What do you wish the general public understood about operating nurseries and garden centres?
Growers and garden centres supply the plants and materials needed for professional landscaping projects. They also engage with the public by introducing exciting new products to the market and promoting a deeper appreciation of gardening and greenery. But the economy, weather, trade relations, labour shortages, misinformation and other challenges in this sector can impact the whole industry. Landscape Trades asked nursery and garden centre professionals to share their insights so others can better understand the complexities of managing, innovating and working in these sectors.
“I wish more people understood that managing garden centres and grower operations is a much broader and more intricate profession than it often appears. While the physical labour, like planting trees and tending to plants, tends to take the spotlight, it’s important to recognize that at the core of these businesses are a range of roles requiring significant expertise. There’s a whole network of administrative, operational and business ownership skills that help drive the company forward. From logistics and marketing to financial management and human resources, these aspects are just as crucial to success as the hands-on gardening work. Many positions in the industry demand years of education, training and experience, yet these roles are often undervalued or overlooked by the public. I wish more people understood that you don’t have to be planting trees to be part of this profession — there’s a whole ecosystem of different professionals working behind the scenes to make it all come together.”
– Kendra C.
“There are a lot of things I wish people understood about growing. If I had to choose one I guess it would be hardiness. Especially out here in Calgary, chinooks can be very difficult to manage. Planting depth is another area that really needs to have more attention paid to it. The majority of trees that I see fail are because they have been planted too deep and end up suffocating. Even after they have been planted too deep, people for some reason like to put three to five inches of bark mulch on top of that. I would strongly encourage people to not use mulch for the first year of transplanting. Proper plant selection is the first step in order to have a successful landscape. So many times you see large spruce or pine trees planted too close to buildings. This is neither good for the tree or the house and they will most likely need to be removed which can be very costly, so choose your planting location wisely.”
– Colin U.
“Most trees, evergreens and broadleaf require a multi-year forecast and can take two to eight years before making it to market. Many things out of our control can happen in that time. A pandemic, new regulations, a new invasive species… the list goes on.”
– Steven M.
“As a grower, I wish people understood the timeline and availability of new products as well as the supply and demand issues we struggle with within our industry. We are dealing with living plants and environmental factors that are out of our control. Some better understanding and communication of this from end users and architects would be very beneficial.”
– Richard W.
