Gardening craze -- Skagit nurseries anticipate high demand again for plants this spring

Mar. 6—While Skagit County garden centers and nurseries are doing their best to prepare for the upcoming gardening season, they warn that there could be shortages of plants due to the growth in interest in gardening that began last year.

John Christianson, co-owner of Christianson's Nursery west of Mount Vernon, said many took up gardening for the first time last spring when they had to stay at home during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"What happened with COVID-19 is that it inspired a whole generation of gardeners," he said.

He said younger people who may live in rental properties or lack a large outdoor space have found smaller spaces or are using containers to garden.

With a mild growing season last year, Christianson believes many new gardeners had a high success rate and will be back. The store is preparing accordingly.

"Our plant selection has increased across the board," Christianson said. "We have fruit trees, roses, more shrubs, more perennials, and vegetable (starts)."

Already, the nursery is selling out of plants such as roses and fruit trees, Christianson said. He said some gardeners bought these plants out of season last year, reducing what will be available this spring.

He said the challenge is that the nursery in unable to replenish its stock of shrubs and trees, which require several years to grow before they are sold.

"The demand right now is higher than ever, the supply is limited, and if you want certain plants, you don't want to wait until later in the season," Christianson said. "I think there is going to be shortages."

Luckily, he said, vegetable starts can be grown in a matter of weeks, allowing growers to increase production to meet demand.

One of Christianson's suppliers of vegetable starts is Sunseed Farm in Acme.

Demand exploded last spring for vegetable and herb starts, said Sunseed Farm owner Nick Guilford.

"We had probably four or five weeks where we could not keep up at all, we were shorting everybody," he said.

This year, the certified organic farm has changed its production model to better prepare itself to meet the new demand. Guilford said the farm will no longer sell produce, and will exclusively focus on growing organic plant starts to supply grocery stores and nurseries throughout the region.

"In the winter we've had a lot of increased interest from stores and are ramping up production," he said.

Anticipating another year of high demand and plant shortages, Azusa Farm & Gardens west of Burlington is stocking up on inventory, said owner Everett Chu.

"I have been buying plants for many years and I haven't seen a shortage like this," he said.

Chu said during the stay-at-home order last year, the store stayed open because it sold food crops and was considered essential. During that time, the nursery saw more new customers and customers buying in larger quantities.

He said more are undertaking serious renovations of their gardens and are inquiring about the store's landscape design services.

"It reflects people's changing priorities," Chu said. "They value the landscape now and feel they are homebound."

Aside from the surge in interest in gardening, another factor affecting the nursery industry is the recent cold spell across many parts of the country that destroyed nursery and plant stock, Chu said. He said West Coast growers are feeling more pressure now.

Chu said gardeners shouldn't panic over potential plant shortages, but should buy early.

"If you find it, do take action," he said. "Don't wait too long. It might not be there in a week or two."

— Reporter Jacqueline Allison: jallison@skagitpublishing.com, 360-416-2145, Twitter: @Jacqueline_SVH