Dear Reader,
For the past 18 months the WisconsinOrnamentals.com newsletter has arrived in your mailbox via an announcement email asking you to link to the newsletter on www.WisconsinOrnamentals.com.
In the electronic world sometimes efforts to make things better end up making things more difficult. That is what has happened to the WisconsinOrnamentals newsletter. The method I used no longer works as I would like it to. So change is in order.
For the near future the newsletter will land directly in your mailbox and links will be provided to stories I believe would interest you. Newsletters will be posted on the website but links in the newsletter will not necessarily send you to the website.
While the change has been forced upon me, it also has some upsides which include less linking for you.
Please be sure to let me know your comments. Feedback is very important.
Eileen Nelson
608-265-5283 |
| Educational Needs Survey |
|
| Your assistance will be a big help!
Last week many of you received an e-mail inviting you to participate in a Green Industry Educational Needs Survey. The invitation and survey link were sent by Brian Swingle of the Wisconsin Green Industry Federation on behalf of the Department of Horticulture at UW-Madison.
If you didn't receive the email and you are involved in the production,care and/or maintenance of herbaceous ornamentals, we would like you to complete the survey.
The survey is intended to help us develop outreach materials for those of you owning and operating garden centers, production facilities and landscaping operations.
Responses given to the questions will help us determine the topics that you would like to have access to.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey which can be found here. Your feedback will help us do a more complete job of serving your needs.
Thanks. |
| Garden Center Symposium |
|
 January 27-28, 2010
Plan to attend the 46th Annual Garden Center Symposium at the Country Springs Hotel and Conference Center, January 27-28. Program details and registration information can be found at www.gardencentersymposium.com
Speakers will be:
- Steve Bailey of Steve Bailey Consulting (see article in Garden Center.com below)
- Amy Kolden of Monrovia Growers
- Ping Lim of Roses by Ping
- John Kennedy of Kenndy Consulting
- Bill Calkins of Ball Horticultural Company
Take a break from winter, educate the mind, visit with colleagues, and use the information from speakers and vendors to help plan your 2010. |
| Other Upcoming Events |
|
|
McCormick Place West, Chicago, Illinois
Minneapolis Convention Center
|
| Greenhouse Grower Articles of Interest |
|
|
Greenhouse Grower presents an article that talks about the active ingredients in today's plant growth regulators and what effects they can have on your plants.
This Production Guide provides the latest production strategies to help you increase quality and consistency on selected annual crops.
- Calibrachoas
- Fuchsias
- Gerberas
- Ipomoeas
- Mandevillas
- Petunias
- Scaevolas
- Torenias
- Verbenas
- Vincas
|
| Today's Garden Center Articles of Interest |
|
|
This article provides eight critical steps to gain an introspective look into your store and help determine what to do as 2010 approaches. Points covered are:
- Meet with your key employees
- Meet with key customers
- Meet with key suppliers
- Get on top of the accounting
- Get hands-on experience with the business
- Create an issues list
- Refine your business plan
- Create an advisory board
Steve Bailey of Steve Bailey Consulting lists five lies that retailers tell themselves to justify their numbers. Have you used any of these excuses?
- I'm a retailer/grower so I can afford to sell my own product for less
- This is a family-owned business so it's better we employ family rather than outsiders
- We don't have too much inventory Sales were down and as a result we just didn't sell it all
- I own the place. I don't need a salary or rent.
- If only we could increase our sales, profits will follow.
Today's Garden Center provides the results of their 2009 retailer survey. Articles included:
- Legislative Issues for Retailers
- The Economy - In Their Own Words
- Customer Traffic Jam
- No Easy Answers
|
