Columns

Start here: your marketing budget priority list

By Ian Doescher — Posted February 25, 2019

Wouldn’t we all love to have the advertising budgets and marketing teams of Nike or Apple? Unfortunately, that’s not in the cards for most of us. Generally, small- and medium-sized business owners must prioritize their time and money. Are you wondering where to start, or whether you’ve covered the most important things? Here is my […]

Part of the climate change solution

By Jeff Stone — Posted February 25, 2019

Someone has done the calculations, and it turns out that Oregon is responsible for 0.14 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. This means that 99.86 percent comes from outside of our little slice of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon is abundant in natural resources. Timber, food and nursery production reign. It is no accident that we […]

Couldn’t stand the weather

By Mike Hiller — Posted February 25, 2019

Legendary Texas bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan famously sang that he “Couldn’t Stand the Weather.” Here in Oregon, enduring the weather is one thing. As I suspect they do in Texas, we’re just trying to figure out what’s going on from one moment to the next. While the rest of the United States was suffering under […]

Gardeners discuss goals and plans for 2019

By Mike Darcy — Posted January 25, 2019

With the new year upon us, I thought it would be interesting to hear what other gardeners are planning for 2019. I talked to a diverse assortment of gardeners in and around the metro area. These are not professional gardeners, but people who enjoy their garden and are always trying to make it better. There […]

Flowers, hearts and decapitations

By Jeff Stone — Posted January 25, 2019

Valentine’s Day is a day to show affection for our loved ones, but it also happens to be one of the most profitable holidays of the year. Although the giving of flowers makes up only a small part of the spending, far behind Christmas or Mother’s Day for our retailers, it still brings in customers […]

Don’t fall into the trap of history repeating

By Mike Hiller — Posted January 25, 2019

The holidays and the grueling trade show season are over. Sports are in a lull. The days of cold, wet and dark are getting tiresome. We are all waiting on better weather — or at least seeing the sun. Depending on your segment within the nursery industry, you have either completed your digging for the […]

Does your customer’s experience match your marketing?

By Ian Doescher — Posted December 28, 2018

Imagine this scenario: you see Apple’s commercials. They’re full of young people having fun, living their best lives (we’ve all seen them). You see Apple’s advertising — slick, smooth, promising technology that changes your life and leads you into the future. You hear about Apple’s products and how innovative and game-changing they are for the […]

A bumpy ride ahead?

By Jeff Stone — Posted December 28, 2018

The year ahead could turn out to be a defining one, both economically and politically. The perception around the state and nation is that we are a people divided. We are urban and rural. We are conservative and liberal. And we are using social media as a tool for derision and conflict. We certainly have […]

We are Oregon grown

By Mike Hiller — Posted December 28, 2018

If you have not visited Oregon to experience what is grown here, you need to. This issue of Digger is the Nursery Country issue, featuring the state’s quality plants and the growers who produce them. It’s a good read, filled with good information. However, there is no substitute for driving the roads, walking the farms, […]

Obsessive gardeners

By Mike Darcy — Posted November 26, 2018

The first time that I saw a rose garden with umbrellas over the plants to protect them from rain, I was in disbelief! “Umbrellas keeping the rain off of rose flowers,” I thought. “That must be a very obsessive gardener.” Since that time, I have learned that it is not an uncommon obsession for rose […]