Brr…Some Cold Thoughts on Education in the Garden Center

by Kelly D. Norris

Call it a soapbox if you want, but I’ve recently been very interested in our industry’s educational efforts in the nursery and garden center. My October issue column attempted to tackle the premise of educating the gardening public about the needs of the plants we sell, particularly new and unique offerings. And as promised this column is going to chart the icy waters of the cold hardiness debacle, perhaps our most obvious and transparent education issue, and critique responses to that inevitable question: “Will this be hardy in my garden?” Some may see this as a yes/no question but I’ll throw in a third answer I heard at a nursery recently: maybe.

“Yes.”

…the nurseryman answers with confidence. You’ve grown this plant for years and it’s tough as nails. But where have you grown it, and how? Is it something that’s only going to make it with a winter cover or if planted in a protected area? In Iowa, where the state is transected in several areas by the Zone 4 and 5 boundaries, many gardeners are often in a quandary about what to plant. Some play it safe and cultivate only those whose hardiness is reliably Zone 4. Others live vicariously with notions of faith or risk and plant Zone 5, even Zone 6 hardy plants taking much care to assure their survival. If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it now:  Plants don’t read the same books we do. A simple yes may suffice for some, but an intuitive gardener will always be appreciative of whatever additional education you’re willing to provide.

“No.”

…that’s an annual here. Rubbish! My puerile fascination with plants is ever enlivened when a troupe of ornamental kale persists in their border home for three seasons in a row or when big periwinkle, a “no” plant in my climate, forms a dense mat in a wet area of my garden the second year after planting. I’ll fess up. I’m one of those vicarious gardeners who relishes in pushing the limits, scoffing the boundaries, and daring the experts. I’ve got friends too, so watch for those dare devils next season at the nursery and convey a little of your own education to them like “I’d cover that really well this fall if I were you.”

“Maybe.”

…what the heck, give it a try! A nurseryman answering maybe should look below their feet because they are very likely standing at a steep precipice. To some gardeners, it’s a transparent “I don’t know” response that will earn you admiration for being honest. To others it’s a blinking idiot sign because you don’t know what many consider to be the most basic cultivation fact. But sadly a flood of new plant introductions has left the nursery industry with a lack of knowledge and an abundance of blinking idiot signs. When sales people cannot intelligibly communicate information about the plants they are selling and marketing, it gives the entire business of horticulture a bruising black eye.

So what do we do? We are forced to educate our customers about the needs and proper care of plants. In this craze about selling new plants and marketing the concept of gardening as outdoor living, we’ve missed touting the bare essentials: how to grow a plant. As gardening continues to surge in popularity, we must be vigilant in our education of these newcomers. It’s possible that many only garden for the simple aesthetic pleasures that it yields to their surrounding environment; some have called this minimalist gardening. But in order to enjoy the plants they install, they need to know how to properly care for them. Our efforts at promoting gardening to a new generation of consumers are undermined if we do not mold them into a new generation of gardeners.  Don’t call them yardeners or any other imprudent name simply because you don’t think they’re real gardeners. A buying customer is student whether they are of the fifth grade or collegiate gardening echelon, and both are capable of asking the question “Will this be hardy in my garden?”  GG

Kelly D. Norris is Farm Manager at Rainbow Iris Farm and, when not in the garden, can be found roaming the greenhouses of Horticulture Hall at Iowa State University.  Check out his blog, the E-Garden Almanac, at his website www.kellydnorris.com.