Re: Re. Who's the Audience

**"* B* <g*@otherside.com>**

Well, Doug and Doreen,
    Whatever segment the action is coming from among gardeners, I certainly
have no objections. I am hoping you have also noticed that almost everything
related to gardening is on the up-swing this late winter going into spring.
    Presentations to garden clubs and organizations? I am booked almost
every weekend from last week of January through mid-June. Largest number of
booking I have ever accepted. Numbers at each presentation are way up... a
Master Gardener symposium in IL had 210 signed up to attend. My nursery...
right now running about 50% more orders than at this time last year.... and
there was nothing wrong with last years final numbers. It keeps up ( and
that is always the trick, isn't it?) this should be the best year to date...
and out 10th anniversary.
    Last year my wife taught hypertuffa classes for the first time. She
limited the classed to 15 and ended up having to form two classes not
scheduled to catch the over flow. That was an experimental one-shot poorly
advertised to see what would happen. Added the classes to the web site and
we are receiving requests for the schedule for this year. We will also be
adding trough to our inventory, expanding plant inventory so we can sell the
plants to go into the roughs as well. Not to forget bags of the special
medium mix to go into the tough. She has also received requests to go out to
other nurseries in the area and teach to help draw customer in to the
centers.
    Tender perennial and large annuals are big... again... never really went
away. Just being re-discovered and hyped. Which is good. We do not sell and
do not intend to sell, but we sure as hey purchase the containers and
plants, do our own arranging. If we were not so cheap we would probably
purchase them already arranged and ready to go home with us. I know of a
nursery who sold containers pre made up 15 years ago. When they looked ratty
you brought them back and go another container filled for the next season.
He did quite well.. was in the right neighborhood for that one.
    Writing? I have two features in the works for the majors. Both over 3 to
4 pages ... that is "meaty" in my book. There is a new publication coming on
the market this summer and I have been contacted for a regular feature if we
can agree on rights and money. My web page gets a darn good response were I
have my monthly (more or less) newsletter Garden Clipppin's. That one
certainly pays indirectly for each article and photo used.
    I don't know about you guys, but I am looking forward to the best
gardening year ever. Not only as s supplier, but out playing in my own
garden as well.
    Gene E. Bush
Munchkin Nursery & Gardens, llc
www.munchkinnursery.com
genebush@munchkinnursery.com
Zone 6/5  Southern Indiana
----- Original Message -----
>   Doug Green wrote:
> > Just for the heck of it, I posed the question - "Do you want *to*
garden?"
> > or "Do you want *a* garden?"  I naively assumed that with all these
folks
> > attending a garden show in March in Canada - they would be committed
> > gardeners - the "to" folks.  I was quite surprised to discover with a
show
> > of hands that less than 25% of the audience (non-scientifically based I
> > admit) were "to" gardeners.  The rest ...
>
> I hate being right.  I was hoping others would rebutt my premise.  Like
> Doug, I've asked audiences at three garden shows I've done in the last
month
> about their intent.  One of my lectures is on container gardening.  The
hall
> is always packed for that one, versus about half a house for the one on
> heirloom vegetables.  I asked the question to container gardening
audiences,
> "Do you buy preplanted container gardens or do you plant your own?"  The
> preplanted crowd is always much bigger than the do-it-yourself people.
> Garden centers obviously have discovered what we gardener writers are slow
> to learn--people want instant gardens and they don't want to do it
> themselves.  Groan.....I'm feeling ancient.
> Doreen Howard


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