'^- 



-^ 



that of a simple (but ever so interesting) flower. 



Plants with animal names interest children. There are spi- 

 der flowers and pink turtlehead, false dragonhead and snap- 

 dragons and leopard's bane. ..a lot from which to design your 

 own display. (This may be our next year's addition.) 



I hope you'll visit the Kids' Garden at the Urban Forestry 

 Center It's for the kid in all of us. And I hope the ideas 

 you see there will inspire you to make a place in your busi- 

 ness to encourage and sustain a love of gardening in 

 today's children Garrison Keillor says, "Nothing that you do 

 for kids is ever wasted." I think he's right. 

 Tanya ]ackson, a well-known area herbalist, can be reached at 

 603-431-6774. 



MICHAUD 



Nurseries & Greenhouses, Inc. 



Route 85, PO Box 334, Exeter, NH 03833 

 (603) 772-3698 



Wholesale & Retail 



Annuals, Perennials, Nursery Stock, 

 Landscape Supplies 



/1TUINTIC 



GREENHOUSE SYSTEMS 



Your FULL Service Greenhouse Contractor 

 New Construction <: Repair ■::, Restoration 

 All types of Structures, Glazing & Equiptment 



PHONE/FAX (207) 342-5351 



P-O BOX 96, SEARSMONT, MAINE 04973 



75 CHESTNUT HILL, RTE 190 

 STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT 06076 



W. H. MILIKOWSKI, INC. 



GREENHOUSE SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT 



PLANTS BULBS SEEDS 



ALL YOUR GREENHOUSE NEEDS 



GROW WITH US 



Conn. 203-684-5811 

 Out of State 800-243-7170 



y/^NOTES 



A change is beginning to occur in our industry — 

 from the largest manufacturers in the world (Ciba 

 and Sandoz) to the smallest grower — and it's called con- 

 solidation. The largest in both the greenhouse and nurs- 

 ery business continue to expand. Companies like Weiss 

 of Long Island — the largest greenhouse operation in the 

 United States — now produce plants from New York to 

 Florida, shipping virtually over the entire country. Nurser- 

 ies like Imperial and Monrovia are similar. The big are 

 getting bigger — which makes me wonder what will hap- 

 pen to the rest of us. 



When you look at a profile of our core businesses, 

 from grower to distributor to manufacturer, you'll see 

 that for many years, we were either family-run or a tiny 

 department in a larger enterprise. 



This has changed. The buying habits of the Ameri- 

 can consumer have helped develop the chain store in- 

 dustry with its acres of selling space. The same trend is 

 occurring in the greenhouse/nursery industry, where a 

 much smaller group of growers will soon make up 80% 

 of total production. Distributors must now carry larger in- 

 ventories to keep up with the needs of these growers. 



How the medium-to-small grower will handle this is 

 anybody's guess. 



In the nursery trade, the smallest growers are be- 

 ing squeezed the fastest. The greenhouse grower has a 

 little breathing space. ..so far. We read that niche mar- 

 kets can help growers survive and, to some extent, this 

 is true, but — realistically — how long can niche markets 

 last before they enter the mainstream? 



Growing the plant soon will be the easiest part of 

 our business. Knowing the cost of production and selling 

 at an assigned profit is what's tricky. Is it any wonder 

 that most large businesses are run by accountants? 



|iw Zablocki, Territory Manager, The Scotls Company, Northeast, 

 can be reached at 603-224-5583. 



'^^^<K*J'^ harden Center 



Consultations and Landscaping Designs 

 Greenhouses, Nursery, Craft, and Christmas Shop 



656 South Mammoth Road (Rte. 28A) 



Manchester, NH 03109 



(603) 625-8298 



14 



THE PLANTSMAN 



