Miniclover, ecolawn and a variety of groundcovers grow landscapes that are green and drought tolerant Expansive lawns in Europe and the rising popularity of golf in the late 1900s launched America’s obsession with a perfect plot of grass. The invention of the rotary mower and the development of climate-adapted grass varieties made a landscape of […]
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February 2023: Greenhouse Issue ’23
The February 2023 issue of Digger takes a look at the people, products and processes that make Oregon the gold standard of greenhouse production today.… Continue Reading…
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Throttling back the burn
Efficiency improvements can help nurseries mitigate natural gas costs Whether you’re talking annuals, perennials, houseplants, veggie starts or other tender plants, it takes a variety… Continue Reading…
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Stretched to the limit
Extreme weather wreaks havoc on greenhouse poly film With 15 acres of greenhouses under his management, Jeremy Dewar at North American Plants in McMinnville, Oregon,… Continue Reading…
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Low-water lawn alternatives
Miniclover, ecolawn and a variety of groundcovers grow landscapes that are green and drought tolerant Expansive lawns in Europe and the rising popularity of golf… Continue Reading…
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OAN Member Profile: Oregon Flowers Inc.
The Meskers family comes from generations of bulb producers in Holland. Since Martin Meskers emigrated from Holland to Oregon, he has grown a wholesale cut… Continue Reading…
Plant Features

A string of succulent successes
Thanks in large part to social media, the market for indoor succulents is larger, more varied and more popular than ever before Ann Patterson, houseplant buyer at Portland Nursery, said she has been collecting succulents for a long time. She called them lovely, intriguing little plants. “They’re interesting looking with lots of different textures,” Patterson […]

Trendy shade trees, part two
In a prior installment regarding shade tree trends, published in the August issue of Digger, we talked about flowering shade tree trends. This time, we will discuss shade trees that don’t necessarily have prominent flowers, from Acer to Zelkova, and we’ll also include some columnar and native options.
Nursery Operations

Throttling back the burn
Efficiency improvements can help nurseries mitigate natural gas costs Whether you’re talking annuals, perennials, houseplants, veggie starts or other tender plants, it takes a variety of investments to get greenhouse-grown plants out the door and delivered to paying customers. Property expenses, labor, pots, other supplies, plant material, taxes and fees, and finally, freight are among […]

Stretched to the limit
Extreme weather wreaks havoc on greenhouse poly film With 15 acres of greenhouses under his management, Jeremy Dewar at North American Plants in McMinnville, Oregon, replaces polyethylene (poly) film on a recurring basis. Lately, however, he is replacing it at a higher rate than usual. Like other greenhouse operations in Oregon, the greenhouses at North […]

OAN Member Profile: Oregon Flowers Inc.
The Meskers family comes from generations of bulb producers in Holland. Since Martin Meskers emigrated from Holland to Oregon, he has grown a wholesale cut flower business called Oregon Flowers Inc. The business ships approximately 6.5 million stems per year to nearly all 50 states, mostly to the West Coast and the Northeast. Company president […]
Oregon Is Nursery Country

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]
Recent Columns
Perpetuating the popularity of pollinator plants
By Mike Darcy
We are now into the second month of a new year, and a reflection into the past year reminds us just how unpredictable the weather is — and how much the garden business depends upon the weather. Looking back at 2022, there were many weather extremes. Parts of western Oregon had snow in March, then […]
Everyday things matter
By Jeff Stone
As Benjamin Franklin left the Constitutional Convention, he was reportedly asked what kind of government the founders would propose. He replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” This phrase has resonated through American history. It has been tested through a civil war, world wars, and even the toxic sludge of political discourse we are […]
Speaking for the trees
By Todd Nelson
Recently, I found myself thinking about the classic children’s book “The Lorax,” written by Dr. Seuss. In his typical writing fashion, Dr. Seuss weaves profound lessons within the book’s fun and whimsical pages. In this story we meet two polarizing characters: the Once-ler, a greedy industrialist who made a living by cutting down beautiful truffula […]
Growing Knowledge
Dogging your voles
Researchers explore whether hounds can assist in timely vole management By Dana Sanchez and Nick Andrews In the big picture, burrowing animals contribute significantly to natural ecosystems and the soils on which our own economies and lives depend. Burrowers contribute to soil aeration, provide nutrients and soil organic matter, participate in redistributing nutrients to the […]
How to catch a thrips
Rigorous scouting can help manage tip-feeding thrips before they cause irreparable damage By Lloyd Nackley and Melissa Scherr Thrips belong to the insect order Thysanoptera, of which there are several species that are damaging to nursery and ornamental crops. Whether there is only one or many, we call them thrips regardless, just like with other […]
A carbon balancing act
What effects do mowing, fertilization and irrigation have on carbon sink and sequestration in turfgrass ecosystems? Public concerns about climate change and a growing number of government and business commitments to emissions reductions have increased focus on carbon sequestration in vegetated landscapes as a nature-based climate solution. More specifically, landscapes dominated by plants could be […]