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  • June 2023: The Shrubs Issue

    Shrubs take center stage in the June 2023 issue of Digger. Sharing the spotlight is the Farwest Show Planning Guide (PDF), a special insert detailing… Continue Reading…

    June 2023: The Shrubs Issue
  • Measuring low-water stress

    Expansive study evaluates climate-ready landscape plants for the western U.S. By Loren Oki and Jared Sisneroz We have all experienced extreme weather conditions, from heavy… Continue Reading…

    Measuring low-water stress
  • Getting ahead by cutting back

    Advances in automated shrub trimming save time and labor With its wheels stretched 60 feet apart, a mowing machine makes its way over multiple rows… Continue Reading…

    Getting ahead by cutting back
  • High demand for low-water shrubs

    Growers and retailers capitalize on native and climate-adapted varieties for modern landscapes In the 1980s, the utility Denver Water coined the term “xeriscape” by combining… Continue Reading…

    High demand for low-water shrubs
  • Where are the shrubs?

    Growers face recession and inflation concerns after pandemic depletes stock and strains availability The pandemic brought unexpected havoc to the nursery trade, just as it… Continue Reading…

    Where are the shrubs?

Plant Features

High demand for low-water shrubs

Growers and retailers capitalize on native and climate-adapted varieties for modern landscapes In the 1980s, the utility Denver Water coined the term “xeriscape” by combining the word “landscape” with the Greek prefix “xero” for “dry.” A niche movement was born. But the use of low-water shrubs and plants was at the time predominantly limited to […]

Natives shine on

Thanks to climate change, sales of drought-tolerant, pollinator-loving native perennials are enjoying their time in the sun Concern for the environment and pollinators is inspiring gardeners to add native plants to their landscape. At the same time, climate change is driving an ongoing increase in demand for heat- and drought-tolerant natives. Sustainable landscaping with native […]

The eternal appeal of oaks

Original species have stood the test of time and still sell well, while new smaller columnar hybrids of Quercus are coming on strong With fossils found as old as 55 million years, oaks have been entwined with human history since it began. Because of their longevity and massive proportions, the largest oak species in the […]

More plant features

Nursery Operations

One person operates the 60-foot-long trimmer at Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas. Photo by Emily Lindblom

Getting ahead by cutting back

Advances in automated shrub trimming save time and labor With its wheels stretched 60 feet apart, a mowing machine makes its way over multiple rows of rhododendrons, leaving them uniformly trimmed on top. Powered by only one person riding on top of it, this machine gets the work done quickly, saving large wholesale grower Woodburn […]

Field of 24–30-inch and 30–36-inch Buxus microphylla ‘Wintergreen’. courtesy Eason Horticultural Resources

Where are the shrubs?

Growers face recession and inflation concerns after pandemic depletes stock and strains availability The pandemic brought unexpected havoc to the nursery trade, just as it did to the rest of the economy. Strong sales volumes caused shortages and supply chain issues in all nursery sectors including shrubs. That in turn drove wide-ranging ripple effects that […]

Spraying sustainably

An intelligent spraying system can help growers reduce pesticide use, save money and better manage their crops Until about six or seven years ago, Hans Nelson and Sons Nursery in Boring, Oregon, would apply standard pesticides to its roughly 150 acres of shade and flowering trees using traditional air-blast sprayers. The sprayers, used throughout the […]

More stories

Oregon Is Nursery Country

Joe Obersinner in one of the unheated greenhouses the nursery maintains. They process 100,000 rooted cuttings every fall and winter, and most of their rhodies are grown that way. They only have one propagation house that is heated; otherwise, all other greenhouses are unheated. Obersinner container-finishes 65% of its catalog. Photo by Tracy Ilene Miller

Obersinner Nursery Inc.

Joe Obersinner in one of the unheated greenhouses maintained by Obersinner Nursery Inc. The nursery processes 100,000 rooted cuttings every fall and winter, and most of their rhodies are grown that way. They only have one propagation house that is heated; otherwise, all other greenhouses are unheated. Obersinner container-finishes 65% of its catalog. Photo by […]

Key employees at North American Plants Inc. include (back row, l-r) Shufu Dong, Clayton Moore Jr., Jeremy Dewar, Michael Remmick, William Wang, Calxia Li, (front row, l-r) Ella Olague, Jan Young, Yongjian Chang, Nhicolas Michels, Georgina Madrigal and Emily Steadman. Photo by Curt Kipp

North American Plants Inc.

Key employees at North American Plants Inc. include (back row, l-r) Shufu Dong, Clayton Moore Jr., Jeremy Dewar, Michael Remmick, William Wang, Calxia Li, (front row, l-r) Ella Olague, Jan Young, Yongjian Chang, Nicholas Michels, Georgina Madrigal and Emily Steadman. Photo by Curt Kipp HUNDREDS OF SHELVES OF SEALED GLASS JARS fill large warehouse-like buildings […]

Cindy Lou Evans Pease, owner of Evans Farms LLC, stands in front of the barn designed by her father, Eldon Evans, when he was just 17 years old. Photo by Peter Szymczak

Evans Farms LLC

Cindy Lou Evans Pease, owner of Evans Farms LLC, stands in front of the barn designed by her father, Eldon Evans, when he was just 17 years old. Photo by Peter Szymczak IN 1857, A DETERMINED IMMIGRANT from Germany found his way to the lush land around Oregon City. Every day, Christian Frederick Vonderahe walked […]

The Motz & Son Nursery crew. Standing from left to right: Frank, Silvino, Samuel, Carlos, Anne Marie Boyd, Daniel, Isidro, Armando, Nancy Richards, Simon, Jose V., Salvador, Edgar, Jose Juan, Antonio, Jorge, Juan C., Felipe and Higinio. Kneeling from left to right: Juan Jesus, Martin, Napoleon, Oniver, Gustavo, Anatolio, Agustin and Arturo. Photo by Curt Kipp

Motz & Son Nursery

IF THEY WERE GROWING FRUIT TREES IN OREGON, it’s very likely your great-great-grandparents were customers of the Motz family nursery. A true family legacy, Portland’s Motz Brothers began in 1921 with Theodore (Ted) and John Motz, joined by Ted’s son Donald (Don) in 1957, when it became Motz & Son Nursery. Today, the nursery is […]

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Recent Columns

My chat with ChatGPT

By Jeff Stone

I had a conversation a few months ago with Steve Shropshire, the association’s legal counsel from Jordan Ramis PC, about the emergence of ChatGPT and the open-source abilities. I found it fascinating. Type pretty much anything into ChatGPT and it’ll spit out a confident, convincing response. What some have found is that its answers can […]

Specimen shrubs that steal the spotlight

By Mike Darcy

Most gardens have a diversity of plants, usually with a representation of at least one or two categories. This would include annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines and trees. In the urban gardens of many homeowners today, there may be fewer trees and more shrubs due to limited space. Sometimes the distinction between a shrub and a […]

Keeping our world ‘Wonderful’

By Todd Nelson

SpaceX recently conducted an orbital test flight of their Starship spacecraft. The tallest, most powerful spacecraft ever constructed, “designed to both carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond,” according to SpaceX. The test lasted four minutes and the starship self-destructed before it was able to make it into orbit. Was […]

Growing Knowledge

Measuring low-water stress

May 31, 2023 By Lauren Oki

Expansive study evaluates climate-ready landscape plants for the western U.S. By Loren Oki and Jared Sisneroz We have all experienced extreme weather conditions, from heavy rain and snow to prolonged droughts, which have become more frequent in recent years. In response to the droughts that have threatened our water supplies, regulatory restrictions have been put […]

Learning, connecting, engaging

April 20, 2023 By Silvia Rondon

Oregon’s Integrated Pest Management Center serves as an innovative pest management hub for growers Article and photos By Silvia I. Rondon Since the early 1960s, the Oregon Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Center has accumulated a rich history of leading and coordinating multistate research and outreach programs to help a broad audience in the agricultural and […]

Going with the flow

March 24, 2023 By Lloyd Nackley

Research on plant hydraulics helps explain the effect of drought stress on shade trees By Sadie Keller, Rebecca Sheridan, Scout Dahms-May, Carolyn Scagel and Lloyd Nackley In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the heart of the nursery industry, rainfall is scarce during the summer and humidity is low. The plant stress resulting from the low soil moisture, […]

NURSERY NEWS

Darcy added to OSU agricultural Diamond Pioneer Registry

Nursery industry tops list of Oregon ag commodities

Fall Creek promotes Amelie Aust to executive board chair

Hall of Famers give gift towards horticultural industry advocacy

Verl Holden retires from Oregon Garden Foundation Board

More Nursery News

FARWEST SHOW UPDATES

Secure your 2023 Farwest hotel room and save

Farwest Show to celebrate 50th anniversary in 2023

Nursery professionals connect at Farwest

These 12 products had buyers buzzing at Farwest

Nightfall Snowbell sweeps top honors in Farwest New Varieties Showcase

More Updates from Farwest

From the pages of Digger

June 2023: The Shrubs Issue

May 2023: The Sustainability Issue

April 2023: The Trees Issue

March 2023: Water Outlook 2023

February 2023: Greenhouse Issue ’23

More issues of Digger

The Value of Membership

Member Profile: Mahonia Nursery

Meet the Leader: Angela Bailey

OAN Member Profile: Oregon Flowers Inc. 

More member stories

CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

Virtual is the new reality – for now

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

More articles

Nursery Guide LIVE

Nursery Guide LIVE clicks into place

Booth spaces still available for Nursery Guide LIVE March 17–18

Nursery Guide LIVE virtual marketplace postponed due to winter storm damage

Keynote presentations at Nursery Guide LIVE virtual marketplace provide insight on green industry trends in 2021 and beyond

More Posts from this Category

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