During this uncertain time, California nurseries, garden centers and flower industry are adapting, staying open and contributing to the physical and mental well-being of their communities.
“Nurseries and garden centers have received some negative push-back for being included among businesses considered essential to the state’s infrastructure,” says Chris Zanobini, Executive Director of an organization called the Plant California Alliance. “These businesses are essential since, not only do they provide an incredibly important service to small-sized farming operations, urban and community gardens, but gardening is a healthy activity that many people and families are cherishing during this time when so much has been taken away.”
Because they are considered essential, nurseries like Green Acres Nursery & Supply, are committed to staying open. The nursery supply center has been rapidly adapting its operations to meet the needs of its customers, while implementing necessary safety measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
“Green Acres offers an online shopping program that allows customers to place orders and pick up nursery supplies and plants in the parking lot without ever having to step foot inside the store,” explains Ashey Rossi, owner of this Sacramento-area garden center. “Within one week of the shelter-in-place order issued by Governor Newsom, we increased our online inventory from 40 products to over 1000. The response has been incredible and customers are telling us how grateful they are that we’re open. They’re asking for even more online inventory and we’re trying our best to keep up with demand.”
“We’ve had an increase in large orders for home delivery as well,” says Rossi. “Home gardening projects are giving people a source of fulfillment and purpose.”
Green Acres has seen a surge in the sales of their fruit trees, vegetables and herb plants, as people seem more concerned about growing their own food.
“Our seeds are flying off the shelves,” Rossi notes. “People want to take control of their food supply. Planting food in their yards and communities gives them reassurance that there will be food available for their families—no matter what is available at the grocery store.”
“Across the country, there has been a resurgence of Victory Gardening — a concept which first became popular during WWII when 40 percent of the U.S. food supply came from urban home and community gardens,” explains Mary Kimball, Executive Director of the Center for Land-Based Learning. “Nurseries provide necessary plants and supplies to home, urban, church, school and neighborhood gardens. They are essential to our nation’s food supply.”
While nurseries are doing their part to keep the community thriving, many in the financially hard-hit floral industry are giving away fresh flowers to their customers and encouraging them to do the same.
“Over the last two weeks as the pandemic evolved, many of our large orders were canceled, and we had a lot of extra inventory,” says Allan Nishita, president of Flora Fresh Inc., a wholesale floral company based in Sacramento. “So it only made sense to give away these beautiful flowers instead of putting them directly into our landfill.”
Allan Nishita was pleased to see his decision to give industrial-sized coolers full of florals to his retail customers sparked a chain reaction of more flower donations across the region. Many of Flora Fresh Inc.’s customers, which include floral shops, wedding specialists and mass market, delivered the donated flowers to hospital workers, nursing homes and the community. They did so while maintaining physical distancing and wearing gloves.
“Our customers have been modifying their businesses,” says Allan Nishita, explaining the floral shops that remain open are practicing social distancing by allowing on-line or phone orders only. A time is set and the orders are placed outside for pickup. “On the delivery side, drivers are no longer handing off a floral arrangement, they are leaving orders on porches. They wear gloves, masks and wipe down every vase with a sanitary wipe.”
“We hear over and over how much this means to people,” says Allan Nishita. “These vibrant flowers are lifting the spirits of those shut inside. Many people have had to cancel important celebrations like weddings, birthdays, funerals and baby showers. As these milestones pass, receiving a gift of flowers reminds them they are not alone.”
“The boost in mood that comes from things like flowers and gardening is real,” says the Plant California Alliance's Zanobini. “A meta-analysis published in Science Direct, references several studies that show a positive association between gardening or interacting with nature and health benefits like reduced depression, anxiety, stress, mood disturbance and Body Mass Index, as well as increases in quality of life, sense of community, physical activity levels and cognitive function.”
These studies are timely and support the fact that the nursery, garden and flower industries are indeed critical to our well-being. We need them now more than ever.
For more information:
Farmers Communication Exchange
1521 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Tel.: (916) 441-1064
Fax: (916) 446-1063
marilyn@farmerscommunication.exchange
www.farmerscommunication.exchange