A quick recap, the Leu Gardens Show in Orlando was cancelled at the last minute, due to the advice of Local officials and the CDC. With 2 trailers full of plants, we returned to our Home Nursery in St. Pete, and quickly put together a Yard Sale with the plants, this past weekend.
We want to share our story and feelings right now, but first, let's just say this about our Spring Schedule - we don't want to say to throw it completely out, but reality, everything is up in the air right now and we will be waiting for guidance from our Market management as well as future Plant Show organizers and will keep you up to date as soon as we know anything.
"Greetings all, am writing this late on
this warm Sunday night.
Have to say, the kindness and support
of the Plant community was never as profound as this weekend around
our Home nursery. We are grateful, humbled, extremely tired and
heat exhausted, but our minds and our souls have been greatly
nourished. And yes, our pocket book too ! Of course, what comes in,
goes immediately out....As many of you know, going into a big Spring
Plant Show, many plant nurseries such as us, buy a lot of plant stock
to prepare for a big show. In our case, since we are not able to grow
that much ourselves anymore, we have to depend on other nurseries to
get the stock. In our case, anything we get, every little (or big)
pot is hand picked by us, and we have always tried to patronage other
smaller nursery businesses, because we feel it is very important to
support one another because its hard enough going up against the Big
Box Stores.
The last 10 days leading up to this
show, Mitch and I have been on the road, every day, miles and miles,
tanks of gas, and watching for potholes and nails on the
road.....early mornings to early evening, grabbing quick bites at a
gas station, or making Tuna Fish sandwiches, to fuel ourselves,
searching and grabbing, loading and unloading,, loading and
unloading, watering, TLC'in everything, wanting everything to be
healthy and in good shape for our customers.
Amidst all of this, for the past 8
weeks, our sweet PlantMan, Mitch, has been undergoing Radiation
therapy for Prostate Cancer. So, before we can take off for Plant
Hunting, every morning, 5 days a week, he gets his very tired
Plantman body up to go lay under the Great Metal Machine that
hopefully will cure him. He does have a good prognosis, and so many
men are having to deal with this nowadays(and yes, I will say, any
man reading this, over the age of 50, get your PSA test done
yearly..its a simple blood test, and staying on top of it is the one
of the simplest things you can do for yourself...its a no-brainer).
Ok, back to business.....So, the honest
truth, we are purchases major $$$ of plants, with the reasoning that
a big spring sales event will cover the cost we are putting out plus
give us a little extra at the end of the day to keep on going. So,
when a big show is canceled at the last minute, it not only creates
huge strain for us financially because any profit is totally lost,but
we still owe...for all these plants. So, the nurseries who have have
helped provide this product, are depending on getting paid...they
have expenses too, staff to pay etc, and these are not large
corporations that can simply write a debt off.
So, we take our responsibility
seriously. And the great outpouring of business and support at the
Home Nursery sale this weekend, completely goes to paying those debts
off. We are about 90% there, thanks to so many of you !
Of course, then there is the ole “gee,
got my own personal debts, bills coming in”. And of course, we are
not alone..we all got that ! So....at the end of this weekend,
amidst the chaos and challenges facing all of us, we have to figure
how to keep going forward. We still have debt to nurseries, we have
personal bills sitting on the desk, waiting to be paid and, with the
environment of great possibility and not having a market or a show
for the next 2-4 weeks, or maybe longer, we are going to have to
figure out how to get income coming in, pay debts off, beg, pray,
promise to the biggies like mortgage companies, electric, water etc
to work it out, and we know we are All in the Same Boat !
So, you know what Mitch and I are going
to do ?
We are going to work our Tushes off .
And yes, perhaps our Tush may not,
health and safety-wise, be able to be to close to your Tush, we can
still do this together and support one another. Our intent is not
only to do what we can to get us by, but to look for any opportunity
to help others too. I think where we are very very lucky, is being
in the Plant community...it is just a place, a feel, a love of Mother
nature and, especially during a crisis time, something that we all
can hold onto,to look forward to, to give us the space, the therapy,
the fresh air and sunshine, the wonderment of Nature, the dirty
fingernails, and the pure joy of just observing a gorgeous bloom that
all of sudden arises just when we are ready to give up.
If you are still reading this, thank
you for your patience because as many know, Annie can “go on” a bit,
because dang it, I gotta put it out there..for me, for my beloved
Plantman Mitch, for our families and close friends, for the bout 100
new friends we made this weekend.
We are busy trying to pull together a
Quick Plant Stock Availability List that we can post on our website,
and Facebook, so that everyone can see what we have, and be able to
purchase remotely by sharing info and pics by phone and emails, and we are working on procedure for safe pick up and/or possible delivery aroound the local area.
Stay tuned for Tuesday's post when we
will let you know what our Tushes are going to do !
Meanwhile, Share the TP, share a cold
beer, or a glass of wine, send each other funny pictures, inspire
others, make people laugh, listen, care and support.....and get your
fingernails dirty.
Bless you all. Mitch and Annie"
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