Helping consumers break the rules of design, for fun and profit Traditionally, annuals fill the shelves of garden centers come Mother’s Day. The beautiful pieces wait for customers to pile them into carts, move through the check-out line and carry them home to fill containers and hanging baskets. But the popularity of pots stuffed with […]
-
The cold shoulder season
Nursery growers effectively use cold storage to support sales of deciduous trees Plants in the Pacific Northwest experience a wide range of temperatures, from hot,… Continue Reading…
-
Flowering cherry trees then and now
Flowering cherry trees remain popular, from old mainstays to new selections, with more on the way It’s March, and soon showy displays of Japanese flowering… Continue Reading…
-
Cultivating the curious
How retailers can engage with a flourishing generation of new gardeners As the pandemic gripped the world in early spring 2020, toilet paper, yeast and… Continue Reading…
-
The battle with Bambi
Growers have several tools available to defend against plant damage from deer and elk Oregon’s deer and elk are prized by hunters and non-hunters alike,… Continue Reading…
-
Tough and beautiful
Spireas are mainstays of the shrub world, thanks to their gorgeous blooms and steadfast demeanor Timing is everything with Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica). The time… Continue Reading…
-
Virtual booth best practices
COVID-19 has changed the way almost everything is done, and trade shows are no exception. While we all miss in-person shows, there are many advantages… Continue Reading…
-
Virtual is the new reality – for now
The nursery industry’s power trade shows go virtual in the age of COVID-19 Vanessa Finney can say something about the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS), one… Continue Reading…
Plant Features

Flowering cherry trees then and now
Flowering cherry trees remain popular, from old mainstays to new selections, with more on the way It’s March, and soon showy displays of Japanese flowering cherry trees will trumpet their annual announcement that spring has arrived. Thus, consumers will be prompted to head to garden centers with hopes of adding the ephemeral beauty of these […]

Tough and beautiful
Spireas are mainstays of the shrub world, thanks to their gorgeous blooms and steadfast demeanor Timing is everything with Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica). The time is now — as in no later than early March for a hard pruning — for this tough, summer-flowering shrub that blooms on new wood. Yet, pruning can be a […]
The Value of Membership

Meet the Leader: Ben Verhoeven
PresidentPeoria Gardens Inc.OAN member since 2012 OAN roles/positions:• OAN Board of Directors Executive Committee – member at large Tell us about yourself As a second-generation nursery owner, I grew up on a farm my father, Tom Verhoeven, started in 1983. My first job was filling flats for pocket change. Agriculture was just one my interests […]
Zielinski appointed to state board of ag
Josh Zielinski, who served as president of the Oregon Association of Nurseries in 2018, has been appointed to a four-year term on the Oregon State Board of Agriculture.

Meet the leader: Jesse Nelson
General ManagerHans Nelson & Sons Nursery Inc. OAN member since: 2002 OAN roles/positions: Board of Directors – Field and Bare Root Tell us about yourself: I grew up doing different little jobs around our family farm in Boring, Oregon, for as long as I can remember. My grandfather started Hans Nelson & Sons Nursery in […]
Oregon Is Nursery Country

Spring Creek Gardens Inc.
Founded: 1984 by Brent and Becky Skiles Production: 100% Greenhouse Known for: High quality, wholesale bedding plants, vegetables, herbs, containers, and baskets, grown with an environmental ethic OAN member since 1995 Key personnel: Brent and Becky Skiles, owners; Renee Phelps, chief operating officer; Zach Phelps, transportation and projects manager; Jen Skiles, finance and human relations […]

Ernst Nursery & Farms LLC
PRODUCTION:Field-grown 75%Container-grown 25% KNOWN FOR:Field-grown conifers, shade trees and shrubs, including arborvitaes, boxwoods, maples, rhododendrons and others PEOPLE:Bruce Ernst, owner; Kim Stone, controller; Karl Neering, nursery manager. CONTACT:Mailing address: P.O. Box 460St. Paul, OR, 97137-0460Physical address:6180 Gearin Rd. N.E.St. Paul, OR 97137-0460 PHONE:503-633-8366 EMAIL:sales@ernstnursery.com LISTINGS:125 Nursery Guide listings There’s an old slogan many businesses have […]