Dirty Secrets

September/October 2019

Recipes for Fall Container Designs That Sell!

I’ve spoken at Cultivate (long before it was Cultivate) about how to sell more fall container designs so many times that I think my message has finally begun to sink in to the wider audience.... more »

August 2019

The Fine Art of Watering

After counseling another business owner about watering, warrantees and similar teachable moments in the challenges of watering, it occurs to me that this might be a good thing to talk about during our hottest season.... more »

July 2019

Three Things ALL of Us Need

Today put the “burned” in “burned out” for me. It’s not that it was hard, or even overly difficult in tasks, co-workers or dealing with customers. It was that my brain is simply overloaded on... more »

June 2019

Recipe for Success: Meet Earl Lieske

If you take a generous heaping of Midwestern nice, a respectable quantity of service experience from a young age, throw in some well-seasoned family horticulture experience, add to that an impressive amount of education, and... more »

May 2019

When in Doubt … Simplify

I’ll make this a quick and efficient read because I know you’ve already run 5 ½ miles of your 12-mile day today in the confines of the garden center, and you’re reading this while you... more »

April 2019

Translating Personal Style Into Sales

Is your customer a perfectly pruned boxwood hedge or a billowy field of grasses and flowing flowers? When we’re helping customers design a container garden or a landscape that reflects them and suits their lifestyles,... more »

March 2019

Shake It Up! Flex Your Design Muscles Even When It’s Challenging

In the last year I've lost 50 pounds and to my own shock, I participated in a marathon. My health goals were step one in a year of concentrating on transforming numerous parts of my... more »

February 2019

New Cravings

February reminds me of a few things in the garden center business and few of them have to do with hearts and chocolates. Flowers yes, but not imported fragrance-free roses and certainly not balloons or... more »

January 2019

Truck Driving Designers Call to Action

As a garden and container designer of many years, I keep my eyes and ears open for design trends as keenly as possible; it’s a big part of my job. My clients are the types... more »

November/December 2018

Deciphering the Color Code for More Sales

It’s the one decision you keep putting off — what color to paint the walls?! Some people live with a patchwork of paint samples on their walls for years ... unable to choose. Others “play... more »

August 2018

When Serendipity Meets Strategy

Many of us have heard the old quote, “Success is when preparation meets opportunity.” But, so many people struggle in our industry as they are investing in either being busy without a real strategy or... more »

July 2018

Is It Possible to Charm and Satisfy Every Customer? Would You Really Want To?

We've all been there, we've all experienced it if you have ever worked retail, or in a restaurant, or in any service situation for that matter: There’s simply no pleasing certain people. We all know... more »