The change of season is a yearly opportunity for us to improve, and optimism runs high as the days get longer and warmer. Like most, we struggled during and immediately following the recession that started in the fall of 2008, but we made it through some very lean years thanks to hard work from fantastic staff and loyalty from our trusted customers and vendors. I certainly wouldn’t say that things are back to the way they were in the mid 2000s, but they’re improving each year for us. Thank you for partnering with us for mutual success!

I often reflect on what make all of us stay in a demanding and sometimes frustrating industry. When I guest lecture about the nursery/landscape business at various schools (high school Agriscience, Naugatuck Valley CC, UCONN, NY Botanical Garden, etc), I tell students that while this is a great industry to work in, goals can’t just be set on making money; we also need to strive to be satisfied in what we do and how we do it.

To the above point, many of us in the Green Industry don’t sell through emotion and enthusiasm. We also don’t always prioritize providing the highest level of professionalism and quality possible. Count me in that group at times! Not to make excuses, but in my group’s collective defense, it’s easy to get dragged down when ever increasing expenses and mandated regulations couple with shrinking labor pools and a residential housing market that hasn’t really recovered from the recession. Personally, I recharge by spending as much time as possible at our farms where we produce some of the finest plants around as well as in our sales yards where we pair those offerings with carefully selected materials from many of the country’s finest vendors. Not to mention I’ve met some of the brightest and classiest people I know through Planters’ Choice, many of you reading this certainly fit that mold.

Since I’m pitching enthusiasm and professionalism, it bears mentioning that for many years, our goal has been to make “Planters’ Choice your best choice”. We are always looking to improve on our offerings for you and are proud to provide exceptional value. Your input is always welcome and I look forward to reconnecting with many of you and meeting others for the first time in 2017. Thanks again for giving all of us at Planters’ Choice many reasons to smile, we look forward to having the chance to reciprocate!
-Darryl