News

When garden centers and landscape contractors work together, everyone wins.

From Garden Center magazine. Read it all here. Landscape companies aren’t much different from consumers when it comes to the product and services they need. Both groups want a large selection of plants in a variety of colors. Both landscape and retail customers look for a clean shopping environment with fresh, healthy plants. Most importantly, both are willing to pay a fair price for a quality product. But, while landscapers are conventionally most-closely associated with growers – after all, growers supply a lion’s share of the plant material that goes in the yards – the less-tapped relationship between garden center … Read more

Adding Retail Garden Center Component to Landscaping Business Can Makes Lots of Sense

From Garden Center Magazine  Read it all here. Brian Benson, the 32-year-old owner of Urban Thickets & Landscaping in Madison Township, Ohio, has moved his landscaping design and maintenance company into a former car dealership building, JournalNews.com reported. After investing $300,000 to purchase the building and new equipment there, he plans to open a garden center April 16. Due to some cutbacks from customers who can’t afford to do as much landscaping in this economy, Benson and his team of Sutton landscaping experts said they figured a new garden center in an area where there is not a lot of competition … Read more

SBA Stimulus Program Extended Again on a Short-Term Basis

The fee waiver and expanded guaranty levels for SBA 7(a) loans have once again been extended, this time until March 28.  New approvals begin March 10.  Efforts continue to extend the stimulus benefits through the end of 2010. Here is the full release: WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama signed legislation Tuesday extending until March 28 the U.S. Small Business Administration’s ability to provide small business loans that are enhanced with special provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including a higher guarantee of SBA-backed loans and a waiver of loan fees normally paid by borrowers. SBA estimates the … Read more

In Memphis…Midtown Nursery Expands in Time for Green Season

From The Daily News A nursery in Midtown whose owner likes to jump at opportunities will spread its green thumb to two new locations in time for planting season this year. By temporarily taking over two well-known sites of now-closed nurseries, Mike Earnest, owner of Midtown Nursery at 2120 Central Ave. at Cooper Street, hopes to cross-promote his permanent location. Earnest, a native Memphian who opened his Central Avenue location in March last year, signed a lease for the vacant Stringer’s Garden Center at 2794 Poplar Ave. for the months of March through June. Moves, switches The popular nursery building … Read more