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Via The Blogging Nurseryman - The Art of Running a Small Garden Center or Nursery)
Posted by admin to Controversy, independent, nursery on 2008-02-27, 17:52:34
It looks like the drought in Georgia has taken a big toll on garden centers. Pike Nurseries, a $68 million a year chain, and one of the country’s largest independent nursery is going on the auction block. They employ over 700 people between 15 stores and 5 garden centers. According to an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Pike owes $5.6 million to at least 20 lawn and garden businesses across the Southeast, West and Midwest…” According to the paper, “Neal Aronson, of Roark Capital, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a Feb. 1, 2008 story, that Pike “isn’t overleveraged; it doesn’t have a lot of debt. It’s just unfortunate that the drought was out of everybody’s control.”
As I went through the comments at the papers story I found it interesting that some of the commenter’s said it wasn’t the drought, but a combination of things that caused the downfall. Some commenter’s blamed management, others the government restrictions on planting, still others blame Pikes “high prices”. Some took delight saying how they would shop at Home Depot or Lowe’s and not miss a step. One said, “The blame falls on the private equity firm that bought the company from the Pike family a few years ago.” Another said, “They were just not good at being nurserymen. Better yet they didn’t forgot how to play in the dirt. They just didn’t like the dirt.”
Having been through a total ban on planting during a drought here in the 80’s I can say its hard to stay in business under those circumstances. Combine that with what appears to be some management issues and the result is here for all to see. The comment from “employee 16” sums up the whole affair, “6:30 am get to work, turn on over head sprinklers. put money in the registers. open all gates. customers start entering parking lot. the rush of a spring saturday morning kicks in your a pike nursery store manager and the best gardeners in the state of georgia come in to buy the best plants available. I never did it for the money I did it because I believed in who I worked for and what I was selling. There will never be another Pike Family Nurseries. Thank all of the people who gave me a job and truly know what a real nursery can offer. May the horticultural gods bless us all.”
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Via Girl Gone Gardening)
Posted by admin to Sasha, crappy stuff, photos on 2008-02-27, 16:45:00
Sasha is back from the vet....doesn't she look so sad?
Here are two of the incisions. one is on her side, the other at the base of her tail. There is a third small one on her chest but I didn't want to disturb her.
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Via grow this)
Posted by admin to Cabbage, kale, lemon, lime, orange, rainbow, rosemary on 2008-02-27, 16:08:00
“Surprise me!”
Jean Cocteau (1889 – 1963)
Today I went to the nearby public Garden where I volunteer. I was looking for a rainbow. Here’s what I found:
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Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)
Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-02-27, 14:47:33
A large number of people like to use herbs for their cooking needs all year long. Winter, however, seems to put a damper on growing conditions outside, so gardeners are forced to bring their herbs inside for either growing or cultivation. Still, growing herbs indoors require a special bit of care, and a lot of attention to their light requirements.
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Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)
Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-02-27, 14:44:18
What factors are important when choosing a riding lawn mower? Is the Husqvarna Rider R155 AWD the best lawn mower for you and your lawn? We've looked at this new lawn mower closely to see if the expensive price tag is justified and what type of lawn it would be best suited for.
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Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)
Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-02-27, 13:15:57
Walking around the garden with my camera yesterday evening, I came across a loveliness of ladybugs (apparently that's the collective noun for a group of them!) residing on my eggplants. Each leaf seemed to bear its own ladybug creature - and every one of them seemed to have had more than enough to eat.
Hardly surprising, there was not an aphid in sight. It was like watching a bikie party occur in your neighborhood - apart from the bikies everyone else just stays indoors.
So, what are these little creatures? Do they have a purpose and are they a good thing for my garden?
Here are some facts on ladybugs that might be useful;
- Scientific Name: Coccinellidae: They are beetle not a bug or a bird
- Common Names: Ladybugs, Lady Beetles, Ladybirds
- How many species: There are more than 450 in the US alone and more than 300 in Australia.
- Ladybugs Life Cycle: View it here
- What do ladybugs eat? They're not picky but they do enjoy a good meal of aphids, mites and other small insects.
- How many aphids does each one eat? While in the pupae stage, each ladybug will consume more than 350 aphids each. Then once they become an adult the number can increase to more than 5000 in its lifetime.
- Where do they go in winter?: They hibernate just like many cold-blooded animals. You will possibly find them in attics, crevices in the wall or anywhere that's dry, warm and out of the elements. Here's a post I wrote earlier on this very fact.
- Too many aphids: You can buy ladybugs if they haven't turned up in your neighbourhood yet.
- How to get rid of ladybugs: I'm not sure that you would want to do this but if for some bizarre reason you had an infestation of them and they became problematic you could use a pesticide on them. They are far more acute to chemical sprays than the pests they devour so don't go spraying them around if you want to keep them in your garden.
- Are there 'male' ladybugs? Of course. Ladybugs are sexual insects and mate similarly to many animals.
- Are the orange ladybugs the male? No. Male and female of each species look very similar apart from some minor differences and can rarely be split apart. Ladybugs come in all shapes, colours and sizes. Some are black, some are black with red dots, others are red with black dots, orange with black dots, striped, mottled you name it they seem to come with that design.
- Red Ladybugs are lucky? Why do we attribute 'luck' to an animal or insect? You're lucky if they turn up in your garden but it doesn't matter what colour they are so long as they have an appetite.
Ladybugs are fascinating creatures and my kids were so enthusiastic finding them all over our plants last night. It seems they've done their job so it will be interesting to see if they will stick around or head off someone else. Who knows, they might even hibernate in our roof cavity?
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Via An Iowa Garden)
Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-02-27, 12:17:00
While Iowa has never allowed that elusive goal of year-around gardening, it is a rare year that doesn't see me at least puttering around out in our woodland garden in all seasons and months. This year is an exception; I don't believe I've set foot out there for a month (of course half of that time I was slurping down margaritas in a cantina on the beach in Zihuatanejo). At any rate, I presently could not even enter the garden if I wanted to, as the gates are all sealed shut by ice and snow. This has led to an odd feeling of estrangement from what I vaguely recall as a pretty nice flower garden; I can't even at present work up any enthusiasm over looking through the piles of flower catalogues that arrived while we were gone.
But, March is on our doorstep; soon foolish robins will be floundering about in the snow, wondering where the worms went; the snow will then eventually melt, the snowdrops will rise from the cold, dark earth like so many little ghosts... and spring will be upon us.
We must therefore have faith... though an extra week in Mexico would have helped, too.
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Via An Iowa Garden)
Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-02-27, 12:17:00
While Iowa has never allowed that elusive goal of year-around gardening, it is a rare year that doesn't see me at least puttering around out in our woodland garden in all seasons and months. This year is an exception; I don't believe I've set foot out there for a month (of course half of that time I was slurping down margaritas in a cantina on the beach in Zihuatanejo). At any rate, I presently could not even enter the garden if I wanted to, as the gates are all sealed shut by ice and snow. This has led to an odd feeling of estrangement from what I vaguely recall as a pretty nice flower garden; I can't even at present work up any enthusiasm over looking through the piles of flower catalogues that arrived while we were gone.
But, March is on our doorstep; soon foolish robins will be floundering about in the snow, wondering where the worms went; the snow will then eventually melt, the snowdrops will rise from the cold, dark earth like so many little ghosts... and spring will be upon us.
We must therefore have faith... though an extra week in Mexico would have helped, too.
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Via Dig in with Kym - The Oregonian - OregonLive.com)
Posted by admin to How-to on 2008-02-27, 12:11:17
I have to admit right up front that I only have three roses to prune. Two ('Lyda Rose' and Rosa glauca) take very little pruning, basically just shaping and thinning. One, Rosa sericea pteracantha, I cut to the ground every...
