WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIVING CHRISTMAS TREES

Hoerr Nursery is a third generation business that has thrived in Peoria, IL for 80 years and Nate Hoerr is the CEO. Hoerr Nursery and Garden Center has over 12,000 trees in production, and many are evergreens that a customer could purchase as a Living Christmas Tree.

REPORTER: The President of Horticultural Advantage, a consulting firm for horticultural business owners and managers, reminds us that: "The family tradition of decorating with real wreaths and Christmas trees is an important part of American life and celebrating with family."  

A nationwide poll conducted by Harris Interactive®, asked consumers if their Christmas traditions and celebrations were more or less important than 10 years ago. Nearly one-third (29%) reported their traditions were “MUCH more important”.

And, for many Americans, a favorite part of that tradition is selecting their Christmas tree. About 1/3 of the American households will select a living tree. That’s 31 million trees.

Most people select a cut tree, but some families prefer to buy a living tree and then plant it after the holiday.

We’re here with Nate Hoerr of Hoerr Nursery in Peoria, Illinois. What can you tell us about working with living Christmas trees?

NATE HOERR:  Approximate transcript: It takes some advance planning to be successful. First you need to think about placement in your yard. Then call your local utilities to have all underground utilities marked. Then on a pleasant winter day – such as this – dig your hole for your tree.

It needs to be a bit deeper and about twice as wide as your root ball is going to be.

REPORTER: Why do you dig the hole now?

NATE HOERR: Approximate transcript: The ground might be frozen on the day you want to plant the tree. So, it’s a good idea to not only dig the hole, but fill it with some straw to keep it from filling in, and to take the dirt that you’ve excavated and put it in your garage so it doesn’t freeze.

REPORTER: Any special tips about selecting a tree?

NATE HOERR: Approximate transcript: You want to pick out an attractive tree that is not too heavy to deal with. People are surprised about how heavy dirt is –this root ball may weigh between 40 - 80 pounds, so a living tree is heavy. Your local nursery and garden center will have the best selection of the healthiest trees.

You want to ease the transition of the tree into and out of your house. Leave it in the garage or a covered porch for a couple days before putting it in your house, and for a couple days before moving it into its hole in your yard. A tree that is dormant and exposed to immediate warmth will start to grow. And since you want to avoid bringing the tree out of dormancy, remember to give your tree a transition into the house.

REPORTER: I understand that while the tree is waiting in the garage is a good time to check for critters and insect egg masses. Those passengers can stay outside. Are there any other care instructions?

NATE HOERR: Approximate transcript:
Don’t let it dry out – so keep it away from direct heat; try to keep it in the coolest area of your home AND have it inside fewer than 10 days. Remember, it’s a living tree; it needs to be outside.

And, then, you can plant it when the weather is fairly nice – once you’ve acclimated it to the outdoors, you can even wait a month or two to move it to the hole and actually plant it. Then plant as you would any tree, with the top of the root ball just above ground level, and using the soil that you have saved in your garage.

REPORTER: Do you expect to sell many living Christmas trees this year?

NATE HOERR: Approximate transcript: All of our tree sales have been going really well this year, and the industry has projected upward trends of real tree and living tree sales, so we’ll see.

REPORTER: That’s how you get a living tree to stay alive and thriving after the holidays. And given the weight of the root ball, you may wish to add a wheel barrow under the tree to help your family move your living tree back to its rightful place in the ground.

80 Years in the Nursery Business in Peoria. Illinois

It would have been impossible to predict in 1926 when David August Hoerr started a small trucking business to support his family, that the business would bloom, flourish and grow into the multi-million dollar business it is today.

D. A. Hoerr & Sons started the year his son, Jim, was born. At the time D.A.'s older son, Rudy, was about 5, and son John didn't come along until as many years later. These three brothers eventually bought the company from their father and with their faith in God, diverse talents, hard work, and commitment to quality products and customer satisfaction, they grew the company. They added a retail garden center, landscape contracting division with design services, lawn maintenance, and irrigation installation and service, and a commercial division.

Recently the four grandsons of D. A. Hoerr, have become the owners of the company, and with the foundation of their fathers and grandfather, have been able to build the company into downstate Illinois' largest sod grower and landscape nursery. Now, the business, known as Hoerr Nursery, is looking toward commemorating its first 80 years, and anticipating the growth and opportunities that are ahead.

"The sod business was our beginning and continues to be one of the essential cores of sales and relationships, both retail and commercial," said Jack Hoerr, co-owner and Manager, Sod Division.

"May 2006 was our best month ever in the Garden Center, and we continue to see 2006 as an exceptional year for us," said Jeff Hoerr, co-owner and CFO.

The "green industry" as the landscape business is known, is unusual in that there are few large businesses that dominate. Hoerr Nursery is unique in that it dominates the field in some of its offerings, such as sod, and in addition, it offers a wide selection of quality products and services throughout its various other divisions. Through this diversification, it is able to work with customers from start to finish. The current thinking about the industry is that as gas prices continue to rise, and as travel becomes more of a headache, homeowners will look more to improvements in their "outdoor rooms" in order to cocoon at home with family and friends.

"We feel we are fine-tuning our business to better meet the needs of a dynamic, evolving customer base. We will always be attentive to the traditional gardener - we have probably a dozen horticulturists and arborists on staff to expertly meet those needs -- yet in addition, now, we are looking toward the new consumer who wants more of a 'turn-key' solution from us. This customer is able to come in, speak with a designer in our landscape contracting division or speak with a horticulturist in the Garden Center, and we can walk the customer through the process of how we can handle all the details for them from idea, to selection of products, to professional installation. Then, with our Lawn Maintenance Division, we can even handle the long-term care of the landscape," said Nathan Hoerr, co-owner and CEO.

Su Lok, Manager, Public Relations, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, discussed these trends in a recent interview with Jane Mason, Marketing Director, Hoerr Nursery. Lok said, "The garden-inspired, outdoor lifestyle has more and more homeowners extending their living spaces to the outdoors. The outdoor living market [nationally], including both outdoor living products and services, reached $62.5 billion in 2004, rising from $60.1 billion in 2003. Homeowners have become so pressed for time; they seek products/services that make gardening easier. This factors into the homeowner's decision to enlist the help of a professional lawn care service."

Lok added, "Research has found that first time homeowners value the appearance of their home and see gardening/lawn care as a way to increase the value of their investment. Additionally, convenience and time-saving elements are important factors for younger gardeners."

Robert Hendrickson, Managing Director, The Garden Center Group, an International horticultural management firm said, "In the Peoria market, no other company is as qualified to assist with this outdoor room phenomenon quite like Hoerr Nursery. From garden design, to patio and deck construction, living privacy screens of shrubs, to seasonally changing container gardens, Hoerr Nursery can create a complete backyard retreat from start to finish. Their strength comes from being able to offer all the components for homeowners to create their own outdoor living area, as well as three generations of experience. From our perspective, Hoerr Nursery leads the way in tapping into the country's rediscovered love affair with the great outdoors."

"We see tremendous potential in the Landscape Maintenance Division. We have so many capabilities - not only our 80 years in the sod business, but our outstanding expertise and commitment to customer service, too. As more homeowners recognize how convenient is it to have Hoerr Nursery handle all their landscaping needs, we anticipate our division will solidify its premier position in the market," John W Hoerr, co-owner and Manager, Landscape Maintenance Division.

Hoerr Nursery is celebrating its 80th Anniversary with a "Generation Celebration." It is focusing on the generations of customers, employees and of course the three generations -so far-of Hoerr family members who have made the business what it is today.

The new tagline for the nursery, "Quite Simply. Amazing." underscores the concept that the nursery and landscape company is experienced, capable, and can handle "quite simply" what is thought of as a complicated project. Customers frequently respond, "amazing" when informed that Hoerr Nursery has over 12,000 trees available at its various tree farms; that it hand-tends and grows over 5,000 poinsettias for Christmas; that it grows or finishes about 60% of all plant material that is sold at the nursery; that it has up to 700 acres of sod in production each year; that it has up to 180 employees during the peak season; that it finished 10,000 geraniums in the greenhouses in the spring, etc.

For the Generation Celebration - the celebration of the 80th Anniversary --a number of seminars are being held to educate retail and commercial customers on techniques and trends in gardening. Also, a display will be set up in the Garden Center reflecting on some "old fashioned" household products and tools to allow today's youth to see how things were different just a generation ago, and there will be activities and hand-outs for youngsters on Saturday, September 16.

On the retail side, there will be an overall focus on products that last for generations - such as trees and stone. The area in the Garden Center where stone products are sold, has been renamed "The StoneMarket" to highlight the retail aspect of the area. Individuals are welcome to browse and shop for stone, boulders, rock mulches, organic mulches, soil, soil amendments and bulk products in the StoneMarket. Commercial customers have always felt at home in the area, but now the StoneMarket will sport a new, improved look and be more "user friendly" for individuals who may be less familiar with the products and merchandise in the area.

In honor of Rose Hoerr, David August's wife, and the mother of their 12 children, rose quartz is available at a special price at the nursery, and there is a special contest to guess the weight of the rose quartz in a display in the garden. (Contest ends 9/16/06.)

Hoerr Nursery is celebrating its 80th year. It was founded in 1926 by D.A. Hoerr. Today, it is the 3rd generation of the family who owns and operates the thriving business. Hoerr Nursery specializes in trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, landscaping, sod, landscape design, gift items & garden related products.

Hoerr Nursery has been in the sod business for decades.  D. A. Hoerr started his company in 1926 and much of his early business was to sod customers.

Originally D.A. cut sod from pastures with a butcher knife. Later, he and his sons, John, Ralph (Rudy) and Jim, fashioned hand-equipment to cut sod. The first tool was similar to a hand-plow. Twin parallel wooden shafts had a heavy roller bar at the front end, with a sharp blade (similar to a lawn mower blade) about 15" up the shafts. Another 15" up the shafts was a wooden bar - a kick bar. The operator would kick the wooden bar to force the blade through the sod. Recently, Jim Hoerr mentioned that his dad, D.A., had many hip problems later in life and Jim figured it was from all those years kicking the manual sod-cutter through the sod.  Jim also mentioned that the manual sod cutters are still used today in certain situations where grass has to be removed from a narrow area.

The sod business has benefited from innovations in equipment and agricultural techniques, but for Hoerr Nursery -- the company that D.A. Hoerr founded 80 years ago -- the core of the business remains an exceptionally high quality product, with tender loving care from the growing team and superior customer service throughout the entire relationship.  The product is so unique that it is trademarked as Hardy Turf® Sod. It is available for residential and commercial applications from Hoerr Nursery, 309-691-4561.

The following is adapted from an interview with a manager in Sod products, Hoerr Nursery, Peoria, Illinois.

• How many total acres of sod does Hoerr Nursery grow?
  • "600 acres at the present time. We have had upwards of 740 ac. in the past. We can turn a crop of sod in 13 to 18 months depending on the severity of winter and natural rainfall."
• Where are the Hoerr Nursery sod fields? How much sod is cut daily?
  • "The fields are in Kickapoo, Peoria, and other farms from time to time.  About 8000-12000 yds are cut per day during May and June.  For our customers, sod is cut every day. We know that once sod is cut, it can deteriorate rapidly, particularly in the heat, and particularly if it is not carefully tended. That's one of the many differences between getting sod at a place where they specialize in growing fine sod, and from a big box store where it is shipped in and sits around."
• What makes the sod look so great? Why is it the preferred sod?
  • "Experience is the key. This spring's thunderstorms and lightning have provided a lot of free Nitrogen plus our soils are kept at an optimum fertility level through soil tests and cultural practices which are our secrets. Rain makes grain and it makes sod too."
• How many blades are there on the mowing machine? How long does it take to mow? How many people are entirely dedicated to mowing?
  • "9 blades per mower. 3 mowers with 3 men. They are mowing over 600 acres at least twice a week. The sod fields we are harvesting in June get mowed every other day during the heavy rush."
• What is the seed Hoerr Nursery uses for sod? Can a retail customer buy this same seed mix?
  • "Our mix is 100% Kentucky Bluegrass. Customers can't buy the same exact mix, but can come pretty close with our Professional mix or Scott's sun mix. There are 13 types of bluegrass and over 170 different varieties available to sod producers. We choose the latest cultivars available that exhibit the deep rich color, texture and disease resistance that we want, as well as growing characteristics such as spring green-up and summer heat tolerance."
• After the sod is cut, is it replanted immediately?
  • "August and early September are seeding times. If a field has to lay fallow for a few months before reseeding we plant a cover crop of soybeans to provide soil tilth and organic matter."
• Do you have to do anything extra to the soil before replanting?
  • "Compaction is our worst enemy in turf production. Our cultural practices and machinery used allows for air and water to get down into the root zone. Seed bed preparation is CRUCIAL and does take more time than row crop ag production."
• Did we ever install sod at Busch Stadium?
  • "We used to take sod to the St. Louis Arch every summer back in the 90's but never Busch stadium."
• Anything else about sod you want to mention?
  • "D. A. Hoerr, and now that the business is called Hoerr Nursery, has been in the sod business long before it was a business. This company has seen many changes over the years and has been a pacesetter in the industry from the beginning. Some of the biggest changes are the automation of sod cutting and irrigation as well as portable forklifts for unloading. We are the largest producer in the state outside the Chicago and St. Louis area. We have the capacity to sell over 1 million yards every year unless restricted by severe drought. Our drivers have many years of service with the company and are very good at what they do. Our repeat customer base is second to none. The service and convenience we provide adds exceptional value to every customer who patronizes us."

What is sod?
Most people have some idea of what sod is. (Although this idea may be vague; the other day a customer at Hoerr Nursery asked for "some of that rolled-up grass.") Sod has a long tradition in the USA.
And, although it might seem pretty simple (soil and grass), sod is a sophisticated blend of science, experience, tender loving care, marketing, and, as with any crop, the trials and tribulations of dealing with Mother Nature.
Sod is grass turf. Sod includes the grass on top and the part of the soil beneath the grass which is held together by the roots. Sod is cut in strips and generally laid in a "brick-type" pattern on prepared soil.

It is interesting to note that in the Midwest, sod was cut in blocks and used as a building material for homes and out-buildings. With a shortage of other building materials (like wood) using sod to build homes was not only thrifty, but an ingenious solution in the grasslands for finding a bountiful resource that would help insulate a building and provide structural integrity for decades. Sometimes called "soddies," these homes could last for years and were fitted with regular windows and doors. Many early photographs of families on the plains featured them standing in front of their "soddie" home.
 

(Peoria, IL.) Hoerr Nursery is proud to announce that it has once again received national recognition for its landscape and design work. Jeff Hoerr and the Landscape Design Team at Hoerr Nursery have been awarded a Merit Award for the landscaping of the Shoppes at Grande Prairie in the 37th Annual Environmental Improvement Awards Program sponsored by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET).

The Shoppes at Grand Prairie is the premier shopping destination in central Illinois and Hoerr Nursery was challenged to create an ambiance to enhance the novel concept of the open footprint of the shopping center.

"Our landscape architects, our design team and our outstanding installation crews are second to none. We were honored to have the opportunity to work with the great people at The Shoppes at Grande Prairie on this project and we have received so many compliments since the job has been completed," said Jeff Hoerr, CFO, Hoerr Nursery. Jeff Hoerr is a landscape architect and oversees many of the Landscape Design projects through Hoerr Nursery.

PLANET's Environmental Improvement Awards Program reflects the association's commitment to creating and preserving the beauty of our landscape. The program is designed to reward independent landscape, lawn care, and interior plantscaping professionals who execute superior projects. PLANET strives to increase public awareness of environmental improvement through contracted landscaping, lawn care, and interior plantscaping and encourages the consistent use of quality materials and workmanship.

For the 2006 award year, 142 projects nationwide were recognized: One Decade Award, 36 Grand Awards, 63 Merit Awards, and 42 Distinction Awards.

PLANET represents approximately 4,400 green industry service-provider companies and suppliers nationwide that specialize in lawn care, design/build/installation, interior plantscaping, and landscape management. These firms and their employees represent more than 100,000 green industry professionals.

Hoerr Nursery is celebrating its 80th year. It was founded in 1926 by D.A. Hoerr. Today, it is the 3rd generation of the family who owns and operates the thriving business. Hoerr Nursery specializes in trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, landscaping, sod, landscape design, gift items and garden related products. Hours: 8 am - 5:30 pm, Mon. - Sat. 309-691-4561.

8020 N Shade Tree Drive, Peoria, IL. 61615. www.HoerrNursery.com

Jane Mason
Hoerr Nursery
Marketing Director
8020 Shadetree Drive
Peoria, IL 61615
309.691.4561, ext 115