Losing our nurseries

fawnridge

fawnridge

Well-Known Member
1,430
04/07/09
49
68
Western Boca Raton
Since 2000, 80% of the nurseries in Palm Beach County have closed. This is the bleached skeletal remains of Morningstar in Delray Beach, one of the best. If you ever bought plants at Home Depot, Lowes, or even K-Mart, chances are they were grown here.
 

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fawnridge said:
Since 2000, 80% of the nurseries in Palm Beach County have closed. This is the bleached skeletal remains of Morningstar in Delray Beach, one of the best. If you ever bought plants at Home Depot, Lowes, or even K-Mart, chances are they were grown here.
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Ricky,

I don't know the numbers, or have heard anything like this, but I do know many nurseries have closed up your way and down in the Homestead areas. And it is very disturbing. The talk is, the ones that can hold out until things improve, will be the ones that reap the benefits as an upswing in business starts. I just hope were one of them. I did just hear the other day that there's starting to be a shortage of some plant material around. And....just today I got a call from a landscaper in Loxahatchee ( a good drive away ) looking for Clussia. And almost all nurseries have down sized with their productions.

It is sad. Let's face it, people don't have to have plants to get by on. I can honestly say that business is heading in the right direction from 1-2 years ago. More people are coming in and the phone is ringing more. I just hope it continues to get better.
 
Crotonologist said:
Gotta wonder if it has anything to do with those bigboxstores paying only for the plants they sell...
as opposed to the plants they throw away.
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Up until now, HD paid their plant vendors ( at least some ), based on what was delivered. But I was just told that their going to a new system called Pay per Scan, which means vendors will only get paid when plants are bought. Which also means the nurseries will eat the lost when plants die. Which is totally unfair to me.
 
Most big box stores have no clue how to run a garden department and the plant material promptly starts to go downhill as soon as it gets there. To count on them selling your material on a consignment basis sounds like a losing proposition to me. I noticed that at the recent TPIE it did not seem to be as vibrant or as many new introductions in years past. Honestly, I think nurseries should put a lot of effort into food plants, fruit and vegetable starters or even U-Pick-em operations.
 
Yes, this is troubling to say the least. I think there are many businesses that are either directly (construction) or indirectly (nurseries) dependant upon the housing industry. Many businesses have closed due to this ripple effect. I am just sad to see Morningstar, or any nursery a green house of emptiness.

I have purchased a few plants from Morningstar and visited the nursery myself. It was, at the time, very organized with healthy material. So sad.
 
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