Liquid Assets

Aquatic pros offer advice for keeping a steady stream of business in this specialty market

By Lisa Albert

Before diving into water gardens, know what you’re doing.

“Education is key,” says Eileen Brazil, owner of RidgeTop Farm in North Plains, Ore. And she’s not just talking about the home gardener; her advice is directed at professionals as well. Businesses that identify trends and adapt to take advantage of growth opportunities can find success, despite competition and economic factors that impact this specialty market.

For Brazil’s 7-year-old nursery, that meant filling a niche with unusual aquatics — including many natives — along with more standard plant offerings.

Eamonn Hughes, owner of Hughes Water Gardens in Tualatin, Ore., continues to see a strong interest in traditional ponds and streams. “Our weekend classes (on pond construction) are always full,” he says. But he’s seen increased interest in pond-free water features over the last few years. Pond-free systems, also known as disappearing waterfalls, offer the beauty and sound of water without the safety and maintenance issues of traditional ponds. They meet the needs of smaller lots and entry gardens, and they surpass city regulations regarding pond depth. For those with wanderlust, a flick of a switch to turn off the waterfall is all that is required to get into vacation mode.

Hughes, who has been installing pond-free systems for 30 years, credits the current growth in consumer installations to simplified equipment developed by Aquascapes Pondless Waterfall systems. “The kits allow the do-it-yourselfers to avail themselves of the benefits of pond-less systems,” he says.

Neal Lucht, owner of Pacific Water Gardens in Molalla, Ore., echoes Hughes’ observations. “Pond size is all over the board,” he says, but “pondfree systems account for 40 percent of the features we see installed these days.” They also provide opportunities to spotlight landscape plants, such as the Japanese maples and grafted conifers that Pacific Water Gardens carries.

Lucht suggests that retailers display aquatics against landscape plants. “Go beyond the water to the landscape…look for long-blooming white (flowers) against conifers,” he says.

In recent years, there’s been an increase in demand for fountains at Hughes Water Gardens. Container water gardening is also on the upswing, thanks to downsizing baby boomers, shrinking lot sizes and gardeners who desire low-maintenance planting beauty.

“It’s hot, hot, hot,” is how Hughes puts it. “We are seeing improved glazes with very exciting colors and designs,” he says.

Anne Beadle of Hughes Water Gardens transforms plants, bronze statues and water bowls into miniature gardens for decks, balconies and courtyards. A large bowl — 20 inches in diameter — might feature Cyperus papyrus (Egyptian reed) for vertical structure, Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) for broadleaf texture and Lysimachia nummularia (creeping Jenny) to soften and spill over the container’s edges. A dose of Elodea densa (anacharis) to oxygenate and purify the water and a water lily, such as Nymphaea ‘Perry’s Fire Opal’ for wow appeal, finish the ensemble. The creative result appeals to customers, and Hughes says it has tripled water bowl sales at his business.

Furthering the appeal of container gardening is its limitless versatility. “You can even have a water garden in your house,” Brazil says. “Small plants in a deep water bowl make a great table centerpiece.”

Lucht has seen the rise in popularity of container water gardens translate to an increase in quality materials, including containers glazed inside and out to make them better suited for water gardening. To meet market demand, Pacific Water Gardens has partnered with California craftsman Scott Paris to offer a container water garden package, complete with water bowl, statuary and aquatic plants. They offer a plant recipe with form and function — instead of specific plants — as the key ingredients, to avoid lost sales. “If one plant is missing, the combination doesn’t sell,” Lucht says.

Balance Restoration Nursery LLC in Lorane, Ore., serves a different element in the aquatic plant market. It provides bare-root wetland natives for use in wetland restoration and governmentmandated mitigation to retail customers, landscapers, cities and municipalities.

Launched 18 years ago by Ron and Tammy Robinson with dune grass for beach restoration projects, the nursery now carries 60 species of wetland native plants. In the four years since current owner Jeff Levy purchased the nursery, he’s seen business remain strong and steady. Most years, Balance sells out of its stock on hand. Levy admits that Balance’s market is less influenced by horticultural trends, but even so, the business is affected by shifts in plant popularity. These days, Balance’s top sellers include Carex obnupta (slough sedge) and Juncus patens (spreading rush).

Where will this facet of the industry go next? Levy points to the Midwest, where, in his opinion, native ecology is on the cutting edge.

“Public awareness is growing,” he says. “Growth is going to come as the public encourages use of natives, and not just because the government requires it.” Consumer education will pave the way, Levy predicts, and as home gardeners become savvy about the benefits of rain gardens — man-made depressions that collect, filter and slow percolation of water run-off — the market demand for wetland plants will increase.

In a similar vein, Brazil of RidgeTop strives to educate home gardeners that a plant doesn’t have to be either aquatic or native — it can be both. As examples, she names two beautiful Pacific Northwest aquatics, Menyanthes trifoliata (bog bean), a top seller for her, and Sagittaria latifolia (broadleaf arrowhead).

Regardless of origin, new and exciting plants draw customers in, transforming them into consumers as well as gardeners. For many, their first purchase is a Cyperus alternifolius (umbrella plant). Tropical-looking plants and true tropicals continue to be popular with customers at Hughes Water Gardens. Enormous water lily Victoria amazonica (not for sale) draws in the crowds, which then satisfy their cravings with tropical treats such as monster-leaved Gunnera manicata.

Red- or yellow-foliaged plants continue to garner favor. Canna ‘Black Knight’ is a hot seller for Pacific Water Gardens. Lucht likes to highlight red foliage with white flowers, such as mixing star grass (Rhynchospora colorata, formerly Dichromena) with Lobelia cardinalis ‘Queen Victoria.’ The bright gold form of lizard’s tail, Saururus chinensis ‘Flaming Dragon,’ a new offering from Hughes Water Gardens, brings a sure-fire glow to shady settings. Without noting a specific color trend for flowers, Brazil says she receives frequent requests for “irises in colors other than lavender.”

Shrinking lot sizes equate to smaller ponds, which is turn equate to a rise in demand for dwarf forms of large aquatics that would overwhelm small spaces. New plant introductions include many smaller Canna, such the Pacific Water Gardens introduction ‘Doris Sue,’ and a dwarf selection of papyrus, Cyperus papyrus ‘Miniature.’ Small ponds and water bowls benefit from noninvasive, clump-growing aquatics such as Samolus parviflorus (water alyssum), a new introduction to the Northwest from Hughes Water Gardens.

For large ponds, Lucht suggests pairing small and large Canna, such as ‘Merlot’ with ‘Fire Fly,’ for a combination full of color and structure.

While the trend is toward shrinking Canna sizes, Lucht reports that the reverse is true for water lilies. Large-flowered forms are in demand, and breeders are responding with big, bold blooms. His favorite combination is Nymphaea ‘Texas Dawn’ and ‘Rembrandt.’ “They have similarly sized leaves and blooms, so they compete well with each other,” he says. “Their red and yellow flowers are a powerhouse combination.”

Red and yellow is also the theme of Levy’s favorite combination. He loves to interplant redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea) with the yellow stems of Pacific willow (Salix lasiandra). ‘Nehalem,’ a naturally occurring variety, has particularly bright yellow stems. Levy recommends annual pollarding to encourage brightly colored growth.

Gone are the days when retail nurseries displayed aquatics as small plugs in plastic trays on tables. Today, 1-gallon and 10-inch containers are prevalent. And that’s a good thing: well-displayed water plants boost sales. To further improve marketing displays, Pacific Water Gardens is rolling out Smart Aquatics, a 4-by-4-foot modular cube system with adjustable depths.

Hughes sees profit potential in pond maintenance materials. “Water gardening has been actively going for 10 to 15 years now,” he points out. “People with established ponds need maintenance products, such as algae control, nets, fish food and mosquito dunks” — all add-on sales for the retailer.

When asked what challenges his business faces, Lucht’s response was immediate: “Fuel, fuel, fuel. It’s related to one system or the other: transportation or heat. Since 1999, I’ve seen rates for heating fuel rise 300 percent.” Transportation costs can be especially hard on specialty nurseries, he says. One truck may carry orders for 50 customers; the many stops eat up time and money.

Another challenge is the limited propagation and cultural care information, including dealing with disease and insects, for aquatics. “We’re farther along the learning curve,” says Lucht, “but we’re still on it.” Additionally, growers must stay up on current USDA regulations regarding trailer plants, those that tag along with purchased plants. Growers must self-police their business to avoid the unintentional release of the next invasive aquatic.

Education was the running theme through all conversations. How do growers achieve the necessary knowledge and then convey that knowledge to the retailer and the consumer? For Hughes, Lucht and Brazil, reaching the home gardener through seminars is one way to spread their wisdom. Hughes and Brazil also offer information to the public via their Web sites. This is a particularly effective means to reach the younger, computer-literate generation of gardeners.

The final link in this education chain is the retail sales staff. Employees who are knowledgeable about water gardening and aquatics plants, including how to incorporate them into a garden and how to care for them, are key to boosting sales.

Lisa Albert is a freelance writer in Tualatin, Ore. She has written for Sunset, Fine Gardening and www.rainyside. com. Contact her at lja.garden@verizon. net or (503)795-4752.

Digger magazine is produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries Publications Department. publications@oan.org