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You are here: Home / Archives for Nursery Operations

Retaining workers is more important than ever — and helping them progress is key

By Tracy Ilene Miller — Posted September 12, 2022

In the current work environment, where labor is short and positions are hard to fill, employee retention programs are just as important as recruitment, and have become a cornerstone of business longevity. Here we look at strategies to retain talent.

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Labor, Retention

‘A perfect storm of hurdles’

By Mitch Lies — Posted July 21, 2022

Container vendors deal with supply chain, labor and raw materials issues, which in turn affects growers and retailers In her 14 years as hard goods buyer in the nursery industry, Cheryl Atwater has seen economic cycles come and go, plant trends peak and drop off and markets surge and decline. Never, however, has she experienced […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: coronavirus, Digger, Digger magazine

Assessing consumer demand after COVID

By Jon Bell — Posted July 21, 2022

After two banner years and still going strong, the nursery industry faces some headwinds Nearly three years in, and the story about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the nursery industry has become well worn. Forced to stay, work and learn at home because of COVID, people started to pay a lot more attention to […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: coronavirus, Digger, Digger magazine, Economy

A natural pairing

By Emily Hoard — Posted June 22, 2022

Retailers find success pairing houseplants with a new breed of hard goods Judy Alleruzzo has witnessed many different trends during her 35 years at Al’s Garden & Home in Woodburn, where she is the houseplants and perennials buyer. In the past six to seven years, succulents have been the go-to plants that reignited the houseplant […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, hardgoods, Independent Garden Centers, Retail Nurseries

Dealing with a known quantity

By Mitch Lies — Posted June 22, 2022

Wholesale nurseries find personal service and relationships are still key for making the sale Many nurseries no longer input orders manually, in some cases saving hundreds of work hours monthly. Smartphones have become indispensable as nurseries snap photos of plants and shoot them across the country in a matter of seconds. And in response to […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Wholesale Nurseries

Green practices and silver bullets

By Erica Browne Grivas — Posted May 25, 2022

Integrated pest management, or IPM, has continued to improve and deliver benefits for growers While integrated pest management (IPM) has been an accepted best practice for growers since its introduction in the 1960s, it hasn’t always been growers’ first choice when looking for a fast, efficient answer to their crop dilemmas. The field of study […]

Filed Under: Azalea Lace Bugs, Fusarium Root Rot, Insects, Nursery Operations, Plant Pests and Diseases, Root Rots, Spotted Wing Drosophila Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, ipm, Pests and Diseases

A growing appetite for superfoods

By Tracy Ilene Miller — Posted May 25, 2022

Retailers and growers can fill the demand for nutrient-rich berries, fruits and vegetables A show of hands for those who think “superfood” when loading bananas in the supermarket shopping cart. No takers? No surprise. Even though bananas are touted as a good source of fiber and potassium, folate, vitamin C and B6, and other antioxidants and […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Edibles, Nursery operations

Certifiably successful

By Jon Bell — Posted May 25, 2022

Sustainability-minded certification programs can help nurseries grow and improve Scholls Valley Native Nursery sits on 60 lush acres just outside Forest Grove in the eastern foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. To the west of the nursery, Roderick Creek rolls by before merging with Gales Creek, which borders Scholls Valley’s western edge on its way […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Edibles

How nurseries can protect water quality

By Jason Eck — Posted May 25, 2022

Conservation districts can provide technical assistance to help operators meet state rules Nurseries can’t survive without water. However, the precious resource that keeps plant stock thriving, healthy, and green can also send pollutants into adjacent waterways if not managed properly. Nursery operators face many challenges when it comes to protecting water quality. At the forefront […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Irrigation, Soil and Water Conservation, Water

Meeting online customer expectations

By Tracy Ilene Miller — Posted April 20, 2022

Prepare before jumping into online retail, lest the opportunity become a pitfall COVID-19 pushed many garden centers to catch the growing wave of online shopping. E-commerce sales are forecasted to account for nearly a fifth of all U.S. retail sales by 2025, according to Statista. Total retail e-commerce sales in 2021 increased 17.9%, according to […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Retail Nurseries, technology

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NURSERY NEWS

In Memoriam: Melvin John Steffenson

New USDA Census of Hort arriving in mailboxes this month

Oregon Association of Nurseries honors the industry’s best at 2024 Convention

Eason Horticultural Resources is now employee-owned

Oregon’s nursery licensing program aims to keep the entire industry healthy

Building trust is key to establishing clientele base for new nurseries

Five owners share their experiences on what it takes to start a nursery businesses

Bailey hires new CFO and chief HR officer

More Nursery News

From the pages of Digger

May 2025: Sustainability Issue

April 2025: The Tree Issue

March 2025: The Perennial Issue

February 2025: The Greenhouse Issue

January 2025: The Retail Issue

More issues of Digger

Pests and Diseases

Prioritizing nursery pest challenges

New tools in the battle against thrips

Aiming for precision in pest control

Oregon’s nursery licensing program aims to keep the entire industry healthy

$250,000 shifted to P. austrocedri research

More articles

FARWEST SHOW UPDATES

Sense of excitement prevailed at Farwest as nursery industry ‘Meets the Future’ 

Farwest Show attendees select favorites for the Retailers’ Choice Awards

Starway to Heaven™ Japanese Snowbell wins People’s Choice balloting at Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase

Hopper Bros. wins Best in Show booth award at 2024 Farwest Show   

Starway to Heaven™ Japanese Snowbell wins Judges’ Best in Show at Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase

More Updates from Farwest

The Value of Membership

Meet the leader: Sam Pohlschneider

OAN honors the industry’s best

Oregon Association of Nurseries honors the industry’s best at 2024 Convention

More member stories

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