AS NOVEMBER DESCENDS upon us and the days are now far shorter, damper and cooler, many garden chores are in need or will be done in the upcoming months.
That means the gardener will need a whole host of plants, materials and supplies.
I will manage to alienate all the various home industry vendors at once.
I am talking about the services, hours, products and responsiveness of some of the industry’s vendors.
I am guilty of most of my gripes in some form. But even that doesn’t negate the need to inform you and, hopefully, improve the greater good of our horticultural realm.
So my first bit of advice is to always develop good relationships with the mom-and-pop vendors who can find you the products even when some of the larger organizations may not.
This is a good way to bond with a horticultural business.
They may be willing to work with you to find material and order special for you, which is great.
Now back to the vendors.
Service is a huge issue, and to this store’s great credit, it did provide me a list of the closest stores with inventory to assist me with my needs.
One of my biggest gripes is places that do not have something and do nothing to help me acquire the items I’m so desperately seeking.
A great vendor will always get it for you, or tell you where to go as a way of serving you.
These people get the dahlias’ share of my business.
And finally, I’m irritated by the various hours of operation.
I really like the Home Depot. They are open at 7 a.m. with a big contractor’s door and checkout counter.
Last week, I needed several landscape items at places not open until 9 a.m. or later.
You might not care for a Walmart-type operation, but they are open early, open on the weekends and have greatly extended holiday hours as well.
They catch much of the business from people already on the job before 9 a.m.
I cannot believe how many vendors here on the Peninsula are not open until 9 a.m. or even 10 a.m. It is crazy.
Maybe I am way off base, but gardeners are early-morning people.
Getting up with the dawn, singing with the birds, picking the fruits of the garden, then watering before the heat of the day makes many tasks less miserable.
If you are open at 9:30 a.m., by the time I get to you, shop, ask questions, read labels, load, unload and set up to work, it is noon.
The gardening day is over or at least half wasted.
For many of us, weekends are when we do our landscape warrior thing. Terrorize that yard, between the sports events, family and other shopping needs.
This is not the time I need late openings, early closings or Sunday off.
National chains tend to be open, and many times I am there because, at that time of day, no one else is.
So find vendors you can work with and give them lots and lots of your business.
Tell them what you need and buy more so their prices can drop in line with those of the big places.
You, the consumer, can indeed influence the market and be the deciding force on which businesses thrive and which ones end up on the compost heap.
I am sure I am neck deep in the manure pile by now.
That’s OK, because this week, I have to buy a lot of things, since this is the time to dig and plant, then fertilize and lime everything.
As I look for grass seed, lights, bushes, bone meal, lime and gorgeous fall foliage plants, I wish you much luck.
A wide array of very fine folks wait to assist you.
Finding the right, full and accessible vendors are as important as anything you can do to enhance your garden experience.
And remember to stay well all!
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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
