent price, if you get it at $2.70 but I wouldn't call it 70% off.

Coneflowers - $8.99.

Dwarf Mondo - $4.99.

 The perennials and groundcovers were small for the container, but reasonably healthy.  These plants may or may not be a good deal, depending on what you already have.  Personally, I would probably plant 4" dwarf mondo grass instead of the exact same size in a 1-gallon container.  I'd also be more likely to plant perennials from seed this late.  While the perennials were healthy, they were too small to make much of a show.  But you wouldn't be risking much on them either.

Unlike, say, trees and shrubs.  I know many gardeners who get all excited about these 70% off days, because they want to make major purchases at these great sale prices.  If we were only talking about annual color and a few perennials, it probably wouldn't be that big a deal. But shrubs and trees are the foundation of your garden!

Plumbago marked $19.99

Let me start off by saying that I thought the plumbago in 1-gallon containers (for $6.99) and 3-gallon containers (for $19.99) were probably a good deal at 70% off.  I didn't pull the plants out of the pots to check the roots, which I would definitely recommend, but the topside of the plumbago looked healthy.  These plants reliably survive our winters, so I wouldn't worry about planting them this late.  Unlike, say copper plants, acalypha, graphtophyllum, etc.  Unless you need a quick pop of color and you know it will die with the first frost, I would avoid planting tropicals in September.

Sad little shrubs.

The other shrubs were atrocious.  They were uniformly rootbound and girdling.  Most of them had been potted up from 1-gallon containers, and not too well.  You could still clearly see the outline of the 1-gallon pot in the 3-gallon container.  You'll have to take my word for it -- this problem was widespread.  I walked down each row of shrubs and saw the same thing, in all different varieties and all different sizes.  If you're an expert gardener, and you specialize in providing a home for abused and neglected plants like these, be my guest.  If you're a bargain-hunter, take a pass. 

Trees in agony.

And only the toughest, most hard-hearted gardeners should even venture over to the trees.  These trees gave me nightmares.  Plant after plant, they were so rootbound, so girdled, even to the point of encompassing the stake.  There's no telling how long they've been like this.  I hate to think the garden center bought them like this, but you never know.  These trees are doomed.  And a dead tree, even at 70% off, is no bargain.

Indian Hawthorns.  $19.99.  As if.

I'm not a real bargain-hunter.  I don't like garage sales and I don't wait in line for Black Friday specials.  So maybe it's me.  But really.  Think carefully about plants like these before you put them in your garden.  And think carefully about the kind of garden center that would stock them.

I'll end with a note about customer service.  I spent about 45 minutes at this store last week.  I was the only customer.  I took 65 pictures of plants.  There were at least 8 employees on the premises, including a manager.  And no one spoke to me at all, not even to ask me what the heck I was doing taking pictures of roots.  Oh well!  You get what you pay for!

Seeds: Heirloom or Hybrid?

Hi, my name's Elizabeth and I'm a compulsive reader of seed catalogs.  I thought I had it under control until I went to Chicago for the IGC Show and not only collected more catalogs, but also material about whole seed displays!  And to make matters more difficult, I find I'm in deep spiritual conflict about seeds.

Just the beginning...

On the one hand, I love the whole narrative behind the heirloom seeds movement.  I love the retro packaging.  I love the outlandish names of the old varieties.  I never want these old varieties to become extinct.  I think open-pollinated is the way to go, and I'm very suspicious of rules that prohibit propagation from collected seeds.  The very essence of heirloom seeds is something that resonates with me emotionally, and in a big way.  Plus, I also have a sense of nostalgia about the taste of heirloom vegetables, although this is probably all in my head. 

Beauty Queen Tomato, courtesy Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

On the other hand (and there's always another hand, isn't there?)...

Plant breeders have done so much wonderful work to improve disease and insect resistance, quality, germination rates and productivity.  The new varieties of vegetables are often far easier to grow than the heirlooms, especially if you're trying to minimize the use of chemicals in the garden.  Smaller, more compact hybrids are a better fit than heirlooms for smaller, more compact gardens.  Heat tolerance is a biggie where I live too -- Southeast Texas isn't exactly the birthplace of North American agriculture and heirloom varieties are often unable to withstand our climate.  There's a reason why plant breeders try so hard to improve on original varieties, after all. 

BHN-444, resistant to spotted wilt virus

(Photo: Johnny's Selected Seeds)

I think it's a tricky issue for a retailer, too.  It's easy to sell the heirloom mystique, especially when the seed packets are so nicely done.  But my sense is that gardeners will be more successful with improved varieties (of most vegetables).  Many retailers have space and inventory dollars for only one line of seeds.  Which would you recommend?

Who Is The Customer?

Now that everyone's home from the IGC Show in Chicago, there are some interesting conversations going on.  We're all trying to digest what we saw and heard, trying to apply what we learned to our own situations.

There seems to be a bit of a "style vs. substance" debate going on amongst the gardening intelligentsia.  Marketers describe merchandising the outdoor room and talk about reframing gardening as a lifestyle activity.  True believers react in shock and horror when garden centers stock more decorative doodads than seeds.  Social media experts advise us to reach out to Gen Y.  Consultants speak instead of "ageless marketing."

I think there's been too much focus on what we wish our independent garden centers were, rather than what they are, or even what they could be.  I don't think we'll see a one-size-fits-all approach:  what suits a small urban store probably won't work on the rural/suburban outstkirts.  And local competition, like it or not, also shapes the strategies of each IGC owner.

One thing is certain: the IGC must be profitable, and that means paying more attention to what customers want to buy than to what we may think they should have.  Sure, there's a great opportunity in our business to educate folks about earth-friendly practices.  I believe it's not only part of our mission but a major competitive advantage we have over our big-box competitors.

But you have to meet people where they are.  Frankly, some of my colleagues have some pretty condescending attitudes toward their potential customers.  Especially if said customer has a different idea of what a garden should be.  The best strategy has always been simply finding out what your own particular customers desire, and figuring out a way to deliver it.  Profitably.  Kindly.  And perhaps with just a bit of edification on the side.

IGC = Independent Garden Center, as opposed to 

chain retailers or big-box stores.  Sorry for the jargon!

Political Economics at the IGC Show?

The most thought-provoking topic so far has been the emphasis on "buy independent-buy local," Back-to-Main-Street initiatives that support the independent retailer.  Everyone knows how these small, local businesses have struggled to compete against big-box, mass market national chains.  Speakers Stacy Mitchell of the New Rules Project and Jeff Milchen of the American Independent Business Alliance each spoke at length about the power of buying local and some various ways to convince the customer to keep her money in the local community.

Some interesting facts:

• When a big-box retailers moves in, the local community typically sees a net loss of 150 jobs, not a net gain. (Here's the research)
• Because retail chains can often negotiate extremely favorable terms, local tax revenues can decline as smaller independents downsize or go under. (Here's the research)
• Municipal costs can be higher too, when police, fire protection and infrastructure costs are added to the mix. (Here's the research)
• Big-box retailers typically don't foster the growth of a middle-class economy the way independent sole proprietorships do -- their wage structure is more polarized, with large low-wage labor pool and a smaller, often remote executive workforce. (Here's the research)
• Retail chains don't spend nearly as much money with other local businesses.  They exploit their size to leverage relationships with national media companies, financial institutions, vendors and partners. (Here's the research)
• Finally, retail chains tend to shift their profit back to headquarters, rather than leaving it in the hands of local owners.

Where's the consumer in all this?  Let's put aside for a moment the fact that the many average Americans now own stock in these national and multi-national chains.  I'm not sure what to say right now about the middle-class independent business owner who invests his profit in the S&P500.

But here's another way to interpret the statistics above: Big-box retailers, by lowering labor costs, negotiating better tax terms, shifting costs onto municipalities and leveraging their national supplier relationships are removing cost from the product, lowering prices for the consumer, increasing sales and creating shareholder value (as compared to the typical independent business owner). 

There's the trade-off.  For the buy-local movement to truly make a difference, people must come to view their own self-interest as strongly linked to the health of the community.  They must begin to think as citizens, not consumers, when they engage in a retail transaction.  The equation must be explicit:

• I will pay more for this product at an independent retailers because my town's unemployment problem is my problem.
• I will pay more for this product because the tax revenues generated by this local business keep the library open.
• I will pay more for this product because I'd rather have a lot of middle-income people than a few extremely rich people and lots of low-income people.  Even if it means I stay a middle-income person.
• If I can't pay more for this product, I will accept a lower standard of living by doing without it until I can pay more for it.

I'm not quite ready to bet the farm that my friends and neighbors will follow through.  I've drunk the Kool-Aid -- it just hasn't kicked in yet.

Here's more information about the New Rules Project, the American Independent Business Alliance and an interesting "brick and mortar" local business campaign called the 3/50 Project.

Notes From The Garden Center Tour

Yesterday, in conjunction with the Independent Garden Center Show in Chicago, I attended a garden center tour.  It was quite a long day, but the nurseries and shops we visited were full of hospitality.  We began the morning at Hawthorn Gardens, followed by Atrium Garden Center and Pasquesi Home and Garden.  All three were wonderful places to visit.  The staff really went the extra mile to welcome 400 guests.  We enjoyed a box lunch on the bus, headed toward our afternoon destinations: Tom's Farm Market & Greenhouses and Countryside Flowershop, Nursery and Garden Center.  There was a wonderful feeling of fall in the air -- and the smell of roasted corn!

But my favorite stop of the day was our final destination: The Gardens at Ball.  These beautiful display gardens are located at the headquarters of Ball Horticultural and serve as an inspiration to growers, retailers and gardeners everywhere.  Here are just a few of the many photographs I took there today:

Coleus in hot fall colors.

What a view!

More coleus.

Pockets of color in a perfect lawn.

Rudbeckia 'Cappuccino'

A shady vista.

Zinnia 'Zahara Double Fire'

What a wonderful way to welcome the fall season!

At the IGC Show in Chicago

I'm so excited to be back in Chicago for the 2010 Independent Garden Center Show, held every year at the Navy Pier.  Almost 7,000 people are registered to attend as I write this, and more will probably sign up at the door.  It's a great way to benchmark other garden centers, see new products, learn new techniques and get excited about the coming year.

Today I'm attending the Chicagoland Garden Center tour, stopping at six different garden centers in the area.  We'll also be treated to a special lab at Tom's Farm Market and Greenhouses, focusing on the latest in horticultural trends - food.  We'll finish the day at the Gardens at Ball.

Tomorrow, notes and pictures from today's tour.  I'll be looking for some of the many ways independents set themselves apart from big box retailers and how they integrate themselves into their own, specific communities.  Until then!

Don't Believe Everything You Read

This kind of thing really aggravates me.  A local discount tree nursery has a new ad proclaiming that "it's never too hot to plant Big Tex Trees!"  They claim that their trees and palms are heat acclimated and guaranteed to grow.  Moreover, they claim that since their queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana) are grown in Ventura County, California instead of Florida, they will perform better in the Houston area.  They have even gone so far as to name their queen palms after the little town in California where, presumably, they are grown.  As if there's a difference between Piru queen palms and any other queen palm.

Well, you know what?  It is too hot to plant trees.  And anyone who's ever tried to water a newly planted tree in the middle of July knows it.  Let's just say you talk yourself into a large live oak, maybe 4-inch caliper.  This tree will need 20 to 30 gallons of water per week, from you or from the rain.  Imagine filling a 5-gallon bucket almost every single day and slowly letting it pour around the root ball.  Your sprinkler system isn't going to cut it.  It will have to be watered by hand.  And that's if we don't get a long spell of hot, dry, windy weather.  A strong southwest wind can strip the moisture from the leaves of a young tree faster than the roots can carry it up, no matter how much you water.  Far better to wait until October to plant trees.

It doesn't matter where those palm trees are grown, either.  They are containerized:  the root system is no bigger than the container it comes in.  What's important about where they were grown?  They were watered every single day there.  And you're going to have to water them every single day here, too.  And if we get another winter like we did last year, newly planted queen palms are in serious jeopardy.  Even if they were grown in Ventura County.

Queen palms are not reliably hardy here, although older, established ones may survive a hard freeze.  For a list of cold-hardy palms suitable for the Fort Bend County area, click here.

Where's The Research?

Have you come across these in catalogs and magazines?  It's a dechlorinating garden filter, designed to "reduce free chlorine or chloramine at ambient temperatures."  The sales pitch is that watering plants with water from the tap (treated with chlorine or chloramine) is harmful to your plants and to soil microbes.  The problem:  I can't find any research, peer-reviewed or otherwise, that suggests this is true.  I can believe that salts used to treat municipal water may accumulate in the soil for a time.  Perhaps during periods of prolonged drought, when plants must be watered frequently, and rain isn't present to wash away those salts, plants may show signs of stress.  I don't know if I'd be able to tell the difference between drought-stress and presumed chlorinated-water stress.  Maybe it has more of an effect on houseplants -- they never get a flush from rainwater. 

If you know of any research-based evidence that watering from municipal supplies can harm plants, drop me a note.  I'd like to read it.


By the way, the dechlorinator is expensive -- $59.99.  Plus you have to replace the cartridges every growing season (twice a year here?), and those are 2 for $34.99.  There's an optional chlorine test kit for $15.99 to confirm whether or not the cartridge actually needs to be replaced.

Garden Style

I've been wondering lately who's responsible for the direction of garden trends.  Are plant breeders driving this?  Magazines?  Commercial landscapes?  Somehow gardeners all get the same idea at the same time -- where does it come from?

For a while now, the trend has been for compact, evergreen shrubs with lots and lots of flowers.  I've noticed a steady "dwarfication" of old standards and an emphasis on outlandish color schemes.  Sometimes I like it -- the 'Peve Minaret' Baldcypress is a dwarfing version of the native baldcypress and I love it for its bonsai appeal in the garden.  But sometimes I'm not sure what the point is.  How many different dwarfing versions of nandina do we need? 

I'm curious: is this is just a local thing?  Do people in Wisconsin or North Carolina or Maine shop for compact evergreen shrubs that flower all the time?  They probably do in Florida and California.  More research is clearly required!

 

This is 'Peve Minaret,' a dwarf Baldcypress.  Height estimates vary from 8' to 20'.  

Still, a good deal shorter than the traditional form and highly ornamental, too!

Let's Think About It For A Minute

Let's just put aside my general frustration with gardeners who want "all color, all the time."  What is really getting under my skin are gardeners who want lots of bright color all year long, in the shade.  Using only native Texas plants. 

Somehow, "native" has come to be synonymous with "carefree."  Of course, this is not true.  Dogwoods are native to Texas and do poorly in our zone 9 humid, hot climate.  They are much better adapted to the forests of East Texas.  Just because something is native to Texas doesn't mean it thrives in the urban/suburban environment here.  After all, plants aren't native to cities at all. 

And somehow, I think the whole concept of shade has escaped people.  Imagine a peaceful walk in the shade of a native forest.  There is very little color there, aside from green and brown. Of course, you'll see the occasional flash of red, purple, pink or white.  Maybe even, if you're lucky, yellow.  But the temperate forest isn't a riot of color naturally.  Even the tropical rainforest is a mostly green affair.

Which is why we import plants from foreign lands.  Why we hybridize plants in pursuit of outlandish color.  Even in the shade. So pick any two:  native, shade-loving, colorful, frost tolerant, drought tolerant, heat tolerant, flowering, dwarf, evergreen.  Pick more than two and your search query may return no results.

Photo courtesy Kurt Stueber via Wikimedia Commons.

This is Turk's Cap, or Malvaviscus arboreus.  It is native to Texas (1), tolerates shade (2), displays occasional color (3), is cold tolerant (4), heat tolerant (5), and moderately drought tolerant (6).  Unfortunately, it is not a dwarf and it is not evergreen. Oh well!

Independent Garden Centers -- How To Put Them Out Of Business

Full disclosure: this is my third year working at independent garden centers in our area, on two different sides of town, serving two completely different markets.

Recently, one of our local TV news programs ran a story about home consumers buying plants at wholesale outlets.  Our local newspaper helpfully picked it up and broadcast it on its own website and Facebook page.  The gist of the story was that the poor economy has forced wholesalers to open their doors to the public ("for the first time ever!").  Apparently this is good news for consumers, who can now buy a plant for 30% less than they could at their independent garden center, or even (gasp!) at the big-box stores.

I'm not an unbiased observer, to be sure.  But stories like this got me thinking about what the consumers value and what they're actually voting for, when they put price considerations above all else.  It's a recipe for disaster for the independent garden center, certainly, but I don't think it's ultimately good for the customer either.  But if price is king, then here's the best way to make sure those overpriced independent garden centers go out of business.

1.  Rely on independent garden centers to provide answers to all of your plant questions, but buy the plants somewhere else.  Spend at least an hour with the trained and knowledgeable sales people at your local garden center -- they make a bit more per hour than the cashiers at the big box stores.  It drives up the labor cost for the independents, sure!  But if their knowledge isn't worth anything to you, then go ahead and get all you can from them.  But be sure you buy your plants from the cheapest possible source.

2.  Don't feel like driving to the independent garden center?  Then call them on the phone from the big-box store or wholesaler.  Make the independents answer all your questions about bugs, plants, fertilizers, mulches and soils.  Then buy the products somewhere else.

3.  Call the independent garden centers and ask for a free speaker for your garden club meeting.  Or better yet, organize a field trip and a tour!  How much can it cost them, anyway, to provide a knowledgeable speaker or tour guide?  Buy a little something if you feel you must, but when you redo your entire backyard, visit a wholesaler.

4.  Take advantage of the free events offered by many independent garden centers.  Bring your kids to climb all over the fall pumpkins.  Take pictures of the lovely display gardens.  Hear interesting speakers on a variety of topics.  But for heaven's sake, shop price first.

5.  Just come sit awhile in the shade at one of your beautifully landscaped independent garden centers.  Recharge your spirit while you occupy a parking space.  We don't mind!  We welcome the company.  But if you can get a plant for 10% less at a big-box store, go right ahead.

6.  Many independent garden centers offer at least a basic plant guarantee. We stand behind our products, even when they're planted in your garden.  What the true bargain hunter does:  buy a cheap-o plant from a big-box store.  When it dies (because it wasn't properly cared for at the store or at home) return it to your local independent.  Maybe they won't ask for your receipt!  After all, customer service is important to them.

You see where I'm going with this, don't you?  If consumers, by voting with their plant purchasing dollars, consistently prefer low price over beautiful surroundings, free events, plant expertise, knowledgeable people, customer service, etc. then there won't be any local garden centers.  The bargain-basement customer will end up with a bargain-basement price and will have to rely on themselves for gardening info. 

Independent garden centers can be outstanding resources for customers, providing so much more than just a plant in a pot.  I believe it's a fair product for a fair price.  If you don't agree, fine with me.  But try asking your plant questions at Home Depot or Houston Garden Centers.  See how far you get with that.