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So, how did NICE!™ get off the ground?
NICE!™ began as a small committee. More members were soon recruited.
Availability is determined by contacting local wholesalers. This is critical and very time consuming and results in selection of a plant that is currently available in quanitities in sufficient sizes and number to supply the current pariticipating nurseries. These quantities will vary depending on the type of plant - perennial vs. tree, for instance.
Each member may submit plants for consideration. Committee makes final list selections. This can be face-to-face or email meeting.
We do as much by email as possible as everyone is very busy. Email allows everyone to fit their comments into their own schedule. We don't have a bashful group so even email discussions are often lively but very educational.
It began at a planning meeting. Members compiled a POM “wish list” for the whole year by month (4 plants/month). This “wish list” was based on research and input of member favorites. No POMs are featured in August and December - good time to take a break.
There is a lack of sufficient quantities of great native plants at most wholesalers! Only two to three small true Texas native-plant growers in our market area. Plants may sell out fast and not be available by the time we want them featured. Promising plants often failed due to weather or other unexpected greenhouse condition. A more realistic approach was needed for the POM plant selection process!
A realistic approach for the POM selection process is needed. Sometimes there was a lack of sufficient quantities of the four native plants on our list. For example, in March of 2002, we selected wine cups, but discovered that none of the wholesalers had them by the time the nurseries were ready to place their orders. We found that some plants sell out very fast. Also, there are only two to three true Texas native-plant growers in our market area.
Fall and Winter:
Spring and Summer:
Plants sell better with color!
Establish a list (15-20) by seasons*
*A larger list of potential plants grouped by season. We emphasized trees or plants with berries or color in fall and winter, and blooming perennials, grasses and shrubs for the rest of the year. We tried to feature a plant during the month it has blooms or colorful leaves and berries, if at all possible because plants sell better with color. We attempted to be realistic about what should be available to retailers in any given month.
**We do feature mostly more available material, but sometimes we push for that plant that is available only at one wholesaler. We really want the public and nurseries to become more aware of native plants and their value. We try to select plants that are native to our area or at least ones that are native to adjacent areas that do well in our area.
*Our current list will carry through years 4-5, if we can find them at wholesalers. We have in some cases helped wholesalers grow our selection. For instance, we collected seed for Inland sea oats, and supplied them to a wholesaler who agreed to grow them for us. Whenever possible we support the small growers in our region.
*The spreadsheet is an excellent means of managing the information we collect, especially availability and POM selection. Keeping track of who has what in what sizes would be very difficult otherwise.
Template* developed to simplify writing:
*An important component of NICE!™ are the Plant of the Month Care Instruction Sheets. To make the material easier to assemble and write, we designed a template so that individuals needed only to “fill in the blanks.”
How to get it done:
It is a true learning process for the writer as well as reviewers. Members often have different reference sources so it has taught us to be more circumspect of different book authors.
This position takes some flexibility as the first of the month when material should be delivered to nurseries doesn't always fall on a weekend. We do have to give a few days leeway for these individuals. Also, someone who enjoys meeting and talking to people are really good at this job.
We started using the notebook when we discovered that at certain nurseries our material was being lost each month. The notebook has really helped the nurseries maintain the care sheets and other materials. It also serves as a good teaching tool when representatives visit nurseries and talk to new employees. It contains the nurseries' history of participation from copies of the inital NICE!™ contact letter explaining the program to the owner through copies of all care sheets since the nursery joined the NICE!™ program.
To be successful, NICE!™ requires a great deal of coordination and cooperation with local retail nurseries. Our Boerne-area nurseries have been generous in helping us promote NICE!™ We ask retail nurseries to help us promote native plants in addition to usual common exotics.
*Block signs with the name of the plant and other information did well in the first month, but the ink ran and faded due to watering and sunlight. Also, the metal sign holders were the same type that the nurseries normally use, so they got liberated to other parts of the nursery. We abandoned this type of sign. Some NPSOT chapters who have adopted NICE!™ have had metal posters or other NICE!™ signs made that are very sturdy and are displayed with the plant in the nursery.
Even with this good cooperation from local nurseries, if it were not for Boerne's two local newspapers, we could only reach a relatively few people with our message. We are able to help educate the public about native plants through newspaper columns. One committee member writes complementary Plant of the Month feature articles which include botanical and horticultural information, and interesting historical and sometimes anecdotal tidbits. Many nursery staff members look forward to the aricles and will post them along with the Plant of the Month care instruction sheets. Having the articles in the local newspapers brings customers into our nurseries asking for Plants of the Month. All committee members are encouraged to contribute information about each plant of the month that may be included in these articles.
Member writes articles and submits to local newspaper(s) on regular basis. Things to consider:
We have discovered that newspapers don't like substitute writers. They just haven't printed articles written by others when our usual writer takes a vacation or is just tired. It really takes dedication to consistantly write these articles. So, the writer may have to write in advance when they take a vacation!
We were very fortunate to have a chapter member design and maintain our website. This is a great resource and outreach for our community.
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