Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

You are here: Home / Archives for Plant Features

A hotter trend

By — Posted

Widespread wildfires prompt greater demand for fire-safe plants and landscaping As the wildfires of Labor Day 2020 tore through Oregon, the impacts on homes and forests were sevbere. The flames devoured a million acres of forestlands, and destroyed more than 4,000 homes. The impacts are something foresters, landscape professionals and nursery operators must pay attention […]

A hearty appetite for edibles

By — Posted

Growers find they can’t grow enough edible plants, and retailers can’t keep them in stock In March 2020, U.S. governors began rolling out stay-at-home orders, including in Oregon, because of the coronavirus known as COVID-19. Not long after, Americans in lockdown turned their attention to edible gardening any way they could — in containers, in […]

The approachable container

By — Posted

Helping consumers break the rules of design, for fun and profit Traditionally, annuals fill the shelves of garden centers come Mother’s Day. The beautiful pieces wait for customers to pile them into carts, move through the check-out line and carry them home to fill containers and hanging baskets. But the popularity of pots stuffed with […]

Flowering cherry trees then and now

By — Posted

Flowering cherry trees remain popular, from old mainstays to new selections, with more on the way It’s March, and soon showy displays of Japanese flowering cherry trees will trumpet their annual announcement that spring has arrived. Thus, consumers will be prompted to head to garden centers with hopes of adding the ephemeral beauty of these […]

Tough and beautiful

By — Posted

Spireas are mainstays of the shrub world, thanks to their gorgeous blooms and steadfast demeanor Timing is everything with Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica). The time is now — as in no later than early March for a hard pruning — for this tough, summer-flowering shrub that blooms on new wood. Yet, pruning can be a […]

Tough, tall and reliable

By — Posted

Honeylocust provides abundant shade, grows quickly and adapts well to extreme conditions Acer (maple) and Quercus (oak) may monopolize spotlights on shade trees, but Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis (honeylocust) holds its own as a major crop and it’s an important addition to the catalog of reliable tall trees. Oregon nurseries grow more honeylocust than any […]

Can-do conifers

By — Posted

As home gardening booms, these unheralded trees shine as wise, low-maintenance investments In a northwest region surrounded by forests of Doug fir, Ponderosa pine, grand fir and hemlock, people could easily take conifers for granted. However, many gardeners recognize the versatility and minimal care that make them a staple in the landscape. Even before COVID-19 […]

The rise of the tupelo tree

By — Posted

With the steady introduction of new cultivars, Nyssa sylvatica gains prominence in the trade Nyssa sylvatica — commonly known as sour gum, black gum and black tupelo — is a shade tree to watch in the 2020s. Right around the turn of the century, several factors came into play, including successful breeding programs, the tree diversity […]

Reblooming is booming

By — Posted

Consumers are drawn to new annuals, perennials and shrubs offering easy, continuous interest When many consumers approach a garden designer or visit a garden center, they know two things for sure: They want low maintenance, and they want color from spring till fall. “I’m looking for successive bloom,” said Jenna Bayer, owner of Jenna Bayer Garden […]