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About Mike Darcy

Mike Darcy is the host of “In the Garden with Mike Darcy,” a radio program airing at 9 a.m. Saturdays on KXL 101 FM in Portland. He can be reached at itgmikedarcy@comcast.net.

A gardener’s optimism has no limits

By Mike Darcy — Posted November 24, 2020

Resilient is a good word to use to describe Diana and Colby Lamb. Resilience is defined as spirit, hardiness, toughness, strength, buoyancy, and resistance. On September 8 at 12:15 a.m., there was a banging on the door of their Gates, Oregon house. It was a Marion County sheriff’s deputy telling them that there had been […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, garden clubs, Mike Darcy

COVID-19 lessons from plant societies

By Mike Darcy — Posted September 29, 2020

In this unprecedented period of a COVID-19 pandemic, several forest fires with lingering air pollution, and a very dry summer that has stressed all our plants, garden centers have also had to make many adjustments to retain their current customer base. On top of that, they also need to attract new customers. Some garden centers […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: coronavirus, Digger, Digger magazine, Mike Darcy, Plants

Gardening interest enters full bloom

By Mike Darcy — Posted July 29, 2020

In my last column (June 2020), I wrote about some of the many changes that garden centers have had to make during the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is that it appears that most garden centers managed to adapt to these new requirements. Since the COVID-19 situation is not abating, an appropriate follow-up would be […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Mike Darcy, Retail Nurseries

Seeding the need to garden

By Mike Darcy — Posted May 26, 2020

Nothing about the spring 2020 garden season has been ordinary. From March onward, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many facets of the garden industry in ways no one could have predicted. Six months ago, if you had described a scene where shoppers and workers were wearing masks and standing six feet apart, no one would […]

Filed Under: Columns, Coronavirus, Mike Darcy Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID19, Digger, Digger magazine, Mike Darcy, Retail Nurseries

Up, down and all around

By Mike Darcy — Posted March 27, 2020

Sometimes popular phrases never really disappear. They just go dormant and then come back again.  We might refer to them as being recycled, but I prefer using the word “dormant” since this is a garden column. The phrase “up, down and all around” was commonly used in garden training sessions in the 1970s and 1980s, […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Mike Darcy, soil testing

Gleams of an extended garden season

By Mike Darcy — Posted January 23, 2020

Former Portland Rose Society President Rich Baer sent me a photo that he took this past Thanksgiving from his garden. It was a bouquet of roses. I have lived in the Portland area for many years and it is not often I’ve thought of picking a full bouquet of roses at the end of November! […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Home gardening, Mike Darcy, Retail Nurseries

Knowing your customers

By Mike Darcy — Posted November 22, 2019

“Location, location, location.” I have often heard that those three words are paramount for any brick-and-mortar retail business. I do not dispute their importance. Location matters for garden centers, too, but I think that three other words have greater importance: “Know your customers.” Knowing your customers — where they are coming from and what kinds of […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: Marketing, Mike Darcy, Retail Nurseries

My Farwest Show favorites

By Mike Darcy — Posted September 26, 2019

There are many reasons that I regularly attend the Farwest Show. One is for the social connection to others in the horticulture industry. There is camaraderie among garden people that I rarely see in other organizations, and it is hard to explain until you are part of it. I believe that social interactions are extremely […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Farwest, Farwest Show, Mike Darcy

Where gardeners turn for answers

By Mike Darcy — Posted July 26, 2019

Garden centers typically can offer their customers several advantages that big box stores can’t fully duplicate. One of these is the ability to provide customers with valid, localized information about the challenges they face. When I ask my neighbors, friends and other gardeners where they would go if they had a question about a problem […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Home gardening, Retail Nurseries

Current trends at the garden center

By Mike Darcy — Posted May 24, 2019

It should come as no surprise to those who know me, or read this column, that I like to visit garden centers! Just walking around to look at the plants and talk with some of the personnel — whether they are salespeople, managers, owners, or customers — it is a very enjoyable time. It is […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Home gardening, Retail Nurseries

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CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

Trade shows in the time of COVID

A demand ‘renaissance’ for nurseries

Western Nursery & Landscape Association falls victim to pandemic

MANTS 2021 to move online due to COVID-19

Nor Cal trade show canceled due to COVID-19

Reflections on Farwest

More articles

NURSERY NEWS

McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture appoints new leadership, sales team

Friends of Nurseries awards announced by OAN

Oregon Garden Foundation reclaims management role

Zielinski appointed to state board of ag

Disaster loans available for drought-stricken nurseries

More Nursery News

FARWEST SHOW UPDATES

People’s Choice Award winners announced for the 2020 Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase

Augmented reality app allows New Varieties Showcase voting

Farwest Show launches virtual contest to crown 2020 New Varieties Showcase winners

MANTS 2021 to move online due to COVID-19

Growing with the industry: Farwest memories

More Updates from Farwest

From the pages of Digger

January 2021 – Nursery Country

December 2020

The Transportation Issue — November 2020

The Advocacy Issue: October 2020

September 2020

August 2020 — Farwest Edition

More issues of Digger

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