NEWS FROM THE CDA
By Laura Pottorff, CGG, Nursery & Plant Pest Quarantine Program Manager, Colorado Department of Agriculture
Quarantine pests and laws associated with their movement turn out to be one of the most challenging issues for nurseries to address. Unfortunately, when a quarantine pest is forgotten, or not well known, it becomes even more of a risk. The Colorado...
Each year, the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association accepts nominations for the Hall of Fame, Person of the Year and Horizon awards. These awards recognize the talent, leadership and up-and-comers in our industry. The CNGA Board of Directors reviews all of the nominations, votes on the recipients, and presents the awards at the Industry Celebration in February. This year,...
By Lindsay Squires Chrisp, Tagawa Gardens, Events & Community OutReach Coordinator
As springtime days lengthen, garden center shoppers wait in longer checkout lines, shifting from foot to foot behind full carts. A mother with a stroller coaxes her restless children to be patient. Two friends readjust their grip on heavy hanging baskets. A businessman checks his watch, hoping to make...
By Diana Mundinger, CCNP, General Manager, Eagle Crest Nursery
During the training meetings at Eagle Crest Nursery, the subject of upselling or add-on sales comes up most weeks. We talk about the fine line between pushy “used car lot” sales tactics and making suggestions on products to allow customers to be more successful with their plant purchases. Nothing worse than...
By Josh Orth & Scott Curry, Norris Design
Landscape architecture continues to evolve through better stewardship of our resources, technology and innovative ideas. The list below represents some of the trends that Norris Design is seeing and implementing.
Operating Costs – Consideration of economic sustainability is more visible in landscape design. Relationships are forged early between suppliers, designers, contractors, and owners...
By Matt Johnson, Sales Representative, McHutchison Horticultural Distributors
Award-Winning Annuals
There are so many annuals to choose from; below are some of my favorites to add to your collection this season. Westhoff has many great annuals series—seven varieties won "Best of Show" this year at the Colorado State University Trials. Add some of these to your outdoor living space this season,...
Small spaces in the landscape such as courtyards, patios, or terraces provide a fantastic opportunity to add flair and create a custom-tailored oasis for the individual homeowner. Many homes being constructed nowadays have small courtyard or patios spaces that, if designed correctly, will add enjoyment for the homeowner as well as value to the home.
When dealing with small spaces...
By Martin Zahra, Key Employee Search Consultant, Florasearch, Inc.
Hiring a key employee is one of the most daunting and important tasks an owner or manager faces. You can maximize your probability of success by following a simple interviewing, backgrounding and recruitment process.
Prepare a job description – What are the responsibilities and qualifications? Think it over, write it down, and...
By Derek Meusch, CCNP, Arbor Valley Nursery
You bid, but can we supply?
A constant struggle in this industry is the ability to supply what our landscape architects, designers and contractors are requesting for various jobs. Unlike a typical warehouse, this supply chain takes years to accumulate enough plant material to meet the current demand.
Shrubs, perennials and grasses have a much...
CSU RESEARCH UPDATE
By James E. Klett, Ph.D., CSU Professor & Extension Landscape Horticultural
Research continues at Colorado State University on evaluating new woody plants for Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region. Currently we have more than 1,200 different taxa of woody plants that we evaluate yearly for growth rate and habit, flower and fruit characteristics, landscape features, hardiness, foliage...
