Surfin' the Internet for The Green Industry: wholesale nurseries

by Hans C. Groot, Ph.D.

Wholesale nurseries make use of the internet in a variety of ways. To try to attract new customers, some show their inventory online, with pictures. Some limit access to the inventory and price list to established customers, requiring passwords to sign on to the website. At least one nursery skips this step and tries to appeal directly to home gardeners. Most of these sites also provide historical background information on the firm and list contact information - address, phone/fax numbers, and at least one e-mail address.

AgriStarts [http://www.agristarts.com] is an example of a wholesaler that shows its inventory online, complete with descriptions of its plans, growing information, pricing, and availability. It also features new plants that it tries to promote. In addition, this grower has some hotlinks to customers, some education sites, industry sites and industry-related organizations.

The website of Euro-American Propagators [http://euroamprop.com] features a handy pulldown plant culture menu linked to a database of all the plants the firm grows. When you click on a plant, a table pops up with planting recommendations, light levels, temperature, hardiness zone, water requirements, fertilization, pinching, growth regulators, and pest control. Another page stock availability, a table that is updated weekly.

The site has some other interesting features worth mentioning. It includes the names of the firm's management team, with biographical information to establish professional credentials, and invites you to "meet us" - a list of industry expos/shows where the company will have an exhibit and conference sessions where its officials will be speaking. It offers landscape ideas, in general, as well as recommendations for different USDA zones. Another unique feature is the "marketing tips" retail nurseries can use "to persuade customers to purchase EuroSelect plants - the use of plant labels, effective signage, creating a pleasant atmosphere, selling 'year 'round' and a suggestion to let retail customers "see it, feel it, smell it."

One grower [http://bamboogiant.com] not only shows pictures of its plants, including examples of how they are used in actual landscape settings but also shows some of the products manufactured from its plants - fences and other garden items made from bamboo. The company sells both wholesale and retail and the website shows it business hour for each, including driving directions. While the company shows retail prices and product numbers, it does not provide information on how to order via the internet; wholesale prices are made available upon request.

Blooming Nursery [http://bloomingnursery.com] lets you take a picture tour of its facilities, shows a map with driving directions, and provides e-mail contacts for its staff. The primary pages of the site (plant list, prices and sizes), however, is restricted to established customers with passwords. Not being able to visit that part of the site, however, one wonders about its timeliness as the online ordering page shows that the information is for the 1999 season.

Ichidai Nursery [http://www.ichidainursery.com] uses its site to describe the types of plants it grows (bedding plants, groundcover herbs, perennials, bonsai, vegetables, and holiday crops) with some cultural information, but the site misses the boat in that it provides no information (address or phone) on where it is located. It also provides for no online ordering information and does not even offer an e-mail contact. What it does offer is a "Tips and How To's" section for container gardening and "Summer Do's and Don'ts. It also provides an interesting and helpful page on "Planting Companions - beneficial plants that offer deterrence against common garden insects and pests, as well as improving plant quality and conditions."

One last site worth mentioning is for a firm [http://pacificnurseries.com] that supplies plants to landscape professionals. The site offers a printable plant list, printable order forms, payment rules, terms and conditions of sale, and delivery information.