Southwest Heritage Oak — 09/07/2017

There’s a shortage of broadleaf evergreen trees that can be grown without high maintenance costs in the arid West, where summers are hot, winters cold, and soils alkaline.

Shortages are the mother of opportunity, so Heritage Seedlings & Liners, in collaboration with oak expert Dr. Allan Taylor, for the first time brings to market a trademarked line of grafted, native Southwest oaks for water-wise gardens. Our grafting assures you of genetic uniformity and adds another desirable feature: those selections that normally sucker lose that trait to flourish under nursery care as single-trunk specimens.

Natural crosses of up to seven different native Western white oak species, each of our selections is unique in leaf form, color, growth habit, and mature size. They’re adapted to very low maintenance or unirrigated landscapes and help to fill the urgent need for small trees that can be safely planted in an attractive fire buffer zone around suburban homes and commercial sites. As street trees, they can help to relieve city maintenance budgets.

Dr. Taylor, who has collected oaks around the American Southwest for over 30 years, has a personal preference for those with bluish leaves and evergreen habit. Most selections are relatively small trees - ideal for city lots.

These native oaks of the American Southwest offer homeowners, garden centers and nurseries fascinating, delightful ornamental trees with upside profit potential. Unlike oaks of the American East offered in the wholesale nursery trade, these selections are regionally adapted Southwest natives, grafted so you don’t have to reckon with frustrating seedling variability. Best of all, each is uniquely attractive – far more than their rock-hard constitution might suggest. And finally, they thrive with regular nursery care, even in the Pacific Northwest.

Farwest 2017 Availability — 08/22/2017View Details

Finally!

That’s how we feel now that we have our Farwest Show availability list complete and order confirmations going out the door. We take a lot of effort to make inventory accurate so when we confirm your order we feel confident of our ability to ship what we confirm. This helps you more confidently plan your own work - whether grafting, potting up, field planting, or some combination.

Our aim is to make your Heritage order one you can feel confident about, that you make a solid profit on.

Dependable. Reliable. Accurate. No surprises. These are the fundamentals we’ve grown this enterprise on for 35 years, so we’ve had lots of practice sharpening our wits and wisdom.

Check out our Availability List/Catalog to find current availability anytime, updated so that you see what’s actually available when you order. We’ve made a determined effort to grow more of what you regularly ask for, but don’t hesitate once you have a solid idea of what you need.

We can create a “standing order” of those basics to help protect your annual interest. Let us know.

As we propagate new items and re-balance our plant portfolio to reflect what’s in solid demand, you know we’re always on the forefront of offering the newest and best varieties in woody plants. Just today we learned that two of our new varieties, Quercus ‘Mesa de Maya’ and Corylus ‘Burgundy Lace’ earned Best of Show and runner up… basically both first and second places in the Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase!

Come by our booth #9037 to see them. Better yet, chip your card in for our closing-hour drawing to take one of these choice prizes home with you on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, while you’re there we can review your order details personally, offer you ideas for other items to enhance your sales, or answer any questions you may have about shipping, growing hints and grafting. Or, just stop by to update us about your family and what fun you’ve been up to recently. Farwest is a family reunion after all!

Need last-minute free passes? Let us know…

Kind regards,

Mark, Jolly and Crew

Summer 2017 Availability — 05/25/2017View Details

Dear Friends,

As we consider the prospects of the new growing season, there are a few items you can confidently order for June shipping and more for pickup at the nursery. Give this list a quick review and call us promptly, or shoot us an email with your wish list. After 36 years, we pack and ship via UPS with literally hundreds of “man years” of experience to guide us and assure you of fresh, prompt delivery. Just let us know the exact day that you can best receive the boxes and open them promptly upon receipt to let them respire freely. Or tell us when you can come out to the nursery to pick them up. There’s lots of growing season left, with the longest day upon us coming up in late June.

For this new season, our preliminary inventory shows almost all items in strong supply prospects, but it benefits you to call us with your preliminary order as soon as you get a comfortable sense of what you’re going to need. We can revise amounts above or below that later; but like a stock trader, it pays you to put a “floor” under your projected needs and profit strategy and then revise your order as the season goes along if you need to. Book your minimum order as soon as possible to protect your supply priority position. It it’s an annual need, let us know so we can make that special note in our files – a sort of unofficial priority “contract” order for you.

Remember, our professional staff are your partners here in Oregon’s rich Willamette River Valley and if you can manage to visit us sometime this summer or fall, we’d be honored to show you around our greenhouses and production farms with our full attention. Come with lots of questions and an extra camera battery. Honor us with all your specific questions or special requests you have about plant size, varieties, ship date, or minimums. There’s lots to see, but we can’t read minds. Give us a clear sense of what you hope for, so that we organize your tour well and you leave with the feeling that it was your very best use of your time that day.

If you want just skip the plants and go have breakfast or a beer with Mark at the local watering hole to talk business, or both - we can do that, too!

Respectfully,

Mark, Jolly and Staff

purple leaved beech seedling transplants

Cooler Cleanout April 2017 — 04/03/2017View Details

April 2017

Dear Friends,

As we ship the final bundles and pots in a banner sales season, we still have broad availability of fine seedling rootstock, 1-2 year grafts, cuttings and tissue-cultured liners! We hope to finish shipping of cold-stored, bareroot and potted liners by mid-to-late April, so this is your opportunity to fill in some blank spots.

Whether you pot them up for fall sales or plant in the field, bring our liners in now to get a head start on your own inventory/cash flow for the year(s) ahead.

Some quick examples to jump-start your imagination ….

·We’re surprised how few nurseries propagate Eastern Redbud in quantity, so you may wish to pot some up while we have strong availability in larger sizes that will finish fast, especially if you favor them with a warm greenhouse. Varieties ‘Appalachian Red’, ‘Burgundy Hearts®, The Rising Sun™, and ‘Hearts of Gold’ are popular and somewhat hard to find in larger sizes. The Western Redbud, Cercis occidentalis is our own native species, and we still have strong availability from a record crop this past season.

·Check out our medium-sized plug Katsuratree seedlings to stuff into a #3 pot or the field for vigorous ’17 season growth to 5-6 feet. Add to your uniform seedling crop the reddish leaf variety, Red Fox Katsura. If you call soon, the loosely upright, pendulous variety ‘Morioka Weeping’ is always pleasing, especially around a landscape water feature.

·Several Arbutus selections are available: Strawberry Tree, the handsome hybrid ‘Marina’, and A. unedo ‘Oktoberfest’. They’re hard to beat, especially in a site that doesn’t get much maintenance

·Another group of popular, medium trees are dogwoods, always in demand and easy to grow if you don’t over-salt the root systems with fertilizer. We have a fair number of Rosy Teacups®, ‘Mountain Moon’, Stellar Pink®, Variegated Stellar Pink®, ‘Aka Tsuki’, award-winning ‘Summer Gold’ and the upright Snow Tower®

·Beeches aren’t as small as dogwoods or redbuds and Japanese maples, but a few varieties are consistent sellers: Columnar ‘Dawyck Gold’ or ‘Dawyck Purple’, and pleasing mixed colors of ‘Roseomarginata’ are good property if pruned a bit in mid-summer to make a well-formed plant for your list.

·Finally, Oakleaf Hydrangea and magnolias; as you know, we grow the best of them. Jolly’s putting her name on 10 Magnolia Black Tulip® today, but if you act quickly she’ll book you the few that remain, and may let you have 5 of hers (if you send her favorite Swiss chocolate).

Want your plants to flourish this summer? Start with the best in seedlings and huge selection of grafted and cutting/TC-grown items from Heritage.

Mark, Jolly, & Staff

Last Call Spring 2017 Availability — 03/10/2017View Details

Dear Friends,

In a rising market, we’d be wise to remember that although we get excited by sales numbers, profit is the engine of commerce. Follow the 80/20 Rule. Are 80% of your profits generated by 20% of your product line? What 20% of your time yields 80% of your productivity?

The key to profit is not so much getting the right answers, it’s in thoughtfully asking the right questions. For example, what 20% of the following generates 80% of your profit?

·Field, greenhouse, or retail space
·Plant selection
·Clients/territory
·Time

Does your plant selection strategically guide clients toward what must ultimately be an “experience” at retail, or reflect what your sales staff reported was most short last year? Do your key staff get strokes more from sales, or do you focus at least as much on margin? Choose carefully, with profit as your goal, not just sales. Despite popular notions, none of us makes up lackluster profit margin with greater sales volume.

Our seedling woody rootstock selection is unmatched. With more than 450 kinds of ornamental woodies to choose from, our plant selection helps you grow and deliver profitable VALUE with core items that are recurrent sales bell-ringers in addition to niche items. Let us answer your questions about our diversity in cutting, tissue-cultured, and specialty grafted items, many of which are unavailable in quantity elsewhere.

From your first call or note, we handle your inquiry professionally – carefully document your order respond quickly, and ship your order so that when you open the box or truck you sense how much we CARE. We take care of YOU. On the rare occasion when we goof, we immediately make it right - to your satisfaction.

We’re your partner, not just your supplier.

Rebalance your plant portfolio to lead your market, shorten your turn times, diminish cull ratios, and avoid running an expensive hobby.

Respectfully,

Mark, Jolly & Staff

February 2017 Availability — 02/02/2017View Details

Dear Friends,

This time of year when we work so hard shipping, we want you to know your order is in capable hands.

Who are these nursery professionals, anyway? Who picks up the phone when you call, or responds when you write?

·Eric (ext. 113) is getting all our potted liners pulled for grading, greenhouses cleaned up, soil and pots steamed, grafting done, hardwoods stuck, and flats replanted with hundreds of varieties and seed kinds. Make sure if you want anything new grown on contract, he knows about it ASAP.

·Mike is shipping like a maniac, and with almost 22 years of experience he knows more than anyone about packing UPS boxes effectively and loading trucks from our cold storage building. We’ll have him return your call promptly.

·Lynda, our native plant manager (ext. 103), is a whirlwind with her organization, attention to detail on customer service, and truck coordination. She’ll give you straight answers with courtesy.

·Octavio, our Operations Controller, has his hand in almost all the essentials. So when you come up with a special situation that requires his wisdom and judgment, his extension is #112.

·We hired a hort graduate from Missouri recently, Ethan Hochstein. He (ext. 115) will take your order and answer your availability or other after-care questions. We’re happy he’s got quick wits and feels committed to our best shipping season ever.

·Anthony and Maira (ext. 104 and 102) cover lots of bases in the office, from phones, to A/P and A/R and overall executive assistance. So although that “executive” title seems way too formal for me and Jolly, I guess that’s our handle. The buck stops with us; so call anytime. Mark and Jolly, Ext. 105 and 107.

·Behind the scenes, Joe, Jeff and Tom keep all our equipment and rolling stock running 52 weeks per year. Without them we’d be without rigs working smoothly every day. We work for them, and they for us; but we all know YOU are the only “boss”. You write our paychecks - it’s that simple. THANK YOU.

These 10 amazing people in or around the office work daily to make sure you have no surprises coming from Heritage. Collectively, we will get you the information you need quickly, and move forward together.

Kind regards,

Mark, Jolly and staff

Our current availability is here.

January 2017 Availability — 01/03/2017View Details

Dear Friends,

Finally winter seems here, after an exceptionally mild fall season. But after the holidays it will be a big push to accommodate all the orders and brisk demands on limited inventories in lots of nursery circles.

Have you booked your order yet, before those who will wait until the MANTS Show or others around the country in January? If not, we suggest you have a good look while things are slower in December, to assure you of maximum options on size and varieties. Fact is, we are already getting light on availability or even sold out on some items.

Highlights of great income opportunity for you and strong supplies on this end include:

Chionanthus virginicus - Shiny dark green leaves and abundant, pleasantly fragrant flowers showcase this classy American native. Much hardier than C. retusus, it performs in full sun from moist lowlands to dry hillsides. Among the finest of ALL landscape plants, not just natives.

Hydrangea Ruby Slippers™- At maturity only about 3.5 ft. tall, it fits neatly into today's compact multi-family housing landscapes.

Asimina - Pawpaw – Pawpaw - 6 named options - the best out of Kentucky. Native small & pest free, this is an up and coming item if you keep track of unusual backyard fruits. (Grandkids & home-made pawpaw ice cream are the best combo this side of heaven.)

Taxodium Shawnee Brave™ - Narrow, perfectly upright form; mature size 70 ft. x 18 ft. Like Fringetree, an extremely versatile landscape tree with a small footprint. Minimum leaf litter due to its fine-textured foliage. Lends an aristocratic air to the landscape, especially if several specimens are grouped like sentinels along a water course or pond.

Acer palmatum var. atropurpureum - One-year plants are perfect for re-potting to grow on for a season; transplants are best for prompt resale. For best branching, lightly pinch the stem tips when they're in tender new growth. An inexpensive alternative to grafted varieties, they are often sold in the GC in a #1 or #2 pot.

Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ - A popular upright, spreading small tree with abundant flowers of pleasing yellow color. If spring is warm, flowers tend toward a cream color.

Regardless of your order size or varieties or delivery date, we appreciate the trust you have in us to get your order in and out RIGHT, every time. We have high expectations of you and ourselves, to make 2017 our best yet, and we are your full partner in that effort. Give us a shot at your needs and we will show you, not just talk about it.

Finally, if you have questions not so easy to review in email or otherwise, just pick up the phone and ask for Veronica, Ethan, Maira, Lynda, Anthony, Octavio, Eric, Mark or Jolly. Count ‘em: that’s nine of us! We’re here to help you out, and one of the experts above will get back to you promptly so we move forward with you together.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Our current availability is here.

Mark, Jolly and staff

November 2016 Availability — 11/16/2016View Details

Dear Friends,

No more election blather – this is business.

Each of us started a profitable, new business in the past 8 years – yes, a new business. It bears no resemblance to the one before. We reinvented ourselves, survived and thrived – all of us. That perseverance and hard work has made us fit for opportunities now and years to come.

Upcoming changes will be more radical than any in the past 8 years due to critical changes in the retail market and right down on the farm:

·Much tighter ag labor availability & doubling (at minimum) of crew labor costs

·Boomer Generation retiring – a shrinking retail market segment. Who replaces them - and their credit cards?

·Fundamental change in new retail buyers’ sense of style and value about ornamental plants we all grow. They don’t want plants; they want entertainment. NOW (not after “working in the garden”).

But for imaginative leaders in this craft, this industry, who have imagination, the future is bright with so many opportunities. There are so many opportunities in a shrunken pool of producers that the choices can feel daunting.

So this is a time to review where your market advantages are, how you want to re-balance your liner investments as part of your tightly focused sales efforts. You already understand this or you wouldn’t have survived this far. Reliable profits aren’t hatched in complacency. No plants get sold in the good old days – days long past. This is surely no time to putter along with the same tired portfolio of plants. Make each item, each size, each sale date and profit margin justify your hard work, time and money.

If you have to grab a beer to make the hard choices a bit easier, go get a 6-pack and get

to it.

Let us help you in that rebalance effort. Find in these pages a huge variety of seedlings, cutting-grown or grafted plants unlike any other you can find in the nation. With more than 35 years in the business, and having started it from scratch, we know a thing or two about cycles and fundamentals. We can help you sort through options if you need it. We commit to transparent communication and doing what we say we will. Pretty simple, and the entire reason we have been successful for so many years ourselves.

Give us a try. Re-order when you get turned down by others.

Best wishes for this THANKSGIVING season and trust yourself. When the next person asks how you’re doing, respond with your best smile, “Better than I deserve.”

Our current availability list is here.

Mark, Jolly & Staff

October 2016 Customer Letter — 09/29/2016View Details

Dear Friends,

When internet news is 24/7, are problems actually worse in 2016, or is our awareness of them just more in our faces? With so much beyond our own control, even a short pause guides us to a sense that a LOT within our own lives is in fact controllable, given our collective good fortunes. We get to decide how we use our time, whom we spend it with, and what endeavors we pursue. In plenty of places around the world, that’s certainly not the case.

Within these pages, for example, you have an exceptional opportunity to engage yourself and your staff – from the receptionist and production/maintenance people to the commissioned sales manager. Review this selection with a goal to get more efficient turn times, imaginative new options for your customers, and more profit per acre or square foot. Keep it fun for everyone, so there is a strong team effort and culture. Inspire others with your work!

We can help you during this period of remarkable change in the market for woody plants. As horticulture splits faster every year into commodity or specialty markets, which one do you choose? Or, do you focus on a hybrid of each, as we do, to maintain a diverse, nimble market position?

No matter what, it’s important to keep your menu updated regularly, offering new and better ornamental varieties to replace those that are beginning to lose sales appeal. We’re known for our specialty line of woody ornamental liners, and after 35 years at it, we have a big selection of the best in new varieties. We have a staff and facilities that are set up to handle your orders efficiently - with courtesy and kindness, not just phone recorders and automated email acknowledgements. When we are jammed up on the phone, we get back to you promptly.

Give us a call if we can offer you some advice or information on kicking up the “inspiration factor” in your own line of woody ornamentals.

Thanks,

Mark, Jolly, & Staff

August 2016 Customer Letter — 08/17/2016View Details

Dear Friends,

Our 2016-17 Catalog has been published and will be hitting the mail right away! It is available now on our website; new catalog.

Farm labor: it’s scarce now, but brace yourself for even fewer available workers and higher labor costs. To adjust to the dwindling labor pool in horticulture, you’ll probably need to check most of the boxes below:

Identify your most labor-intensive varieties. Code payroll hours by crop/crew activity. Get key staff to identify what items take the most crew labor and longest finish times.
Drop at least 20% off your nursery/GC menu – the money losers.
Sharpen your mechanization wits. This can be a fun opportunity, but it requires tightly focused priorities, a disciplined budget, and a thoughtful bank partner.
Double down on your top 20% of profit-makers. Why are they so profitable, while others are a money pit? Answers almost always relate to labor, cycle time and demand.

Rebalance your plant portfolio with updated varieties to keep your clients coming back. This is where Heritage fits as your key partner. We source the best woody ornamentals from the parade of new ones coming out yearly. We’ll help you refresh your plant list to fit with what you do extraordinarily well. Keep it interesting for your customers and profitable for you.

We help you generate the most profit per labor hour by offering you high profit-potential items to replace the losers. Check our availability when you see it by email, fax or post. Ask around about our caring, competent office team who book your order, verify details, and arrange shipping. We have the good stuff you need - consistently, with no surprises in the box, on the truck, or at pickup here at our well-run nursery.

We’re here for you, so contact us to see how we can help you replace marginally profitable items with those that help you meet an ever-larger payroll and still leave you smiling.

Respectfully,

Mark, Jolly, and staff

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