Ten Minute Gardening

Every spring, out of curiosity, I will visit a couple of the so called “garden centres” the big box and chain stores put up. Every spring I am appalled by the condition of the plants and the complete lack of knowledge the people generally staffing those centres have about plants and gardening. Yesterday, while wandering in disbelief through one of them, (that anyone would really sell such poor quality plants) I overheard a customer asking about a particular plant. The employee proceeded to expound the virtues of this plant. One would think the employee knew what she was talking about to hear the confidence with which she spoke. As the conversation continued, I glanced over to see what plant was being discussed. Much to my horror, the customer was holding a completely different species of plant than employee was talking about. As I listened, the poor customer was being advised to plant it in full sun, that it was drought tolerant, bloomed all summer and required very little maintenance when the exact opposite is true for that particular plant. Then I thought maybe she was discussing another plant the customer was interested in. No, the customer said “Perfect! This is what I need!” purchased that one plant and left.

Later in the day I ventured into another one of those garden centres. A similar conversation was taking place, but this time the employee at least had the species of plant correct. And that was all she had correct. Once again the customer, believing what she was told, purchased that plant and went on her merry way.

The cynical side of me thinks that if a customer is going to go to one of these temporary garden centres and trust the staff, they deserve what they get. Should not the condition of the plants alone be an indication of the level of the centre’s professionalism? On the other hand, the Horticulturalist side of me feels badly for the customer who is being misinformed and mislead. And it makes me feel ashamed for the entire industry, which is getting a bad reputation because of these temporary garden centres.

Here’s where the real rant begins:
I am tired of seeing these large stores putting up temporary garden centres and staffing them with plant-challenged employees pulled from the clothing department or the hardware department or the dairy department. I am tired of seeing truckloads of plants being brought in, sold at prices at, or less than, wholesale (lost leaders), just to draw in customers. I am tired of seeing plants that are neglected, dried out, withered and full of spent blooms and insects. I am tired of these stores luring the customer to visit their centres because of low priced plants in an effort to entice the customers to purchase fertilizer, mulches or hard goods while there. (It is on these items the stores really make their money. If you have noticed, they are never a deal.) Whatever happened to quality? To good customer service? To integrity? In the majority of these temporary spring garden centres, these basic principles do not exist. Management has no qualms about selling a poor product or giving poor advice if it means they can get you to part with your money. If they truly cared about quality, the plants would be well maintained. If they truly cared about good customer service, they would hire knowledgeable employees to staff their garden centres.

To be fair to the greenhouse and nursery growers that supply plants to these places, the plants are usually in good condition when they are delivered. It is not the growers’ fault that they go down hill so quickly. That responsibility lies directly with the management and staff of the stores who seem to know little or nothing about plants and how to maintain them.

I have probably offended some people with this rant, but I cannot be honest with you or myself by keeping quiet about this problem. And I am sure there are exceptions to the temporary garden centre plague. I just haven’t found one yet.
On a final note, Horticulturalists and Nurserymen do not go into their fields to get rich. They chose their professions because they enjoy growing plants. They spend their lives learning their trades and developing their skills to provide you with quality plants and accurate information, which in turn is reflected in your own gardens. The next time you are in a temporary garden centre, look carefully at the plants. Then go to your local greenhouse and check out their plants. I know you will see the difference in the quality. The grower is the plant expert and it shows. The big box/chain stores are experts in marketing. Period. You get what you pay for.