RE: succulents

Wow...will you come work at our Home Depot?

Cyndi


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On
Behalf Of Zemuly Sanders
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 9:27 AM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: Re: [CHAT] succulents

I can honestly tell you that, while you are right about Lowe's and
WalMart,
the Home Depot where I work depends on the garden department to carry
the
store.  We get awesome plants, mostly from local growers.  The tropicals
and
succulents do come from Florida and Texas, but the shrubs and trees come

predominately from Tennessee and South Carolina.  My store might be
unique,
but I try very hard to "create the fantasy" that we are special.  I have
no
qualms about referring customers to our locally owned nurseries
(probably
because I know a lot of those owners personally), and  we also do a huge

business with landscape contractors along with less knowledgable
gardeners.
I'm not sure the Home Depot was ready for my non-box store approach, but
I
can prove on paper that it's working.  I really believe it's part of my
responsibility to educate potential gardeners and not to simply sell
suff to
them, and I've encouraged lots of customers to get involved with local
plant
societies and certainly to visit the Mempis Botanic Garden.  No one
mentions
the resident cats any more since we had no rodent or sparrow damage last

winter.  And now children come to our nursery specifically to play with
Alphonse, the big male.  I'm still having a great time.
zem
zone 7
West TN
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Franzman" <dfranzma@pacbell.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 2:29 PM
Subject: [CHAT] succulents


> Hi Noreen
>
> I know exactly what you are saying.  What was once rare is no
> longer really rare in the market place however the folks with money
are
> quite
> often the collectors who are willing to pay a premium for fine plant
> material
> from reputable growers.  For the greater number of consumers who can't

> really
> tell the difference between a succulent and a woody shrub they shop at

> where
> ever they can get the least expensive material in the largest pot.
Since
> the
> big box stores use plants as a lost leader to bring in customers the
> smaller
> growers are really having a hard time.  Rare plants is one way they
are
> trying
> to stay in the business without selling their souls to Lowes and
Walmart.
> David
>
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