Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

High demand for low-water shrubs

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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 […]

Where are the shrubs?

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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 […]

Specimen shrubs that steal the spotlight

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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’

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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 […]

Darcy added to OSU agricultural Diamond Pioneer Registry

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Oregon-based gardening writer and broadcaster Mike Darcy, who writes a bimonthly column in Digger, has been inducted into the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences Diamond Pioneer Registry. The registry honors living people over the age of 74 who have made significant lifetime contributions to agriculture, natural resources, and either the people of Oregon, […]

Nursery industry tops list of Oregon ag commodities

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The nursery industry retained the top spot on the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s updated list of the top 20 most valuable agricultural commodities statewide. Greenhouse and nursery plants earned approximately $1.3 billion in 2021 — an increase of 10% over their value in 2020 and representing 22% of the total value of all Oregon agriculture. […]

May 2023: The Sustainability Issue

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The May 2023 issue of Digger explores the myriad ways the nursery and greenhouse industry of today is implementing sustainable measures and building on the legacy of pioneers in sustainability, such as Mahonia Nursery owner John D. Miller and agricultural inventor Heping Zhu, who developed the technology that would become the Intelligent Spray Control System. […]

Answering nature’s challenges

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On October 17, 1989, the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants assembled to battle it out in game 3 of the World Series. Then, an hour before the first pitch, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rocked northern California. There were reported 3,700 injuries, 63 deaths and over $6 billion in damages reported. The series was postponed […]

Member Profile: Mahonia Nursery

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Founded: 1983 by John D. Miller Mahonia is a native plant species that plays an important role in Oregon’s ecosystems. These hardy, evergreen shrubs were used extensively by Native American tribes ­— as a food source, as a natural dye for textiles, and as medicine to treat a variety of human aliments, from digestive problems […]