Trees, conifers and weepers that fit the bill with beauty, versatility and easy maintenance Smaller yards haven’t changed homeowners’ need for shade or beauty. But, they have changed what will fit into a yard, which has changed the market and by extension, growers’ business focus. We asked growers to share favorite selections of small trees, […]
Plant Features
Digging in to edibles
Ornamental edibles continue to change the rules of landscape design The back-to-the-land movement in the 1970s prompted young people to move in droves to rural settings to try their hand at modern homesteading- — growing their own food, living sustainably and mastering animal husbandry. Decades later, the echoes of that movement were heard in urban […]
The value of the green label
Survey tests whether customers will pay more, as well as which messages resonate the most By Lloyd Nackley, Bruce Colman and Sharon Selvaggio We’ve all heard it. People are worried about pollinators and want to do what they can to help. Some are planting pollinator gardens, taking up beekeeping, or choosing organic foods to try […]
Nursery Operations
When a buyer comes knocking
Steps to take if you receive an unsolicited offer to purchase your business Mergers and acquisitions are commonplace these days, buoyed by strong industry interest and performance, availability of capital, and low interest rates. In this world, it is not uncommon for nursery owners to receive unsolicited offers to purchase their company. These can come […]
Building your Lean team
These analytical tools can help nurseries reach the next level of efficiency Last May, Digger presented the Efficiency Issue. We examined ways in which Oregon nurseries are making their operations more efficient, and we showed examples. Each nursery is unique. Our goal was to show off the ingenuity of some growers and inspire others to […]
Identifying value and waste
The key is in knowing what the customer is actually willing to pay for The central concept of Lean is to identify process steps that add value and those that are wasteful, eliminating the latter to become more efficient. It sounds simple but isn’t. Rick and Elizabeth Peters own a Wilsonville, Oregon-based Lean consulting firm, […]
The Value of Membership
Meet the Leader: Amanda Staehely
Tell us about yourself. I grew up in a family fully immersed in the nursery industry. My parents own Simnitt Nursery, a wholesale plant nursery in Canby, Oregon that specializes in rhododendrons and Pieris. As a kid I saw my dad go to Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) meetings, get involved with the different boards […]
Meet the leader: Janet Poot
Tell us about yourself. I grew up on a farm in the San Joaquin Valley of California where my parents had a greenhouse operation that grew hothouse tomatoes and European cucumbers for grocery stores. In 1985, we moved up to Hubbard, Oregon. In high school, I worked for Case Nursery (Aurora, Oregon) doing cuttings on […]
