THE NEW GREEN DEAL
Many of those who are stuck in isolation amid pandemic now are turning to gardening as a hobby — leading to an uptick in business for nurseries
VIRGINIA BEACH — Coronavirus is keeping people stuck at home and stressed out.
But for some local garden centers, all of that pent up tension is turning into increased sales. Many customers are embracing gardening for the first time, nursery and hardware store workers said.
“It’s something you can do at home,” said Ariana Tejada, general manager of London Bridge Greenhouses & Nursery in Virginia Beach. “And it’s relaxing.”
Some people start small, with just a few tomato plants or flowers.
“They’re trying to cultivate a new hobby,” said Joshua Wisniewski, a manager with Anderson’s greenhouses in Virginia Beach and Newport News.
Governor Ralph Northam’s temporary stay at home order remains in effect, but businesses that sell lawn and garden equipment are considered essential and can be open with safety measures in place.
Lewis Sneed, 85, hunted Tuesday afternoon for tomato and cucumber plants at London Bridge. He wore a mask and gloves while he thumbed through the tables outside. Sneed retired last year and has more time to plant vegetables and to enjoy the gratifying feeling that comes with seeing them grow.
“I love getting up in the morning, getting a
cup of coffee and standing around gazing at them,” he said.
Spring is usually a busy time at garden shops, since now is when vegetable growers usually get plants in the ground for a summer bounty. So to stay on the right side of the governor’s order, area nurseries have adopted a variety of new rules.
Customers can spread out at London Bridge by standing on opposite sides of the long, wide tables where the flats of plants are on display. A limit of 10 people are allowed inside the shop. Tape on the floor marks where patrons should wait in the check-out line at a distance from one another.
This is the first time London Bridge has offered curbside pickup. Three additional employees have been hired this spring to help fulfill orders.
The staff was taking requests by phone, but it became too much to handle and they switched to email only. Customers specify quantities and varieties by email and pay over the phone. Employees load plants into cars.
Sales of annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs have increased 30% as compared to this time last spring, Tejada said.
“It’s a little hectic, but so far it’s going well,” she said. “We can’t keep our tables in stock sometimes.”
At East Coast Home & Garden in Chesapeake, nursery sales have been “off the charts,” said employee Elaine Snow. And at Ken Matthews Garden Center in Yorktown, customers have been buying shrubs and trees to install themselves, said owner Heather Klose.
“People who haven’t looked at their garden in years are now forced to,” she said.
Sales are up at Anderson’s, too, with new shopping options that cater to the area’s older residents — which Wisniewski said represents the bulk of its clientele.
“We’re trying to create different ways to serve our customers,” he said.
Anderson’s offers an online store for curbside pick-up and will deliver purchases totaling $100 or more within a 10-mile radius of its two garden centers.
But for some people, a quick trip to the nursery to fill a flat with colorful blooms is hard to resist.
Lin Henkin, 60, and her colleague, Chelsea Yeager, 31, stopped by London Bridge this week to buy flowers for Yeager’s first garden. They’re both kindergarten teachers at Bayside Elementary School.
“We have a little more time on our hands now,” said Henkin, who likes to grow climbing vines in pots. “There’s nothing like being in a garden to feel regenerated.”