Cascadian Nurseries Plant Notes

Fresh Plants Arriving Weekly from Monrovia Nurseries

2012-02-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

Save the Date- Cascadian Nurseries 2012 Landscape Field Day May 17th

2012-02-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

Dan Hinkley

Join landscape professionals to network and learn from Plant Explorer, Author Dan Hinkley, and how he found many of the plants within the Dan Hinkley Collection™. As a special addition, Monrovia’s New Plants Director Nicholas Staddon will share New & Notable Plants for the Pacific Northwest. All landscape professionals, including landscape architects and designers, contractors, maintenance crew leads and team members, golf superintendents, property managers, urban planners, and anyone involved with parks & recreation should attend. We encourage you to tell your landscape industry friends, and please let them know continuing education credits are available!

Nicholas Staddon

Where: Cascadian Nurseries
8900 NW Dick Rd, Hillsboro, OR 97124
503.647.9292 or email: jlarson@cascadiannurseries.com

RSVP before May 10, 2012

Seminar schedule to come out soon. Make sure to reserve your seat.

When: May 17th, 2012- Thursday
Seminars: 9am to 4pm
Exhibitor Showcase: 9 am to 4pm
Lunch: noon to 1pm. Courtesy of our exhibitors.

A Letter from Fred Meisner, owner of Cascadian Nurseries

2012-01-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone! Loyalty is not for sale, it’s earned.

On the left side of my desk is a drawer with a file: “Important things in my life”. When I see something interesting, articles or quotes, I save it. I meditate on it and use it; sometimes you’ll find a quote in some of my letters.

It’s interesting when we examine ourselves: the notes we save, the books we read, including the questions we ask, tell us who we are, the words we speak, the way we dress, the friends we have. I see myself copying successful people, heroes I have put on a pedestal.

I remember a book I read, an exciting plot, a fiction – millions of copies sold worldwide. I got so engrossed, the author well known, I read before and after dinner, stayed up longer until about half way into the book a chapter so vulgar, exposing the dark side of human psychosis. The dirty underworld of the human mind, it is lurid and shocking, so full of kinky sex and cussing; the writings in detail, forming pictures in my mind. So horrible it made me realized what type of person could write these bad scenes. I didn’t like it. The fireplace was on; I got out of my comfy chair and threw it into the flames! For days, I wanted to know how the plot ended. I still have the urge to pick it up again when I see it on the shelves at Costco. It still brings memories back. The type of person who wrote it, would I associate or be friends with a person whose thoughts are so immersed with bad things? I wonder if this person is married maybe has kids?

I suppose money (lots of it) covers it all.

There is no question my family, my friends; they all look at us, what kind of example are we? I am sure our customers see us, know us. Are they willing to enter into a business agreement and spend $10-$100k? Can we be trusted? I remember when I was in residential landscaping, it has a large emotional side to it. Having spent thirty plus years in the commercial side also, I found there are ethics and business practices that intertwine with commercial and residential fields – are we dependable?

Are we loyal and follow through? Have we become successful through good work and relationship building? Are our trucks clean and well maintained? Is our equipment that we bring to a job in good working order? How do we present ourselves? Is honesty and excellent work our history? Is customer satisfaction, correctness and quality a virtue? When they check past performance with some of the references we gave?

Some made the mistake of lowering costs in these difficult times by sacrificing quality, paying less by hiring inexperienced workers or buying/selling and installing lesser quality materials. I have seen job sites with compost mulch littered with plastic scraps, wood splinters and shredded tire scraps, plants and trees mislabeled, crooked leaders under fertilized, unhealthy shrubs and groundcovers with weeds and unwanted seeds.

In our challenging times customers demand top quality work and materials. We are all getting fed up with some of the cheap stuff from China and other parts of the world. Advertising 10% or 15% off for landscaping, or yard cleanup is really deception – copying or telling our customers we will match any other offer. We all know better. Let’s be honest with ourselves, our customers mandate the old fashioned American work experience. The quality, the honesty, the handshake – are you ready?

Here at Cascadian, Jim told me this morning that we are going to have an open house again. (Last year we did not) A big commitment for us, it takes a lot of time and organizing – people, food, entertainment, suppliers and speakers. We look at the cost and all the work, but then can we afford not to? Our customers demand that we set the pace, to be positive about the future, to do it together with our friends, and invite you all to have lunch with us, spend some time with us, a glass of wine, and some crackers; invite a top speaker who will give us the best we can possibly offer in our industry.

Cascadian and Monrovia Nursery were able to book Dan Hinkley this year. His resume is outstanding! Following are excerpts from his book jacket: The Explorer’s Garden

Daniel J. Hinkley’s fascination with plants goes back to his childhood in Michigan, where he studied horticulture before moving west to Washington to earn his master’s degree. …he is in high demand as a speaker throughout North America, Europe, Australia New Zealand, and Japan… awarded the Scott Gold Medal, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Award, and the Veitch Memorial Medal….he brings his expertise to Monrovia Growers as well as to several design firms – Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd, Portico, The Berger Partnership where he serves as horticultural consultant. His website is: www.danielhinkley.com

Well, here we are in 2012. How do we see the future, some of you ask me often? In the crazy unpredictable times we’re all caught in, not willing to compromise – self first. I see myself talking about and holding on to courage and hope.

Hope has to be an anchor in life, substantive and strong that can carry us through in difficult times because a person of hope looks reality square in the eyes and says: “I, for one, will make a difference!” Hope is a key component of perseverance and courage.

Let me close with the beautiful poem of an unknown author below.

Fred Meisner

Fred Meisner

What is in the heart of man

That makes him stand above the rest?

Is it courage or wisdom, or even stature

that helps him meet the test?

Is it found in seats of honor, or in pursuit of might?

Oh, rare are those that find it, who on its wings alight.

For greatness is not found in valiant acts or deeds,

But in the tenderness of hearts that see the other’s needs.

It reaches out in callused hands, worn by a full day’s toil,

To touch the wound souls of men,

With health of heaven’s oil:

It weeps with those who dare to weep,

And smiles with those who smile;

It takes the time to lend an ear, to walk the second mile.

No, grand acts are not done with fanfare from above,

but with the touch of caring hands, outstretched in quiet love.

Humble men with faithful hands

Changed by the grace of God,

will always rise above the rest to walk where few have trod.

But as they climb the peaks of faith, they do not walk alone,

For they bring so many with them,

those that they have known

No, glory is not measured in gold or goods of men,

But in treasure of grateful hearts

To whom they’ve been a friend.

“Author unknown”

A Holiday message and New Years thoughts

2011-12-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

All of us at Cascadian and Monrovia Nurseries want to wish our customers and friends Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas as well as a joyous and prosperous 2012. Let us all work together to make 2012 a better year for all of us. Let's continue to build relationships with our customers/friends and suppliers that will make all of us stronger in our community. If you are not working closely with one of the many associations in our trade, I encourage you to do so. I will be working closely with ANLD, APLD, ASLA, and OLCA. The best way to better our community is through relationships.

Here are some great New Year's Resolutions we all can do!
1. Landscape contractors get out and network to build working relationships with landscape architects and designers, especially now when the economy is slower and winter is here. People want the opportunities and now is as good as a time as any to knock on doors, make those phone calls and share your specialty. These design pro's will provide work or make sure you are on their select bid lists. And in return, they will do a design for one of your own projects. Don't forget to include on your calling list interior designers and architects, too. Once they have earned the trust of the client by designing an interior space or structure, the client may ask them to work on the exterior of the home. Nobody wants to give up business these days, so let them subcontract you and your team of professionals. This group of consumer savvy design specialists may look to YOU when their client moves to work on their great outdoors!
2. Meet property managers from apartments to retail centers. Make an appointment with 5, and I encourage you to invite me along to your meeting and create that team spirit! Property managers are the ones that need new ideas to keep tenant spaces filled, and who else can bring people and possibilities - You, of course. You know the specialists and have the skills. Learn their needs, and at Cascadian Nurseries along with Monrovia's unique branded plants, can bring instant excitement to even the most tired of properties.

Look to Cascadian and Monrovia Nurseries to continue to provide the Professionals Choice in quality plant material for your projects. We are here to help to give you the confidence to say bye to 2011 and hello to 2012! .

Collect Green launched at OLCA's Landscape Expo

2011-12-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

Question: When was the last time someone handed you a credit card? Yesterday or recently? Did you get handed more than one card, because your client thought maybe you took a different card? Probably, your client assumed that you took credit cards. Yes, it seems like businesses, big and small, from taxis to doctors offices are taking them, so it is only natural that your client will hand you their credit card to pay for design, installation, maintenance, or other types of landscape services. So I have to ask... Does your company accept credit cards? If so, do you or your crews accept them in the field or only in the office?

We launched a new mobile processing payment system Collect Green at OLCA's Landscape Expo December 1, 2011. The show was great! We met with over 50 people in the landscape trade some with big and small crews or were design, design/build, maintenance as well as just installation and presented on a smart phone and computer screen Collect Green.

People we spoke with were really excited to see this new mobile payment processing technology for the landscape trade designed by people in the landscape trade. We have found in the 8+ years we have been accepting credit/debit cards at Cascadian Nurseries, our customers would rather pay with their credit card. Just like me, my customers, like you, want to earn points towards air miles and hotel rooms rather than pay with a check.

Your clients want the same. They would like the opportunity to earn rewards and to extend their payments out further without bothering you . Sure it will cost you a small overall fee to accept credit/debit cards. What is it worth to you to have the money in your account within 24 hours and to be able to show your customers that your company is in the forefront of customer service and technology?

Please contact us at Cascadian Nurseries to see how this new system can even organize your billing statements, so maybe one day you will never have to put clients' invoices for on-going landscape maintenance into 'snail' mail again!

Jim

New Construction Projects Help the Economy- One Project at a Time

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Have you taken time out of your busy schedule and looked around lately? Is it time to turn off the negative information the news media keeps brainwashing us with? Yes, the facts are facts. Housing starts nationwide are down from their record highs; however, let’s not fear the future. There are new houses being built throughout the United States and even here in Oregon. New housing starts are up from the same time period last year in Oregon. I know of several large scale high-end residential, single family homes that are in construction or being renovated. There are new apartment complexes under construction in Hillsboro and Beaverton as well as within other cities that surround Portland.

Did you know there is a shortage of multi-family, high-density apartments available to rent or lease in our area? All of the people who lost their homes now need a place to live. There are several mixed use projects being built as well as shopping centers and small commercial projects now under construction or pending development in 2012. And have you seen lately what Intel is creating in Hillsboro? What a great boom for the economy of Washington County. Approximately 4,000 construction workers are building the newest Intel building and once completed, the company will employ approximately 1,000 mid to high level jobs.

Take a look around at all of the new construction that is going on in the Portland metro area. We can all do our part to help the economy grow one project at a time. I look forward to celebrating the completion of your landscape installation at one of these many on-going and future projects. As always, I encourage you to please send me an invitation to visit or share any photos of your landscape design and install success stories. The facts are the facts, and the fact is that the dirt still moves in Oregon.

The Public and their Landscapes Revisited

2011-09-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

Presented last night at the APLD- Oregon Chapter Summer Event.

As we begin the fall season, I have a couple of thoughts for you to contemplate on how we can create more work for all of us.

Have we not educated the public on the virtues of a nice looking, well maintained landscape? Why is it when I walk through neighborhoods or go to shopping centers, I see dried out and tired looking landscapes. We’ve all seen these landscapes. I am not talking about lawns that are allowed to go brown. I see shrubs, trees, perennials, grasses, and ground covers. They choose to not water or they turn off the irrigation system to save money! However, it will cost them more in the long run. Not necessarily by having to replace the plant material, but from decreased property values on their streets to shopping centers that look run down. We need to work on educating the public that they need to have a nice looking landscape with an irrigation system that is water efficient and water wise. The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) needs an ongoing education committee to promote the virtues of a well maintained and environmentally friendly landscape around their property.

Your customers want the best from their landscape projects. There is now concrete evidence that your design and build efforts can make your clients more money, too. Studies are now available on-line where you can learn how your efforts may impact the value of a residential or commercial property. There are 3 things that impact the sale of a home within a suburban neighborhood where all the houses are the same lot size and age.

1. The QUALITY of the landscaping on the targeted home.
2. The QUALITY of surrounding homes' landscapes near the targeted home.
3. The QUALITY of the landscapes within the neighborhood of the targeted home.

Also, if a residential homeowner within that tract of homes decided to enhance the look of their home's landscape with the aid of a quality design and/or design build professional, the owner should expect to receive a return of 8 to 10% on top of their investment. And your property owner can make money on the quality of materials, artistry, and effort you provide.

Remember to factor in the size of plant material, too. According to the Journal of Environmental Horticulture, by installing larger plants over smaller plants on a residential landscape project, the value of the home will increase. Well pruned, healthy, quality plants grown inside a #2 container size may offer a greater return on investment than a #1 container size and sometimes even a poorly grown construction grade #5 at a lower cost. According to researchers from the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University, larger plants added the most value to the property than using lots of different smaller plant varieties. Imagine seeing 2 landscapes at two different 2 story colonial houses that look exactly the same right next to each other, but their landscapes are dramatically different - boring landscape with #1 evergreens vs. "the works" with a diversity of plants and in larger container sizes. Now guess how much you think each house is worth by just looking at the home's landscape and exterior. A study was done doing just that, and the perceived value was $190,949 for the boring landscape design versus $215,147 for the same property with "the works". Going "big" offered a bigger bang for the buck and visual bang for the neighborhood, too! In this economy, we know that the bigger the plant, the greater the cost to install, so you may want to ask your client "how long do you expect to live here?" That might be a safe and easy way to bring in research whenever a client is deciding to purchase a landscape design and installation, and it will help you make the best investment option for them. Or test yourself by doing the calculations on your own installations to see if a more mature plant installation on select ornamental trees and shrubs will get the Return on Investment that your homeowner deserves to earn.

Quality sells! How many times have you heard that phrase? You know what? It is very true. The client that is willing to hire you wants and expects quality. They like nice plants. People are willing to pay for quality. You will have more work because their friends and neighbors will ask who installed that great landscape job. Your clients' investment in a superior landscape will reward you - just like the stock market... slow growth to great rewards!

With over 60 members in the Oregon chapter of APLD, we need every member’s participation to not necessarily grow more members, that will happen on its own, we need to build a strong chapter to meet our members needs and one that other landscape professionals want to join. We also need to reach out to the public through educational opportunities. We as an association need to do more to highlight our members and the association to the public.

Did you know that there are over 20 member benefits and marketing opportunities by being a member of APLD? Go to the member section of APLD, http://www.apld.org/ to see what benefits the Oregon Chapter members are missing.

We as a chapter have accomplished a lot this year with more events planned this winter through November 2012.

We need sponsors for our chapter and its events. The APLD- Oregon Chapter members should have a favorite supplier that could be a sponsor on some level. Please contact me with their information so we can have the best and strongest APLD chapter that meets the educational needs of our members.

New Monrovia introductions arriving week of August 8, 2011

2011-08-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Drimys winteri var. chiloense Pewter Pillar

Pewter Pillar Winter's Bark

Another great introduction from Dan Hinkley. Dan selected this Chilean evergreen tree for its tight columnar form and handsome leaf with the under-surface of silvery white. Upright stems grow to 20 feet. Can be used as a clipped or informal hedge. Flowers of white clusters are presented at the end of each branch in late winter. Prefers well-drained soil.

Also arriving this week- Anemone x Wild Swan PPAF,

Echinacea Now Cheesier PPAF

Echinacea Now Cheesier PPAF, and Trochodendron aralioides

First Look- Monrovia's New Introductions for 2011 - 2014

2011-07-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

Actinidia tetra var maloides Zone 6

Berberis thungergii 'Orange Rocket' Zone 5

Callicarpa dichotoma 'Summer Snow' Zone 6

Ceanothus maritimus 'Popcorn' Zone 8

Clethra barvinervis 'Variegata' Zone 4

Drimys winteri var. chiloense 'Pewter Pillar' Zone 7

Eucryphia lucida 'Variegata' Zone 8

Hydrangea aspera 'Purple'

Mahonia x media 'Lionel Fortescue' Zone 5

Sarcococca hookeriana digyna Zone 6

Schefflea arboricola brevipedunculata Zone 7

Trochodendron aralioides Zone 6

New Arrivals week of June 13, 2011

2011-06-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

An interview with Dan Hinkley

2011-05-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

Dan Hinkley is working with Monrovia Nurseries to provide his selections of plant material for the maritime region of the Pacific Northwest. The plants he has selected work well in most gardens west of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and Washington. You will find Dan Hinkley selections available through Cascadian Nurseries for Northwest gardens.

The following are Dan Hinkley's responses to the questions I asked him during a recent interview.

There are numerous criteria that I use in making selections of plants worth naming.

1. Is it garden worthy; i.e. is it reasonably easy to cultivate AND maintain.

2. Is it really different and better than those clones of the same species already in cultivation.

3. Is it from a species that has a minimal chance of becoming bio-invasive in areas where it will be grown.

4. Is it appropriately hardy in the zones where we will tout it to be appropriate.

How long have you been collecting plants?

In a sense I have been 'collecting' plants virtually my entire life, beginning to cultivate plants when I was a wee lad. As I have matured as a gardener, the concept of collecting has taken on a new meaning. I no longer actually need to possess a plant to feel as if I have come to fully appreciate it. In a real sense, I have been actively looking at and collecting seed in the wild for 25 years.

How do you see your plant selections working in NW gardens?

I would hope that I can add to a palette of plants that take full advantage of our mild maritime climate, that provide good foliage throughout the year, provide off season entertainment by means of bark, berry, form or flower.

Why should landscape professionals choose your selections?

They have been fully tested in my own garden (and I am a very demanding gardener in terms of selecting durable plants).

Of all of your selections, what are a few of your favorites?

Beesia deltophylla, Disporum 'Green Giant', Holboellia latifolia 'Ritak', Hydrangea angustifolia 'Golden Crane'.

What regions of the world offer you the most diverse plants to bring back to introduce them?

Diversity is highest in western China and South Africa; both regions translate well to the Pacific Northwest.

Please tell us about some of the challenges that you face when trying to locate new plants in the wild

1. Getting to the specific area that have the plants that I wanted to see.

2. Finding the plants that I wanted to see once I have arrived at the specific area.

3. Finding seed on the plants that I wanted to see if I successfully found the plants in the first place.

4. Cleaning the seed from the plants I wanted to see if I got to the specific area and found the plants and they had ripened seed.

5. Getting my seed that I have cleaned from the plants I wanted to see successfully through the USDA inspection process, if I got to the specific area and found the plants and they had ripened seed.

Daniel J. Hinkley, Plantsman: Author, Plant Collector, Lecturer
dba Heronmedia, a publications, design and consulting business.

New Monrovia introductions available through Cascadian Nurseries

2011-05-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Disporopsis pernyi, Evergreen Solomon's Seal

Heucherella Sonic Smash

Holbelia Cathedral Gem

Holbelia Ritak

Loropetalum Snow Panda

Congratulations Melissa- We Love You

2011-04-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

Melissa Van Domelen has worked in the horticulture industry since 1982. In 1985 she received an Associates degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Clackamas Community College. She started out maintaining interior plants for businesses and working in a houseplant operation in Oregon City in the late 80's. In the 90's, Melissa worked at the old Kasch's Garden Centers as a hard goods buyer and also as an annual/perennial buyer. She also worked at Loen Nursery in the retail garden center and was the annual/perennial buyer. She moved over to the landscape sales yard in customer service and plant buyer. From 1997 to 2010 Melissa ran Glauca Moon Nursery with her husband Dave which Dave still operates. In February 2010 to March 2011 Melissa worked as the landscape sales representative for Blooming Nursery. We are excited that Melissa has joined Cascadian Nurseries and Cascadian All In One as a customer service representative.

Fresh Field Stock Added to Sales Yard

2011-03-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Abies grandis
Abies nobilis
Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'

Arbutus unedo Compacta

Buxus sempervirens 'Graham Blandy'
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Aurea'
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Oregon Blue'
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Stewartii'
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Van Pelt's Blue'
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Aurea'
Corokia cotoneaster
Cryptomeria japonica 'Compacta'
Cryptomeria japonica 'Spiralis'

Cupressus macrocarpa 'Gold Pillar'
Juniperus communis 'Compressa'
Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone'
Magnolia grandiflora 'DD Blanchard'
Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem'
Magnolia stellata, Star Magnolia
Magnolia virginiana
Thuja occidentalis 'DeGroot's Spire'
Thuja occidentalis 'Yellow Ribbon'
Thujopsis dolobrata, Elkhorn Cedar

Can't Miss Fresh Arrivals

2011-03-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

Fresh plant material arriving weekly:

Agave parryi Truncata 2 gal

Berberis Helmond's Pillar 5 gal
Buxus Green Mountain 5 gal
Brunnera Variegata 1 gal
Ceanothus thy. El Dorado 1 gal super pot
Ceanothus Victoria 1 gal super pot & 5 gal
Coreopsis Big Bang Red Shift 1 gal

Drimys lanceolata Dan Hinkley form 5 gal
Erica Estrella Gold 1 gal
Fagus syl. Purple Foutain 5 gal
Heuchera Berry Marmalade 1 gal
Heuchera Black Beauty
Ilex crenata Sky Pencil 1 gal

Ligustrum Texanum 10 gal 5 ft Pyramid- Great price
Lonicera pileata Royal Carpet 1 gal
Magnolia grandiflora Alta 15 gal
Salvia nem. Marcus 1 gal
Sedum oreganum 1 gal
Solidago Little Lemon 1 gal
Vaccinium Sunshine Blue 2 gal
Yucca rostrata 5 gal

Monrovia Field Trip

2011-03-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

I had never been to Monrovia Nurseries Visalia location in central California until last week. Almost one thousand acres of nursery stock to take in. We toured for 2 days seeing as much as we could with temps close to 70 degrees in the afternoon. What a site to see after all the cold and wet weather we have had in Oregon.

There is a lot more plant material on Monrovia's availability than I can show here. Let us know your plant material needs and we can order them in for your landscape projects.

Nandina Sienna Sunrise is ablaze in red.

Euonymus japonica 'Silver King' in the foreground

5 gal Loropetalum chinense 'Zhuzhou Fuchsia' on left and Loropetalum chinense 'Everred' on right in full bloom ready to be shipped

One of many greenhouses loaded with color

Shade houses full of 1 gal grasses

Santolina virens 'Lemon Fizz' ppaf. Zone 8

Yucca gloriosa 'Bright Star'

Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata'

Senecio mandraliscae, Zone 9 Low water requirement for containers

A friend recently told me

2011-03-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

A friend recently told me- "I love how you have a place to bring clients and work as well as shop for plant materials". In these days of customer service and personal attention, it is more important to invite your customers out to Cascadian Nurseries for a show and tell. Let's work together to bring out the best landscape design and installation project we all can be proud of and make the client the envy of the neighborhood.

You will find the workspace that we have set aside for you easy to use with the tools you need- internet and WiFi, availability lists as well as Monrovia's Resource Center, catalogs, and a library of horticulture books. Afterwards, walk through our nursery to personally select the plant materials for your project.

Why not partner with Cascadian Nurseries as some have already done. We at Cascadian and Monrovia Nurseries want to be part of your WINNING team. Allow us to work with you from the conception of the design, sourcing of plant materials, and even the delivery to your job site.

With spring right around the corner, let's all work towards building a working team of architects and designers, subcontractors, and suppliers. Let us at Cascadian Nurseries be a part of the team on your next award winning endeavor!

Fresh Plants Arriving Weekly

2011-02-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

Cupressus Tiny Tower

We are stocking our sales yard and green houses. Deliveries of fresh plants are arriving weekly. We invite you to come in to personally select the plant material you need for your landscape projects. You can also place your plant orders with us via phone 503-647-9292, fax 503-647-9494, or email jlarson@cascadiannurseries.com or mary@cascadiannurseries.com/. We will have your plant orders pulled and ready for pick up within 48 hours from our on-hand inventory. Delivery is also available to your job site or shop. You can check our current availability on our web site at: http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/.

Mahonia Orange Flame

Nandina Sienna Sunrise

Winter color is never dull with Witch Hazels

2011-02-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane'

Hamamelis varieties- Arriving this week. Three Witch Hazel varieties in #5 containers to brighten up any landscape with color. Larger plants are also available. Click on the following link for descriptions: http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/witch%20hazels.pdf

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'

Hamamelis mollis 'Pallida'

Outstanding in our field

2011-02-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

Aerial view of Cascadian Nurseries

Cascadian Nurseries Field Inventory Feb 2011- We invite you to come and tour our fields. You will find a large selection of nursery stock for your customer's projects. Bring your clients out and walk our fields to personally select the plant material you need. As well as taking a look at the wide selection of plant material in our sales yard with fresh stock arriving weekly. Contact us for quantity discounts. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/cascadian%20inventory%20field%20stock%20feb%202011.pdf

Buxus sempervirens, English Boxwood

Buxus sempervirens 'Graham Blandy"

Calocedrus decurrens, Incense Cedar

Cedrus deodara 'Wells Golden'

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Golden Showers'

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Oregon Blue'

Cupressus macrocarpa 'Golden Pillar'

Hydrangea quercifolia, Oak Leaf Hydrangea

Ilex Nellie Stevens

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula'

Thuja occidentalis 'Yellow Ribbon'

Thuja plicata 'Fastigiata', Hogan Cedar

Tsuga canadensis, Canadian Hemlock

Umbellaria californica, Bay Laurel

If you thought the stock market was the place to invest...

2011-01-31T07:44:00.000-08:00

Customers want personal attention as we all do. Your customers want the best from their landscape project. There is now concrete evidence that your design and build efforts can make your clients more money, too. Studies are now available on-line where you can learn how your efforts may impact the value of a residential or commercial property. Clemson Professor Mark S. Henry wrote a paper entitled "The Contribution of Landscaping to the Price of Single Family Houses: A study of home sales in Greenville, South Carolina" Briefly summarized, there are 3 things that impact the sale of a home within a suburban neighborhood where all the houses are the same lot size and age.

1. The QUALITY of the landscaping on the targeted home.
2. The QUALITY of surrounding homes' landscapes near the targeted home.
3. The QUALITY of the landscapes within the neighborhood of the targeted home.

Henry also concluded that if a residential homeowner within that tract of homes decided to enhance the look of their home's landscape with the aid of a quality design and/or design build professional, the owner should expect to receive a return of 8 to 10% on top of their investment. Amazing investment returns were found within a qualitative study of 75 homes in Lubbock, Texas published by the Journal of Environmental Horticulture. For an average installation, the sales price of a home increased by 5.7%, but for a superior job the sale price of a home increased by 10.8%. Researchers concluded that for every dollar spent, there was a $1.35 return on one's investment. Of course, esthetically pleasing designs are tough to rank and file, but I would rather really earn money for my clients. Quality really does offer a satisfying ROI (return on investment). And your property owner can make money on the quality of materials, artistry, and effort you provide.

Remember to factor in the size of plant material, too. According to the Journal of Environmental Horticulture, by installing larger plants over smaller plants on a residential landscape project, the value of the home will increase. Well pruned, healthy, quality plants grown inside a #2 container size may offer a greater return on investment than a #1 container size and sometimes even a poorly grown construction grade #5 at a lower cost. The best solution is to choose the larger sized plant, but as we are all aware, budgets may direct the purchase and prevent that installation of a #5 or #7 from Monrovia, but a #2 will do the trick, too. According to researchers from the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University, larger plants added the most value to the property than using lots of different plant varieties and incorporating a highly sophisticated landscape design. Imagine seeing 2 landscapes at two different 2 story colonial houses that look exactly the same right next to each other, but their landscapes are dramatically different - boring landscape with #1 evergreens vs "the works" with a diversity of plants and in larger container sizes. Now guess how much you think each house is worth by just looking at the home's landscape and exterior. A study was done doing just that, and the perceived value was $190,949 for the boring landscape design versus $215,147 for the same property with "the works". Going "big" offered a bigger bank for the buck and visual bang for the neighborhood, too! In this economy, we know that the bigger the plant, the greater the cost to install, so you may want to ask your client "how long do you expect to live here?" That might be a safe and easy way to bring in research whenever a client is deciding to purchase a landscape design and installation, and it will help you make best investment option for them. Or test yourself by doing the calculations on your own installations to see if a more mature plant installation on select ornamental trees and shrubs will get the ROI that your homeowner deserves to earn.

Take the time to bring your customers to Cascadian Nurseries and show them, whether you are the architect, designer, or contractor, the grade of plants you have in mind for their project. We are available to assist you by appointment on Saturday mornings. Provide us with the plant material list prior to your arrival, and we will locate these within our sales yard. We want to save you and your clients' time.

Have you noticed that sourcing plant material has become more difficult. The oversupply of cheap plant material is gone for most plants. Growers are producing fewer plants, and then there are those nurseries that are out of product or no longer in business. That is where Cascadian Nurseries can help. Let us source your plant material needs or work with you on compatible substitutes either by variety or container size. We are here to assist you.

Quality sells! How many times have you heard that phrase? You know what? It is very true. The client that is willing to hire you, wants and expects quality. They like nice plants. People are willing to pay for quality. You will have more work because their friends and neighbors will ask who installed that great landscape job. Your clients' investment in a superior landscape will reward you - just like the stock market... slow growth to great rewards!

(To find more research, including the articles shared in this week's blog, please visit http://www.hriresearch.org)

Build a working team

2011-01-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

Have you thought outside the box lately? Are you enjoying enough work to keep you and your employees working and developing relationships? Where do you go from here to find work? Hard questions to answer! Team spirit is ready and here to help!

There are better ways to make a profitable living without giving it all away or having to compete with others. Your only competition is yourself. Wouldn't you rather be known for quality work, projects done on time and on budget, and all done right... the first time? There are people out there with money to spend, and they want a contractor and designer that they can work with and that does quality work.

Landscape contractors should also try to build a relationship with landscape architects and designers, especially now when the economy is slower and winter is here. People want the opportunities and now is as good as a time as any to knock on doors, make those phone calls and share your specialty. These design pro's will provide work or make sure you are on their select bid lists. And in return, they will do a design for one of your own projects. Don't forget to include on your calling list interior designers and architects, too. Once they have earned the trust of the client by designing an interior space or structure, the client may ask them to work on the exterior of the home. Nobody wants to give up business these days, so let them subcontract you and your team of professionals. This group of consumer savvy design specialists may look to YOU when their client moves to work on their great outdoors!

Your bid should always include quality products and plant material. Make sure you know your costs up front and forget holding that data hostage in a spreadsheet. We at Cascadian Nurseries recognize that plant pricing frequently changes, so today's price may be different for tomorrow's installation. Do not be in too much of a hurry to work up a bid for a client. Take your time to do it right the first time. Your suppliers and subcontractors are more than willing to provide you pricing and availability. In fact, have you considered partnering with your suppliers and subcontractors? Do you offer them the opportunity to share in all of your business and they in turn will be more than willing to work up a program for you with better pricing, and guaranteeing availability when you need the product? Don't be afraid to ask us at Cascadian Nurseries what special opportunities are available. We are ready to share.

As you may know, Cascadian Nurseries has partnered with Monrovia Nursery to provide the landscape trade with quality plant material and as we pool our efforts together we enjoy better pricing, improved plant quality, and a wider availability of plant choices. Why not partner with Cascadian Nurseries as some have already done. We at Cascadian and Monrovia Nurseries want to be part of your WINNING team. Allow us to work with you from the conception of the design, sourcing of plant materials, and even the delivery to your job site. Join the landscape architects, designers and contractors that come out to our nursery and walk through our sales yard and greenhouses with their clients to personally select the plants for their future landscape installations or visit us electronically on our website as Cascadian Nurseries has a link to availabilities and all the latest offerings from Monrovia. Before spring starts, let's all work towards building a working team of architects and designers, subcontractors, and suppliers. Let us at Cascadian Nurseries be a part of the team on your next award winning endeavor!

Agaves create a bold statement

2011-01-26T09:11:00.000-08:00

Agave desmettiana 'Variegata', Variegated Dwarf Century Plant- Zone 9-11 http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/Varieg%20Dwarf%20Agave.pdf

Agave desmettiana 'Variegata',
Variegated Dwarf Century Plant

Agave parryi var. truncata,

Artichoke Agave

Agave parryi var. truncata, Arichoke Agave- Zone 6-9 http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/Artichoke%20Agave.pdf

Picea engelmannii 'Bush's Lace'

2011-01-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

New in stock- Picea engelmannii 'Bush's Lace'- Great used in containers or as a specimen. Available in #5 containers.

http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/engleman%20Bushs%20Lace.pdf

Check out these Monrovia plants that just arrived

2011-01-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

Geranium cinereum subcaulescens-
Black Eyed Magenta Cranesbill- quart size

Cupressus sempervirens 'Tiny Tower'- 2 gal size

Sedum Anglina- 1 gal size

Trachelospermum jasminoides, Star Jasmine
available in 1gal bush, 1 gal staked, and 5 gal espaliered

Also now in stock-
Acanthus mollis 1 gal
Cupressus sempervirens, Italian Cypress 5 gal & 7 gal
Euonymus japonica 'Green Spire' 2 gal
Ficus carica Black Jack, Brown Turkey, and Kadota 5 gal
Ophiopogon japonica 'Nana', Dwarf Mondo Grass 1 gal
Sedum makinoi 'Ogon' 1 gal

Beautiful Day in January 2011

2011-01-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

Office and Display Garden in January

After all the rain this past weekend, what a beautiful day in January. Forecasts call for more dry days this week than rainy ones. Time to get out doors and get some work done.

Greenhouses on a January day in 2011

Edibles arriving this week

2011-01-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

Fig Black Jack

These three varities of Figs will be arriving the week of January 17. We have always offered some edibles for the landscape. With your cleints asking for edibles, we will be offering a wider range of edibles for your landscape projects. Look in the coming weeks for new arrivals of other edibles including Blueberries, Grapes and more.

Fig Brown Turkey

Fig Kadota

Check out these new arrivals

2011-01-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

Helleborus 'Winter Jewels Apricot Blush'
Helleborus 'Winter Jewels Cherry Blossom'
Helleborus 'Winter Jewels Golden Sunrise'
Helleborus 'Ivory Prince'
Heuchera 'Caroline'
Melianthus major 'Purple Haze'

Please check out earlier postings for photos and descriptions.

Landscape Design Professional Directory

2011-01-13T06:59:00.000-08:00

Joining Monrovia's directory is a free, easy and great way to promote your business to property owners.

Monrovia has invited design professionals whose firms are members in good standing with any of the following organizations to submit mini-portfolios: Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Garden Centers of America (GCA), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) or Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) which includes members of the Oregon Landscape Contractors Association (OLCA) that do design/build.

Give us a call at 503.647.9292 or email Jim at jlarson@cascadiannurseries.com and we will help you get started.

Cascadian and Monrovia want to partner with you

2011-01-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

We at Cascadian and Monrovia Nurseries want to be part of your team. Allow us to work with you from the conception stage through the sourcing and delivering to your job site.

Join the many landscape architects, designers and contractors that come out to our nursery and walk through our sales yard and greenhouses with their clients to personally select the plants for their future landscape installations.

We are constantly evaluating our inventory to have the plant material our customers are asking for in 1 gal to 5 gal shrubs and perennials. We welcome your plant lists to quote on. Let us source your plant material needs to provide everything from A to Z.

Newly added to availability

2011-01-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone'- Gold Cone Juniper is a mult-stemmed, upright, conical Juniper 5 ft tall and 30" wide. Does well in sun to part-shade and can tolerate dry to moist conditions with no standing water.

We have 24/30" and 30/36" size available in our fields.

Partnership works with Port job

2011-01-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

This area of N. Lombard in Portland was slated to be a lawn area with high water and high maintenance use. The Port of Portland decided to ask Mark Hadley with WH Pacific to redesign the landscape area with plant material that would require low water use and mainenance after a couple of years. Last fall, Mark contacted Cascadian Nurseries to partner with WH Pacific to work up pricing and to confirm availability of the plant material. Most of the plants were designed around Monrovia's availability. I contacted and worked with Monrovia Nursery to secure the availability so that when the time came for installation, no one was scrambling to find the plants. This worked out well for us and Monrovia, the Port of Portland, the landscape contractor on the project, and for WH Pacific.

Mark Hadley says: the Port of Portland was "blown away by the plant quality". Jason with WH Pacific loved overseeing the installation, as there were no phone calls to make concerning plants in correct counts, condition or quality. Nice and easy.

Mark loved the team spirit of this project with Monrovia and Cascadian.

Jim's Rant

2011-01-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

This is in response to a recent email I received. Two items for discussion:

1. The "Find a Design Professional" on Monrovia's web site is available to members in good standing to the following national associations: Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), US Green Building Council (USGBC), Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) design & build, Garden Centers of American (GCA), and the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA). And since the Oregon Landscape Contractors Association (OLCA) is affiliated with PLANET, OLCA members that create landscape designs and do design/build are eligible to create their profile on Monrovia's web site.

Maybe it is about time for the landsape design community in Oregon to come together and be one voice and one force than two separate entities. I hear APLD members in other states are already receiving prospects from being listed on Monrovia's site. FREE advertising is a very good deal and well worth the investment to join APLD or OLCA if one is serious about being in business going forward in this new economy we are facing.

2. Yes the rumors are correct. Monrovia has asked their key accounts to pre-order more plant material for this coming spring season. The banks told Monrovia they need to show more substantial orders or the banks will force Monrovia to sell their products to the big box stores. And if that does not work, start liquidating. Bankruptcy is not in the discussions at this point and we do not want them to have to go there. Monrovia is in trouble as we all are with this economy. It will take a lot of people to purchase more plant material throughout the United States to help all of us, including the general public going to their local retail garden center or working with a contractor of designer. People need to get off the fence and make a decision. There are so many people that have money to spend. They just want to hold on to it not knowing what our government and the economy is going to do. With gas prices creeping back up, people are going to stay home more and I think we all agree they need to invest in their properties. being an addition on their house, remodeling inside and out, a new patio or deck, a new landscape to replace that old tired out one that may have never been landscaped in the first place. Just a tree and a few shrubs put in the ground with a tired out lawn.

We as an association need to think outside the box and educate the public and our existing customers the true benefits of a well maintained and landscaped sanctuary in their property. I read an article recently in the December 2010 issue of Greenhouse Management & Production. In the magazine Anna Ball of Ball Horticultural Co. wrote "Even though more information is available on gardening, people find it more confusing. She said consumers are intimidated and frustrated at the retail stores. She said too often our industry overestimates the knowledge of consumers". She is right on the mark. We as an industry have sent out confusing information for many years now because everyone has a different opinion as to what is best for the customer. We are not a united front.

Melianthus major 'Purple Haze'

2011-01-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Melianthus major 'Purple Haze'- Arriving in the next couple of weeks in #1 super containers. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/purple%20haze.pdf

Helleborus varieties arriving soon from Monrovia Nursery

2011-01-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

Helleborus 'Apricot Blush'- We will have these available in a couple of weeks in #1 containers. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/apricot%20blush.pdf

Helleborus 'Cherry Blossom'- We will have these available in a couple of weeks in #1 containers. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/cherry%20blossom.pdf

Helleborus 'Golden Sunrise'- We will have these available in a couple of weeks in #1 containers. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/golden%20sunrise.pdf

Helleborus 'Ivory Prince'- We have a few in stock now and will have more of these available in a couple of weeks in #1 containers. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/ivory%20prince.pdf

Winter interest in the landscape

2010-12-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

Stachyurus salicifolia "Sparkler", Willow-leaf Stachyurus- We have these in stock in #5 containers. Yellow flowering catkins in late winter to spring http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/Stachyurus%20Sparkler.pdf.

No snow?

2010-12-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

We are approximately 36 degrees this morning here at Cascadian with a rain/snow mix. When I came to work this am on Hwy 26, there was snow sticking to the landscapes on the side up at Sylvan. At least the mountains are getting dumped on and at this point there should be plenty of water next summer. No water restrictions.

Winter weather this week

2010-12-28T10:11:00.000-08:00

According to the weather forcasts I have seen, we may receive a trace to 1" of snow on the valley floor in the Portland metro area late tonight into tomorrow. Remember last year during this same week? The worst of the snow arrived during the evening commute and drivers abandoned their vehicles all over the roads. It took some people, even myself hours to get home. I have a 25 mile commute one way.

By the end of this week, we could have temps in the mid to upper 30's during the day and low to mid 20's at night. Protect those tender plants again and even plants you have in pots that have not made it in the ground yet.. With the November cold spell we had this year, we are ready for this cold spell.

The long range forcasts are for a colder and wetter than normal winter. Let's hope the spring is not as wet this year as in years past. Jim

December Sunrise

2010-12-27T15:24:00.000-08:00

What a spectacular sunrise. I took this photo looking east from our office in early December 2010. Jim

Azara serrata 'Andean Gold'

2010-12-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

Available through Cascadian Nurseries this spring in #5's. Another great introduction from the Dan Hinkley collection. Will need some protection from the east winds in the Portland area. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/Azara.pdf

Beesia deltophylla, Beesia

2010-12-27T12:34:00.001-08:00

Available Spring 2011 in #1 containers. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/beesia.pdf

Disporum cantoniese 'Green Giant', Chinese Fairy Bells

2010-12-27T12:34:00.000-08:00

Beautiful purple new growth in the spring. We have #2 & #5's in stock and more available this spring.
http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/Disporum%20Green%20Giant.pdf

Monrovia Price Reductions

2010-12-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

In these turbulant times, it is nice to know that Monrovia Nursery continues to work with us to lower prices on a lot of their plant material which allows us to pass along these lower prices to you. Jim

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

We at Cascadian Nurseries want to wish our customers and friends a joyous and prosperous 2011. As always, we are here to assist you with your plant material needs. Let us all work together to make 2011 a better year for all of us. We will continue to build relationships with our customers and suppliers that will make all of us stronger to move forward through the troubled waters ahead. If you have not joined one of the many associations in our trade, I encourage you to do so. I will will be working closely with ANLD, APLD, and OLCA.

Mukdenia rossi 'Crimson Fans', Red-leaved Mukdenia

2010-12-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

We will have these available in Spring 2011 in #1 containers. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/Mukdenia.pdf

Berberis thunbergii 'Pygmy Ruby", Pygmy Ruby Barberry

2010-12-27T10:50:00.000-08:00

A nice new form of a dwarf red Barberry. Lower growing and more compact than 'Crimson Pygmy' Barberry. We have #1 & #2's in stock with more available this spring. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/Berberis%20Pygmy%20Ruby.pdf

Drimys lanceolata Dan Hinkley form, Mountain Pepper

2010-12-27T10:41:00.001-08:00

A very nice form of the Drimys lanceolata. Dan Hinkley is a world renown plantsman and founder of the legendary original Heronswood Nursery. We have a few #5's in stock right now with #1's available this spring. http://www.cascadiannurseries.com/Drimys%20lanceolata.pdf