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Serving the Northwest Nursery Industry for Over 50 Years

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Mastering the merge

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Nurseries share the benefits of integrating wholesale and retail in one operation It was 38 years ago and Grace Dinsdale had just launched Blooming Nursery, a wholesale nursery in Cornelius, Oregon; just west of Hillsboro. Her goal from the get-go had been to operate as a wholesale nursery that could supply the industry with a […]

January 2020 – Nursery Country Issue

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With its rich volcanic soil, mild weather, and natural resources, Oregon is a great place for wholesale and retail garden center growers. Meet the fantastic business partners who are just one part of Oregon’s nearly one-billion-dollar nursery and greenhouse industry. Here’s a peek at the featured nurseries: Also in this issue, researchers discuss fire blight, […]

A place where people can grow

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David Sather wanted a place to grow. After spending years developing a landscaping business in the Seattle area, he was ready to chase a dream by raising his own plant material. When David arrived in Oregon, he knew he had found his place. Todd Williams wanted a place to grow. After working at a retail […]

Knowing your customers

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“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 […]

Shades of meaning

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It’s my privilege to work with a team of talented designers. One of them — Rachel Getsinger, Pivot’s senior design lead — takes the lead on many of our logo and branding projects. Recently, she has introduced Color Theory 101 to our clients when we present logo color options. In this month’s article, I’m passing […]

October 2019

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Learn how retail nurseries are bringing customers into the stores during the off-season. Plus, Christmas tree farmers who weathered through the rough recession share their outlook on the future, and Oregon State University talks about their new hazelnut cultivars. In this issue: Retail for the holidays: Garden centers transform themselves into destinations for fall and […]

Retail for the holidays

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Garden centers transform themselves into destinations for fall and Christmas The months leading up to December can lead to a slowdown in business at many garden centers, as gardening activity decreases. But some retailers have made these months quite profitable, and without going too far off mission, if at all. After all, nurseries and garden […]

Retailers’ Choice Awards™ at Farwest 2019

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Retailers’ Choice Awards™ at Farwest 2019 were presented to thirteen exhibiting firms for awards during a presentation on the Farwest Solutions Center. The Garden Center Group’s Danny Summers and Christina Salwitz lead the retailer search. Products were selected specifically for garden retailers in search of the best new products both live goods and hard goods […]

Exciting, unusual and underused shrubs

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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, […]