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 Home Gardening Mississippi nurseries do great job
each year The arrival of spring has nearly the same effect on me as Christmas. Like the holiday season, spring is a great time of year when the garden comes alive again with new plants, plenty of optimism and great expectations. Right now, like every other Mississippi gardener, I'm busy planning my back yard garden and anxiously awaiting the plethora of plants that will soon be offered by our local nurseries and garden centers.
Most people are amazed when they find out how many nurseries
there are in our state. We get a small glimpse of the diversity and quality
of their product each year at the Garden and Patio Shows that are held
throughout Mississippi. The nursery industry, as we affectionately call
it, is worth millions of dollars to our state economy, generating hundreds
of jobs and a lot of satisfied customers.
In George County, where my headquarters is, there are more than 40 nurseries growing just about everything we need for Southern landscapes including trees, shrubs, vines, foliage and bedding plants. The first George County nursery was opened back in 1898. Currently, statewide, there are over 300 wholesale nursery growers providing high quality products for landscapes across the U.S.A. as well as for some export markets. It's also amazing that nearly all are family owned businesses! Curious onlookers and serious inquirers often ask about how they can get into the nursery business. Like any farm, nurseries generally have trucks, buildings, and tractors, potting machines and other tools and equipment necessary for daily operations. This may give the appearance of overwhelming prosperity. At this notion, a nursery owner may just smile or they may begin to tell you that Wall Street is not the only place where people lost money in the last three years. The nursery business takes a lot of capital to enter and even more to stay in operation. It takes a great time commitment as well. Nursery owners tend their plants as a momma does her babies. A weekend without water, for example, and the crop may be history. Mississippi nursery growers are some of the best people as well as being some of the best plant producers anywhere. As you visit your favorite garden center or stop in at one the Garden and Patio Shows this spring, you will see that our growers have done a great job of getting plants ready for your garden. It's like Christmas all over again! Happy Gardening! Publications may download photograph at 200 dpi These archived columns were written by Kerry Johnson, a hobby gardener, former weekly newspaper columnist and an Area Extension Horticulture Agent for 11 coastal counties in Mississippi. |
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Visit: DAFVM || USDA Search our Site || Need more information about this subject? Last Modified: Thursday, 10-Apr-08 11:08:38 URL: http://msucares.com/lawn/garden/msgardens/04/040223.html Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution. Recommendations on this web site do not endorse any commercial products or trade names. |
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