LooseLeaf Apr/May 2016

Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association

April/May 2016Volume 34 • Number 2

The Annual

Ways to Appealto Millennial

Customers9

Understandingthe Millennial

Personalityat Work

10

How to GuideCustomers by

Reading Labels 11

Five GardeningPreferences ofBaby Boomers

12

Tips for BuildingBaby Boomer

Loyalty13

Why WeLove Plants 14

The Annual

LISTS ISSUE

LooseLeaf April/May 20162

Spending too much on natural gas?YOU ARE!

Locked into utility company prices?YOU AREN’T!

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Cold-hardy specimen trees.

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3coloradonga.org 3coloradonga.org 3colorado

Our MissionTo create opportunities for horticultural and associated industry professionals to collaborativelygrow their businesses through fellowship, education, advocacy and certifi cation.

Cover Photo Courtesy of Lost Mesa Flower Co. in Hotchkiss, Colo.

coloradonga.org

Allison Gault, MBA

ExecutiveDirector

[email protected]

In This Issue4 Message from the Board:

Education Should be a Company Value

5 CNGA – Here for the Members: Surpassing Previous Plant Something Results

6 Member Profi les:Lost Mesa Flower Co.Richards, Seeley & SchaeferTrees of Corrales

15 Taking Care of Business:Managing Diffi cult Weather

16 CSU Research Update: Water Research with Ornamental Grasses

17 Safety Corner: The Worksite Risks of Crystalline Silica

18 Funding Research & Education:Building a Legacy

19 Calendar, New Members, Classifi ed Ads & Advertisers

Jesse Eastman, CCNPPresidentFort Collins [email protected]

Dan Wise, CCNPPresident-Elect, Secretary/TreasurerFort Collins Wholesale [email protected]

Levi Heidrich, O� cer-At-LargeHeidrich’s Colorado Tree Farm

Nursery, [email protected]

DirectorsBill KluthTagawa Greenhouse Enterprises, LLC303.659.1260 [email protected]

Stan Brown, CCNP Alameda Wholesale Nursery, [email protected]

Sarada Krishnan, Ph.D.Denver Botanic [email protected]

Kirby � ompson, CCNPBritton Nursery, Inc. 719.495.3676info@brittonfl owers.com

Kerri DantinoLittle Valley Wholesale [email protected]

Beth GulleyGulley [email protected]

Ex-Offi cio MembersJim Klett, Ph.D.CSU Dept. of Horticulture &

Landscape [email protected]

Allison Gault, MBAExecutive DirectorColorado Nursery & Greenhouse

[email protected]

Board Of Directors

PublisherColorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association959 S. Kipling Pkwy., Ste. 200Lakewood, Colo. 80226303.758.6672Fax: [email protected]

PrinterColorado Community Media9137 Ridgeline Blvd., Ste. 210Highlands Ranch, Colo. 80129coloradocommunitymedia.com

Display AdvertisingMichelle Muñoz, [email protected]

EditorialAllison Gault, MBAExecutive Director Colorado Nursery &Greenhouse Association 303.758.6672 [email protected]

Staff

Luan Akin Mindy Carrothers Kerri Dantino Jesse Eastman, CCNPMatt Edmundson Dane Elias Allison Gault Sam HagopianSharon Harding-Shaw, CCNP Tanya Ishikawa Dr. Jim Klett Will KnowlesKelly D. Norris Ben Northcutt Jennifer Timms-Hobson Joran Viers

The LooseLeaf feature writer and editor is Tanya Ishikawa of Buffalo Trails Multimedia Communica-tions at 303.819.7784 and offi [email protected].

The LooseLeaf is published six times a year with issues scheduled for February/March, April/May,June/July, August/September, October/November, and December/January.

Visit coloradonga.org for classifi ed advertisements, plant publications, upcoming events,a member directory, and much more!

Contributing Writers

Michelle Muňoz

AdministrativeCoordinator

[email protected]

Ben Northcutt

MembershipManager

[email protected]

11 How to Guide Customersby Reading Labels

10 Understanding the MillennialPersonality at Work

9 Ways to Appeal toMillennial Customers

14 Why We Love Plants

13 Tips for Building BabyBoomer Loyalty

12 Five Gardening Preferencesof Baby Boomers

List


“By providing

ways for

employees to

grow as

professionals,

companies

earn not only

more capable

employees, but

more loyal

ones too.”

Education Should be a Company Value

MESSAGE FROM THE

BOARD

By Jesse Eastman, CCNPCNGA Board President

...we grow plants to age gracefully

B&B SHADE • FLOWERING TREES • CONIFERS • JUNIPERS • CONTAINER PLANTS

WHOLESALE NURSERY LLC

Willow Creek Creek

knowledge experience

25455 Lansing Lane • Middleton, ID 83644 • Fax - 208.585.5797

Eric Celmer: 208.863.9732 - [email protected] Carter: 208.863.2350 - [email protected] s ales

&

Another ProGreen Expo is behind us, the booths are torn down, the attendees have gone back to work, and we are left refl ecting on what the show is all about. Maybe you discovered a new supplier, maybe you learned a new approach to propagation, or maybe you just caught up with some familiar faces. No matter what, you hopefully came away a little wiser and a little more prepared for the upcoming spring season.

Colorado is fortunate to have a strong green industry. There are many factors that contribute to this, including a robust economy, tons of sunlight, and a large middle class with lots of construction and growth. However, one factor that is often overlooked is something most successful companies – those that thrive and survive for generations – know, and that is the value of education. These are companies that invest in their workforce by providing education and development opportunities. This doesn’t mean they are necessarily paying college tuitions (although some certainly are), but they provide ways for their employees to grow as professionals. By doing so, they earn not only more capable employees, but more loyal ones.

At ProGreen, the schedule of seminars varies from year to year. Some years, it can be heavy on business and management topics, while other years, it may tend more towards particular horticultural veins. One thing remains constant: the Expo’s seemingly limitless potential for personal growth and development opportunities for those fortunate enough to attend. At Fort Collins Retail Nursery, it is a chance for my staff to learn new skills, discover new plants (and ways to sell those plants), and to socialize with the vendors whose products we deal with on a daily basis. Those employees come away feeling richer for the experience – richer in usable

information, fellowship and their understanding of the important place they hold in the complex structure of the green industry.

The beautiful thing about this kind of learning and growth is that it doesn’t just end with the employee getting that warm, fuzzy feeling of having grown as an individual. Like the most pernicious weed, that knowledge and understanding spreads. The knowledge takes root in the employee who has learned something new. The employee shares that information with a customer, inspiring that customer to try a plant they’ve never considered before, and the seeds of knowledge take to the wind and begin to spread. If that knowledge really takes hold, the customer is successful, and now they are experiencing their own warm, fuzzy feelings. They are proud of their accomplishments, and well-earned pride is contagious. Each of those wind-born seeds starts its own tree of knowledge, and the process continues. The end result is more warm fuzzies, more success, and ultimately, more sales. Meanwhile, that employee is experiencing professional success thanks to a company culture that says, “We believe in you and want you to succeed,” and that is an employee who will return that investment to you in productivity.

Companies that embrace this culture of knowledge and enthusiasm build longevity that no amount of frugality, number crunching and penny pinching can achieve. I don’t advocate for recklessly investing in employee development – certainly this can be taken to devastating extremes – but by seeking out well-selected opportunities for employee education, you plant the seeds of success within your organization that will bear fruit for years to come.

5coloradonga.org

Greetings from the CNGA offi ces!

I hope the start of your season has been smooth, and as we move into late spring and early summer that you’re able to build on the success of last year. The April/May issue of the LooseLeaf is one of our most popular because of the variety of lists we include. These lists are intended to be quick reads and something for you to share with your employees so the learning extends past your desk. I hope you fi nd them to be helpful and possibly create a “light bulb moment.”

Spring also brings the kick-off of the Plant Something Colorado campaign. We are going to build on the success of the 2015 campaign and continue to hold a contest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Last year, we were able to increase our plantsomethingco.org website visits by 700 percent over 2014, and had more than 1,200 followers on our social media sites and more than 1,000 photographs posted in our contest.

CNGA will continue to provide “Plant Something Colorado kits”, which include plant stakes, contest information and seeds for customers. Participants were asked to pick up a plant stake and seeds (or other plant materials) at the cash register stations at member garden centers, take them home, plant them and post pictures on any of the social media sites with the hashtag #plantsomethingco.

We had 28 member participants last year and plan to exceed that in 2016. We have many sponsorship opportunities available at various price levels, and hope you will consider participating and sponsoring. Levi Heidrich from Heidrich’s Colorado Tree Farm said this about the 2015 campaign:

“The Plant Something Campaign has been an important part of our marketing message as a business, and even more as an industry. Our customers loved the contests and we had many folks respond to the social media messages. We will continue to support the program as it helped to create a buzz about what our industry is all about.”

The Plant Something Colorado campaign not only benefi ts our retail members, but it also supports the Colorado growers that supply plant material to our retail members. Our 2016 campaign will focus on highlighting the knowledge and expertise of independent garden center staff, the various benefi ts of plants such as improved health and property values, and help for consumers in identifying plants that do well in Colorado and specifi c areas of their yards.

I hope your 2016 season is your best season yet. If CNGA can assist you in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

A Plan to Surpass Previous Plant Something Results

CNGA —HERE FORTHE MEMBERS

By Allison Gault, MBACNGA Executive Director

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“The Plant Something Campaign has

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the program as it helped to create a buzz

about what our industry is all about.”


help, it was convenient for me to lend a hand. I began to work more and take on more responsibility, as the owner had to devote more time to other issues that kept her away from the business. Eventually, the timing was right and the fi t was good for me to buy the business in 2015.

What does Lost Mesa Flower Company specialize in?

We are a wholesale supplier of annuals, perennials, vegetables, hanging baskets and container-grown stock. We sell exclusively to independent garden centers in our Western Slope region, such as Paonia, Delta and Montrose, as well as several of the ski resort communities like Crested Butte and Telluride. We have six greenhouses, two shade houses, and delivery trucks so that we’re very capable of growing and delivering all of our products.

What are some of the company’s challenges?

Weather is always our biggest challenge, especially when it comes to water supply. This year we seem to be in good shape with all the snow we’ve received. However, in dry years, water restrictions can have a big impact on our business. For example, Telluride has very strict water use

regulations in drought conditions, and as a result, those customers may buy fewer of our plants since they have to manage higher water priorities. Greenhouse pests and diseases are sometimes a challenge, too, but we manage those pretty well using our great network of sales reps who help us with the best solutions.

Do you envision expansion in the coming years?

Yes, we’re hoping to expand our markets to other Western Slope communities where ‘buying local’ is a big focus. We believe in supporting the local businesses that are so important to western Colorado’s economy. Plus, it gives us a great opportunity to showcase our high quality plant material.

How do you determine which fl owers to grow each year?

I rely heavily on the CSU plant trial gardens. I visit them several times a year to see what’s new and what is adapted for our regional climate.

Do any trends infl uence what you grow or how?

We’re seeing an increasing demand for fi nished containers. Our garden center customers like the convenience of having a container that is fully grown and will have an immediate impact. That’s really important in the higher elevation locations where the growing season is pretty short. A second trend we’re responding to is the increased demand for perennial herbs. These are becoming very popular in our region.

MEMBERPROFILE

Lost Mesa Flower Company

35106 Hanson Mesa Rd.Hotchkiss, Colo. 81419

tel 970.872.3245or 970.424.4198

fax 970.872.1985

[email protected]

lostmesafl owers.com

Supplier toWestern Slope

Garden CentersHow did you get into the greenhouse business?

Well, it wasn’t something I planned, but it’s just how the cards played out. In 2007, my husband and I moved from the Front Range to Hotchkiss to live where the air was fresher and my husband could pursue his business interests. Ironically, we started renting a house that was on the property where the Lost Mesa greenhouses are located. Since the owner at that time needed some extra

Interview with Emily Knehs, Owner

Flecki

INCMESALOST

.,

7coloradonga.org

What is the history of your company?

Ron Richards and Jerry Seeley started the company in 1962, and incorporated it in 1967. In the early ‘80s, Ron established a partnership with the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association, and began to provide specialized services that met the needs of association members, primarily property and workman’s compensation insurance.

Ernie Schaefer purchased the company in 1995, and it then became Richards, Seeley & Schaefer, Inc. In January 2015, Schaefer’s son-in-law and daughter, Aaron and Sarah Hoffman, purchased the company. In the past 20 years, the company has evolved beyond the green industry to offer general liability, home and auto, employee benefi ts and health insurance policies.

What do you attribute your company’s growth to?

Our growth has come as a result of hard work, having really good people, and building strong relationships with our customers. In fact, 95 percent of the new business that we develop comes directly from customer referrals. We had eight agents in 1995, and as the company grew, we’ve added employees to keep pace and now have a staff of 18. Just like fi nding new customers through referrals, our current employees are our best resource for quality, high integrity individuals.

How is the insurance industry changing?

Technology is certainly changing the insurance industry. It now provides us with a variety of data tools that can pinpoint exposures based on specifi c risks, right down to the zip code level. It also helps us track the performance of different products, such as greenhouse coverings, and gives us more accurate assessments of exposure based on a company’s actual property assets. As we continue to see more severe weather events, property insurance in particular will become more challenging and competitive.

What do you like about being a CNGA member?

We really enjoy the relationships with CNGA members who are doing business in our industry. It’s a very relational industry. There are many family-owned businesses in CNGA, and since we too are family owned, we can relate extremely well with the business issues that challenge members on a daily basis. CNGA helps us keep our relationships strong and healthy.

A Company builton Family Values& Referrals

MEMBERPROFILE

Interview with Aaron Hoff man, CEO and Owner

Richards, Seeley & Schaefer, Inc.

3640 W. 112th Ave.Westminster, Colo. 80031

tel 303.429.3561

fax 303.427.0611

ahoff [email protected]

www.rss-insurance.com

MEMBERMEMBERPROFILEMEMBERMEMBERPROFILE

How important is culture to yourbusiness success?

A strong company culture is very important to us. It refl ects our personal values and gives us an opportunity to share those values with our employees. When we participate in community service projects like Habitat for Humanity, our employees work side by side in roles that they don’t necessarily experience in the offi ce. This helps to break down relational barriers and build a signifi cantly greater sense of teamwork and cooperation.


MEMBERPROFILE

Trees of Corrales

P.O. Box 1326Corrales, N.M. 87048

tel 505.898.2327

fax 505.898.9517

[email protected]

treesofcorrales.com

A Foundation ofTrust with Diverse

Customers

How has the company changed over the years?

Court fi rst started out planting bare root tree liners. Then 25 years ago, the company moved into container production including perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees along with our fi eld trees. Our emphasis was toward xeric, drought-tolerant species. We ship our products throughout the Intermountain area. About fi ve years ago, we began to develop the local landscape contractor market through a separate re-wholesale company.

What are some of your notable accomplishments?

In the big scheme of things, we’re very proud of the integrity we’ve built with our customers and partners. Our customers trust us to help them with important decisions – proper plant selections, useful landscape applications, and plant care advice. Another thing we do that has really helped our success is to nurture and develop our “Partners

in Chlorophyll” concept. This involves a proactive and regular line of communication with landscape architects, landscape and maintenance contractors, re-wholesalers, other growers, breeders, garden centers, and extension specialists. As a result, we stay very current on the issues that matter to our customers, which translates to having the right plant material at the right time for the right applications.

What can CNGA do to keep the industry healthy?

I would like to see CNGA play a larger role in marketing the value of the goods and services that our industry provides; perhaps a strategic public awareness campaign could be developed. The value is well documented and proven by the USDA, the U.S. Forest Service, universities, and other organizations. The end goal would be to get more buy-in from the public to utilize plants for many reasons beyond just aesthetics – then the industry sees positive results through increased sales, as well as an infusion of new companies and employees coming into the marketplace.

What trends are you paying attention to?

There is a steady rise of low maintenance landscapes both for commercial properties and residential that is about more than just plant selection. It requires educating the customers about a wide range of low-water practices including pruning, design, irrigation systems and so forth. That is why we focus on growing appropriate plant material for the Intermountain region.

Interview with Andrew Lisignoli, NMCNP, Sales Manager

General Manager Courtenay Koontz

How has Trees of Corrales achieved continuing success?

First of all, we’re very proud to be celebrating our 40th anniversary this year. I think a lot of the credit for our success goes to our owner, Court Koontz. Over the years, he has produced a really fi ne team of dedicated people here, and he has done that by maximizing the strengths of individuals to fully engage with their positions. Then he gives them the encouragement and latitude to do their

jobs in their own ways, so that the entire team fl ourishes. It’s been a great approach. And I see that success continuing with his son Courtenay now in the role of general manager.

How has Trees of Corrales achieved

The Annual

LISTSISSUE

By Kelly D. Norris • Director of Horticulture, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

Kelly D. NorrisPhoto by Jason Oelmann

Ways to Appeal toMillennial Customers

Garden center staff frequently ask me what products millennials want to buy. The truth is there is no magic bullet. Millennial consumers defy traditional categories and metrics and revel in a certain kind of eclecticism, as opposed to a particular brand, period or idea. This generation curates products and experiences in their own, individual styles.

Garden centers don’t sell groceries, so people don’t have to buy our products every single week to survive. Fortunately, though, the simple fact that our population continues to increase means the number of gardeners will increase, even if the percentage of gardeners doesn’t. It’s not all about getting young people into stores. It’s really about fi nding ways for them to experience our products in ways that other generations haven’t before, and being more targeted about it.

Five Keys to Market to Millennials’ Interests1. Think like a curator—your displays should

be innovative and assembled with a purpose.

2. Millennials are intimidated by what they don’t know. They admire people who have expertise that they don’t, so interacting with knowledgeable staff is greatly appreciated.

3. Retailers need to provide relevant information and promote genuinely helpful attributes of plants. Millennials are bombarded with information and have developed pretty savvy fi lters for what has genuine value versus a gimmick.

4. Partnering with local public gardens or institutions can be an effective way to reach and engage new audiences, particularlymillennials (and others) with children.

5. Guiding millennials through the design process with computerized tools like Sketch Up can increase interest and help them visualize how products go together.

Characteristics of Millennial Gardeners• Purpose: plants have to do more than just be

pretty or colorful; they have to be edible, provide food for pollinators and clean stormwater to name a few. Every plant may not hit all these marks, but these are the kinds of questions consumerswant answers to.

• Depth of experience: plants need to provide more than solutions; they need to offer full experiences.

• Individual style: retailers need to provide more diversity so millennials have many opportunities to select products that speak to their personalities, tastes and circumstances.

• Small spaces: with increasing urbanization, gardens and landscaping are shrinking in scale. Our products have to match—think more container plants, dwarf conifers, succulents, and mini-herb and vegetable gardens.

• DIY projects: plants like succulents make for fun and decorative craft projects.

• Resource consciousness: Millennials have been inundated with messages about recycling and saving the environment since they were born, so they are naturally drawn to sustainably produced, recycled or eco-friendly products.

• Perennial love: perennials are poised to cross the $1 billion mark in sales. As gardening trends towards greater sustainability, these categories will increase as millennials search for eco-conscious options for their landscapes. Think natives, cultivars derived from natives and xeriscape-friendly plants.

9coloradonga.org

Spring Garden Festival photos courtesy of Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

About the contributor:Kelly D. Norris (kellydnorris.com) is a 20-something, award-winning author and plantsman from Iowa, the fi rst director of horticulture at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, and a popular speaker at the 2016 ProGreen Expo and other horticultural events across the nation. As a writer and photographer, he regularly contributes to popular gardening magazines and has published two books, A Guide to Bearded Irises: Cultivating the Rainbow for Beginners and Enthusiasts and Plants with Style.

The Annual

LISTSISSUE

Understanding the Millennial Personality at Work

Millennials – defi ned as people born in the early 1980s to the early 2000s – are coming on strong in the workforce; we are the future of the green industry and every industry in our country, proclaims Kerri Dantino, a millennial and the purchasing manager at Little Valley Wholesale Nursery in Brighton, Colorado.

“We are eager to work, excel at multitasking and are usually capable of working faster and more effi ciently,” Dantino says.

Dane Elias, another millennial who is the sales manager at Plant World in Albuquerque, New Mexico, adds that millennials grew up in an era with a plethora of styles and cultures, exposed on the immense stage of social media, which “has driven us to humanly brand everything we do. We go to great lengths to be heard and seen as we age and enter the workfore. Work becomes a part of who we are, in which our impact is measured by the recognition it receives.”

The two millennial employees share several observations about the personalities in their generation, and what they expect out of their professional lives. As Elias points out, “it’s not all about technology. You’ll fi nd many characteristics on this list that are considered timeless values shared by all generations, not just millennials.”

• A positive work culture: We crave work environments that celebrate our individual strengths and participation on the team.

• Access to technology: We expect to use tools such as cell phones, tablets and laptops in many ways, including emails, texts, socializing, photo sharing, networking, and video sharing (not all at work, of course).

• Team-oriented management: We believe in the social equality movement in the workplace and beyond, and in breaking down hierarchical barriers.

• Challenge and purpose (perhaps the most important expectation): We enjoy making a difference in society and appreciate doing charity work through the company.

• Flexibility: We desire the ability to do our jobs from just about anywhere. Working remotely with digital tools makes it easier for dedicated employees to save time for family and friends outside of work.

• Fresh challenges: We like to be challenged as a team and as individuals, and be part of an educational culture through an exploratory play-to-learn work environment.

• Genuine relationships: We seek connections with customers through sharing our knowledge, and real experiences (not just technology-based ones) at work.

• Not all benefi ts are created equal: While we desire health insurance, many of us are not as interested in a 401K. Bonuses are more enticing... after all many of us have hefty college loans to pay off.

• Trust from owners and managers: Trusting us and giving us responsibility allows us to explore our jobs and express our personal creativity. We like to have a voice.

• The importance of families: We want employers who understand the signifi cance of family connections in our lives, whether they are at home or our peers at work.

Top: Kerri DantinoPurchasing Manager Little Valley Wholesale Nursery

Bottom: Dane EliasSales ManagerPlant World

10LooseLeaf April/May 2016

The Annual

LISTSISSUE

By Jennifer Timms-Hobson • Co-Owner, Jericho Nursery

Jennifer Timms-Hobson

How to Guide Customers by Reading Labels

With spring in full swing, our garden centers are buzzing with customers asking all sorts of questions. In the midst of the many questions we hear all day long, many are about how to use some sort of chemical or organic product for treatment of pests, weeds, fungus or fertilization. In my opinion, customers asking about any sort of applied product need to be answered by your most knowledgeable staff members for a few reasons.

• Use your strongest staff to train the newbies. The last thing you want is a new staff member getting in the weeds, so to speak, and your store losing credibility.

• The number one reason to read labels with customers is to lead them by example. Somewhere on most every label is the line: “It is a violation of Federal Law to use this product inconsistent with labeling.” Let’s not encourage our customers to break laws; let’s show them that we check labels for proper usage before we send them out the door. Most seasoned employees are going to know where on the label to look for application instructions and they will better assist customers with those application rates.

• This is an amazing opportunity to provide exceptional customer service and create a sense of authority within your local garden center market. Many of our customers have done the box store thing and maybe even gone to other nurseries only to be very disappointed by wrong answers. If you are willing to spend a few minutes to show them how to use the product and that it’s listed for pest, weed or whatever they asked for help with, you have set yourself apart from the rest.

• This is also a great chance to up-sell other products and show you really understand your customer. For instance, if they have three or four fruit trees that need a spray application of Fruit Tree Spray Concentrate, do they need a hose-end sprayer? Do they need a quart instead of a pint because of multiple applications? Is it someone who is somewhat scared of the mixing process and needs a ready-to-spray product? Are they going to fertilize these trees, too?

• Follow the same rules with organic or natural products. These products have labels, too, and it’s important to point that out to your customers. The word organic to many customers means the more, the merrier. Spinocad is approved for organic gardening but has very specifi c mix directions. BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is another product approved for organic gardening but is only listed for moth larvae, certain leaf-eating worms and gypsy moths. Knowing these limitations but providing your customers with the answer to their budworm problem on their geraniums is a win-win, especially in the eyes of your customer.

“It is a violation of Federal Law to use this product inconsistent with labeling.” Let’s not encourage our customers to break laws; let’s show them that we check labels for proper usage before we send them out the door. Most seasoned employees are going to know where on the label to look for application instructions and they will better assist customers with those application rates.

This is an amazing opportunity to provide exceptional customer service and create a sense of authority within your local garden center market. Many of our customers have done the box store thing and maybe even gone to other nurseries only to be very gone to other nurseries only to be very disappointed by wrong answers. If you are willing to spend a few minutes to show them how to use the product and that it’s listed for pest, weed or whatever they asked for help with, you have set yourself apart

gardening but has very specifi c mix directions. BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is another product approved for organic gardening but is only listed for moth larvae, certain leaf-eating worms and gypsy moths. Knowing these limitations but providing your customers with the answer to their budworm problem on their geraniums is a win-win, especially in the eyes of your customer.

gardening but has very specifi c mix directions. BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is another product approved for organic gardening but is only listed for moth larvae, certain leaf-eating worms and gypsy moths. Knowing these limitations but providing your customers with the answer to their budworm problem on their geraniums is a win-win, especially in the eyes of your

Photo courtesy of Jericho Nursery 11coloradonga.org

By Sharon Harding-Shaw, CCNP • Owner, Harding Nursery

The Annual

LISTSISSUE

By Will Knowles • General Manager, Creekside Nursery

Will Knowles

Five Gardening Preferences of Baby Boomers

Spring is here! Its arrival gives us a sense of renewal – time to get outdoors. All of us have an intuitive appreciation and enjoyment for the outdoors, even as we get older. The baby boomer generation represents a very strong shopping segment for many of our independent retail garden centers. Anything we can do as retailers to help make gardening activities easier and more comfortable for our customers is mutually benefi cial.

Some of the basic baby boomer gardening features may include:

Accessible entrances and paths creating a barrier-free garden • Edging for ease of maintenance

• Mulches to conserve water, discourage weeds and ease access

• Stepping stones and pathways to invite garden visits

Raised planting beds, growing containers and other structures that keep plants and soil at a comfortable working height• Elevated planting beds to reduce bending and

stooping

• Wheeled patio planters for ease of planter movement on patios

• Patio pots for gardening in small spaces

Automated irrigation• Water wands for ease of irrigation in containers

• Soaker hoses for ease of irrigation in raised beds

• Drip systems for ease of irrigation in landscape beds

• Self-watering planters to lessen irrigation applications

Specialized tools and equipment to take advantage of limited abilities• Garden kneelers for ease in bending and getting

back up again

• Garden stools for ease in bending

• Garden carts for ease in moving garden supplies and debris

Ways to adapt diverse plants for their environments and needs• Flower pots that are easy to care for and

adaptable to small spaces

• Vegetables that can be grown easily in container gardens or patio pots

• Perennials in raised beds

• Shrubs and trees, once established, as low maintenance plants

Some gardeners like to grow some of their own food – certainly one of the more tangible rewards. Others simply want a pot or two of colorful fl owers to enjoy. There are so many simple ways to modify a landscape and equip the baby boomer gardener to garden forever.

Let’s face it; if we live long enough, traditional ground level gardening will be increasingly diffi cult – period. To stop gardening because of age is the worst thing that can happen to a gardener. With minor adaptations to the garden itself and a few carefully selected tools, anyone can stay involved in gardening and continue for a lifetime.

Photo courtesy of Creekside Nursery12LooseLeaf April/May 2016

The Annual

LISTSISSUE

By Sharon Harding-Shaw, CCNP • Owner, Harding Nursery

Sharon Harding-Shaw, CCNP

Tips for Building Baby Boomer Loyalty

Baby boomers are a huge market segment, so Harding Nursery is serious about preparing our retail staff to serve the unique needs of boomers. Just as important as knowing what products are of interest to them, we try to understand what kind of customer service they expect. By delivering on those expectations, we can develop strong, loyal customer relationships to ensure they return to shop with us whenever they need gardening and landscaping products and assistance. Here is what we have found baby boomers expect out of a Harding Nursery experience.

• Baby boomers want help with creating a yard that is low maintenance, low water use and easy to maintain.

• They are looking for a sales person that can customize each experience to help them with whatever situation they are dealing with, such as answering lawn fertilization questions, assisting with design, and explaining plant care and information.

• People in this age group like to have information about the plants or products that helps them weigh their options

• They prefer walking around the nurseryand physically seeing all of their options.

• Boomers like to have the ability toselect all of their plants on their own(after receiving helpful informationto make that choice).

• They are inclined to hire the services for installing all of their plants.

• This generation tends to read about plants in the newspaper and search for deals and coupons.

• Like anyone, but maybe even more so, they appreciate getting great value at a fair deal.

• They stay with the same products when they fi nd ones they like.

• It’s important that retailers maintain consistent brands and products, because baby boomers want to know that they can fi nd products they have used for years.

• Boomers are frequent students at garden center classes, because they are interested in learning about new concepts and products.

• They prefer streamlined processes as much as possible, so projects don’t drag on and on. Once they make a purchase decision, they want to complete the transaction quickly and be on their way.

• This is a generation who seeks out and rewards good customer service with loyalty.

questions, assisting with design, and explaining plant care and information.

• People in this age group like to have information about the plants or products that helps them weigh their options

• They prefer walking around the nurseryand physically seeing all of their options.

• Boomers like to have the ability toselect all of their plants on their own(after receiving helpful informationto make that choice).

Once they make a purchase decision, they want to complete the transaction quickly and be on their way.

• This is a generation who seeks out and rewards good customer service with loyalty.

13coloradonga.org

The Annual

LISTSISSUE

By Joran Viers • City Forester, City of Albuquerque

Joran Viers

Why We Love Plants

As springtime rolls around again, many of us look at our yards and landscapes and see something new that isn’t there – something bright with color, or cool with dark shade, or tasty cooked up in our favorite recipes. Spring makes us think about plants – taking care of the ones we have, planting the new ones we want. Thinking about plants turns our thoughts and our cars towards the nearest, or favorite, local plant nursery.

Why is this? Why do we homeowners and renters feel the desire to plant our landscapes? What drives us to spend money and break a sweat to add to the greenness that surrounds us? The answer is not the same for everyone, obviously, but there are a lot of good reasons to follow our instincts on this.

• Property values: Everyone is familiar with the term “curb appeal”. One of the main contributors to curb appeal, and to property values, is a nice landscape. Healthy specimens of well-chosen species, placed pleasingly in the landscape can really light up a property. If you’re thinking of selling your home, consider what landscaping choices can help move the property quickly, and at a better price. Or maybe you just want to bring up the feel of your neighborhood – start with your own space and watch it catch on!

• Reduced summer heating costs: Well-placed shade trees are invaluable for the cool, green shade they can throw over a hot home. There are many great species of shade trees to choose from, but not all of them are appropriate for every site. Consider how much space the tree will have, both above and below ground. Are there utility lines overhead? How well can the root zone be irrigated? Planting trees on the southwest and west sides of a home can do the most for breaking that hot afternoon temperature and increasing the livability of our home spaces.

• Enhancing our private space (by blocking out unpleasant views around us): Let’s be honest; not everyone has our best interests in mind when they work on their own properties. Maybe that one neighbor put up an ugly two-story addition, or maybe they’ve taken up collecting old cars now scattered across the back yard. Effective screening to block out those views can really make your space more pleasant, and plants can do that really well.

• Positive effects on our emotional wellbeing: A surprising amount of research shows how positively people react to plants and greenery. We are, after all, creatures of nature and we feel most connected and rooted (pun intended!) when we are surrounded by nature. Even seeing trees from a hospital window can help patients in recovery, as well as lowering stress in hospital staff. Trees and other plants can:

• Lower stress• Speed up recovering from illness• Lower crime rates• Increase neighbor-to-neighbor interactions

• Direct physical impacts: The act of gardening is a great physical activity for people of any age. It can be as vigorous or as mellow as it needs to be. Get some dirt under those fi ngernails, spill some potting soil on the porch – we are born to be active, and gardening is one of the best ways to do that! Consider putting in a vegetable garden, too – double benefi t, once from the growing and then again from the eating.

Left : Royal Red Leaf (Acer platanoides)Above: Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinesis)

14LooseLeaf April/May 2016

coloradonga.org

TAKING CAREOF BUSINESS

If you want to succeed in the nursery and garden center business in Colorado, being light on your feet is essential. This isn’t about dancing, though that couldn’t hurt. This is about dodging curve balls… especially when Mother Nature is pitching.

Case in point: remember the rainy, snowy, freezing and often gloomy weather most of us saw in the late spring and early summer of 2014 and 2015? Nurseries and garden centers were stocking up, eager to please customers who were itching to get back outside, and then WHAM! Last year, mid-April brought a round of heavy, wet snow. As the weeks passed, sunshine seemed fl eeting. The rains came down. Temperatures were erratic. Mother’s Day brought a hard freeze and 10 inches of snow.

General Manager Beth Zwinak says her fi rst and best response to seasonal challenges like these stems from the teamwork Tagawa Gardens tries to foster all year long.

“We’ve always felt that our number one asset is our people. It’s a team that feels like a family. People here are ready to pull together when concerns come up. We shift gears quickly and if overstaffed, work on behind the scenes projects, or if we have to reduce staff, ask for volunteers fi rst. We want our staff to be rested and ready for when the weather does open up and the spring frenzy resumes,” Zwinak explains.

Attitude is a key player, too. When freeze warnings went out last May, the Tagawa Gardens Tree & Shrub/Nursery staff repeatedly palletized and moved hundreds of trees in and out of our large garage and loading dock. In typical fashion, Jim, Dave, George and Ken Tagawa were also hard at work, hauling trees right alongside their employees on Mother’s Day weekend.

It was exhausting, and could have been discouraging. But it’s always easier when you know that you’re working as a team,

and that you’re appreciated. Simple “thank you’s” like an impromptu round of hot chocolate for the extra efforts helped, too.

A positive attitude can be contagious. In the Tagawa Annuals Department, the gloomy weather temporarily dampened the spark that we’d been seeing in our guests. Annuals Supervisor Deborah King says people are drawn to our garden center in the spring by the colorful fl owers and thriving veggies, hinting of a harvest to come.

She says, “When it’s cold or other bad weather, we hold back on the warm weather plants and stock cool weather ones so our guests have better success. We post signs to inform of freeze warnings. We provide advice and handouts on how to acclimate the plant material as well – we want our guests to be successful with our plants.”

Education is another big piece of the Tagawa response to weather issues. When freeze warnings are issued, Tagawa Gardens posts notices on Facebook, Twitter and the website, and sends an email blast to customers in our database, as well as reminder signs all over the store.

Zwinak says, “Customer loyalty is critical. We want our guests to know that our success as a garden center depends on their success with our plants and our advice.”

John Perez is co-supervisor of Tagawa’s Garden Supplies Department. He draws energy from the Tagawa family’s

philosophy of hard work and loyalty to its guests and staff.

Perez says when the weather threatens to put a damper on the public’s eagerness to start gardening, “the Tagawas themselves help inspire confi dence that we know what we’re doing, and that our customers will stand by us.” Having frost blankets and other protection from the weather available by the checkouts, along with helpful, encouraging advice and handouts for guests is a must.

Dealing with Mother Nature’s curve balls isn’t simply about hoping she won’t throw them; it’s about being ready when she does. Being light on your feet and surrounded by a team of employees who are appreciated and well-trained may not always hit one out of the park, but it goes a long way toward never striking out.

Managing the Store during Diffi cult Weather

15

Britton Nursery, Inc.7075 Wyoming Lane

Colorado Springs, CO 80923Office: 719.495.3676 Fax: 719.495.3749 .

[email protected] www.BrittonFlowers.com

Proud Member Licensed Propagator Licensed Grower

Cultivating Love & Life

A family-owned wholesale perennial grower since 1979, Britton Nursery is Cultivating Love and Life in order to produce both healthy and beautiful plants as well as joyful and vibrant people. Our secret is that we are Rooted and Established in Love! (Ephesians 3:17) We invite you to come see what a difference love makes!

By Luan Akin

Outreach AmbassadorTagawa Gardens

Photo courtesy of Tagawa Gardens


By Sam Hagopian

Horticultural Graduate Research Assistant

CSU RESEARCHUPDATE

Defi cit irrigation research has proven extremely effective for reducing the amount of irrigation applied to various types of landscape plants including trees, shrubs, and herbaceous ornamental plants. Most research has yet to delve in to one of the most common classes of drought-tolerant plants, ornamental grasses.

In our research project, defi cit irrigation treatments were based on evapotranspiration of a short reference crop (Kentucky bluegrass, ETo). Three ornamental grass species were examined in 2014 and 2015, Panicum virgatum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ (Rotstrahlbusch Switchgrass), Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Blaze’ (Blaze Little Bluestem), and Calamgrostis brachytricha (Korean Feather Reed Grass). Two studies were conducted, where one was an in-ground study and consisted of four treatments based on ETo (0%, 25%, 50%, and 100%). The second study was a mini-lysimeter study (involving weighing plants to determine water loss) and consisted of three treatments based on ETo (25%, 50%, and 100%). Only Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Blaze’ (Blaze Little Bluestem) was used in the mini-lysimeter study. The goal of the research was to evaluate ornamental quality coupled with stress parameters, quantify a feasible irrigation level that maintains ornamental quality, quantify ornamental grass water use, and determine the feasibility of defi cit irrigation during periods of drought.

Plants in the 0% treatment were smaller, less physiologically healthy, and not considered visually suitable for landscape use. All three species in the 25% treatment performed equivalent to the 50% and 100% treatments in all visual and physiological categories. The only exception were grasses in the 25% mini-lysimeter study, which were more stressed than the 50% or 100% treatments during periods of drought. While these plants were more stressed, they had adjusted to their environment and were using less water than the 50% or 100% treatments.

All three treatments were considered visually suitable for landscape use. This suggests that as long as ornamental grasses are kept on a strict weekly regimen of 25% ETo, and never exposed to periods of drought, they will be physiologically as well as aesthetically usable in the landscape trade on a long-term basis.

To make a 25% irrigation regimen easily accessible to workers in the horticulture trade, a general guideline was extrapolated from two years of data. On weeks without precipitation, a weekly amount of 0.25 inches of irrigation is appropriate when installing and maintaining ornamental grasses. This reduction in water by 75% has major implications for the water savings of nursery and greenhouse growers, maintenance personnel, retail operations, and homeowners.

Water Research with Ornamental Grasses

and J.E. Klett, Ph.D.

Professor & Landscape Horticultural Specialist

Colorado State University

From left to right: Representative photos of Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Blaze’ with 25%, 50% and 100% water treatments, taken on July 28, 2015.

17coloradonga.org

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Winter driving. Heavy lifting. Offi ce ergonomics. Slips, trips and falls. Your organization is taking steps to manage risks you can see, hear and touch. But there’s one risk so small it can be viewed only with a microscope. Yet this small hazard poses big risks to your workers.

One of the most common minerals on our planet, crystalline silica is in sand, stone, rock, concrete, brick, block and mortar. Your employees may be using products or materials that contain crystalline silica and not even know it. If your workplace is a dusty one or if your employees work with materials that produce dust, your organization should take steps to evaluate and manage the risks of crystalline silica.

Respirable crystalline silica can cause silicosis, a disabling and sometimes fatal lung disease. Workers in sandblasting; sand-casting foundry operations; mining; tunneling; cement/concrete cutting and demolition; masonry production and cutting; and granite cutting, grinding and polishing experience especially high rates of silicosis.

Has your company evaluated the extent of employee exposure to this hazard? Pinnacol Assurance’s on-staff industrial hygienists can help detect and evaluate on-the-job exposure to this and other airborne contaminants, and recommend steps to reduce the risks. Additionally, Pinnacol’s website shares guidance, tools and procedures than can improve respiratory protection at your worksite.

The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) sets “permissable exposure limits” for crystalline silica in the workplace. A new

rule is expected from OSHA in early 2016, and your organization can check osha.gov/silica for updates and additional information.

The new rule would replace OSHA’s 40-year-old standard. This outdated standard, according to OSHA, fails to adequately protect employee health. The new rule, OSHA says, “would save more than 600 lives and prevent more than 1,500 new cases of silicosis per year.”

How can you eliminate or control crystalline silica exposure at your workplace? Here are some suggestions: • Use substitute materials that don’t contain

crystalline silica. • Use dust-containment systems. • Work wet when drilling or sawing to control dust. • Ventilate. • Use personal protective equipment, such as

respirators, when necessary. • Monitor the air and workers’ health. • Require good personal hygiene. • Train workers on the risks and ways to mitigate

them. • Communicate, using product labels and safety

data sheets. • Post signs that clearly communicate warnings and

required protective gear.

Worksite Risks of Crystalline Silica SAFETYCORNER

From Pinnacol Assurance

Pinnacol Resources: For more information on shoring up safeguards against the hazards of crystalline silica at your organization, visit pinnacol.com/resources.Or call Pinnacol’s Safety On Call hotline at 303.361.4700 or 888.501.4752.


FUNDINGRESEARCH &

EDUCATION

By Matt Edmundson

CHREF Board President

Building a LegacyBeing a tree grower is a unique thing in today’s

society. I’ve read that one of the key indicators of a person with high intelligence is their ability to defer gratifi cation. Certainly, growing trees is an exercise in deferred gratifi cation, and at least in Colorado, you can’t grow a good tree by accident.

I would never question someone’s intelligence for trying to grow trees in Colorado for a living; their sanity is another matter. I was thinking about how our company used to really grow trees by accident. As our company evolved more towards distribution and away from growing, the careful planning and execution required to ensure a good yield drifted away. It seems crazy now to say we just threw the liner in the ground, watered it in and followed up without a good plan for feeding, protecting, staking, pruning, spraying or harvesting this investment.

Today of course things are much different. The “Great Recession” forced us to evaluate everything we were doing and not doing. This included learning what to adopt from others in the trade who were more successful at producing quality trees. Now we have a plan and our results are night-and-day different.

As I sat down to think about a message to communicate to you: my friends, colleagues and competitors, it occurred to me how much leading and developing people is like growing trees. They don’t just grow themselves. Someone had to plant the seed of passion, cultivate and train them in knowledge, and prune away bad habits. They need to be planted in the right ground, given the proper nutrition and

water necessary to grow, and even meet the resistance of the wind to develop a strong trunk to support the weight of future growth. All of this needs to happen BEFORE they can walk in your door and start adding value for your organization.

We as an industry need to think of this notion. There aren’t enough talented people to keep your company thriving, let alone our industry thriving, and there won’t be if we continue to do it by accident and without a plan. Whether your fi rm is fast growing or slow and steady, it’s critical to have talented people.

Investing in our future isn’t only about the money you can give to Colorado Horticulture Research & Education Foundation (CHREF) to support scholarships or research. It starts with adopting the mindset that we are planting a crop which represents our future. What do you think of the attitude of someone who would pay so little attention to their future plant crops? They will end up with very poor results, but that is how many in our industry are thinking and acting about our future crop of leaders and employees.

Supporting CHREF isn’t charity – it’s an opportunity. I challenge you to learn more about your employees and co-workers. Learn where the seed of their passion was fi rst sown. Learn who it was that fi rst cultivated their talents and guided their growth. Think about how important those key times were and how it led them to your organization. Our industry needs a pipeline of future talent. Will we do it by accident or create our own future with a plan?

19coloradonga.org

classifi ed ADS

Various PositionsPaulino Gardens, 6300 N. Broadway, Denver, Colo. 80216

Plant Care Technician & Assistant Nursery ManagerSand Creek Wholesale Nursery, 17050 E. Smith Road,Aurora, Colo. 80011

Greenhouse Workers & Landscape Crew LeadersDwyer Greens and Flowers, 4730 County Road 335,New Castle, Colo. 81647

Inside Sales AssociateJames Nursery, 7900 York Street, Denver, Colo. 80229

Assistant Nursery Manager, Nursery Sales, Landscape/Maintenance Technicians, Design Assistants, Supervisors,& Managers in Summit, Eagle & Grand CountiesNeils Lunceford, Inc., P.O. Box 2130, Silverthorne, Colo. 80498

Retail Sales Manager, Shipping Manager, Inside Sales Associate, & Wholesale Delivery Driver Harmony Gardens, 4315 E. Harmony Road,Fort Collins, Colo. 80525

Distribution Offi ce Assistant & Loading Specialist,& Distribution Alternate Crew ForepersonLittle Valley Wholesale Nursery, 13022 E. 136th Avenue,Brighton, Colo. 80601

Inside Sales & Customer ServiceArbor Valley Nursery, 18539 WCR 4, Brighton, Colo. 80603

Horticulturists/Gardeners, Landscape Architect/Estimator& Tree Farm PositionSteve Koon Landscape & Design, Inc., 2301 W. Oxford Avenue, Englewood, Colo. 80110

Professional Gardeners and Farm InternsGardening By Tess, 1669 Hoyt Street, Lakewood, Colo. 80215

CNGA off ers free posts of online classifi ed ads to members, including items for sale or lease and job openings. For more details about the classifi ed listings below and to see other current postings, visit coloradonga.org, click on the Resources tab and click on Classifi eds.

CNGA calendar

Plant Something Campaign: Begins May 8

To get more information about CNGA programs and events, go to coloradonga.org and click on the Events tab to view the calendar,or contact the offi ce by phone: 303.758.6672, fax: 303.758.6805, or email: [email protected].

advertisers LISTACW Supply ................................................................... 5Baxter Wholesale Nursery, Inc. .......................................... 2Britton Nursery, Inc. ........................................................ 15Carlton Plants ................................................................ 18Circle D Farm Sales, Inc. .................................................. 18Clayton Tree Farm, LLC .................................................... 17

Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery ......................................... 2Harding Nursery, Inc. ....................................................... 2McKay Nursey Company ................................................. 17United Energy Trading, LLC ............................................... 2Willow Creek Wholesale Nursery ...................................... 4

NEW membersCity of Greeley Water Dept.1100 10th Street, Suite 300Greeley, Colo. 80631Ruth Quade | 970.350.9874

Garden Visions Landscaping3880 S. Helena StreetAurora, Colo. 80013Leslie Oliver | 303.476.8332

Growcentia1552 Riverside DriveFort Collins, Colo. 80524Richard Conant | 970.818.3321

Jordan’s Greenhouse900 N. Ta� Hill RoadFort Collins, Colo. 80521Brett Eaton | 970.482.4471

Lost Mesa Flower Company35106 Hanson Mesa RoadHotchkiss, Colo. 81419Emily Knehs | 970.872.3245

Joe Moreng327 E. County Road 60Fort Collins, Colo. 80524970.690.7102

Red Butte Garden300 Wakara WaySalt Lake City, Utah 84108Susie Kohler | 801.587.9740

John Williams10340 Canyon RoadOmaha, Neb. 68112402.680.8745

Willow Creek Wholesale Nursery25455 N. LansingMiddleton, Idaho 83644Carla Carter | 208.863.2350

Wilmer Rodriguez14095 Peyton Hwy.Peyton, Colo. 80831330.317.7563

Windy Point Mountain Flowers1145 E. WarrenDenver, Colo. 80210Steven Levine | 303.999.9075

Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association959 S. Kipling Pky, #200Lakewood, CO 80226

LET THE CNGA HELP YOUDRIVE MORE CUSTOMERSINTO YOUR STOREDRIVE MORE CUSTOMERSDRIVE MORE CUSTOMERSINTO YOUR STORE

Join our award-winning Plant Something Colorado

campaign. We had great results in 2015 and have

plans to expand the campaign in 2016. We’ll provide

you with a Plant Something kit to help drive consumers

to your store to get the plant stake and seed packet.

We also have sponsorship opportunities available to

extend your reach to consumers. Last year, our sponsors

increased their company social media page followers

by an average of nearly 10% in three short months.

Exciting tactics planned for the2016 campaign include:

Participating in live events (Denver Botanic Gardens

spring sale, Hudson Gardens concerts, and more)

Continuing the contest with great prizes

Increasing member participation

Gaining more social media engagement

Increasing opportunities for media coverage

SIGN UP! Contact Allison [email protected] | 303.758.6672

2015 Campaign: More than 6,100 new visitors to the website, a 700% increase over 2014

1,200 followers on our social media sites 1,000 photographs posted in our contest

LooseLeaf Apr/May 2016

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