12 minute read
GROWING FORWARD Leslie Hunter Cario
Expanding the Reach to Customers through Online Plant Sales
In the current day of being able to purchase just about anything over the internet, have you wondered how this translates to the nursery industry? We’ll look at a selection of wholesale nurseries offering online sales, to both wholesale and retail customers, as well as some retail operations that are offering online sales to retail customers. These operations offer insight as to whether the adoption of online sales resulted from the pandemic, and how sales have trended over the past few years. They’ll also help us to understand how the online offerings fill a niche for consumers and how the online sales fit within a company’s business model. These nurseries offer a unique perspective about how the inclusion/adoption of online sales has been beneficial and which aspects are viewed as the drawbacks. The nursery operations interviewed indicate that online sales of plant material can be a viable part of their businesses. Raemelton Farm is a wholesale tree farm providing caliper size B&B trees in Frederick County. The operation is known for its quality plant material, including some organic offerings, as well as leading the way testing out sustainable practices. Owner Steve Black notes that Raemelton Farm’s online plant sales to the trade through Landscape Hub began about four years ago, while its direct retail online sales through Bower and Branch began about three years ago. With getting started just prior to the pandemic, Raemelton Farm saw many more retail inquiries for plant material, however this did not result in greater sales, as only online landscaper sales actually increased. The trees sold through Bower and Branch do fill a niche for retail consumers, providing a way for them to purchase large trees without having to visit a garden center or have a landscaper provide installation. Both types of online sales fit well within Raemelton Farm’s business model, as working with existing operations means that the online front end, website, communications, and payments side of things have already been developed, and they don’t have to dedicate staff to these efforts. These systems allow staff to aggregate the retail orders, dig, and stage the plant material within groups for carrier pickup in order to be efficient. Working with these two entities provided a way to diversify customer type and also have the logistical challenges of providing large trees to retail customers addressed by those who already have a system in place, rather than having to be an expert or hire an expert to create the platform. As Steve mentions, these firms are still relatively new and doing a new thing, so sometimes availability can be a challenge, but they will continue to try to make online sales work. For the majority of growers, Steve notes that it’s likely best not to try to run the online sales on your own, but he says that “he is optimistic that the concept of working with an existing platform will become a robust sales channel for a wholesale grower.” The Perennial Farm, a primarily wholesale perennial nursery located in the Baltimore area, but also offers in-person retail shopping on Saturdays. Products include an extensive collection of landscape-sized flowering perennials, grasses, ferns, groundcovers, vines, and shrubs. Tom Watson, the nursery’s Director of Marketing and E-Commerce, shares that The Perennial Farm Marketplace opened for online sales in 2013. Around five
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years ago, after a careful study of market trends, Tom began building the Amazon.com side of online sales for his family’s nursery, and this went live in 2018. Early on, while online shopping was in its infancy, order volume was low and went mainly to serious gardeners. Once the pandemic hit and people were spending much more time at home, there was a big spike in sales, including more sales to rural areas. As times are returning to a more normal state, The Perennial Farm has continued to see solid sales volume, including customers from rural areas who do not have easy access to garden centers, which is a niche they will continue to fill. These online sales were not a part of the business plan five years ago, but now they definitely have a solid position adding value to the wholesale operations. Benefits to customers include the ability to buy quickly from anywhere, while benefits to the nursery include adding value to the growing infrastructure already in place. This has been a good opportunity to work on re-tooling product information and packaging inserts, in order to help educate people about what they have purchased and how to provide care. Challenges include packaging, which requires a lot of attention, as shipping through common carriers can result in some loss. Logistics related to shipping can also be a challenge, as Amazon does not carefully control the process of limiting shipping to appropriate states. Tom notes that there is quite a bit of work involved with the online sales, which should not be viewed as a replacement for wholesale sales, and interested nurseries will need to research carefully before pursuing. Overall, this has been an exciting trend for The Perennial Farm, which has been leading by early adoption and careful adaptation. American Native Plants, a wholesale native plant nursery in the Baltimore area, offers online retail sales through its affiliate company Direct Native Plants. Plants offered include native trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, ferns, and grasses. Natalie Forte, Manager of Direct Native Plants,
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explains that online horticultural sales was already an area identified for horticultural expansion, and Direct Native Plants made its start prior to the pandemic. Retail customers had been contacting the wholesale operation in search of native plant materials, and the online sales provided an opportunity to reach a larger audience. The first and second years of the pandemic were years of high growth, and while sales still continue to grow, the rate is less rapid than when the online sales were brand new. Direct Native Plants’ niche is to provide native plants to retail consumers, to be shipped from its nurseries in Maryland and Illinois. The online sales fit well within the company’s business model and has provided an opportunity to expand the customer base and have fun working out logistical challenges. Additionally, expansion to a second location has helped with shipping costs, delivery time, and overall reach. A drawback with the online sales is that gardeners are hands-on people, and without the opportunity to handle plants before purchasing, Direct Native Plants has compensated by providing excellent customer service. As Natalie noted, there are extra costs involved with selling online to retail customers vs. the wholesale portion of the business, however the company’s leadership believes in the value of providing native plants through this platform. Www.gardenforwildlife.com was launched to expand the habitat reach of the Garden for Wildlife™ program, a 50-year-old program of the National Wildlife Federation. It is based in Reston, Virginia and provides online sales of native plants to retail customers in thirty-six states currently, distributed by its regional network of growers. Head of Garden for Wildlife™ Mary Phillips and her team ensure that these regionally-appropriate native plant collections are curated to provide new and seasoned gardeners easy access to quality native plant material, DIY garden designs, and to provide the opportunity to make the greatest positive impact on wildlife. Online sales, launched in 2021 after a multi-year planning process, empowers gardeners and maps their direct impact to wildlife. The business has seen 300% YOY growth. The niche filled by Garden for Wildlife™ is providing native plants with the highest value to wildlife that gardeners can easily purchase in collections native to where they live. With growers adhering to strict standards of sustainability and plant health care, customers know that they will receive quality plant material. Revenue generated by these plant sales is used to support the National Wildlife Federation in its mission of “uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world.” The ability to shop by state and zip code makes it easy for customers to directly get plants native to their ecoregion. The challenge has
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Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) growing in the greenhouse at Direct Native Plants. Adkins Arboretum staff organizing plant material for the Spring Plant Sale.
been balancing consumer expectations for immediate shipping that they have become accustomed to in the last few years, as this is not always possible with live plant material. Growers involved in the network find great benefit to being fully supported in the sales, customer service, and shipping coordination aspects, providing them the flexibility to focus on their strength in growing quality native plant material. Herring Run Nursery, a division of the Baltimore area non-profit Blue Water Baltimore, offers retail sales of plants native to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This includes woody plants and various types of herbaceous perennials, both as straight species and cultivars. In addition to homeowners, the nursery serves schools, non-profit organizations, interfaith organizations, and landscapers. Nursery Manager Rob Jenkins explains that the nursery had been operating with in-person sales only, until the pandemic required a shift to online sales for the homeowner customers. It took about 1-1.5 months to establish the online store, so by late spring 2020, the nursery could continue to serve its customers. At first plants were distributed by delivery only, and then through drive-up pickups by the customers. Overall sales have increased since on-line purchasing was offered, however it online sales have tapered off somewhat this year as more people are choosing to shop at Herring Run Nursery in-person with masking and appointment requirements lifted. The nursery fills a niche for consumers by offering both online and in-person native plant shopping options that offer convenience of time and access for those with mobility issues. The nursery’s business model currently
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Online orders staged for pickup at Adkins Arboretum.
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Blueflag Iris (Iris versicolor) growing in the greenhouse at Direct Native Plants.
allows for the online sales platform to be open only when the nursery is not open for in-person shopping and vice-versa, to maintain an accurate inventory. Benefits to including the online ordering system were initially that it allowed plant sales to continue during a time of uncertainty and presently that many customers appreciate the option to have their order reserved for them. One drawback to the system at this location is that plant orders must be transported about 0.25 miles to a curbside pickup area, which can result in extra work if customers are late or do not arrive for their pickup time. Although much work up front, this has proven to be a good system to have in place and is one that Herring Run Nursery will continue to use. Adkins Arboretum, located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in rural Caroline County, is a 400-acre native garden and preserve with a long history of native plant sales for its members and the general public. A large selection of woody and herbaceous plant species that are native to the coastal plain and piedmont regions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including both straight species and cultivars, is curated for the Arboretum’s yearly Spring and Fall Plant Sales. The organization’s Executive Director, Ginna Tiernan, provided the vision for adapting to online plant sales in order to continue serving the organization’s gardener constituents during the pandemic. Previously, plants could be pre-ordered prior to each sales event, with additional opportunity to browse in person. In spring of 2020, the sales model shifted to online sales only, with carefully timed pickup appointments to allow for social distancing. Sales have been greater than years prior to the pandemic, likely due to the corresponding surge in gardening interest seen throughout the industry. Adkins fills a niche for gardeners by providing an extensive selection of native plant material that typically could not be found in one location. Sales of plant material support the Arboretum in its mission to “provide exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.” Now nearing the end of the third full season, the online sales have continued as the primary method of plant sales. It became clear that plant health could best be ensured by keeping the plants protected under shade and watered via irrigation at the nursery, rather than using the open-air area near the visitor center and parking lot that was dedicated to in-person shopping in the past. Customers are pleased with the quality of the plants, and although their in-person experience is limited to pick up, they also can attend programs or visit the Arboretum’s gardens and natural areas for planting inspiration. Staff answer questions about plant selection via e-mail and online educational materials about the plants have been and will continue to be expanded. Adkins understands the value of building a system that fits best with the nursery operation, in order to support staff and meet customers’ needs.
Each of the nursery operations offered as examples have shown that the concept of offering their plant material for sale online has merit. In some cases, online sales were
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Online orders staged for pickup at Adkins Arboretum.
RIGHT:
Adkins Arboretum staff organizing plant material for the Fall Plant Sale.
already in place, while others were setup in response to the pandemic and the need to adapt the sales method. Whether wholesale to wholesale, wholesale to retail, or retail to retail, there are many options to consider. Certainly, some variation of online sales is not the business model for all nursery operations, but with the right combination of innovation, technology, and dedicated staff time, the results can be positive. A
MNLGA board member Leslie Hunter Cario runs Chesapeake Horticultural Services, consulting with nurseries, landscape operations, and non-profit organizations on horticultural and ecological projects. Leslie is a Certified Professional Horticulturist, a licensed Nutrient Management Consultant and a Pest/Disease Consultant through the Maryland Department of Agriculture, and a Level 2 Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS • REGISTRATION OPENS IN JANUARY
Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association and the University of Maryland Extension present Chesapeake Green 2023
AN ANNUAL HORTICULTURE SYMPOSIUM
A PREMIERE TWO DAY INDUSTRY-WIDE EDUCATION AND PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION CONFERENCE
Thursday, February 16 and Friday, February 17 Maritime Institute • Linthicum Heights, MD
This year’s symposium features two world class speakers:
Keynote Harriet L. Russell will present Less Stress, Be at Your Best: From Conflict to Connection to Collaboration. Plenary speaker Charlie Hall, Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the Texas A&M University and also holder of the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture will present his Green Industry Economic Climate and Forecast for 2023.
Visit our webpage, mnlga.org, and select the Chessie Green tab for more details and conference updates.
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NURSERY, LANDSCAPE AND G REENHOUSE A SSOCIATION , I NC .
