Hi all, so today I thought it was time to look at the local nursery. From my previous interviews it seems clear that this nursery is important to the residence around the area. They may not necessarily buy plants there, but they definitely buy potting mix and plant food/sprays whenever they require it. Most importantly, this is their first place to go whenever they have an issue or a question regarding their gardens.
The first thing when walking into Greener Life for the first time, I noticed all the "Special" and "Hot Offer" signs and of the immediate appeal they were making on customers. I remember wanting to pick up a few bags of soil and whilst I knew Bunnings would be cheaper, my laziness won out and I went to this closer nursery. The bags were quite a bit more expensive comparatively, but the offers really did help reduce the sting.
Another noticeable aspect to this small nursery is the refreshingly helpful staff and customer service. Even though I could manage with the soil I bought, they insisted on walking with me to my car and assisting me with the bags, all the while chatting to me about such and such tips and advice that they had. It was great to see and experience and it really solidified what the previously blogged about gardeners had told me - even though the prices are higher, the advice and friendly atmosphere that the staff bring make it worth those extra few dollars.
So this time around I went in and reintroduced myself to Gary, the nursery manager. He remembered me from before and asked how my course was going and afterwards I asked if I could interview him and take some photos for my assignment. He happily agreed and went to work around the nursery as I asked him questions.
As I learnt from him, Greener Life was apart of a semi-grouped business apart of Plants Plus. Unlike a typical franchise, this nursery is owned and operated completely separately from Plants Plus, but by being apart of this larger organisation, which boasts ties to over 70 nurseries in Australia, Greener Life is able to benefit from larger/cheaper plant supplies and the extra advertising from the online catalogues that Plants Plus maintain. Greener Life itself has been open for just over 30 years now and in terms of business, not much has changed, as Gary explained. With his knowledge and experience on the table for me, I continued to ask some curious questions about the business and it's customers. The majority of the customers are repeat buyers who are locals to the area and who are loyal to the nursery. They are aged between 30 and 90 years old and surprisingly, Gary thought 60% were female and 40% male. From what I had assumed about the hobby gardener, I would of thought there would be more female customers compared to males.
The nursery supplies most it's customers with a couple of plants at time usually and commonly some plant food/potting mix as well, which leads me to believe that most customers are being small bits over time to add to their garden. Gary agreed but he also explained that Greener Life has it's own soft landscaping design service, where either himself or the owner go out to a house and assist in the design and creation of a new or renovated garden. This seems to be a popular aspect of most nurseries these days, which is a bit of a shame for someone like me who can't help but see this as a competition for my future business! However, Gary explained that the interest in that area is more of a side aspect and not such a significant part of the business itself.
Now, as some of the previously blogged about gardeners brought to my attention, powdery mildew is really one of those diseases that cause a lot of trouble and frustration to the everyday gardener. So I decided to ask Gary about his thoughts on the subject and provide a brief review of his recommendations.
Yates Fungus Gun (http://www.yates.com.au/products/disease-control/ready-to-use/yates-fungus-gun-ready-to-use) is his top choice, as it is a general all-rounder gun that focuses and eliminates powdery mildew as well as rust and black spots that are quite common in the everyday garden. I have used this myself on some Azaleas and I can honestly say it worked really well! It's a pretty simple fungicide that attacks the powdery mildew from within the leaves outwards.
Sharp Shooter Triforine (http://www.heinigerhg.com.au/productflyers/Ausgro_triforine.pdf) is his other recommendation, which is more specialised towards Roses rather than other plants. It works similarly to the Yates one, but has to be mixed with water into a spray can instead. It means it has a bit more value compared to the above, but requires some more work and of course, for Roses only. It is also more expensive.
When I asked Gary about powdery mildew and edibles he made it very clear that both of these remedies strictly require a minimum of 14 days before any edibles should be eaten and even then they should be washed vigorously before ingesting/cooking. Whilst Gary said there are some other 'organic' products, he didn't really feel many were quite as successful as these ones. He did however suggest a traditional remedy that is natural... Fill a spray can with 1 part milk and 10 parks water and spray it on the leaves each day until the powdery mildew disappears. I asked where he learnt about this and he said from his parents, but it was also recommended at the University where he studied, Swinburne, as a natural solution. I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has used it!
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