Tony wrote:
: I'm frustrated about something and thought I'd vent here a bit, so excuse
: me....

: Where I live there seem to be 3 types of places where I can buy plants:

: --Places like Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, etc. that have "garden centers"
: but that isn't the main thing they focus on.
: --Mid-size to large commercial nurseries that specialize in plants.
: --Small "mom-and-pop" type places.

: Of those 3, I'd really prefer to patronize the last two figuring that I'll
: get better plants.

Actually, places like Lowe's order from the same large wholesale nurseries
that many smaller nurseries and garden centers do. Labelling comes with
the plant and is thus often better and more accurate than that at places
that grow their own. Their turnover is high, so if your timing is right,
you can get plants fresh off the truck from the grower that are still in
peak condition.

Signage is a significant cost for a nursery or garden center and many will
trim costs that way. But failure to label informatively and accurately is
one of the surest ways to lose customers. Good signage helps customers buy
the right plants for their growing conditions and learn enough about its
care to keep it from croaking. If you're selling the Top Twenty annuals,
this isn't such a big deal but if you're trying to offer less commonly
known plants, it's absolutely crucial. Nothing will kill a standalone
garden center/nursery faster than poor and inaccurate signage and
uninformed staff.

-- Karen

The Garden Gate http://garden-gate.prairienet.org
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