Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Remarkable annuals

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Annual bedding and garden plant sales represent approximately 70 percent of the total U.S. bedding and garden category, according to the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Services, totaling $1.29 billion out of $1.86 billion wholesale. Annuals pick up where perennials leave off, providing colorful foliage and flower displays inside the season. Customers are continuously searching for […]

Standing up for the industry

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On Valentine’s Day, our group of about 15 OAN members and professional government relations staff visited the Oregon State Capitol. We split up into three groups of five to have meetings and meaningful conversations with our state senators and representatives in their offices. The annual OAN Advocacy Day has been one of our most effective […]

A genus fit for royalty

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Strange as it may seem, plants and clothes have some traits that make them parallel to one another. Clothes are fashionable. New styles appear every year, but there are always some holdovers from previous years. A parallel can be drawn here with plants. Some become more fashionable in gardens, while others fade away. Hellebores and […]

Crossover and compromise

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Oregon is blessed with agricultural lands that produce more than 225 different commodities. The production types run the gamut from organic to conventional, and the work required to cultivate these crops varies in intensity. Oregon farmers have even introduced crops that traditionally have not been present in the fertile Willamette Valley. “Coexistence” is a term […]

Bailey appoints strategic accounts manager

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David Klinger has been promoted from strategic accounts representative to strategic accounts manager at Bailey, effective March 1, 2019. He will replace JoAnn Kern, who is retiring after 40 years of service at Bailey. Klinger will use his analytical skills and in-depth knowledge of Bailey’s offerings and consumer brands to manage the company’s relationships with mass merchants […]

March 2019

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This month’s issue of Digger focuses on specialty nurseries. Articles include the challenges and rewards for specialty nurseries, the value of being an influencer, and marketing budget priorities. Also, read about Janet Poot’s tenure in the industry and how OSU researchers are looking at aphid control for Christmas tree growers. In this issue: A corner […]

Pest control for Christmas trees

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Evaluating new and old insecticides, and beneficial insects, for aphid control By Chal Landgren, Judy Kowalski, David Howell, Paige Kuchy Aphid control on Christmas tree and other conifer plantings can be a yearly headache for growers. This is especially true for growers of grand fir which, for some reason, seems especially “tasty” to aphids. Over […]

The value of influence

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Nurseries strategically seek influence and recap the rewards About 10 years ago, Costa Farms launched a campaign called “O2 for You,” which was designed to play up the valuable role that houseplants can play in cleaning pollutants out of indoor air. The Miami, Florida-based horticultural grower — now one of the largest in the world — compiled […]

A corner of the market

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The path of the specialty nursery has unique challenges and rewards There are many Oregon wholesale growers that offer something for everyone. For them, it’s all about variety — growing and shipping as much of what their customers need as possible. Specialty growers, by contrast, are a whole different breed. They pick one plant and […]