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Blue-Ribbon Marketing
| Paul D. Hammer
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>> Published Date: 8/1/2008
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 You’ll find leadership and “giving back” to the horticulture industry on display every year at the Oregon State Fair. Doug and Deanna Hart of Hart’s Nursery in Jefferson, Oregon (located south of the state capital of Salem), put unimaginable effort into a 2-acre display garden and the overall state fair grounds.
Every year for the past eight years they’ve built and maintained a permanent display that could almost pass for a botanical garden. And over the last few years they’ve continually increased their footprint at the fair, while dedicating an annual budget of $40,000 for labor and materials. In 2007 they were judged the No. 1 destination at the state fair for the second year in a row.
You might ask why they do this, especially when you realize they don’t receive direct compensation for all their efforts.
Their first reason is to connect with the consumer. They listen intently to the visitors who talk about what they have and what they want. Elegantly—and not so evident to the unsuspecting visitor—Hart’s Nursery has incorporated a trial into the gardens, which in 2007 included geraniums, baskets, combination planters and coleus. Their container and basket trials dictate which mixed containers they’ll grow for the following year, which undoubtedly has quite an influence on the regional market.
They ask visitors to fill out a survey as they walk the trials and choose a few of their favorites. They also ask simple questions about buying and gardening preferences. Participants are even rewarded for their input with a “premium” 4-in. plant. Impressively, during the 11 days of the fair, 800 surveys were collected. “This is where we receive a return on investment,” says Doug Hart. “Each year we learn more about our regional consumers and what makes them buy.”
Secondly and just as important to the Harts, is to give back and promote horticulture to the public. “We want this event to showcase our industry but feel like a backyard party,” says Deanna Hart. All total, more than 200,000 fair goers are treated as Doug and Deanna’s guests.
Your author arrived on a beautiful Saturday morning to help for a couple hours. Teaming up with Fred Meyer, a Northwest big box store, we gave away plants in free, newly released reusable grocery bags. As one of the helpers looking visitors in the eyes and handing over free plants, I was showered in undeserved attention and gratitude. There was not one visitor in the garden who didn’t want to take a few plants home and who wasn’t grateful for the gift.
Later, spending time in the gardens with my family, watching the crowds of people of all ages look at the flowers with such joy on their faces, I couldn’t help but laugh at all the headlines lately asking if gardening is dead.
What’s next? Hart’s Nursery has a budget for growth each year. They’ll be installing more automatic watering in the displays to reduce the daily hand waterings. They continually expand their presence by taking over flowerbeds throughout the fair property as well as putting hanging baskets and color wherever they can.
Paul Hammer is a regional sales manager for Dummen USA and is based in the Portland, Oregon, area.
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