Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

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A pledge to America and a call to action

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I find myself sentimental toward our nation and its promise to the world. I feel pride and apprehension for our daring experiment of a form of government, which is powerful and yet at the same time fragile every four years as we pick a new president. Elections matter. You as voters matter even more. While […]

Helping others succeed distinguishes our industry

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One of my favorite things about this association and this industry in general, is everyone’s willingness to help and guide one another. As my husband, Wayne, started Columbia Nursery, he called countless people — truly too many to mention. There was always someone to answer his questions on grafting, business planning, where to buy nursery items, […]

A gateway to the future

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The annual spring meeting of the Nursery & Landscape Association Executives of North America (NLAE)  provides tremendous value to the OAN and our sister associations across the states and provinces. For two days, we gather and collaborate, problem solve, and build long-term relationships to serve our great indus-try. The NLAE began in 1947. Oregon has […]

Species rhododendrons offer unusual alternatives

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Species rhododendrons may not always have the spectacular flowers that many hybrids do, and while a species can give color interest with their flowers, they can also offer other features for garden interest such as colored or variegated foliage, indumentum (fine hairs), and variable growth habits.

Making progress towards sustainability

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When I first saw that this month’s issue of Digger was focused on sustainability, I was apprehensive. I reactively thought about how my small nursery hasn’t reached a scale that would let us focus on sustainability. I thought about what larger nurseries are doing, such as Robinson Nursery. They have stopped shipping 600,000+ pounds of […]

Charting a course through a perfect storm

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The political process can be aggravating, and most of the population is disconnected from it at an alarming rate. This column has consistently warned of the clear and present danger to our system of government and nation due to the lack of understanding of how things happen at a state and national level. It is […]