Posts Tagged ‘plant sale’

Ideas for Using QR Codes for Demonstration Gardens and Plant Sales

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013
sample QR code

sample QR code

Some EMG groups are considering putting plant information into the hands of smartphone users with QR codes.

Using QR Codes in Annual Plant Sales and Demo Gardens

There has been an on-going discussion in the gardening and extension blogosphere about QR Codes this past year, first here (about the possibilities), then at the Garden Professors blog (will people use them?), than at the Franklin County MG blog (how they are trying them), and now here again (with resources to learn more about them)!

From all these discussions we were made aware of two presentations about using QR Codes for extending gardening and plant information that we couldn’t keep to ourselves!

Using QR Codes in the Garden

Mary VanDyke and the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia have generously shared their “QR Codes in the Garden” presentation and additional notes with you. (Note: you can share this presentation in non-commercial settings as long as your credit Mary VanDyke and the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, and present the slide link)

Covered in this presentation, is how to use QR Codes for plant sales and demonstration gardens. I specifically found the practical illustrations on which scanner apps to use,  how to generate a QR Code (services, sizes, colors), what kinds of materials to consider printing,  tips for making mobile information on the cheap, and then even more ideas for using them in the demonstration garden.

Qr Codes in the Garden from MaryVanDyke

Using QR Codes to Market Your Demo Landscape

Emily Eubanks, UF/IFAS, Communications Coordinator has another presentation titled:  Qr Codes in Demo Landscapes.  Emily covers how to use QR codes in the demo garden, who might use them, and a covers a case study of Straughn Center Demo gardens.

Emily provides a number of ideas for how to use (slides 26, 27), and just as pertinent is a slide 28 listing their limitations — because we do need to consider if   people will use them, or how we might help people know how to use them!

(Note: you can share this presentation for educational purposes by providing credit to Emily Eubanks, University of Florida, and sharing the link to the slide set).

Qr codes in demo landscapes from University of Florida/IFAS – Emily Eubanks

Is it more worthwhile to scan or not to scan?

As I mentioned last year year, I think there is potential for connecting some consumers with great plant information and customer service with the scan of a QR scan app, but as discussed in this Garden Professors blog post, the jury is still out there to see if consumers will:
a) have access to a smartphone?
b) download a scan app
c) go to the effort to grab their smartphone when they see a QR code
d) use the scan app to scan the QR code
e) re-access the information when they need it later.
For some QR code EMG experimenters like Franklin County MG’s, Ray Eckart, they are thinking bigger than just connecting people to ‘normal’ plant tag info (sun, water, price) via QR Codes. They are thinking about connecting people to Extension bulletins and much richer sets of plant information (some of which Mary and Emily covered in their slide presentations).
 So, I guess this is where the experiment and fun begins….

What do you think?

  • Have you tried using a QR Code app to use them at a garden center, botanical garden? If so, did you find it a useful experience? If not, what would make it better?
  • Do you think your clientele would use them?  Would they need assistance in understanding how to scan them?
  • How or where might you direct people to contact you with questions after a plant sale purchase or visit to a demo garden?
  • What other ideas might you have for using them in plant sales or demonstration garden?

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Spring Master Gardener Plant Sales

Saturday, May 5th, 2012

Be on the look out for Extension Master Gardener Plant Sales this Spring!  We’ve noticed a number of Master Gardener programs have started having or announcing upcoming plant sales this month.

Volunteers shopping early!

Spring plant sales offer many Master Gardener programs a chance to interact with the public and provide gardening education to the public at just the right time – the time of purchase.  It also provides local Master Gardener groups with a chance to fund raise so they contribute back to their local communities.

How do plant sale proceeds benefit local communities?

Extension Master Gardeners groups use plant sale proceeds in variety of ways, below are stories highlighting blog posts which show how plant sales work to help raise funds to:

Plant Sale Tips and Ideas

Last spring, Lynette Spicer, Story Co. (Iowa) Extension Master Gardener provided some tips on getting interns and well as long-time Master Gardener involved in your plant sale.

We also discussed  Useful Tools for Learning in the Garden: QR Codes and Readers , a blog posts which prompted some to think how 2d-barcodes could be used on plant labels, giving gardeners instant access to plant information via their smartphones.

We encourage you to take a look and see if these past blog posts might be of use to you if your program hosts a plant sale. Even better, let others know your plant sale tips or bits of wisdom in the comments section below.

Is your Extension Master Gardener program having a plant sale this year? If so, what kind of plant sale tips or insights do you have for other EMGs?

 

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Green Event Turns Silver

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

As the lines of people lengthened, we knew the 25th anniversary of the Spring Affair Plant sale was going to be a good one.  For 25 years a plant sale has grown and grown.  This sale was started with the intent in mind to educate the gardeners of Nebraska of native and adapted plants to our unique growing region.

A combined effort of Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and the Department of Agronomy & Horticulture, and the Nebraska Forest Service pitch in and develop a plant list of almost 900 plants months in advance of the sale.  As the sale grows near, the steering committee begins to organize all aspects of the day!  A group of over two hundred volunteers are assigned jobs, from unloading the two semi-trucks full of plants on Thursday, helping the 3500 people who attended the sale, to cleaning up the last bit of spilled soil after the sale on Saturday!

During the sale, the steering committee has a group of professionals lined up to do 45 minutes seminars in a classroom and 20 minutes ‘Talk-a-bouts’ by many of the steering committee members focusing on plants right there on the sale floor.  Our goal to inform and educate gardeners on plants that are adapted to the area is not only during the sale.  The proceeds of the sale go to support the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum affiliate site program and other educational programs supported by the representative groups.

This sale would not be possible without all of the help and support from Bluebird Nursery in Clarkson, NE (www.bluebirdnursery.com), the 200 volunteers, and the steering committee with members from Nebraska Statewide Arboretum (www.arboretum.unl.edu), University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension (www.environment.unl.edu) and the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture (www.agronomy.unl.edu) and the Nebraska Forest Service (www.nfs.unl.edu).

Terri James Extension Assistant – Urban Gardening, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Volunteers shopping early!

Spring Affair Plant Sale, an opportunity to provide education on using native and adapted plants unique to the Nebraska growing region.

 

 

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How to get interns as well as long-time Master Gardeners involved in your plant sale

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Dividing plants helps rejuvenate them. Photo from University of Illinois Extension.

The most profitable plants are, of course, those that came to your sale at no cost — Master Gardeners divided plants from their gardens and started plants from seed.

If you want to increase your plant sale proceeds, improve your internal communication so Master Gardeners have a clear idea of the process and will get excited about donating their time and plants.

Get details out to your group

  • Do you know what plants sold out at your last sales? Share that information.
  • Are there plants you don’t want at the sale? Don’t resort to disparaging remarks when plants come in to the sale. Alert MGs what typically doesn’t sell well, and particularly what are invasive species in your state.
  • What information do you want with the plants? Common name, genius species, sun requirements, etc. Do you want MGs to price their plants?
  • Will you accept plants dug just before the sale and not potted?
  • Will you accept woody plants or just herbaceous perennials?
  • Do you provide pots and markers?

How to communicate with Master Gardeners
Prepare an information sheet that explains why dividing plants is beneficial.
Note that dividing, planting seeds and preparing them for sale count as volunteer hours.
Provide a pricing sheet if applicable.
Give a timeline of when divisions should be potted to look good for the sale. (How many times have you seen just-dug wilting plants?)
Cover the other points in this post.

I’d love to see this information sheet in my MG association’s program book we receive at the beginning of the year. Actually I’d just love to have this information written somewhere.

Here’s a 2-pager on dividing plants on the Greater Greenville South Carolina Master Gardener site.  And one from University of Illinois Extension.

Ox-eye daisy

According to a USDA Forest Service fact sheet, ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) is considered invasive in 17 states.

What ideas and comments do you have?
Do you have information sheets on your Web site?
Do you have other ideas for terrific plant sales that bring in money for community projects, scholarships and other good deeds?

–Lynette Spicer, Story County, Iowa Master Gardener

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