Ready or not here spring comes!

I have to first apologize for not writing any articles earlier. I guess I could blame Covid. I must be getting lazy as I mature. With spring occurring March 20th, it’s time I get the ball rolling.

It seems to me we are ahead of last year when considering weather and warmth. Truth be told, we are behind ever so slightly when compared to last year’s data on OSU growing degree days calendar. Could this be some normalcy in today’s upturned world?

One thing is certain, spring is here. As for normalcy, I think we all will have to continue to adapt to the new “norm”.

Here are some of my observations of what is to come:

Gardening is in! Everybody is doing it, companies can not produce products fast enough. Being involved in this business for more than 40 years now, Never have I ever seen such demand all across the United States. Depending on where you live, spring can start in January through March. In speaking with fellow garden center owners in warmer areas, they are selling loads of products, plants, trees. You name it its moving and selling fast. Many of the distributors which supply us garden centers are sold out of products already. Many are waiting for shipments from manufacturers to fulfill orders placed last September for this Spring. It is pure insanity, you call today to ask if they have an ample supply of “x” or “y”, if you don’t order right then, forget it they will be out by tomorrow.

Products made in China, which we all buy a lot of, are incredibly slow to arrive at ports in California. Then, ships must wait in the bay 3045 days to be unloaded. Once unloaded, a truck must pick up and deliver the containers. Not enough semi-drivers exist to satisfy the demand. What does this mean you ask? It means your waiting and waiting and waiting for the product to arrive. Realizing the laws of supply and demand, trucks are getting a premium amount of money to deliver goods.

Then there is the labor shortage everywhere you go. The work ethic has changed and it just seems not a lot of people care anymore. My wife always says, it’s like they took a class entitled , “How can I not be of service to you today? Ugh, it is truly frustrating. So here is my plea for help, we are hiring, if you like to work with trees and shrubs and plants, enjoy a physical job, like to work outside, like people, stop in, we’d be glad to talk with you. We need drivers, landscapers, tree and shrub department sales, perennial experts, greenhouse workers, cashiers, client service specialists, even a part time mechanic and/or handyman. Garden center experience is not necessary but helpful.

So to recap, factories are really backlogged, demand is high, shipping by boat is costing more money, ports are backlogged to unload boats, not enough trucks exist to ship containers, trucks are charging more money to ship products. It’s causing prices to consumers to go up.

Add in a labor shortage, and it really is kind of scary. So here is my advice, if you see it, buy it.

If you think you can use more than one, I’d buy 2 of whatever you need to make sure you have it. It’s early in our season and I see the handwriting on the wall. I am predicting this will be the year of substitution and there is really not much we can do about it. Get it while you can. It’s not just my industry, it is everywhere.

Cars can not be produced because computer chips are in short supply, furniture is 3 -6 months out before what you want shows up at your door. Pool companies are 3-6 months out from installing a pool at your house. Lumber for decks or projects are skyrocketing. Shingles are going to be in short supply, flooring, you name it. If you want it this year, be prepared to wait and pay more money for it.

Now that I have you feeling saddened, here is the good news. Our staff has been transplanting like crazy, the scent of spring, (Aka Dirt) is in the air, Our nursery is beginning to receive trucks of nursery stock. The days are getting longer. Dare I say the days are getting warmer. My bulbs are popping out of the ground! Pansies and violas are being offered for sale. The store smells like fertilizer, (not a great smell), but thats an indication of spring.

More and more friends are starting to visit us and getting fertilizers to feed their plants. Crabgrass preventers are selling well! Dormant oils and copper sprays are selling for those to spray their fruit trees while they are still dormant to start fresh without insects or diseases. Grass seed is being sown. Seeds are selling for gardens.

Houseplants are going crazy. We honestly have had new clients travel from Michigan, Pennsylvania, all points of Ohio from Athens to Toledo to shop and buy our plants. Houseplants are a great addition to the home and a prequel to Spring.

As for nursery stock, things are pretty slim out there, if you didn’t order early, forget it. Nurseries had a great year which did not end till December last year and they sold tons of plants. Plan on paying a little more this year for unique things and plants maybe a little smaller than usual as quite literally, nurseries can not grow things fast enough. The good news is we will be fully stocked by mid April.

So in closing, get outside, trim your plants on a sunny day, get the yard cleaned up, pull the extra mulch off of the perennials, add compost to your garden, get your early sprays started on plants you had problems with last year. Plant your potatoes, onion sets and plants. Start sowing some seeds for the garden. Throw some fertilizer down around your plants, plant some pansies for color now. Take a deep breath, enjoy the days that are ahead. Be glad we are all still here and pray we can all join forces to combat this coronavirus and hopefully beat this thing! Stay positive and play in the garden!