Nurseries explore new uses for drones, from inventory to scouting to spray treatment Initially a tool for the military and aviation hobbyists, unmanned aerial systems — better known as drones — have a wide range of applications. Filmmakers, search and rescue, farmers and ranchers, surveyors, even archeologists find uses for them. Will the nursery industry […]
A green renewal
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Trend watchers say green is the hot color, which has implications for garden retailers Whether muted or bright, foliage or flower, color drives the nursery industry, and many trend settlers say green is the Color of the Year for 2022. The first announcement came at last summer’s Cultivate’21 trade show from Garden Media Group, a […]
Nature is in the house
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A back-to-earth ethic fuels the lust for new, classic and collectible house plants In the 1970s, it seemed like everyone decorated their indoor space with a pothos (Epipremnum aureum) winding around the ceiling and a dusty-looking Coleus on the windowsill, but houseplants fell out of favor during the more technology-driven ’80s. Now they’ve come roaring […]
A tree with a peel
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Despite some pest issues, birch trees provide a distinctive, well-loved look Sales of popular birch trees in Oregon plummeted in the early 2000s when the bronze birch borer made its way across the country and began attacking susceptible plants up and down the Willamette Valley. The voracious insect had been plaguing states in the Midwest […]
A hotter trend
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Widespread wildfires prompt greater demand for fire-safe plants and landscaping As the wildfires of Labor Day 2020 tore through Oregon, the impacts on homes and forests were sevbere. The flames devoured a million acres of forestlands, and destroyed more than 4,000 homes. The impacts are something foresters, landscape professionals and nursery operators must pay attention […]
Catching eyes — and customers
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An engaging trade show booth, with attentive staff working it, is a lifeline for businesses The Farwest Show is back in 2021, and for exhibitors, that means one thing — time to prepare your “A” game. Whether the booth is offering plants, supplies or something else, anyone involved in nursery trade shows knows a good booth […]
The approachable container
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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 […]
Cultivating the curious
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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 canning supplies weren’t the only products disappearing off shelves. Plants flew out of many garden centers at an unprecedented, or at least unexpected, pace. All of a sudden, everyone in […]
Can-do conifers
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As home gardening booms, these unheralded trees shine as wise, low-maintenance investments In a northwest region surrounded by forests of Doug fir, Ponderosa pine, grand fir and hemlock, people could easily take conifers for granted. However, many gardeners recognize the versatility and minimal care that make them a staple in the landscape. Even before COVID-19 […]
Reblooming is booming
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Consumers are drawn to new annuals, perennials and shrubs offering easy, continuous interest When many consumers approach a garden designer or visit a garden center, they know two things for sure: They want low maintenance, and they want color from spring till fall. “I’m looking for successive bloom,” said Jenna Bayer, owner of Jenna Bayer Garden […]