Business Barometer June/July 2007
These responses came from a May 9, 2007, survey and originally appeared in the June/July 2007 issue of Water Garden News.
Chilly Reception
Nursery and garden center in Buhler, Kan.
With all the rain, things have been kind of slow. April brought extreme amounts of rain and no sun. Now, even though it’s raining, it’s warmer, and people have started thinking more about their ponds. We had a bad freeze not too long ago. Things are slowly getting green again.
Pondless waterfalls have been a big seller, and waterfalls with a lot of drops and taller falls with multiple streams going into ponds are big. Also, fish have been popular lately.
Thawing Out
A water garden center in Baltimore, Ontario, Canada
Because of the cold, the ice hasn’t been out of the ponds that long. Once the danger of frost has passed, customers get going on the tropicals, water hyacinth and lilies. So far things are slow. I was just scraping ice off the car. Spring is not totally here.
People are buying fish food and looking to get hyacinths. One thing we sell a lot of when the water warms is water hyacinth for keeping the ponds clean. We’re big fans of the plant filters. Of course they’re god for us, because the frost kills ‘em and we have to sell more of them again next year. We don’t sell chemicals or anything, but the hyacinths keep the water clean.
Getting Warmer
Nursery and garden center in Chattanooga, Tenn.
We’re selling a lot of everything. Customers are buying more pondless kits than last year. That’s the product that stands out most.
Generally people are gearing up for the summer. Some new plants are good sellers. New red bog lily (Crinum ‘Menehune’) is popular.
Our season has been kind of screwy this year. We had a very early spring and a very late freeze. Plant sales are a little behind. After the freeze, they had a lot of damage. That seems to be the case for most of the East. They’re just now coming back with the plants; they were looking great, but then they lost foliage.
Hot for Liner
Nursery and garden center in Albuquerque, N.M.
Business is booming. New plants are in stock and there are lots of customers. Liner is a big seller right now. People are building ponds and stocking them with plants. From March to September, it’s fairly busy.
We’ve gotten a new customer base here. I’m not sure if they are new customers or just putting in ponds.
We’re selling a lot of plants and fish. The regular customers tend to buy filtering grasses, lilies and more fish. We sell a lot of containers and have a lot of art.
Along with the liner, we sell tons of skimmers, filters and tons of pumps. Pumps have a shelf life of about one to two years, so people are always buying them.
This is the time of year when people are cleaning out ponds, and we recommend the plants they need. We recommend 70 percent water coverage, and if they don’t have that, they come down and pick those up.
Texas-sized Sales
Pond and fish supply store in Corpus Christi, Texas
Sales are picking up, and calls are coming in more frequently. People are beginning the spring cleaning of their water gardens.
We see and increase in filtration-system upgrades and departure from in-pond pumps and filters. Because of the intense south Texas sun, UV clarifiers are moving.
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Business Barometer June/July 2007
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