The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
GARDEN CENTERS HOPE FOR BEST
As planting season begins, social distancing could impact sales
In a typical year, the arrival of April and spring weather would signal the start of the busy season at garden centers across Northeast Ohio.
But this is no typical year, courtesy of the novel coronavirus pandemic and measures either mandated or recommended to curb the spread of the virus.
While garden centers in Ohio have been cleared to remain open by Gov. Mike DeWine, many are operating on altered schedules and with reduced staffing.
Limited public access to greenhouses and outside sales areas is another fact of life as garden centers adhere to guidelines for social distancing and occupancy.
Will the COVID-19 crisis change the buying habits of the gardening public this spring, or will they turn out, as usual, to purchase annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs?
That question looms large over the bottom lines of area garden centers in April.
“Our retail will be OK. Our wholesale will not,” said Sue Woodworth, coowner of Middle Ridge Gardens in Madison Township.
Woodworth stood in the middle of the businesses’ expansive main greenhouse and sales area.
Overhead were thousands of hanging baskets planted in January and ready to burst with blooms in weeks to come. Thousands of flats of flowers, vegetables and herbs were on tables stretching the length of the room.
The scene was the same at Wyatt’s Greenhouse and Garden Center in Mentor
The wholesale component referred to by Woodworth are the hanging baskets, planters and flats customarily purchased by municipal entities, businesses and non-profit entities for use in their fundraisers.
All of the planting was
done months before the mid-March, when COVID-19 concerns resulted in stay-at-home orders and measures restricting the size of public gatherings.
“We have a great crop. It’s early April in Northeast Ohio and the weather has been nice. The neighbors are out mowing their grass. If this wasn’t happening, we’d be in great shape,” Woodworth said.
The complicating factor here is that for garden centers in Northeast Ohio, the financial clock is ticking. Peak selling season for their perishable product ramps up now, builds toward a crescendo on Mother’s Day (this year, May 10) and stays strong until Father’s Day (this year, June 21).
After that, sales slow considerably.
Bill Wyatt, owner of Wyatt’s Greenhouse and Garden Center, is acutely aware of that timetable.
“Sure, I’m scared. But if we can get society up and running again by Mother’s Day, things should be all right,” Wyatt said.
Curbside pick-up is encouraged at Wyatt’s, and access to the greenhouse is limited to 10 customers. The posted “Coronavirus Safety Rules” include: Don’t touch the dog or cats; Don’t touch anything you are not buying; Please wear a mask and gloves, per CDC recommendation.
Woodworth said she has been riding an emotional roller coaster, alternately worrying about the threats posed by COVID-19 to society as a whole and to the financial health of the business she and her husband, Tom Woodworth, have built over three decades.
“I was in tears when Governor DeWine said garden centers in Ohio could stay open,” Woodworth said.
“Every time I get overwhelmed, I think about how we have to keep people safe,” she added. “We are all in this together. We are not alone. So many small businesses are in the same boat now. I truly hope we all come out of this and the scars don’t run too deep.”