With families stuck at home with nowhere to go, many homeowners are taking the opportunity to spruce up their lawns and gardens.
To keep up with demand, local greenhouses are coming up with new, out-of-the-planter solutions to make it easier to help your garden grow.
This week, Bradford Greenhouse Garden Gallery in Springwater Township launched a new e-commerce site to aid in their existing curbside pick-up program that was put in place to align with government-led COVID-19 restrictions.
“Everything’s changing on a daily basis around the world. Everyone’s doing their best to adapt to this new situation. We’re happy we can still provide a service that can help people deal with this difficult time,” said Gabrielle Polman, assistant store manager at Bradford Greenhouse.
Polman says sales are down overall as walk-in traffic contributed greatly to their previous sales numbers, however lawn maintenance essentials are the main thing flying out the doors right now.
“They’re buying a lot of bird food, grass seed, soil, mulches and fertilizer, just to keep busy,” she said. “We’re seeing a lot of that.
“Now that we have nursery stock, perennials and vegetables – anything they can do to be more self-sustainable – people are going nuts over it. It also keeps the kids busy,” she added.
According to Polman, buying local when it comes to choosing what to use on your lawns and gardens is beneficial for a variety of reasons.
“We grow our own annuals, vegetables and hanging baskets at our large facility in Bradford,” she said. “We know where the product comes from. We control the quality.”
Another benefit is staff can answer questions on what pesticides (if any) or growing techniques were used.
“It can be reassuring for people,” she said. “It also means we get more selection as well, because we get to pick what we want. It’s not grower’s choice, so it means a better selection.”
While Bradford Greenhouse has had a website for years, purchasing wasn’t previously an option on the site.
“The new website means you can purchase as a one-time shopper or create an account for multiple orders,” she said.
Polman said an email confirmation is sent to the shopper. When staff put together an order, if they run out of certain items they will email back before pick up to arrange an alternative with the customer. Then, the customer can choose a date and time for pick up that is convenient for them.
“There is a 48-hour wait time right now,” said Polman.
Polman says the gallery has already seen an up-tick in sales due to Mother’s Day being just around the corner, and advises to get orders in soon.
“We will be offering some pre-made items that will be available for curbside pick up or delivery,” she said.
To access Bradford Greenhouse’s e-eommerce site, click here.