Rows of Roses

Allison Westbrook

On a few drizzly days in June, I was able to tag along with other trade and consumer media to see Bailey’s operations in Oregon, including these bareroot rose fields at their Sauvie Island facility.

Our first stop was at their production facility in Yamhill. Bailey Nurseries pots the majority of their cuttings at this facility and they’re able to plant around 17,000 containers per day, depending on size, with 15 staff on the potting line. Unlike their facilities in the Midwest, the Oregon locations are able to plant all year round. Most of their plants are there from start to finish.

“We can control the whole life of the plant. It’s all about consistency; same size, same quality every year,” said Shane Brockshus, West Coast General Manager for Bailey. Sixty-five to 70% of their production at Yamhill is shipped to other facilities for sale. Bailey staff likes the plants to arrive at their final destinations in October, so they can go dormant where they’ll wake up.

They’re also serious about conservation. The Yamhill facility is home to a large reservoir and they recapture most of the water that’s used for irrigation. They also compost almost all of their rejected or excess material, and a good portion of their growing media is recycled, ground-down material.

We also got a look into their intensive breeding process. As it can take anywhere from five to 20 years to bring a shrub to market, there’s a slow, deliberate process to trialing and introducing new varieties.

Chris Selin, Bailey’s External Trials Coordinator, described their new internal and external trialing programs. They’re now partnering with universities and botanic gardens to trial plants at locations across the U.S. The goal is to push zoning recommendations and heat tolerance levels. No pesticides are used on the trialing products, so they can see the effect of local pests on their shrubs, just as a consumer would. They go through a full three-year minimum evaluation period, and the results will be shared with growers and customers when collected.

We then got a glimpse of their new Endless Summer campaign, which was based around the tagline, “Experience Life in Full Bloom.” They’re focusing on messaging that incorporates their products with outdoor living and how plants can add to the experience. They also unveiled their regional texting campaign, which sends tips and recommendations to consumers. And they’re adding infographics to their POP, giving customers an easy way to compare Bailey’s product with competitors.

As Natalia Hamill, Brand & Business Develop-ment Manager, commented, “A long, lengthy tag isn’t how to do it anymore.”

Speaking of Endless Summer, we were also able to go into their top-secret area to see plants in development. There may be a new color introduction in the near future, so stay tuned! GT