Columns

A more perfect union

By Jeff Stone — Posted August 27, 2021

On September 17, 1787 — 234 years ago this month — the Constitution of the United States was signed. This year, as every year, scores of our youth will sit in classrooms learning about democracy’s sustaining win, as well as its noble cause — the creation of “a more perfect union.” But what does that mean? The […]

Overcoming adversity

By Kyle Fessler — Posted August 27, 2021

Fall is near here in Nursery Country. After a long, hot, dry summer, there is much hope and anticipation for cooler weather and plenty of that famous Oregon rainfall. Likewise, September brings about my favorite pastime: football. I spent nearly two decades of my life on the gridiron, participating as a player, coach, and occasional […]

In the heat of the garden

By Mike Darcy — Posted July 29, 2021

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; […]

Road trip to the City of Roses

By Jeff Stone — Posted July 29, 2021

The pandemic has been a not-so-welcome roller coaster ride for the past two years. Just over a year ago, in the teeth of uncertainty and a virus outbreak that dominated public life, the OAN Board of Directors made the decision to push the 2020 Farwest Show into 2021. This was the right call. We had […]

Weathering the storm

By Kyle Fessler — Posted July 29, 2021

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 […]

A summer of reconnection

By Jeff Stone — Posted June 28, 2021

It felt like home. Last month, the nursery and greenhouse family came together to golf at the Duffers Classic, our annual tournament to raise funds for the Oregon Nurseries’ Political Action Committee (ONPAC). Although some displayed a rusty golf game, that could not hamper the tremendous feeling of reconnection we all shared. Our long national […]

Stop and smell the roses

By Kyle Fessler — Posted June 28, 2021

The annual chaos of spring has slowed down a bit the past few weeks here in Nursery Country. It’s almost a mirror image of the chaos curve we see in the Fessler household each year. Flower season has its big push through Mother’s Day. The weekly yardwork around the house is in full effect at […]

Let’s keep them growing

By Mike Darcy — Posted May 27, 2021

I have written several columns on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on garden centers and how they have responded to it. These last two years have been like no other in recent history —not just for garden centers, but every citizen. In many cases, our lives have been adjusted for us and we have had to […]

Sustainability is our calling card

By Jeff Stone — Posted May 27, 2021

It is fitting that this issue of Digger focuses on sustainability. Sustainability is embedded in how our nurseries operate, and it comes standard with all of our products. Last Labor Day, our region and the nearby Cascade forests came under attack from raging wildfires. Communities were destroyed, people were forced to evacuate, and the sky […]

Smart stewardship

By Kyle Fessler — Posted May 27, 2021

It’s tough to think about the future when we’re trying to keep up with solving the problems of the day. This is something we face nearly every spring, when the most important thing is getting plants out the door to our customers. We do, however, need to set aside time to strategically plan for the […]