Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

June 2020

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Learn how wholesale growers are implementing additional precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the job, and what changes are being made in the retail garden center experience. This issue also includes Part 2 of our white blooming plants stories, and a leader profile featuring Chris Robinson of Robinson Nursery Inc. Plus, OSU students […]

The smart greenhouse

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By Lloyd Nackley, Chet Udell and Alan Dennis OSU researchers look to repurpose and adapt high-tech trackers and sensors for plant production Greenhouses are critical for nearly all nursery operations. They enable greater control over the growing environment for plants, providing numerous advantages in the face of unpredictable weather and increasing droughts. That’s why many […]

White and woody

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This palette of white-blooming trees and shrubs provides strong design options White blooming plants can provide balance in the garden or landscape, and landscape designers’ plans. “I do find clients who have an approach of a modern or more formalistic garden, that tend to go for white [blooming plants],” said Roxy Olsson, a landscape designer […]

Growing in a new way

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Nurseries modify processes on the fly to protect their workers from COVID-19 COVID-19 created a game-changing societal threat — a deadly pathogen that can spread easily for up to 14 days without the carriers showing symptoms. Nurseries and greenhouses responded quickly by implementing social distancing to prevent transmission. They looked at every facet of their operations, […]

Meet the Leader: Chris Robinson

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Nursery ManagerRobinson Nursery Inc. OAN member since 1987 Field/Bare Root representative, OAN Board of Directors Sunset Chapter President Research Committee member New Nursery Professional of the Year (2017) Tell us about yourself My dream ever since I was little was to manage the nursery. When I was 8, I started pruning trees to earn a […]

Seeding the need to garden

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Nothing about the spring 2020 garden season has been ordinary. From March onward, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many facets of the garden industry in ways no one could have predicted. Six months ago, if you had described a scene where shoppers and workers were wearing masks and standing six feet apart, no one would […]

Becoming a Zoom Jedi master

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced me to work at home, isolated in what I have started calling “the 64th Avenue Bunker.” As a result, my family has gained a deeper understanding of my severe technological deficits. They commonly hear me uttering phrases like, “I just want it to work!” I am not quite to the […]

Guides along life’s journey

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Throughout life, we run across people who affect us in positive ways. Teachers, coaches and friends can all have an influence upon us that lasts a lifetime. Within the nursery industry, mentors can be found just about anywhere. They can be bosses, co-workers, or even competitors down the road. They can also be family members […]

2020 Farwest Show canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

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The 2020 Farwest Show in Portland, Oregon has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to show producer the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN). The show, for nursery and greenhouse operators and professionals, had been scheduled for August 26–28 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. “We are very disappointed not to be […]

HRI accepting grant proposals for 2021

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Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), the foundation of AmericanHort, is now accepting research project proposals for the 2021 grant cycle. Applications are due no later than June 1. Each year, the institute funds projects that are designed to improve green industry efficiencies and profitability. Grants of between $5,000 and $35,000 may be awarded to research projects […]