Open Register

Planter here, pal

Business travels have transported me around the globe this year — or, at least, to Reno, Nev., Columbus, Ohio, and Atlantic City, N.J. — where I’ve pounded the woefully under-carpeted pavement in search of gardening items both new and resourceful.

Dang, I should have just looked in my mailbox.

It was there that I found this note: Bellan International Ltd. offers Biopots, a line of biodegradable containers made of bamboo, rice husks and straw. These unique planters are lightweight and waterproof. They allow a plants' roots to breathe easily to ensure optimum growth, and they’re effective with either indoor or outdoor plants. And, there’s a proverbial “and more:” You can choose from a variety of designs, colors, yada, yada, yada — the company will even create custom sizes to fit your needs.

Given the national push for environmentally friendly products, and given the preferential treatment said consumers give to companies that help them push, it could be in your best interest to sell the Biopot.

Of course, I thought it was in my best interest to play the slots in Reno and Atlantic City.

-- Yale

Novalis launches annuals program

Novalis, the grower network behind the Plants that Work brand, will launch a nationwide annuals program for spring 2008. More than 150 varieties will be part of the new Plants that Work by Color program.

The quart-sized plants will be grown in Plants that Work branded pots and sold in 6-packs. Signage and point-of-purchase materials will be available to retailers.

-- Sarah

GCA members get exclusive introductions

Garden Centers of America members will have exclusive access to two plant introductions for 2008.

Monrovia will offer Cordyline australis ‘Torbay Dazzler,’ a plant featured at the 2007 Chelsea Flower Show in Great Britain. Conard-Pyle will offer a new rose, Carefree Celebration, bred by Bill Radler, who also bred Knock Out and Double Knock Out roses.

Deadline for orders is Oct. 1. Contact Shanan Molnar at GCA for details, smolnar@asginfo.net.

-- Sarah

Grower shows plants have personal impact (Even tattoo artists dig them!)

Garden Bloomers Takao Nursery in Fresno, Calif., recently released its 2007-2008 catalog. But this publication is unlike any nursery catalog you’ve seen before. This year the company’s creative director, Lisa Takao, took to the streets to chronicle real-life reactions to the company’s plants. Today, Lisa tells us more about the creative process behind the catalog.

Q. What was the inspiration behind the campaign? What prompted you to approach people on the street and give them plants?

A. This year I knew I wanted to focus the design around our new tagline, “Cultivating Life,” but the final product was just one of several initial ideas. From my own personal experiences and from my research I knew that plants had a positive effect on people. I thought if we could capture that it would be a great way to show what “Cultivating Life” meant. What better way is there to show the positive effects of plants than to approach unsuspecting people and surprise them?

Q. Do you have a favorite on-the-street encounter?

A. Hmm. That’s a tough one. I’d have to say my favorite would probably be Rico, a tattoo artist. You could really see how truly surprised, pleased and flattered he was after receiving the plant. It seemed as if behind the tough guy exterior he was blushing on the inside.

Kathleen was pretty memorable to me. I approached her as she was waiting at the bus stop. She was very sweet and shy, and receiving the plant seemed like it just made her day.

Charlotte and Jonathan also stood out. They had been married just a year and were about to move into a new apartment. You could really feel how genuinely happy they were to receive the plant. Their warm personalities and great energy made it enjoyable to spend a little bit of time with them.

Q. What would you say the overall message of the catalog is?

A. Connect with those around you and in the process you’ll both grow because of it.

-- Sarah

Crocs confound the fashion savvy

What a bunch of Crocs! The shoes once used solely for gardening and boating are now everywhere. Check out what the media is saying about the clunky clogs.

Fad won’t fade, Boston Globe
Croc epidemic, Slate
Hot Crocs, Canada.com

-- Sarah

Cashing in on the good old days

In my case, the good old days would be the ’80s and I find myself seeking brand new memories of my childhood in the oddest of places. I mean, really, who would have thought one of my favorite CDs, which features all sorts of ’80s hits, could have come from the gift section of my supermarket? Did I mention, there’s an entire store in the mall dedicated to nostalgia? I’ve spent many an hour (and dollar) in Past & Presents.

It’s not just the ’80s that are making a comeback. I have started to notice endcaps, product bins, signage for products that span the ages (as it were) back to at least the ’40s. I ducked into a feed store the other day and found myself eye-to-torch with Rosie the Riveter memorialized on a tin sign, complete with hanging hole. They had an entire well-stocked display that also included Felix the Cat, Betty Boop and Lucille Ball. They also had a pretty cool little side of mini gas pumps from who knows when (I’m much too young for that!) and corresponding panel-side delivery-type trucks and cars a la Dick Tracy. I couldn’t resist buying a few things.

I know I’m not the only one who has this fixation on the good old days. It’s a rampant, well-earning sideline. I love to be surprised by finding treasures such as unexpected nostalgia where I least expect it. Maybe your customers will, too.

-- Jennifer

New minimum wage poster available

A new minimum wage poster that reflects changes effective July 24 is now available on the U.S. Dept. of Labor Web site. Every employer subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage provisions must post this notice in a conspicuous place where employees can easily access it.

The federal minimum wage goes up to $5.85 per hour starting tomorrow. In 2008, the wage increases to $6.55, and in 2009 it goes up to $7.25 per hour.

-- Sarah

Toss out that alarm clock

A few years back, I spent a frustrating summer supervising a college intern. It was frustrating because the kid was an incredible talent, but had not yet grasped the concept that businesses – especially ones like ours that are highly deadline-driven – rely on employees who routinely show up at agreed-upon times each morning.

One day our intern might come flip-flopping into the office by 8:15, the next day not until 9:50 – no phone call, no apology until confronted about his tardiness.

It was one of the happiest days of my professional life when the staff gathered around a cake and wished our intern lots of luck as he returned to college for his senior year.

So I was skeptical when I learned about electronics retailer Best Buy’s super-laid-back attendance policy. The radical endeavor, called ROWE, for “results-only work environment,” seeks to judge performance on output instead of hours. There are no schedules, no mandatory meetings. Work is no longer a place where you go, but something you do. Say you need to leave at 2 in the afternoon because Junior has a soccer match, no problem. It’s deer season so you’ll be working from home in the evenings? Sure thing.

By the end of this year, all 4,000 staffers working at corporate will be on ROWE. And – this is the most baffling part -- the company is taking its clockless culture to its stores.

How in the world could such an unstructured environment possibly work in retail? Certainly not in any garden center I’ve ever seen. On a Saturday morning in May, you absolutely, positively have to know that bodies will be on the sales floor. On the evening of your big holiday open house, the last thing you need to worry about is whether Kelsi will make it in to man the gift-wrap desk, or will she be attending her boyfriend’s winter formal?

Best Buy says it already has seen lower turnover and improved employee morale in its corporate office. Company execs are confidently predicting the same results in its stores.

I’m skeptical, buy maybe Best Buy’s plan is the best bet. Would it work for you?

-- Kevin

Dangerous lead levels found in garden hoses

Some garden hoses have lead levels that exceed EPA standards, ABC News reported. A network affiliate in Phoenix tested 10 hoses bought from local mass merchants and discovered five of them had high lead content.

In 2004, three hose manufacturers were sued by the Center for Environmental Health for having high lead levels in products. The companies have agreed to significantly reduce lead levels in hoses by July 31 of this year.

-- Sarah

Garden centers were top venue for spring shopping

More consumers shopped at garden centers than mass merchants this spring, according to the 2007 Summer Gardening Trends Research Report released by Garden Writers Assoc. Foundation (GWAF).

In early spring, GWAF asked consumers where they planned to buy most of their spring plants. Garden centers were cited by 47% of respondents, while 44% said they’d be buying from big boxes.

In a June survey, consumers were asked where they actually made their spring purchases. Garden centers still came out ahead, with 43%. Mass merchants snagged second place with 39%.

-- Sarah