April 2004
Talking Signs By Bridget White

With spring upon us, your nursery is probably stocked to capacity. Bedding and flowering plants arrive several times each week; seasonal favorites come at least monthly; and landscape staples are at capacity. But what about woodies and other flowering ornamentals? Many seasonal bloomers, such as clematis, hostas, roses and azaleas, arrive in a single large shipment, during bloom time, and then either remain green the rest of the year or rebloom intermittently. Regardless of the bloom stage, these crops are often hard to retail because of the wide selection stocked by most nurseries. Either a knowledgeable person has to hang around this section all the time to answer questions about each of the 30 plus varieties you carry, or you risk loosing a sale because the customer can’t decide which variety would be best for their situation.

Or, you take a lesson from Portland Nurseries, Portland, Ore., and develop a sign that speaks for itself. We have all heard the expression “silent salesman” used to describe tagging and POP materials, but a program developed by the breeder or grower does not answer questions about what your nursery has in stock. For this, you need to develop your own signs.

The ones at Portland Nursery answer the most often asked questions such as, name, bloom time, height, description and pruning information, and they do so in such a way that customers can easily compare varieties without the assistance of your $10 plus per hour employee in tow. No pulling tags, no searching pots for information, no relabeling incorrectly. Customers simply search the list for the varieties they want and then locate those plants within the defined area.

Portland reports fewer customer questions from sections signed in this way and less employee time spent helping select varieties. Imagine how much more work you could get done if several customers each day did not need your help deciding which baby pink rose could take the most shade?



Bridget White

Bridget White is editorial director of Lawn & Garden Retailer.