Hello Everyone!
I guess I want to start this newsletter by addressing the elephant in the room. It has become clear that with inflation and the rising costs of fuel, labor and shipping everyone from grower to end consumer is feeling the pinch. Plants West is committed to help support you and your success as best we can during these uncertain times. We have taken a sharp pencil to our inventory and negotiated amazing pricing for you from our vendors!
Ways to mitigate costs:
1. Freight costs are still about the same as they have been, so it is important to have a mixed load of containers and b&b plants to mitigate some of the shipping costs. Shipping only balled and burlaped plants make per plant freight cost/freight percentage higher, so plan a mixed load and bring those freight costs per plant down!
We are here to help if you need suggestions on how to mix your load for cost cutting success.
2. Now is the time to take advantage of the many screaming deals on the Specials list all of which are gorgeous and ready for immediate sales, especially the colorful choices that grab the eye.
We need to make room for the next crops coming on and some newer varieties coming down the pike too, so stock up today!! Some of my favorites are the #3 and #5 Thuja Emeralds Arbs, any and all the Japanese Maples are off the charts nice and grown in containers. The #5 Leucothoe Rainbow are big and beautiful so those are a must and the #5 and #10 Skip Laurel are so amazing you really can’t afford to pass those up. Oh and the Sempervirens Boxwood Globes in a 10 gallon are so perfect right now at just over 30” across. Be sure to grab those as well.
3. Buy plants that are properly prepared for shipping success:
As the warmer months approach we are still digging lots of plants from our fields. We spray Nature Shield to ensure the plants are well suited to ship to your nursery. After digging we super hydrate the plants and stage them in the shade. It is important to order early to ensure we have enough lead time to complete what is a time tested and proven process.
The mild winter and spring helped us to grow fabulous plants this year and the plants are still in their prime with great color on all the Japanese Maples, dark green new growth on Emerald Arbs, Green Giants and my new favorite Leprechaun Arbs. If you haven’t tried Leprechaun arbs yet, you really need to. It is a much more compact, slower grower of Green Giant and is proving to be hardy to zone 4 which is super nice. I also think the foliage color is brighter and more appealing.
4. Get those orders in as quickly as possible to insure the savings we have put together for you! We have only about 3-4 more weeks of shipping left for the early season so review the Availability and Specials list and get that order in.
Adam and I are excited about our upcoming trip to Canada, we will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary and taking some well deserved time off to refresh our souls.
All of us at Plants West are very grateful for your continued business and appreciate your loyalty.
Thank you all very much.
Most sincerely,
Alicia and the Gang
#7 Red Dragon Japanese Maple
Buxus Sempervirens 2 ball Poodle b&b
#5 Thuja Emerald
#10 Buxus Green Velvet
#5 Buxus Green Mountain
#5 Thuja Green Giant
#3 Thuja Emerald
#10 Thuja pl. Leprechaun
