Oregon State University has released its latest update (PDF) on the spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), a dangerous and rapidly-spreading pest that’s new to the United States. This fruit fly attacks fruit still living and growing on the branch, rather than just dropped fruit. Thus, it has the potential to create problems not just for fruit […]
Top 10 trends in landscaping
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The Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado launched their new Web site with a list of the top 10 trends in landscaping, which you can read in this Word document. Among the entries: edibles, staycations, going green, shade trees, gardens as therapy.
Organic equivalency
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U.S. and Canadian officials have struck an agreement for organic equivalency. In other words, if something has met the Canadian standards to be certified organic, then it is also deemed to be certified organic by the United States, and vice versa. Read about it at The Packer Web site.
How to set prices in a recession
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Entrepreneur magazine has a short-but-thorough primer up on the art of setting prices for your products during a recession. Although it doesn’t mention nurseries specifically, all of the information is applicable, and a few of the points are particularly germane. Specifically: Are you offering an affordable luxury? During a recession, most consumers may still be […]
Victory gardens of the new millennium
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Congratulations to Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) garden writer Kym Pokorny, who landed a Page One byline today for her excellent feature on vegetable gardening, fruit trees and other edibles. As we have reported previously, interest is very high in food gardening right now. Not only can edibles save a lot of money, but they look pretty […]
CNN on ‘recession gardens’
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CNN reports on the spike in gardening this year, as people grow more edibles to save money on their grocery bills.
The real dirt on what’s hot
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To paraphrase an old McDonald’s tagline, “Did someone say edibles?” Lest anyone doubt that edibles are going to be THE hot seller at garden centers this year, consider this. We received word from Patty Howe that Al’s Garden Center of Sherwood has already filled up “Getting Down in the Dirt,” an upcoming seminar on vegetable […]
Retailers share outlook for 2009
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The Retail and Greenhouse chapters of the Oregon Association of Nurseries held a joint meeting last night to talk about current retail trends, and the relationship between growers and garden centers. And as seen in the above photo, the turnout was huge. People filled a large greenhouse at Little Prince of Oregon Nursery just south […]
Berried in committee
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A bill to name the Marionberry as Oregon’s official state berry appears to be dead in this legislative session.
Control area established for filberts
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The Oregon Department of Agriculture has declared that the entire state is now a control area for Eastern filbert blight (EFB) (download the order: PDF). Officials took action because a new, more virulent strain of the blight was detected on the East Coast. As a result of the declaration, movement of Corylus nursery stock into […]