 Chuck Bowen |
I write this from Gilroy, Calif., wrapping up an eight-day run up the coast at the 2010 California Spring Trials. The trials are a chance for plant breeders, brokers and propagators to showcase the latest varieties they’re offering. Primarily, they’re courting growers, who’ll spend the next year producing the plants you’ll buy from distributors, garden centers or big box stores in 2011. I’ve seen more impatiens, calibrachoa, geraniums and pansies in the past week than I can keep straight, but I’ve learned a lot about annuals – thrillers, spillers and fillers – and the supply chain that brings those plants to your crews out in the field. I’ve also spent a fair amount of time explaining to the folks out in California why a landscape contractor would be interested in this stuff. That brings me back to the headline: Why do spring trials matter to contractors? Contrary to popular opinion, you guys don’t all push lawn mowers and don’t spend (all) your time thinking about turf and irrigation systems. Many contractors do that stuff, and they’re good at it. But they also push plants, and spend time thinking about them. When they sit down with a property manager, homeowner or association board president, they can tell them why a rose-colored cyclamen will pop in front of their building and why a new kind of coleus will hold up best on a sunny hillside. But, as I’ve told the breeders and propagators out here, contractors probably aren’t interested in the latest and greatest varieties that have come out of the greenhouse. They spend a lot of money on plants, and want material that has been tested and proven to work well during hot Texas summers, wet Pennsylvania springs or cool Minnesota autumns. And it’s these breeders and propagators who are tweaking genetics so that the plants you buy can withstand hotter temperatures, drier conditions or harsher treatment by consumers. So, again, why does it matter? As the people who are specifying plants for installations and projects, you need to know what’s coming down the pike. And by knowing what’s being developed and shown out here, you can be better informed about what’s available when you talk with your suppliers and act as a more-knowledgeable resource for your own customers. Because, in the end, the more information you have at your disposal, the better decisions you can make and the better you can run your business. And that’s what matters. |
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