Re: Show plants
- Subject: Re: Show plants
- From: D* G*
- Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 18:04:00 -0500
At 01:58 PM 3/13/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>>> >From what I can tell, most of the big name displays keep their material
>>>from year to
>>>year excluding bulbs and annuals.
>>
>>
>>I was at the Philadelphia show last week talking to some of the major
>>exhibitors and designers. For the most part, the larger trees and shrubs
>>are simply shredded. The herbaceous and annual material is mostly thrown
>>away. It is only the odd rarity (not many rare trees there) that is
>>taken back to the nursery and put back into the forcing greenhouse.
>
>Why don't they sell it all off to the visitors at the end of the show as
>they do at the Chelsea Flower Show?
>
>Graham Rice
Graham:
If we are speaking of the larger trees - it's a matter of two factors. The
first is that this material is forced and large. Moving it outside is
almost a sure way to knock it back/ kill it given the climate and the time
of year of the show. The larger trees in full leaf are waaaay ahead of the
outdoor climate and unless you have a spot to house a 30 footer indoors, it
would soon be toast. Remember that this is still early March and freezes
are not uncommon, even in zone 6-7 of Philadelphia. For example, the wind
in Long Island last weekend was a killer on anything forced - I was at the
Hicks Long Island show for the weekend and any forced tree would have been
burned/defoliated within a few hours with that cold, heavy wind. At my new
firm's greenhouses, we start forcing herbaceous material in January for
March shows. Few plants will take that new outdoor abuse without damage.
The damage is the key here for sales. Nurseries find it cheaper to shred a
tree than have to move it (labour is union at these shows) back to their
nursery. The cost of the tree to the consumer also has to be guaranteed. It
is simply easier and cheaper to shred it rather than pay union costs to
move it out of the hall, transport it, guarantee it etc. It is a different
climate and market than the UK.
While plantspeople have a hard time with a decision like this - please keep
in mind that the cost to putting on a mid-sized garden like the Philly
shows is in the $60K US range and most of that is in labour and hardscape
costs. The plants are not that big in the price equation - discarding the
plants is a business decision, not a plants decision. I don't know whether
consumers/gardeners can raid the dumpsters at Philly or not.
And speaking of shows - if any of you are in NYC, you might want to watch
for what Macey's is going to do next week with their store. :-) You heard
it here first - perennial gardening at its best.
Doug
Doug Green
Gardening questions answered at http://www.gardeningonthe.net
Author of the award winning "Gardening Wisdom"
Free gardening newsletter at http://www.gardenbrew.com - tell your friends
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