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February 2023: Greenhouse Issue ’23

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The February 2023 issue of Digger takes a look at the people, products and processes that make Oregon the gold standard of greenhouse production today. Columns: Growing Knowledge, an ongoing series provided by Oregon State University in collaboration with the USDA and in partnership with OAN. Download a PDF of this issue. Please send your comments […]

Throttling back the burn

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Efficiency improvements can help nurseries mitigate natural gas costs Whether you’re talking annuals, perennials, houseplants, veggie starts or other tender plants, it takes a variety of investments to get greenhouse-grown plants out the door and delivered to paying customers. Property expenses, labor, pots, other supplies, plant material, taxes and fees, and finally, freight are among […]

OAN Member Profile: Oregon Flowers Inc. 

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The Meskers family comes from generations of bulb producers in Holland. Since Martin Meskers emigrated from Holland to Oregon, he has grown a wholesale cut flower business called Oregon Flowers Inc. The business ships approximately 6.5 million stems per year to nearly all 50 states, mostly to the West Coast and the Northeast. Company president […]

Obersinner Nursery Inc.

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Joe Obersinner in one of the unheated greenhouses maintained by Obersinner Nursery Inc. The nursery processes 100,000 rooted cuttings every fall and winter, and most of their rhodies are grown that way. They only have one propagation house that is heated; otherwise, all other greenhouses are unheated. Obersinner container-finishes 65% of its catalog. Photo by […]

Evans Farms LLC

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Cindy Lou Evans Pease, owner of Evans Farms LLC, stands in front of the barn designed by her father, Eldon Evans, when he was just 17 years old. Photo by Peter Szymczak IN 1857, A DETERMINED IMMIGRANT from Germany found his way to the lush land around Oregon City. Every day, Christian Frederick Vonderahe walked […]

Motz & Son Nursery

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IF THEY WERE GROWING FRUIT TREES IN OREGON, it’s very likely your great-great-grandparents were customers of the Motz family nursery. A true family legacy, Portland’s Motz Brothers began in 1921 with Theodore (Ted) and John Motz, joined by Ted’s son Donald (Don) in 1957, when it became Motz & Son Nursery. Today, the nursery is […]

Everde Growers®

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Founded: 2001 by David Saperstein PRODUCTION:  National accounts : 50%  IGC* and rewholesalers : 25%  Landscape professionals: 25%  *Independent garden centers Known for:Wholesale grower with 15 farms in Oregon, California, Florida and Texas. Products include woody shrubs, conifers, perennials, trees, house plants, vines and tropicals. PeopleJonathan Saperstein, co-owner and CEO; David Kirby, executive vice president; […]

The shifting shade tree market

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What people find useful can change with societal trends as well as improved genetics Shade trees are such a presence in everyone’s daily lives in so many ways, that many different factors can influence changing trends in terms of what’s grown and what’s sold. At home, the pandemic pushed people towards making their backyard spaces […]

Dealing with a known quantity

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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 […]