Comments for The Blogging Nurseryman by Trey Pitsenberger

Comment on Who are the 5%? by Mary Hoblit

Mary Hoblit — Sat, 25 May 2013 13:28:23 +0000

Loved the picture. I am establishing a new border behind my deck.
That is what I want it to look like. I am going to come in and see that border up close and personal. Lovely!

Comment on The customer as “garden celebrity” by Who are the 5%? | The Blogging Nurseryman by Trey Pitsenberger

Who are the 5%? | The Blogging Nurseryman by Trey Pitsenberger — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:03:13 +0000

[...] too many in our garden businesses think it’s all bout saturating the consumer 24/7 with their message. It’s not! Frankly, they don’t care about your new line of plants. They care about [...]

Comment on How will you compete with this? by Trey Pitsenberger

Trey Pitsenberger — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:49:06 +0000

Angela,

My concern is there are not enough people like you, or me, that like to visit garden shops. I use to like to visit bookstores for so much more than books. The ambiance, the coffee, the smell, and the books. Can’t do it much anymore and there are no bookstores around here, except for a really good used book store. This cuts across trades and industries. I am not saying ALL small garden shops will disappear. There are some that are doing it right. However, I don’t doubt for a minute that if we think people will always want to visit a garden center, we might be mistaken.

Comment on How will you compete with this? by Annie Haven | Authentic Haven Brand

Annie Haven | Authentic Haven Brand — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:46:27 +0000

This works when done right!

Comment on How will you compete with this? by Angela Pratt

Angela Pratt — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:07:25 +0000

On the plus side, we go to nurseries for more than citrus, not knowing what may catch our eye on that particular day. And we go for the total experience… for all of the factors that draw us to one nursery over another on any day.

I love Four Winds, and have ordered trees from them via mail-order. They put out an excellent product. The other advantage to buying direct from them is that you have the widest selection and very little chance of receiving a rootbound plant.

No tree wants to live in a can for too long and even good retail nurseries inevitably end up with a few of last season’s (or the season before’s) stock. The tree usually looks okay from the top (some do look chlorotic), but the roots tell another story. If the tree does manage to receive a bigger pot and fertilizer, the price usually reflects it.

Depending on the time of year, many retail nurseries end up with an odd selection of citrus and less than pristine plants. A good argument for moving that merchandise quickly and bringing in fresh stock.

Comment on The day your supplier sells direct to the customer by How will you compete with this? | The Blogging Nurseryman by Trey Pitsenberger

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:47:51 +0000

[...] talked a couple of days ago about, “The Day Your Supplier Sells Direct to The Customer”. It was about the inevitability that some of our suppliers will sell direct to the public, [...]

Comment on Where do you fit in? by Trey Pitsenberger

Trey Pitsenberger — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:37:43 +0000

Karen,

Believe me, I have been there! It can be depressing. I have chosen instead to focus on the positive, and what we can do as horticulturists to survive, then thrive. My feeling is we need to think of our business as if we we’re starting them anew, in this new era. How would we do things different, and what things work and should stay how we have done them?

Thankfully you have the much of the market for better plants and advice. Enjoy that part of the business while tending the plants!

Comment on The day your supplier sells direct to the customer by Trey Pitsenberger

Trey Pitsenberger — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:20:36 +0000

Keith,
I did not know Ed was with Four Winds. Yes, the do citrus and they do it well. They sell to box stores, indies, and online. Thanks for pointing them out. I am going to watch them more closely now.

I am afraid than many in our trade just refuse to see whats going on, and as such continue down the same path they have always traveled.

Comment on Where do you fit in? by Karen

Karen — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:01:55 +0000

Trey, you really know how to depress someone don’t you?!
It’s like 39° out w/ 20mph winds and I have had (1) uno, customer today! Thank god my dog is with me today & I have some indoor time to get all the pricing, speacial order call backs and plant orders done, oh and don’t forget all the Martha Washington’s and dahlias in the greenhouse got groomed. Oh, and a major re-arrangement/consolidation as I have 44 more flats to fit in there tomorrow, OMG!!
Seriously, we don’t have the likes of a mass marketer selling same quality plants in our town, we have the opposite. We have a thing called BiMart where the poor plants literally hang off the racks until someone takes pity on their forlorness and buys ‘em. Once in awhile a customer has the audacity to come in here asking how to care for a _____ plant from BiMart or Safeway and I smile a BIG smile and tell them, “why don’t you ask Safeway to help you?” and then nicely explain what went wrong…gently reminding them that we live here too, are here to help them, and we sell only healthy well cared for plants suited to our climate. (You shoulda seen the poor madnevillas huddled in the foyer at Safeway last nite. True ‘Objects of Pity’.)

Comment on The day your supplier sells direct to the customer by Keith Miner

Keith Miner — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:58:45 +0000

It is just a matter of time. The best company doing it today is Four Winds Growers. The have a great reputation in the IGC, Chains and On line selling directly to the consumers. Ed Laivo is doing a brilliant job. Check out the cross merchandise selling also. Taking a page out of Peaceful Valley for sure. Who is another great example of the future of selling to a wide geographic consumer base.

https://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/store.html