Sept-Oct 2012

Sept/Oct 2012 • Volume 30 • Number 5

Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association • Serving Colorado, New Mexico, & Wyoming

Reevaluate Update Plans Based on Experience

7 Increase Profits by Monitoring Results & Trends 10 Outstanding Plant Picks for 2013 16 Selling the Value of Yard Remodeling 22 Member Profile: Sand Creek Wholesale Nursery

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All photograpy shot on location.

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DWF Growers Supply 4800 Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80216 Phone: 303-399-3235 Fax: 303-376-3125 Toll-free: 1-800-829-8280 LooseLeaf September/October 2012

Our Mission Professionals growing for a better tomorrow... your growing resource.

Cover Photo Courtesy of PanAmerican Seed

In This Issue 4

Calendar, Classifieds, & Advertisers

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Board Message: Studying the Past is the

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Focus on Containers: Quality Outweighs Size Preferences

16

Selling the Value of Yard Remodeling

Key to the Future

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CNGA – A Member-Driven Organization: More Information, Support & Initiatives

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Increase Profits by Monitoring Results & Trends

18 CSU Update: Long Lived Perennials 20 Safety Corner: Prevent Accidents before They Happen

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21 Taking Care of Business: Managing Chargebacks

Outstanding Plant Picks for Planning 2013 Inventory

22 Member Profile: Sand Creek Wholesale Nursery, Aurora, Colo.

24 How the Front Range Tree List is being Used

Board Of Directors Dan Gerace, President Welby Gardens Company, Inc. 303.288.3398 dangerace@hardyboyplant.com Bill Kluth, Vice President Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises, LLC 303.659.1260 x205 bkluth@tagawas.com

Stan Brown Alameda Wholesale Nursery, Inc. 303.761.6131 stan@alamedawholesale.com Steve Carlson Carlton Plants 303.530.7510 scarlson@carltonplants.com Jesse Eastman Fort Collins Nursery 970.482.1984 j.eastman@fortcollinsnursery.com

Davey Rock, Secretary/Treasurer Trinitiy Farms 720.810.1232 rockandrock@mac.com

Tom Halverstadt Country Lane Wholesale Nursery 303.688.2442 countrylane@myedl.com

Kent Broome Bailey Nurseries, Inc. 303.823.5093 kent.broome@baileynursery.com

Sarada Krishnan, Ph.D. Denver Botanic Gardens 720.865.3601 krishnans@botanicgardens.org

Bob Lefevre Advanced Green Solutions 303.916.0609 1950rfl@gmail.com Monica Phelan Phelan Gardens 719.574.8058 monicaphelan@phelangardens.com Les Ratekin Ratekin Enterprises 303.670.1499 lesratekin@earthlink.net Terry Shaw Harding Nursery, Inc. 719.596.5712 hardingoffice@aol.com

Publishing Info

EDITORIAL

Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association

Sharon R. Harris Executive Director Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association 303.758.6672 sharris@coloradonga.org

959 S. Kipling Pkwy., Ste 200 Lakewood, CO 80226 303.758.6672 or 888.758.6672 Fax: 303.758.6805 info@coloradonga.org www.coloradonga.org The LooseLeaf is produced by CNGA and Keystone Millbrook Printing Company 3540 West Jefferson Hwy Grand Ledge, MI 48837-9750 Fax: 517.627.4201 www.keystonemillbrook.com www.colorado nga.org

Ex-Officio Members

The LooseLeaf feature writer and editor is Tanya Ishikawa of Buffalo Trails Multimedia Communications www.coloradonga.org/editor-tanya-ishikawa Visit www.coloradonga.org for classified advertisements, plant publications, upcoming events, a member directory, and much more!

Jim Klett, Ex-Officio CSU Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture 970.491.7179 jim.klett@colostate.edu Lynn Payne, N.M. Chapter Senator Sunland Nursery Company 505.988.9626 ld@paynes.com Sharon Harris, Executive Director CNGA 303.758.6672 sharris@coloradonga.org

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Gerace

Scott Grimes

Sharon Harris

Tanya Ishikawa

Dr. Jim Klett

Scott Shick

Amy Statkevicus

ADVERTISING INFO Bill Spilman Tel: 877.878.3260 Fax: 309-483-2371 bill@innovativemediasolutions.com

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2012

calendar

Outreach and Member BBQ Friday, Sept. 7 Britton Nursery, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Join your CNGA friends at the last of the 2012 member BBQs. Thank you to our sponsors: Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Pinnacol Assurance, and Richards, Seeley & Schaefer

CNREF & CFF Golf Tournament Monday, Sept. 24 Noon Shot gun start, Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course, Castle Rock, Colo.

Visit the CNGA website under Upcoming Events for more information and current sponsors! Sponsorships are available; sign up now to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Colorado Certified Nursery Professional (CCNP) Exam Tuesday, Sept. 11 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Colorado Springs Utilities, Colorado Springs, Colo.

This half-day exam leads to the prestigious CCNP certification. It can be taken by anyone whether or not they have completed any of the four CCNP seminars.

Owners & Managers Meeting Friday & Saturday, Nov. 2 & 3 Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Colorado Springs, Colo.

CNGA invites all decision makers at member companies to attend this meeting, where we will share experiences, ideas and practical information. Dr. Charlie Hall will be speaking at the unique, expanded Saturday program. $105 room rates. Thank you to our sponsors, Pinnacol Assurance and Wells Fargo Insurance Services.

Women in Horticulture Luncheon Thursday, Sept. 13 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Lakewood Country Club, Lakewood, Colo.

Enjoy guest speaker Tess Scanlon-Phillips of Gardening by Tess, lunch and networking. Thank you to our sponsors: Pinnacol Assurance, Wells Fargo Insurance Services, and Little Valley Wholesale Nursery!

Thanks to our event sponsors:

Register for calendar events with CNGA unless otherwise noted.

Tel: 303.758.6672 or 888.758.6672 Fax: 303.758.6805 E-mail: info@coloradonga.org CNGA is the host of calendar events unless otherwise noted. For more information, registration forms, and directions to programs, go to the Industry Professional site on www. coloradonga.org and open the Calendar under the Events tab.

classified ADS Help Wanted Retail Manager Come join our family as the retail manager of a destination garden center/greenhouse operation in beautiful Salida, Colo. $25,000-$30,000/year to start with paid holidays, vacations, sick time, and year-end bonus. Expectations include team building, seasonal staff training, and POS management. Please call Derald at 719.371.2373 or e-mail derald@bradyswest.com for complete job description.

advertisers Alpha One Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 American Clay Works & Supply Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Baxter Wholesale Nursery, Inc.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Britton Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Circle D Farm Sales, Inc.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Clayton Tree Farm LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 DWF Growers Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Gerdes Wholesale Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Harding Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Hash Tree Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Jayker Wholesale Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

CNGA offers free posts of online classified ads to members, including items for sale or lease and job openings. For more information on the posting above and to see other current postings, visit the Industry Professional side of www.coloradonga. org and click on Classifieds under the Resources tab.

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McKay Nursery Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Ratekin Enterprises/Hollandia Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Richards, Seeley & Schaefer, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

LooseLeaf September/October 2012

Stuying the Past is the Key to the Future Are your plans in place for the coming season?

The sales reps have been busy; did you get next year’s orders in? If so, hopefully the information in this issue will serve as a checklist and give you some peace of mind. If you still have some work to do, maybe we can offer some good advice to get you through.

Look at the trends, new plants can get people excited and can drive a lot of business. Make sure you are getting the same publications that your customers are looking at so you can anticipate what new items they are going to be looking for. The question is: how much of a gamble do you take? Build small programs around the new items; customers are more likely to forgive you for running out of the latest items especially while stock is being built up and people are becoming familiar with the new items. Also, try not to make the mistake of always adding new things without seriously considering what those items will be replacing.

If you don’t remove items or at least lower quantities of some items, you will run into having more waste and filling your space with items that are not moving. Both of these can be sneaky profit killers.

I am a firm believer in the 80 – 20 rule: it seems that 80 percent of your sales comes from 20 percent of your product line. Always keep in mind what your bread and butter is, and make sure you focus on getting that correct. We call those items our truck stoppers: if you don’t have them the customer does not order. The other 20 percent of the sales is important but it isn’t likely to sink you if your estimates go astray.

Communication and good business practices can make all the difference in successful production cycles. Work with your suppliers; the sooner they know your plan, the better they will be at having the material you need when you need it.

There are many programs that can be built to save you money, whether you order by cases, pallets or truck loads. We have sat down with our suppliers, looked at a purchase summary for the past season, discussed one-time purchases vs. regular ongoing purchases, and we both were able to do a better job at fulfilling our expectations.

When it comes to plant material, the trend is

www.colorado nga.org

that not much speculation material will be on the market, so make sure you are covered early.

Lost sales due to conservative ordering can be just as painful as ordering too much.

When scheduling crops, minimum orders on individual items may often determine the quantities you have. Filling up trucks to keep freight costs low is also a factor. Even with both issues in mind, correctly timed, multiple minimum orders may ensure you have fresh material for your customers, rather than ordering your entire season’s needs to come in all at the same time.

When scheduling annuals, vegetables and some perennials, we aim for having each planting span a two to three-week sales window. When planting many perennials, if the entire season’s planting is started at the same time, it is important to try to stage the crop so it is not all ready for sale at the same time and the rest for the season is past its prime. Plant growth regulators and correctly timed pruning are excellent tools to ensure all of it is as nice as possible when the sales are most likely to happen.

When scheduling next year’s crops, look at the past few years of sales for every week for each item and try to track trends and adjust next year’s production accordingly. It is always a good idea to review the plan at a later time or have someone else look it over to catch mistakes.

It seems every season something was overlooked and that left you scrambling at the last minute to try to satisfy a customer or sell excessive overages.

Best of luck in your preparations!

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

By Dan Gerace CNGA Board President

When scheduling next year’s crops, look at the past few years of sales for every week for each item and try to track trends and adjust next year’s production accordingly.

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CNGA — A MEMBER-DRIVEN ORGANIZATION

By Sharon R. Harris CNGA Executive Director

More Information, Support & Initiatives In the words of the Saturday Night Live character Rosanne Roseannadanna, “If it’s not one thing it’s another.” That seems to sum up the spring and summer of 2012 in Colorado. Looking forward, it’s time to kick up your planning for next year.

This issue is full of great information from your peers on how they are planning for the future, what they learned this year, and how they will use those lessons as they plan for 2013. We hope you’ll find this issue informative, applicable, and that it will provide an idea or two that you can use in your business. We have also been planning ways to provide access to information and tools that will help you navigate and succeed in these new environments in which we live.

Flowering Shrubs • Junipers Ornamental Grasses • Vines • Perennials Container-Grown Shade & Fruit Trees since 1957

Represented by Les Ratekin 303-670-1499 • 303-670-1133 fax lesratekin@earthlink.net

You asked for classes for experienced staff and managers and we are responding. We have secured some topnotch ProGreen presenters for the next few years, to speak on topics with “take-away” information that can be applied immediately. Every speaker being contacted by CNGA has been made aware that this is an experienced, educated audience and if their presentations aren’t for the audience, they aren’t a good fit. One example is Dr. Marco Palma, a Texas A&M professor who will provide two sessions on using marketing trends and methodologies in estimating costs of production.

He will be joined by other prominent speakers who will provide tools for every aspect of your business.

A fall 2012 program will offer the identification of changes that you can make to be more successful and an action plan to implement those changes. This very popular program will provide attendees with an excellent return on investment. The Owners and Managers Meeting will be in Colorado Springs at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort on Friday and Saturday, November 2 and 3. In response to comments from past attendees, the Saturday session has been extended into the afternoon. Dr. Charlie Hall, a well-respected green industry economist with a great sense of humor and his finger on the pulse of the national industry, will be the Saturday speaker.

The Plant Something program is designed to educate the public on the values of plants and landscapes as part of a multi-state national promotion similar to “Got Milk”. CNGA ran ads on Colorado Public Radio stations from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins and print ads in the Colorado Gardener magazine in April, May and June and in 19 weekly newspapers in April and May. Future promotion will be expanded.

Participation in this program is for CNGA members only.

I’d love to hear from you on additional ways CNGA can help your company succeed.

www.HollandiaNursery.com 6

LooseLeaf September/October 2012

Photo Courtesy of Britton Nursery, Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo.

Increase Profits

by Monitoring Results & Trends The 2012 season has been marked by increased spring sales, slower sales during the peak of the fire disasters, and continued demand for less expensive, drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, smaller plants and landscapes. These trends along with various reports on past sales are part of what nurseries and greenhouses can use in planning a profitable 2013 season.

Forecasting the right number and mix of plants to produce or order each year is always an uncertain art. But, the chances of a successful forecast are increased when accompanied by monitoring and evaluating sales and observing the operational procedures and outside trends that affect customer purchasing patterns.

“When I am out and about talking to people, you’d be surprised at the number of companies that don’t track customers, sales and trends. If you’re not tracking those, how do you know if you’re doing well or not? How do you adjust accordingly?

You’ve got to keep track of it,” said Lon Vincent, the operation manager at W.W. Wilmore Nurseries/Garden Center & Greenhouse in Littleton, Colo. “We all feel like we know what’s going on but until you see the hard data you really don’t know. I would strongly encourage people to track that data and patterns, and really watch your buying, too. We don’t react quickly enough if we don’t have hard data to work with.

You can’t just sit there and ride it out. When you do well, why not do something about it so you can do even better?”

As a retailer, W.W. Wilmore looks at sales data such as average sales and customer counts at least monthly. “If you planned for a certain customer count and the data shows that you reached it, you know you did something positive and should continue that. If you didn’t reach it, figure out what to change,” Vincent said.

The company also monitors economic and weather trends.

The evaluation of sales data is incomplete when factors such as a storm or high temperatures and their effects on customer activity are not considered. Likewise, road closures, unemployment rates and fires can significantly alter sales results, so must be factored into evaluations of business operations.

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W.W. Wilmore is strategic about communication to improve the sales situation. Targeting more customers with timely information is achieved with additional staff training, updated displays and strategic messages on their marquee sign facing a major road. With a database of 12,000 e-mail addresses, customer promotion through e-newsletters and social media is also an effective method of increasing sales.

the look of product, what was going on in each department, weather trends each day, and reports from industry groups.”

Companies must be strategic about the selection and timing of plants and inventory. A basic way to change sales results in the green industry is by adjusting purchasing and production decisions about product selection and sales timing.

She can look back at spreadsheets with sales and inventory information for the past 14 years. The numbers help her better understand what will sell well and where customer interest is moving. Four Seasons sticks to selling what always does best, such as zuchinis, petunias and geraniums, while adjusting production and ordering for other items based on the data.

Vanik analyzes which plants and products are growing or decreasing in popularity. Still, she admits that predicting what will sell well is “really like throwing darts. We have no crystal ball. I make my best guess as well as pulling hard data off the POS to figure it out.”

Gail Vanik, the co-owner of Four Seasons Greenhouse & Nursery in Cortez, Colo., pulls sales reports daily and weekly to look at how different products are selling, but she saves the in-depth evaluations until the end of each month as well as each season’s end.

From reviewing POS (point of sales) system data, Vanik knows that her busiest season for selling annuals is April, May and June, and perennials and nursery stock are more popular in the summer. “I look at not only sales totals but departments, too. Obviously, I’m looking for sales, but I’m also looking at profitability, what’s moving and spotting trends,” she said. “I have a binder that sits above my desk with monthly sales reports from each department. I consider what made each department perform well, our sales goals for next year, availability of product,

Common 2012 Experiences to Consider when Planning for 2013 The following trends in customer preferences, which were experienced by most or all of the interview sources for this feature article, may be helpful for CNGA members in creating their 2013 production and purchasing plans.

Timing: • shopped earlier in the spring • shopped less in June due to fires

Popular plants: • new, different and diverse (especially for retail customers) • smaller landscapes and plants • containerized trees rather than big B & B trees • low-maintenance plants (less trimming, less water, less care) • drought-tolerant plants • Firespinner Ice Plant

Pricing: • looked for a deal or sale

The timing of ordering and growing plants is a critical variable.

Sales of some products are consistent year to year, like hanging baskets that have peak sales between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Other plants can be harder to gauge.

Vanik said her company has not been adjusting staffing or back office operation based on data, because those areas are functioning well. As a grower/retailer, “There’s always a certain amount of work that has to get done. A shift may come in which department needs more staffing or if we need to replace people for whatever reasons. There were times in the past that we changed our operations, but not much this year,” she said.

On the other side of the state in Franktown, Country Lane Wholesale Nursery has adjusted their ordering practices, discounting methods and credit policies to improve cash flow.

In response to the slow economy of the last few years, Manager Tom Halverstadt said his company is speculating less and bringing more inventory in on demand. “Every once in a while we don’t have it on the property when the call comes, but forecasting is never 100 percent accurate. It’s gotten harder looking at the past history to plan for what kind of inventory to have because our customers are changing so much from large landscape contractors to mid and smaller size contractors. Maybe as I start building a new history, I will be able to speculate more,” he said.

Country Lane tightened credit policies this year by being much tougher on offering credit to new customers and holding people to their credit limits. They also cut back on discounts and promotions. “We were not as willing to discount for everyone, especially those who won’t pay for 90 days. It gave us the opportunity to have inventory available at full price for people who pay promptly,” he said.

• excited about gadgets to make gardening easier such as moisture meters and root stimulators

One discount they did try in April and May was for customers who paid by credit card payments instead of using wholesaler’s credit. “It was really effective and really helped us out this year. We have been pretty cash poor in the springs for the last few years, so we were willing to give up 5 percent and 2.5 percent to generate immediate cash. It added between $10,000 and $20,000 at a critical time. We are sure going to try it again next year,” Halverstadt said.

• more likely to buy plants when they can see them in demonstration gardens

The company lost some sales due to its new credit and discount practices, but in the long run the changes reaped positive

• asked for cheap (but only if quality is still there)

Service and extras: • needed guidance and advice (but briefly, not a long explanation)

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When analyzing industry reports, Vanik considers the affect of regional differences and isolated events on the sales numbers.

Trends can also be less relevant for her, such as the increased popularity of vegetable plants which have always been popular at Four Seasons so haven’t led to much of a sales increase.

LooseLeaf September/October 2012

results, he reported. By comparing data on plant prices for this year and previous years, he found that average price per unit went up this year. Though catalog prices were up 3 percent to 5 percent in 2012, prices went up 7 percent to 10 percent per unit. “We are encouraged. It is a great trend for us,” he commented.

Top: Four Seasons Greenhouse & Nursery enters fall with low inventory by selling most products by summer’s end.

Bottom: Four Seasons begins spring fully stocked and ready.

Not all operational adjustments this year had positive results.

Halverstadt said, “Probably a mistake I made was we started our production late. As a cost-saving measure, we decided to bring labor in a little slower. I’m convinced it wasn’t the best idea. We were potting a month later and it might have cost us whatever we saved in labor. The quality and size suffered and we were a month behind schedule.”

It was a tough lesson but Country Lane’s commitment to monitoring and evaluating sales has now made them better poised for 2013, when they plan to return production to its earlier schedule to be ready for spring sales.

About 50 miles south at Britton Nursery in Colorado Springs, Production Manager Stephanie Thompson has been overseeing a change in the wholesaler’s operational processes to improve sales. “What we started doing in the past three years has been very successful. The 4th of July is our cutoff for what gets potted for this year. Everything after that date is potted for next year. We sometimes sell some of that in the fall but our plan is for next year’s sales,” she explained. “We try to go into fall super heavy, which we had never done before three years ago. We go into winter with 100,000 to 120,000 perennials on the ground, which makes spring really heavy.”

The plan has worked because Thompson carefully stages potting so that plants are strong going into the winter, resulting in less than 5 percent loss. By potting a few hundred wellselected plants every few weeks between July 4 and Sept. 16, they are also primed to bloom and appear at their best at different times throughout the season.

As a result, Britton had its best spring sales ever this year.

There was no big gap in sales or availability in June, and Thompson expects to turn the space three times by the end of the year. This production timing change means that the company has increased its available inventory without having to build new facilities, and even ordered additional plants from other wholesalers to fill in gaps in inventory.

The only difficulty with the new production timing is that Brittons usually hires lots of college students who are not available early enough in the year. To avoid working the permanent staff to death in the early spring, they will have to come up with new staffing solutions.

Thompson devised this operational change by studying spreadsheets on how plants performed, and by applying what her father, Al Britton, taught her over the years about plant personalities in the variable Colorado climate. “It’s like an art – learning and getting to know my plants. They’re kind of like my kids; I know what they like and don’t like. I have to treat each one differently,” she said.

The combination of constant observation around the property and reviews of sales and production data help her to plan six months ahead and more. She also follows the ebb and flow of trendy plants. “I’m always in the back pocket of our sales team and asking about what they are getting calls for in the current year to know if I need to go a little heavier on an item or a little lighter,” she added. www.colorado nga.org

10 Reports Your Business Can’t Live Without (or the 10 most important reports to look at before planning for next week, next month and next season) 1. sales reports- monthly (or even weekly for retailers) to track sales trends for plants, categories and departments 2. customer counts- to track customer shopping trends 3. average ticket sales calculation- to track effectiveness of marketing, displays, sales staff, pricing, etc.

4. spreadsheet comparing sales projections and goals versus inventory on hand and planned ordering- to determine when to order and produce 5. annual sales comparisons- to understand profitability for similar months and weeks for the previous two to five years 6. weather diaries- to plan for weather’s effects on sales and production 7. national and regional industry reports- to spot trends that could affect sales 8. leading economic indicators and other current events- to develop plans for counteracting or taking advantage of outside influences on sales 9. shrink report- to record what’s thrown away, dies or disappears (shoplifting, etc.) to help plan for the following season 10. materials cost analysis- to evaluate costs of containers, soil media materials, fertilizers, chemicals, tags and labels, etc. to help set product prices and budget expenses

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Outstanding Plant Picks for Planning 2013 Inventory As CNGA members begin to plan their plant orders and production mix for next season, we are providing you with several top picks from five of your peers. Demonstrating the breadth of outstanding choices available, no plant was picked more than once by our ad hoc panel of industry experts.

This feature concentrates mainly on new varieties, but it also includes some underused ones that stand out as timely bloomers or have improved characteristics. As Gene Pielin, a CNGA 2012 Hall of Fame Award winner, commented, “We don’t need new species, although that’s nice. We need to take what we have and make them easier to grow and above all make them bloom when we have the most customers.”

Jim Ord, who represents J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., expressed reluctance to recommend any new tree variety until it has been in the marketplace long enough to be tested for true suitability. “This is not a one size fi ts all planting region,” he reasoned. “We have so many variables in microclimates, soils, exposure and other growing conditions that it takes a while for new plants to prove themselves.”

We hope you will enjoy these colorful pages and find out why these recommendations for your 2013 inventory will impress your customers and stimulate sales. You can find out more information about each plant at the links on the CNGA website at www.coloradonga.org/outstanding-plants.

Diana Reavis

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Gene Pielin

Jim Ord

Pat Hayward

Danielle Ernest

Selections from Diana Reavis, Sales Representative, Eason Horticultural Resources

Photo Credit: PanAmerican Seed

Echinacea ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ is a 2013 AAS (All-America Selections) winner, introduced by PanAmerican seed. It has a unique mix of different shades of yellow, red, orange, and everything in between but very few pinks and purples. Planted in a swath this flower makes a bold statement in the landscape. It is a new seed strain of hybrid Echinacea, which will bloom in the first year providing significant savings to growers and consumers alike.

Polygonatum ordoratum ‘Variegatum’ Variegated Solomon’s Seal is the PPA (Perennial Plant Association) plant of the year for 2013.

This native North American plant has striking variegated foliage and dainty white bell flowers Photo Credit: Diana Reavis, Eason Horticultural Resources that dangle from arching stems. This excellent plant will grow in the ever-challenging dry shady spot under trees.

Strawberry Toscana comes from ABZ seed company in the Netherlands, which has a selection of ornamental and edible strawberries excellent for use in hanging baskets as well as in the Photo Credit: Diana Reavis, Eason Horticultural Resources ground. With all the attention on edibles and small gardens, these are unique additions with great customer appeal and a vast improvement over seed strawberries of the past. Several varieties have highly ornamental flowers ranging from deep rose red to white that combine beautifully. The fruits are exceptionally sweet and delicious. Toscana is a European Fleuroselect winner for 2011.

www.colorado nga.org

Selections from Gene Pielin, General Manager, Gulley Greenhouse The new Leucanthemum Freak! is the most promising plant.

Though it doesn’t have the best habit or the most pleasing flower form, it is a stellar seller because it blooms in April and May when the most customers come to the garden center.

Photo Credit: Blooms of Bressingham It’s a compact grower that wants to bloom in every axial – the kind of breakthrough we’ve been after.

The Desert Eve Achillea series generally blooms in late May and into June, but gets too tall and falls over in gallon pots.

Blooms of Bressingham has a group of Achilleas, the Tutti Frutti series, which has Photo Credit: Syngenta a more manageable height and still blooms in late spring. Now we have the Desert series, which also blooms in mid-May and is most showy when we have the maximum number of customers. Plus, it comes in six different colors on compact plants that don’t need to be cut back.

At Ball Perennial Days, there was some unusual plant material that isn’t new, but is underused and has greater potential. The Berlanderia Chocolate Flower is not very pretty but really smells like chocolate. Just left on the bench it won’t sell, but make a fuss (put up a sign: Smell Me), give people one whiff and they have to have at least one.

Photo Credit: Lisa Bird

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Espresso™ Kentucky Coffee Tree (Gymnocladus dioicus ‘Espresso-JFS’) is a seedless selection of a tough tree that has proven itself in our region. It’s similar to seedling grown trees in its performance, except that it’s seedless, its leaves are a bit more refined, and it has predictable form and Photo Credit: J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. mature size. It’s a good one to plant near streets and above sidewalks because unlike seedling grown plants, it has no long seedpods or seeds which can be messy or impede pedestrians.

Photo Credit: David Winger

Another winner is Partridge Feather, which looks and feels so soft that people have to touch it. When they do, they have to have the plant. It’s not easy to grow because it needs great drainage, so it’s not for everyone. But with the right amount of publicity and a little education (put up a sign: Touch Me), it’s easy to sell.

Selections from Jim Ord, Intermountain Regional Sales Rep., J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. June Snow™ Dogwood (Cornus controversa ‘June SnowJFS’) is one of the few Dogwoods that can grow, much less thrive in this region. This tree is unexpectedly heat and cold tolerant and winter hardy. A great tree for all-season beauty, it has big clusters of white flowers that smother its branches and foliage in late spring. These give way to small purple fruits that attract birds. It has clean, disease-free leaves that stay fresh and green all summer. They turn bright orange/yellow/ red/ purple in the fall. Even in winter, it’s beautiful with long, horizontally layered branches and a very distinctive look.

Royal Raindrops® Crabapple (Malus ‘JFS-KW5’) has overtaken Prairiefire as our top-selling crabapple. It has great spring bloom and cut leaves with deep purple color. The branches resist wind sweep. It’s drought and heat tolerant, disease resistant and adaptable.

Toughness, adaptability and beauty all wrapped up in one pretty garden tree.

That’s what you need in our climate, and that’s why I think it’s the best of the flowering crabs in the Photo Credit: J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. marketplace.

Selections from Pat Hayward, Executive Director, Plant Select® Fire Spinner® ice plant (Delosperma ‘P001S’) is the “hottest” new plant we’ve had in years. The two-tone purple and orange flowers explode with color for a few weeks in late spring/early summer, and the foliage is a cheery apple-green for the rest of the season. It’s super cold-hardy (our trials showed it hardy to -25 º F in the Denver metro area), and is just vigorous enough to be a well-behaved groundcover but not aggressive.

Photo Credit: J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. Photo Credit: David Winger

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LooseLeaf September/October 2012

Selections from Danielle Ernest, PR & Brand Development Coordinator, Proven Winners

Photo Credit: Dan Johnson

Avalanche white sun daisy (Osteospermum ‘Avalanche’ PP 22,705) is the most cold hardy (-25 º F in trials), most vigorous, longest blooming of the three hardy South African sun daisies introduced through Plant Select®. It blooms literally all season, is great for massing, and is “self-cleaning” (the faded blooms bend down and tuck themselves out of sight below the new flowers). White is a great cool “color” during the summer’s hot temperatures, and it goes with everything in the garden!

Blonde Ambition blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ PP 22,048) is a new ornamental form of native blue grama grass – but on steroids! Discovered by David Salman of High Country Gardens, it grows two to three times larger than the native form, with 2-3" long, electron-like seed heads floating above the foliage. We believe it will become as ubiquitous regionally as Karl Foerster grass. The shape is less formal, but the movement of the flowers en masse is stunning, and the plants are especially adapted to our soils and climate.

Photo Credit: David Salman

Superbells® Lemon Slice Calibrachoa (Calibrachoa hybrid ‘USCAL5302M’) is a new variety for 2013 from Proven Winners®. What sets this Calibrachoa apart from anything else on the market is its pinwheel pattern of bright yellow and white.

To date, there is no other Calibrachoa Photo Credit: Proven Winners available for sale that has this unique coloration. Superbells perform best in hanging baskets, mixed containers or window boxes as all Calibrachoa prefer welldrained soil and to dry out between each watering.

Senorita Blanca™ Cleome (Cleome hybrid ‘INCLESNABL’) is another variety from Proven Winners for 2013 that is collecting awards and fanfare at trial gardens across the country. This variety is a sister plant to the existing Cleome in the Proven Photo Credit: Proven Winners Winners collection called Senorita Rosalita®. Both varieties include such features as being sterile (no reseeding), no thorns, no skunky aroma, and no stickiness.

Best of all she holds up in heat and drought conditions.

Blushing Princess™ Lobularia (Lobularia hybrid) is a lavender form of Snow Princess® (Lobularia hybrid ‘Inlbusnopr’), which was released two years ago. The main difference is this was the first sterile vegetatively propagated alyssum, meaning it could focus all its energy into flower power and production plus have the performance to thrive in the heat. Blushing Princess is 75 percent of the vigor of Snow Princess as we wanted a variety that would ‘play nice with others in combinations,’ and the lavender flower color is dependent on light intensity (more sun = more color).

Photo Credit: Proven Winners

www.colorado nga.org

13

Focus On Containers:

Quality Outweighs Size Preferences As nurseries and greenhouses adjust their plant production and purchasing decisions to increase sales, each company considers how much of each container size will satisfy customer demand.

Landscapers and re-wholesalers seem to be the most concerned about specific container sizes as they try to fill their customers’ orders, but those companies as well as retailers tend to accept different sizes when the roots and tops have quality, finished appearances. Though some customers are ordering smaller sizes to save money, most customers seem to be sticking with the same size preferences as in the past.

“I have seen much more tolerance of number 3 containers in the industry. On the same note, most projects are still bid out in number 5 containers. For example, I see some Iseli specific plants specified in number 5s when they are only produced in number 3s and 6s,” reported Jon Gerber who is the sales and logistics manager at Today’s Nursery, a retailer and wholesaler of trees, shrubs and perennials in Parker, Colo. “In the end, it seems that if the number 3s are the same on top, there is no resistance at all to substituting a 3 for a 5.

“On the cost saving side, there is a difference but number 5s still are what are wanted. It seems when I see number 3s on a

bid, they are accompanied by 4-inch perennials. In other words, they are trying to save money,” Gerber added.

Kirby Thompson, who is the general manager at Britton Nursery, Inc. in Colorado Springs, a wholesale grower of perennials for landscapers and retail nurseries, said, “It really just has to do with the specs on the job. I don’t see a preference for smaller container sizes, and when we don’t grow the size requested, our customers are willing to substitute. They really want to know about the finishing of the plants, so I send photos of the roots and tops.”

For the few plants like grasses that Britton doesn’t grow, Thompson orders from other wholesalers, and similar to his customers, he requests photos of the roots and tops to ensure he is getting what he needs. If a size is not available he can sell smaller sizes as long as they are healthy, because they will look like the larger sizes within a couple years after planting.

David Zach is the Colorado-based western territory representative for Loma Vista Nursery of Kansas, a grower of more than 450 varieties of shade and ornamental trees, shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses for retailers and wholesale distributors. Zach said retailers are more open than rewholesalers to size variations and “are not opposed to carrying 5s, 3s and 2s to give consumers a choice in sizes and prices.

Quality is key.”

Most retail customers are focused on plant appearance and type, and don’t pay much attention to container size, agreed Zach, Gerber and Thompson.

For customers who are paying attention to container size, Zach commented that sellers may have to do more explaining these days due to the trend of branded products being grown

When grass from a number one container (on right and in container) are healthy, it will grow into an attractive mature plant (on left) within a few years.

Photo Credit: Britton Nursery, Inc.

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LooseLeaf September/October 2012

and sold in “true” gallon size containers versus a standard trade size. “For example,” he said, “a true 3-gallon is 3 gallons by volume, whereas a trade 5 is 3.5 gallons by volume. So, while one is called a “3” and the other a “5” you are almost getting the same volume of soil in each container.

Therefore, what you hopefully should be seeing is an equally quality grown plant by size in each container, regardless if it is called a 3 or a 5. In essence, the brand growers are simply recording on the label what the true container size is by volume to match its actual container size, when as a general rule in the Colorado market, the container number and its corresponding volume has not matched.”

ally for mulated f c f i c Spe lorado Plants & or Soil r Co s. u o

With brand growers dropping this common industry practice, salespeople may face more questions about container size differences and may need to educate customers a bit. “On the retailer side, it’s not that big of a concern for their customers. The primary change for retailers or re-wholesalers would be developing new codes for the size differences. It could be confusing for some on the re-wholesaler side because their clientele are landscape contractors who bid projects based on trade sizing for containers versus actual plant sizes by container volume. If the price point is the same, there may not be an issue but it could still take a little bit more explaining,” Zach explained.

“It would be nice if container sizing and labeling could be more standardized. If container trends for branded plants continue to take hold in the marketplace, a lot would have to change in horticultural education and in the industry as a whole in order to adapt to it,” he concluded.

www.colorado nga.org

AlphaOneInc.com

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Photos Courtesy of Denver Botanic Gardens

BEFORE

AFTER

Selling

Value of Yard the

Remodeling The greenhouse and nursery industry has the solution for turning around declining home values.

Whether homeowners plan to stay put or sell, improving their landscaping is a sure way to enhance market value. Each research study by the private and public sectors has validated the fact that landscaped areas increase property values thus generating more tax revenues and economic value for businesses and homeowners.

One of the original, ground-breaking studies on the effects of landscaping on home value was conducted by Dr. Bridget Behe at Michigan State University and Dr. Charles Hall, when he was at the University of Tennessee in 2006. In the research project, consumers were surveyed about their perspectives on the value of the components in a “good” landscape and which landscape attributes they valued most. The researchers confirmed that remodeling yards is more profitable than renovating any room in the house.

These findings continue to be helpful today as a basis for lawn and landscape contractors to use in marketing their services to prospective clients, for wholesalers to use in promoting the size, quality and diversity of their plants to contractors, and for garden center sales staff to communicate to customers.

“If folks would bolster their landscapes, it would increase the perceived value of their home, which has benefits to the homeowner. Whether we are growers, landscape contractors or retailers, it behooves us to make this information available to consumers so they don’t just think of landscaping as a visual enhancement but an economic enhancement as well,” explained Hall, who will be the featured speaker in the expanded Saturday program at CNGA’s 2012 Owners & Managers Meeting.

Consumers Prefer Sophisticated, Colorful Landscapes with Large Plants The 2006 survey results showed that plant size, design sophistication and plant material type contributed to an increase in the perceived home value. Design sophistication was the most important landscape factor, accounting for 40 percent to 45 percent of the value added to the home. Increases in plant size were also correlated with increased value. The diversity of plant material contributed the least to the value added to the home landscape, but still led to perceptions of increased home values.

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All survey respondents shared the same most preferred landscape: a sophisticated design incorporating large deciduous, evergreen, and colorful annuals and colored hardscape. The percent increase in home value from the least valued to the most valued varied from 5.5 percent to 11.4 percent. The authors speculate that perhaps in colder hardiness zones, where plants grow more slowly, gardeners value plant size more and perceive that more colorful plants add greater value to a home landscape. Respondents from warmer hardiness zones, where plant material has a longer growing season and grows more quickly, may value landscape design sophistication more than plant size.

Adding one or two island beds can alone add 2 percent to the perceived home value. Although a small investment (less than $250), colorful annuals and perennials added nearly $1,000 to home value, returning 400 percent on the investment.

The researchers concluded that landscapes are one of the only home improvements that increase in value (and size) over time.

Other renovations (e.g. bathroom, kitchen) typically yield less of a return than the amount invested, whereas landscaping was shown to be a better investment, yielding a greater than $1 return in home value for every $1 invested in the landscape.

Green Industry Benefits from Educating Customers “It is vitally important for those selling to landscapers to share this information. They can help make their landscaping customers aware through various promotional methods such as social media marketing and flyers, and add value to the plants they are selling,” said Hall, who is currently the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture at Texas A & M University.

“Landscapers and retailers can make consumers aware that remodeling a yard is not just about making the landscape pretty; it’s about trying to recoup some of the economic value lost during these years when homes depreciated rather than appreciated. Our industry – we’re the answer to declining home values,” Hall added.

As Colorado appears to be entering another drought, remodeling yards with Xeriscape® and using xeric principles can add value as well, especially when homeowners go beyond increasing LooseLeaf September/October 2012

A landscape is a good investment, yielding a greater than $1 return in home value for every $1 invested in the landscape.

– Dr. Charlie Hall hardscapes to revitalizing their yards with heartier, native plants that survive better in dry conditions.

“Most certainly there is an economic benefit in the perceived value of reduced risk by the end consumer. Anything that mitigates risk in property ownership improves its value,” he said. “But, you put the right plant in the wrong place and suddenly a waterconserving plant needs as much water as water-loving plant. You need the right plant for the right place; that’s a very important principle and something our industry has to help consumers understand.”

To help educate consumers, the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association offers the Plant Something campaign to members as a way of promoting the benefits of gardening. To promote plant landscapes to communities, Hall and his colleagues with the America in Bloom campaign are also promoting gardening’s benefits. Hall advocates for more participation in these types of programs because of their direct impacts on greenhouse and nursery sales.

“Anecdotally growers have found when cities participate in America in Bloom programs sales increase by 8 percent,” he noted. “The bottom line is we offer a great deal more as an industry than simply enhancing the aesthetics of people’s yards and landscapes. The plants we sell provide ecosystem services and health and well-being benefits. When you consider the vast amount of benefits provided, from faster healing to stress, noise and crime reduction, to me it’s important not just to market the economic value but to make everyone aware of the tremendous overall value of our landscapes.”

www.colorado nga.org

PLANT SOMETHING SUPPORTS HOME GARDENERS AND GROWS YOUR BUSINESS In this unpredictable real estate market, homeowners are eager to find cost effective ways to improve the look of their home as well as the perceived value. Due to the relatively low investment and high return on landscaping, CNGA members are in a unique position to educate home gardeners on the vast and varied benefits of beautiful landscapes.

To support member businesses, CNGA has launched a campaign called Plant Something. Plant Something actively promotes the many positive, often overlooked benefits of gardening including reduced stress, increased water and air quality as well as increased home value.

Offered by CNGA exclusively to its members, Plant Something marketing materials help drive the big picture message home with gardeners of every caliber to get out there and get dirty.

From increased home values to adding beauty, efficiency, color and shade, homeowners stand to gain a lot from an outstanding landscape. Don’t miss your opportunity to encourage them to get out and Plant Something! To learn more, visit www.coloradonga.org/ plant-something-cnga-members.

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CSU UPDATE

Long Lived Perennials Gardeners can appreciate hardy perennials that stand the test of time through the seasons and perform year after year. The following plants have been in the Perennial Garden at the Plant Environmental Research Center (PERC) at CSU for more than 20 years, and have consistently demonstrated excellent potential for ornamental use.

By Lindsey Greeb, Student Coordinator for the Perennial Gardens at the Plant Environmental Research Center, and James E. Klett, Professor and Extension Landscape Horticulture Specialist, Colorado State University

Ox-Eye Daisy, Heliopsis

helianthoides var. scabra ‘Incomparabilis’

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Several standouts in the garden from the Achillea genus include Achillea x ‘Moonshine’ (Moonshine Yarrow), A. filipendulina ‘Coronation Gold’ (Coronation Gold Fernleaf Yarrow), and A. filipendulina ‘Parker’s Variety’ (Parker’s Variety Fernleaf Yarrow). ‘Moonshine’ is a hybrid between A. taygetea (Greek Yarrow) and A. millefolium (Common Yarrow). It is a shorter variety with silvery foliage and yellow flowers, reaching 18 inches to 2 feet in height with a 2 foot spread. ‘Coronation Gold’ is taller than ‘Moonshine,’ around 3 feet with a 2 – 3 foot spread, and features excellent heat tolerance.

‘Parker’s Variety’ is taller, up to 4 feet with a 3 foot spread. Most yarrows prefer full sun and a well-drained soil, and will tolerate medium to dry moisture. The plants respond to deadheading with a long season of bloom, from May to October. Flowers can be cut for fresh or dry arrangements. It is hardy from zones 3 – 8.

Centranthus ruber, Red Valerian or Jupiter’s Beard, is another plant that performed consistently over the years. It prefers full sun and soils that are neutral in pH to slightly alkaline. Hardy from zones 4 – 8, the regular variety produces red or pink flowers, as well as a white cultivar ‘Alba.’ It responds to deadheading with an extended spring to summer bloom. A secondary bloom arrives in late summer to fall with cooler temperatures. It grows up to 3 feet in height with a 3 foot spread.

Limonium latifolium, or Sea Lavender, features distinctive semi-evergreen basal foliage, up to 18 inches tall and 3 feet wide, and lavender sprays of flowers rise above the plant up to 3 feet tall. Peak bloom period is from July to early September.

Hardy from zones 3 – 9, it prefers full sun and a well-drained soil. Native to Russian salt meadows and shorelines, this species is very salt tolerant.

One of the oldest and most consistent flowering plants in the garden is the incomparable Ox-Eye Daisy, Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Incomparabilis’. This cultivar features attractive dark green foliage and golden yellow semi-double flowers up to 3 feet tall – perfect for the cutting garden. It prefers full sun or partial shade and a moderately fertile soil. Hardy from zones 2 – 9, best results are seen with consistent watering.

Baptisia australis, the Blue False Indigo, is native to the southeastern North America, where it was traditionally used by the Native Americans as a dye. It features racemes of indigo-violet pea shaped flowers in mid-spring. Flowers give way to attractive seed pods, which start green then mature to brown and persist to the fall. It will tolerate full sun or partial shade. Hardy from zones 3 – 9, Blue False Indigo grows slowly, eventually reaching 3 to 4 feet in height with up to a 6 foot spread.

Centaurea macrocephala, the Golden Globe Centaurea, is a unique specimen plant that features bright yellow, thistle-like flowers that emerge from artichoke-shaped bronze bracts in mid-June and last through July. These flowers can be used in fresh or dried flower arrangements.

Hardy from zones 3 – 9, it prefers full sun and a well-drained soil. It is tolerant of acid or alkaline pH. Unlike other Centaureas, it has not been observed to self-seed at this site.

A showy summer bloomer, Coreopsis verticillata, the Threadleaf Tickseed features fine textured leaves. Yellow flowers cover the plant through the summer, and it responds to deadheading with an additional bloom in autumn. It prefers dry soils and full sun, making it a good choice for xeric borders, naturalized areas or wildflower plantings. Hardy from zones 3 – 9, it grows to 2 or 3 feet tall, and spreads slowly. At this garden it has not been observed to self-seed.

For more information, please go online to www.perennialgarden.colostate.edu/ index.html Also, the publication Best Perennials for the Rocky Mountains and High Plains is available from The University Resource Center (970 491-6198 or www.csuextstore.com/store/).

This publication includes 20 years of performance data from Colorado State University’s W.D. Holley Plant Environmental Research Center.

LooseLeaf September/October 2012

HASH TREE COMPANY WHOLESALE CONIFER NURSERY

Growers of Quality Specimen Conifers Selected Seed Sources of Pine, Fir & Spruce

877--875--8733 1199 Bear Creek Road Princeton, ID 83857

Fax: E--Mail: Web: www.colorado nga.org

208--875--0731 Sales@hashtree.com www.hashtree.com 19

SAFETY CORNER

Prevent Accidents before They Happen From Pinnacol Assurance

“Even small changes in a task can introduce unexpected hazards

One of the most common contributing causes to injuries is the “new” element – a new employee, a new piece of equipment, a new process. Using a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) can help eliminate this cause. A JHA is your blueprint for completing a job safely. It identifies the hazards associated with a job task, and the safety controls needed to prevent an injury and/or property damage. The power of this tool is its ability to address the hazards before starting the job. Think of it as your architect’s plan for the job at hand.

As an example, let’s say you need to move a large object. You would want to plan for: • the weight: Do you need equipment to move it?

To ensure that a JHA remains relevant, make sure to update it any time the job changes, because even small changes in a task can introduce unexpected hazards and costly consequences.

For more information on preventing accidents before they happen, call Pinnacol’s Safety On Call line at 888.501.4752. To download a JHA form, go to Pinnacol.com.

You will find the JHA form in the Resources section (under Safety Services Resources).

If you have any questions about using the JHA, please contact your Pinnacol marketing representative.

• the condition: Are there sharp edges that could cause cuts?

• the size: Will it prohibit you from seeing your path?

and costly

• the path of travel: Are there any trip hazards, stairs, corners, etc.?

consequences.”

• the final destination: Is there room to put it down?

Once the hazards have been identified, you can develop and implement preventative measures for each hazard. Ask your employees to help fill out a JHA for their own jobs, which will encourage them to be active in creating a culture of safety awareness.

Once the JHA is complete and the employees have been trained on how to safely perform a task, it is imperative that they perform the task in a way consistent with the JHA. Taking a short cut or not using the correct personal protective equipment can result in injury.

A completed JHA is also a useful tool for ongoing and new-hire training. This document addresses all four key elements of a successful safety program: management

20

commitment, employee involvement, hazard analyses, and safety training.

Quality specimen trees Evergreen Flowering Shade

Baxter

WholESalE NurSEry

888-777-8199 Emmett, Idaho | baxternursery.com

LooseLeaf September/October 2012

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Managing Chargebacks Knowledge Can Save You Money The reversal of a sale or credit transaction initiated by the issuing bank is called a chargeback.

This can be due to a technicality or based upon action taken on behalf of the cardholder.

Chargebacks are violations of the rules and regulations established by a payment card brand.

They are something every merchant needs to avoid, as they can result in lost revenue, and even cost the merchant additional funds in fees.

Chargeback Prevention To avoid chargebacks, it is best to train all employees in the proper procedures to be followed at the point of sale, and to insist that such procedures are followed consistently. Listed below are proper procedures to avoid chargebacks that should be implemented in your transaction process: • Never under any circumstances alter a sales draft.

card. If the signature panel is not signed, ask them to sign it in front of you. If the cardholder refuses, then you need to refuse the card and you should ask for another form of payment.

• If you receive a retrieval request, be sure to respond promptly and with valid, legible documentation. Wait for two business days to allow initial processing of your response, then call the automated voice system to verify that your response was received, and obtain a confirmation number.

By Scott Shick Heartland Payment Systems

Scott Shick is a Senior Relationship Manager of Credit Card, Check, Payroll, Gift & Loyalty programs at Heartland Payment Systems, which provides CNGA members with discount credit card processing and payroll services.

Heartland Payment Systems offers a complete suite of payment solutions and processes for all major credit cards. Heartland Payroll Services has the experts when it comes to handling payroll processing, new hire reporting, and calculation of payroll checks. For more information, contact Scott at 303.883.1468 or scott.shick@e-hps.com, and visit www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com.

• Without exception, always obtain an authorization for the exact amount of the transaction processed to the card.

• If a card is declined for the full amount of the sale, never try to get an authorization by “splitting” or reducing the amount of the transaction.

• If the full amount of the sale is declined, then the card is simply declined. Request another form of payment.

Hardy, Colorado-Grown

LEADERS IN

NURSERY STOCK

• When the card will not read after being swiped, and you have to key in a transaction, always manually imprint the card and ensure the signature and all transaction information is written directly upon the imprinted draft. Be certain that the manual draft is imprinted with the merchant name and location.

• When a customer is due a credit and the original sale was made on a credit card, always process the credit back to the original card number. Never refund by check or cash. If credit is due on multiple sales, always process each credit individually.

• Always have your return policy pre-printed on the credit card sales draft and signed by the cardholder at the time of sale. Visa and MasterCard require that the refund policy must be close to the cardholder’s signature to be recognized.

• Be sure to compare the cardholder’s signature to the signature on the back of the presented www.colorado nga.org

2224 North Shields Street Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 970-484-1289 | fax 970-484-1386

ftcollinswholesalenursery.com availability password: hotwings

800-794-1289 Our quality is your success

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MEMBER PROFILE

Service, Quality & Selection at Sand Creek Wholesale Nursery How was the business founded?

Ronda and Brad Fox were looking for some land as an investment and for another business to complement their existing landscape design/ construction business, All Seasons Landscaping, Inc. They purchased the land associated with Tower Nursery, a mainstay in the nursery industry in Colorado since 1942, and started the business in February 2008.

Sand Creek Wholesale Nursery, Inc. 17050 E. Smith Road Aurora, Colo. 80011 Tel: 720.343.1800 Fax: 303.840.1366 brad@sandcreek wholesale.com www.sandcreek wholesale.com

The original idea was to have a re-wholesale only nursery but Ronda and Brad discovered the location already has such a strong retail following that they continued to serve those customers. The nursery could have been an opportunity to start the process of down sizing and eliminating the landscape business, but the economic turmoil of the last four years made the owners recognize the importance of the existing landscape company while establishing the nursery business.

Who are the owners?

Ronda grew up on a working ranch in northeast Wyoming, and earned a degree in accounting from the University of Wyoming.

With experience at a “Big 8” accounting firm, she is responsible for all human resources and

accounting for both businesses. Brad Fox grew up in rural Illinois, and earned a degree in landscape construction management from CSU. Working in the landscape and nursery industry in Illinois and Colorado since 1978, he has handled the design, sales and management of All Seasons Landscaping since 1989 and Sand Creek Wholesale Nursery since 2008.

Tell us about your property, staff and products.

The nursery is located on 7.5 acres in northeast Aurora, conveniently located near I-225 and I-70. The staff enjoys working with each other, the landscape and retail public, and all have a love for and strong knowledge of plant material.

Their goal is to have a good selection of quality plant material, including perennials and woody shrubs grown on site, and landscape supplies. If Sand Creek does not have it they’ll get it for you. While a good percentage of landscape contractors prefer to come in and pick up plant material, delivery services are also available.

Their service goal is to have orders pulled and ready for customer pick up. Phone it, fax it, click it – they will have the order ready when you arrive.

Brad Fox, co-owner of Sand Creek Wholesale Nursery

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LooseLeaf September/October 2012

Why did Sand Creek become a CNGA member?

To provide support to the industry. To be among peers. The best part has been the opportunity to gradually get to know other members.

Plant Losses (and reasons), Sales, Inventory Levels, Sales by item, Profit and Losses.

What is most interesting in new plant varieties?

A lot of the newer perennial and woody shrub varieties. They are a lot of work to keep up with but offer a lot of marketing opportunities.

The concern with any new plant variety is the long term availability.

What time of year do you begin to reevaluate your buying and budgeting to plan for adjustments What are buyer trends related to in the next year? containers?

“Buying and budgeting are continual processes that are happening at all times. If we isolated those activities to one time of year, we would miss opportunities that may present themselves throughout the year,” Brad said. “You have to stay on top of these practices on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis to be effective and efficient. Trends and products are ever changing and you have to stay focused on a continual basis to effectively and efficiently manage these trends.”

What are the most important types of data for analyzing business operation?

In no particular order since they are all important: Cash Flow, Accounts Receivable,

We recognized the need to supplement our inventory levels with container trees and continually look for vendors to supply this product line. Our space for storing trees is a limiting factor. Because cash flow is important, container trees provide an avenue to minimize spring cash outlays while still providing inventory at certain times of the year.

We are seeing the need for container trees from 1.5-inch caliper to 2.5-inch caliper. We must make sure the quality/survivability of these trees are the same as B&B trees for our customers.

Our suppliers are also recognizing this changing environment and starting to supplement their availabilities with container trees.

If Sand Creek does not have it they’ll get it for you.

RichaRds, seeley & schaefeR, inc.

Insurance by Greenhouse Specialists WestminsteR, coloRado

303-429-3561 castle Rock

303-814-2679

www.rss-insurance.com eschaefer@rss-insurance.com

Workers’ Compensation Dividend Plan Member Discounts Safety Plans Competitive Pricing

Greenhouse Packages Garden Center Packages Boiler/Crop Insurance Commercial Automobile Home & Auto

EndorsEd by thE Colorado nursEry & GrEEnhousE assoCiation

“Professional Insurance Service with a Personal Touch” www.colorado nga.org

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Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association 959 S. Kipling Pky, #200 Lakewood, CO 80226

Front Range Tree List is being Used

How the

By Scott Grimes Forestry/Horticulture Supervisor, South Suburban Parks & Recreation District

The Front Range Tree Recommendation List, copyrighted by the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association, created questions, dialogue and suggestions from industry professionals. Shortly after publication in late 2010, a panel discussion at the ProGreen Expo in February 2011 was the first opportunity for many professionals to see and hear how and why the list was created.

Shortly after ProGreen, we “took the show on the road” to share the list and gather more input. A presentation at the Greeley Tree Care Workshop introduced a variety of arborists, landscape care professionals and landscape designers to our categories: A- Generally Recommended, B- Conditionally Recommended, C- Potential/Unproven, and D- Not Recommended.

Many questions arose concerning why certain species were placed in particular categories. This allowed us to talk about the five critical and eight cautionary factors used to assign one of the four ratings to more than 250 species of trees sold and growing along Colorado’s Front Range.

In July 2011, we were invited to present the Recommendation List at the Tough Trees Workshop in Cheyenne, Wyo. where professionals from Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas met to discuss what trees can make it in the often harsh climates of the high plains. Dialogue ensued about developing a similar list for these unique geographic areas. Eureka! That was one of the goals of our initial collaborators – to see geographic lists of recommended trees for diverse regions using similar factors to rate the trees.

We wrapped up the 2011 tour by presenting the list to the annual Photo Credit: Scott Grimes conference attendees of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) in September. Arborists from Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and South Dakota applauded the efforts of the development team and were thrilled to receive a printed version in their conference packets. Countless questions were asked and suggestions for rating some species differently were voiced during breaks and at lunch.

The Front Range Tree Recommendation List is one of the most comprehensive and defensible species guides for our area ever produced. The 12 team members, who invested many afternoons and homework assignments to create and present the list, regularly receive phone calls, e-mails and in-person questions regarding tree selections and related ratings as well as regional differences.

The list is intended as a jumping off point and template for professionals to prepare similar lists for their geographic areas.

The list developers have offered to assist with efforts to develop regionally appropriate recommendations. If you’re outside the Front Range and want to discuss the process of developing the list and the selection of ratings or want someone to help guide your species recommendations, please contact Scott Grimes who can help coordinate assistance at scottg@sspr.org.

Coming Up Next!

The theme of the November/December 2012 LooseLeaf will be Advance – Know How to Prepare for the Future.

Read about: • Slow Season Solutions- how to increase sales and manage resources during the winter months • What’s new for 2013- tax laws, HR rules, budget considerations, and other changes that will affect your business • Getting ready for 2013 catalog creation- ideas for timing, digital options, content changes, and streamlining the process Also be looking out for the January-February 2013 LooseLeaf with an exclusive sneak peek at ProGreen 2013. And remember: you can always find back issues at http://issuu.com/looseleaf.

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LooseLeaf September/October 2012