These bulbs offer great color and fragrance with disease resistance, and some are native to boot When gardeners, landscapers and restoration managers look to buy bulbs, they’re finding exceptional and versatile material that meets their design goals and gardening aspirations. Breeders and growers are providing an outstanding selection of commercial bulbs, including tulips, daffodils, corms, […]
Plant Features
Exciting, unusual and underused shrubs
Trees frame the garden, perennials clothe it, but shrubs give it the bones that bring everything together. Yet so many of these essential plants never make it into the landscape. Shrubs like the exquisite Camellia × williamsii ‘Night Rider’ from New Zealand with its deep maroon red flowers and brilliant, reddish-purple new growth or vibrant, […]
Green from the ground up
Whether the customers are landscapers or retailers, the most sought-after characteristics in ground cover plants for pathways and walkways are the same. People want low-growing, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, evergreen, flowering, noninvasive, deer-tolerant, durable and — gaining in popularity — rabbit-resistant plants. And it would be nice if they could also help with the dishes! Customers […]
Nursery Operations
Ready to roll
An efficient shipping process depends on working as a team There are countless ways to prepare an order for shipment. What works or one nursery may not be the best process for all operations. “Every shipping process is different because every farm has a different layout,” Elizabeth Peters of The Peters Company said. She and […]
Keep on truckin’
Nurseries work closely with shippers to keep their products rolling Here’s something to think about: The top agricultural commodity in Oregon is nursery and greenhouse products. In 2018, nursery and greenhouse sales in the Beaver State topped $996 million — a quarter-of-a-million dollars higher than the No. 2 commodity, cattle — making Oregon one of the […]
O, Christmas trees
The industry’s been on a rough ride, but some silver linings point to a bright future The years leading up to the Great Recession were merry ones for Christmas tree farmers in the United States. Consumer demand and spending were strong, prices were steady, and the supply was bountiful. The future looked bright as a […]
The Value of Membership
Meet the Leader: Scott Ekstrom
Tell us about yourself. I graduated from Clackamas Community College and Mount Hood Community College with degrees in horticulture and Spanish, which I used to develop my nursery skills. I was able to prove to myself that I could see and accomplish a goal, regardless how small or large. Today, I work to move Ekstrom […]
Elements of a transition
A nursery transition plan must consider the optimal timing to change ownership, management, control — or ultimately, all three A nursery business is often nurtured, grown, and sold much like the plants raised in the nursery. One big difference is that the succession planning cycle happens over many years — not just one or two growing […]
