Yes, I was just thinking the same thing when I saw what even a 1 cu/ft of Miracle Gro Potting Mix was going for these days at Wallymart. Oh my, I'll have to start an aspirin regimen before I do any serious plant/garden shopping! These prices have 'chest pains' written all over them! :-/
Kris

A 50lb bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer is $21.97 here. We're less than 60 miles from where they make it. Soil is up too. I can't wait to see what they're charging for "premium" plants this year. It was $8.97 last spring.

Interesting, I haven't noticed anything so far, but my purchases have been modest!! I was having a chat with myself, on the drive home, about all of the fruit bushes/trees/vines that I really want this year - really this Spring. I have trees that I can cut - OK, not a lot - for infrastructure, so that's easy. I cannot wait for seed. So, I will be searching for trades, slips, sales, whatever I can find!!!

I was hoping that the market would take prices down...I'm really going to check this out!!

Nancy.

Come to think of it, the bagged cotton burr compost I often buy went up by $2; however, because I buy it from a "mom & pop" store, I didn't think too much about it.

I wonder what's causing this?...The price of gas went down and the economy is slow. Perhaps demand for soil is up? Or do you think those who sell soil are trying to make up for their lack of sales on other products?

I know there are tons of people trying to grow their own food here in Austin right now, and this often requires either raised beds with additional soil or the use of containers.

I paid about 5 dollars for a bag of flower bulbs in Lowe's last year. Same bag, same amount of bulbs - 7 dollars today.

I have found that once prices go up; they do not go down.

Gas being different; it is on a constant yo yo.

I suspect we are being taken advantage of. Gardening is growing more popular so, of course, demand increases prices.

I will be checking with my local neighbor and her greenhouse. Her prices are usually much lower than even the big box stores. I bought all my shrubs for my new front yard mid border from her. I don't think I paid more than $5.00 for the most expensive ones and they were a nice size of about 24". I should have called her first!

I think shopping around is going to be necessary!

I don't understand why prices should be going up, inflation is actually very low right now.

Last year the nurseries were saying everything went up because the price of oil was so high, and gardening is a very oil intensive business for growers (heating greenhouses, transporting plants etc.) Since gas prices have really dropped, I would expect prices to drop (hahaha) or at least stay the same.

Gotta, the local nursery here uses oil to heat boilers which make steam for their greenhouses. They bought their heating oil in June when they thought prices might continue to rise. So we'll be paying for that this spring. Inflation has a way of trickling down very slowly.

Price increase is also tied to the cost of borrowing money in order to produce that product. I suspect that other than the increase of the price of commodities (especially those components having to be imported), it's companies having to be faced with large debts to begin with, also companies having to produce some profit in order to cushion them from dwindling consumers.

Coming from both a retail and wholesale background in the industry, maybe I can shed some light :-) The increased costs you see are directly related to increased costs the suppliers experience. There's not too many areas of this country that haven't experienced increased costs across the board - raw materials, manufacturing expense, advertising and marketing, labor, shipping and fuel costs and all those little overhead items that tend to get ignored by anyone who does not have to deal with them directly - rent, insurance, utilities, water, licensing, etc. Just the costs of doing business.

The nursery/horticultural industry is by nature seasonal and increased costs generally do not get passed on to you until the following season. This is definitely an area where trickle down economics apply :-) The impact of rising prices and increased costs is seldom immediate. And the impact of fuel prices last year was huge....it actually forced a number of smaller operations out of business. Since it is a pretty safe bet that these prices will rise again, most vendors are hedging their bets and maintaining these higher shipping and delivery charges so they don't get bit a second time.

And ianna is correct in her statement about 'dwindling consumers'. The statistics and demographics that are collected each year by the nursery industry indicate that gardening is on a decline, not becoming more popular as many may think. Part of that is due to babyboomers - those that pushed the gardening industry to record levels - maturing to point where they are downsizing and giving up their gardens or simply becoming less able to do what they did in the past. The younger generations are just not into it to the same degree. Many are double income families with very little leisure time and don't want to be tied to the garden. Others have leisure interests that just don't include gardening. And finally, current economic conditions are such that virtually all but the mega-rich are feeling the pinch. Unemployment is the highest it's been since the early 80's. There's just very little discretionary income after rent and necessities and so, far less to spend on what many still consider to be frivolous or luxury items like plants and supplies.

Weather also plays a significant role - much more so than in most other industries. The effects of Katrina and other serious storms have wiped out many growers and nurseries located in the affected areas. And changes in weather patterns (you can attribute them to global warming or any other thing you like, but they exist) have also caused supply and demand problems. Colder, wetter springs deter shoppers from nurseries and garden centers - same with drought, which is an issue in many parts of the country. It also has similar impacts on growers and other suppliers.

The industry is what it is and is a lot more complex than many imagine. It is scaling back and consolidating and that will generally cause prices to remain at least at current levels, if not force them higher. If you can find bargains, go for it, but I'd suspect they may be few and far between.

And come on......do you actually think just because gas prices went down other prices will follow? Have you been to the grocery store lately??

Woohoo! I scored bigtime today. I girded myself up for the big price increase on potting mix. First went to Lowes. Hey...are those broken bags for sale? Yes ma'am. Got 2 32qt bags (both had more than 3/4 contents) for half price - $4.41 each. Thought it was a good deal so...off to Home Depot. Hey...are those broken bags for sale? Yes ma'am. So I got 1 64qt bag (mostly full) and a torn 1.25 cu/ft bag (all full) for only $2.08 each! Gotta tell ya, Home Depot practically gives the stuff away. Next time I'll try them first. Bottom line, I'm all set to start veg seeds in the basement and try rooting some cuttings and even ready to try some winter sowing.

Stores here are just now setting up gardening stuff, so more opportunities for breakage right now. Keep your eyes peeled and happy hunting! :-D

Kris

I am really not faulting the industry. My daughter whose degree is in finance reminds me often that they get what the market will bear.....and I bought it.

Kris, why don't I ever think of that. I do love Fafard's potting soil but may have to lower my standards some.

Pefect explanation of a troubling issue Pam!

5 years ago, the experts said that travel and gardening would be the growth industries of the future. So much for the experts. Now they are saying that people will stay home and cocoon!!! We'll see. I think that the growth will continue to be the underground economy. If the plants at the nursery are not within our price point, we will trade on-line; go to local hort. sales, grow from seed, etc. We will go back to the economy our grandmothers used to grow their gardens. Boomers are still gardening, still expanding their gardens, they are just not doing it in the recent tradition. I am a perfect example, as are many of us on this forum. We will bargain for broken bags, damaged plants, we will ask for broken bits, and whatever else we can beg, borrow or steal, to grow our gardens. Many nurseries have gone 'off-shore' to get new suppliers. Many of them will start plants, instead of growing small ones on. They will survive and thrive, or fail. Locally, the greenhouse is bringing in slips from Thailand, instead of Florida. They are going to focus on heritage plants. They are evolving. It truly is economic Darwinism - evolve or fail!!

Nancy - who really doesn't have a strong opinion!!!

Perhaps ornamental gardening is on the decline but when I attended a free gardening class a couple of months ago at a local nursery (The Natural Gardener), the nursery expected about 100-150 people. There were over 300. The class was about growing your own vegetables. (I ran into one of the nursery employees outside of the store a week later and discussed this with her because I was shocked by how many people were there.)

I attended another free class on growing fruits and berries, and again, the class was packed. This nursery holds these classes every year so they can compare the attendance from previous years.

Thus, from what I've seen there is still a strong interest in gardening in Austin, Texas and I don't have any other areas to compare this to. Maybe it's because we're a college town?

In December, I personally bought two persimmons, two pear trees, one jujube, five blackberries, eight asparagus, 4 lbs of Jerusalem artichokes and various veggie seeds.

I'm guessing that the people I see who are now interested in gardening in Austin (and were not before) want to cut the cost of their groceries, and I believe they are trying to do this by growing their own fruits and vegetables. That's exactly what I'm doing and that's what my neighbor does down the street. (So, yes, I've been to the grocery store.)

I've also heard the following types of calls more often on the local gardening radio show: "Hi, I want to do a raised bed for vegetables but have never made one before..." or "How much sun does a vegetable garden need?"

However, Austin may be different from other areas of the country. I know we have a longer growing season.

I also know that most of us in Texas use natural gas for heating, not oil, and I believe the price of natural gas actually went down plus our weather has been mild, so this would not contribute to the increased cost of plants or compost obtained from Texas suppliers. (Today the temp. was in the 70's and it's expected to stay that way all week.)

Right now, gasoline is about $1.79/gallon for unleaded. You would hope if the cost of gasoline went down that other costs affected by this would follow...Guess not. Maybe that's the reason as suggested.

However, we can grow our own citrus in the valley, and the cost to truck it here isn't as bad as trucking it from California or Florida. (I've been buying Texas oranges and grapefruits and they were reasonably priced.)

So, for Austin, Texas, I'm still not entirely sure why the costs are going up.

Right on, Redthistle!! Everyone went to the free seminars, so they knew where the smart money would go!!! We are getting educated!!! We are spending smarter, when we spend!! As they say, what the market will bear...no more!!

The next discussion should be the 100 Mile Diet!!

Nancy.

I had hoped to make it clear in my post that fluctuations in the cost of various commodities are not immediately reflected in the cost of other items produced from those commodities. Because fuel prices may be lower today does not automatically translate to lower costs across the board - you are still seeing the effects of the extremely high fuel prices of last summer and you likely will for awhile. And because fuel prices tend to be extremely volatile, increased costs associated with them tend to be very slow to change.....or at least change downward. It just doesn't happen that way.

It is also not very realistic to make assumptions on gardening trends based on the activities of these forums. These tend to populated by folks who are very eager and enthusiastic about this subject but do not necessarily reflect a wider and more generalized attitude and change in lifestyle. But redthistle does have a good point to make - ornamental gardening may be on the decline but home vegetable gardening and growing edibles in general is on the upswing. Part of this has to do with controlling the quality of the food we consume - a desire for low cost, organically grown produce - but it is primarily motivated by a desire to limit spending at the grocery store. This is where consumers first notice rising prices and where they are often hit the hardest - you can cut back on a lot of things but everyone has to eat! Unfortunately, edibles do not contribute substantial financial impact to the gardening/nursery industry - that is supported by the ornamental trade by a very large margin.

I had a very interesting discussion last night with the general manager of one of the largest wholesale growing operations in my area. The increased costs of doing business over the last 18 months have been significant. In a business that has consistently posted annual sales growth for the last 25 years, 2008 sales have been static. No increase in sales growth combined with increased costs of doing business equals equals a substantial decline in revenue. And this is on the wholesale end of the business - the issue amplifies when it's drawn across the retail end as well.

Gardengal clearly stated what I've been observing for a couple of years now. There is a decline and in my opinion, its the lack of gardening education that is the key reason. We rely on younger generation to take up the interest where our older baby boomers have left off. However if they don't know how to grow a simple plant, then how can they join the crowd. Will they simply rely on getting instant gardens from their landscapers? Buy decorative garden furniture as their form of gardening? Education come from every form of media, from tv, newspapers, and the internet. Sadly, we are lacking in this area.

However, in agreement with Redthistle, there's a resurgence in vegetable gardening. And this is key to educating the next set of gardeners. This is always the perfect 'entry' level gardening education. Perhaps there's a chance for a gardening resurgence in a couple of years.

I do wonder though whether the present interest is a natural phenomenon or is it a PR result of efforts by Industry to promote home grown food. I have a basic understanding of 'trends' most especially declared trends. This year's declared trend is grow it yourself food. What I do hope is that this is not an 'artificially created' interest and like a bubble, it disappears next year.

...or, because of the times we'll have to pull in our belts and go back to a simpler kind of life without all the frills. In our grandparents times it was the norm to grow most of your own food with a few flowers to feed the soul.

There's something to be said about the 100 mile diet, you never know what's going to happen in the future. Slowly we are losing our farmlands to developers there should be more laws protecting farmland, once they're built on they're gone forever.

Annette

This is an interesting thread - I purchase most of my plants & mulch from independant retailiers locally within 20 miles of where I live. It will be interesting to see how many of them are able to keep their doors open much less keep prices down this year - Because I live in a very urban area I have a hard enough finding a diverse selection of perennials/shrubs without having to drive 50 plus miles directly to the growers or going the mail order route.

If the smaller guys continue to shutter we will increasingly become dependent on these big chains resulting in less choice or as midnight pointed out 'underground trading between other gardeners.'

For the last five years I've been digging seedlings, dividing and potting up about a third of what I install as perennials for clients because I simply can't find some of the more unusual plants that I use without having to directly go to the grower (which involves spending the better part of a potential billeable working day driving to and from) or placing a special order for plants through an independent retailer which can be very expensive as they have turn a profit as well & I in turn have to pass along the cost to my client.

I went to buy some hanging planters yesterday, the 12" pots were $36!!! The same ones last year were $22, this was at an independent nursery. I ended up at Lowes where a smaller 10" pot was only $14, not near the quality but this year the budget for other necessities out weighs my love for flowers. Will life ever return to "normal"