Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Creating the future generation of nursery leaders

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The Oregon Nurseries Foundation announces its 2021 scholarship recipients The Oregon Nurseries Foundation (ONF) supports incoming or continuing college students who are preparing for careers in horticulture or related fields. Please join us in congratulating the ONF’s 2021-2022 Scholarship Award Winners. Students were evaluated based on academic achievement, nursery industry commitment, financial need and OAN […]

A fine, low input turf

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Researchers look into the helpful properties of fine fescue turgrasses By Alec Kowalewski, Emily Braithwaite and Ruying Wang Fine fescue is a group of different cool-season turfgrasses in the Festuca genus with narrow or fine leaves (Image 1). These grasses are generally known for excellent shade and cold tolerance, as well as persistence when maintained […]

A billion-dollar bounty

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Several factors explain Oregon’s robust plant sales figures, particularly in woody material When Rich Bailey of J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. in Boring, Oregon, relocated to Oregon from Chicago several years back, he was struck by the wide diversity of plant materials produced by Oregon nurseries. “This state grows so many different types of […]

Springing forward

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COVID-19 has meant two banner years for nurseries, but the future’s a little foggy Over the decades, Grace Dinsdale’s Blooming Nursery has enjoyed a fairly steady path of gradual growth. The past few years, the Cornelius-based wholesale nursery has seen solid sales increases, often between 5% and 10% each year. For Dinsdale, who founded Blooming […]

Walla Walla Nursery Co. Inc.

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Founded in 1992 by Lorne Blackman PRODUCTION: Perennials: 50%, Shrubs: 35%, Annuals: 10%, Tropicals: 5%KNOWN FOR: Wholesale grower of perennials, grasses, shrubs, vines, herbs and tender/hardy succulents delivered throughout the Northwest. Ornamental grass, perennial and succulent plugs shipped throughout North America.PEOPLE: Lorne and Auralea Blackman, owners; Kevin Brunot, general manager; Kris Gonzales, production manager; Alex Ramos, […]

The impervious barberry

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These top-selling shrubs are durable, beautiful and deer resistant Oregon is the number one producer of barberry, selling $7.7 million worth in 2019, according to the USDA Census of Horticultural Specialties. That’s 39% of a nearly $20 million national market, mostly attributed to Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), a plant that has taken a hit with […]

In the heat of the garden

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It is definitely time for a reprieve from the events of the past year and a half. That’s true for garden centers, customers, the plants they buy and grow, and the plants in our gardens. We are living through a pandemic; we suffered devastating forest fires with smoke conditions that were hazardous to our health; […]

Weathering the storm

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August has always been a month I look forward to. As summer draws toward an end, it’s a big time of transition for our family. Between football practices, trying to squeeze in one more trip to the lake, and scrambling to find last-minute school supplies, there is much to accomplish before Labor Day hits. On […]

July 2021

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Get ready for Farwest 2021 at the Oregon Convention Center on August 18–20 with this issue that includes the New Varieties Showcase preview and Planning Guide. Our stories offer advice for grabbing customer attention on the trade show floor, plus other information on Smart Sprayer technology and wildfire-resistant landscaping advice. In this issue: Catching eyes […]