Increasing Profits: Canterbury Horticulture saves time and money with Van Belle’s FloGo system

Mike Mocek was initially skeptical about Van Belle Nursery’s commitment to its mission and core values and “golden rules” and its relentlessly positive company culture. But after a few years of working with them, they’re one of his favorite partners.

“I used to think, ‘Do they really all buy in to this? There’s no way, right?’” he laughs. “And you start talking to people, and they do. They make it work because everybody believes in their company mission.”

Mocek is the nursery manager for Canterbury Horticulture, a Connecticut wholesale nursery. About 75-80% of its customers are independent garden centers in the Northeast U.S. Mocek buys mainly shrub liners from Van Belle. He hasn’t gotten too in-depth on perennial liners, but what he’s seen so far, he likes.

“I love the genetics of their plants; they’re fantastic,” he says. “If they tell you it’s a Zone 5, you can be guaranteed it’s a Zone 5, if not hardier.”

His favorite shrub liners from Van Belle are the Bloomin’ Easy brand’s Hydrangea macrophylla.

“They stay compact; they don’t stretch; they flower profusely,” he says. “For lack of a better term, they’re sick.”

Cherry-Go-Round is a particular standout for Mocek, because it fulfills a promise many breeders make and few deliver.

“Everybody says they have a red hydrangea mac, and you get it and it’s always just pink,” he says. “This is actually red. It sells and it sells well. Once people actually see the plant, especially in the garden center, they buy it.”

Mocek is also a big fan of the FloGo system, Van Belle’s pot-less shipping solution. All plants arrive de-potted in cardboard boxes, which are easily broken down flat and fully recyclable. He likes knowing that the liners he’s receiving are well-rooted, because they’ve already been pulled from the trays. The system saves Canterbury Horticulture money by eliminating the production step of removing the liner from the tray, raising the nursery’s margin per plant.

“The first year we used that process, we couldn’t believe the labor savings,” he says. “We shaved a week off our Bloomin’ Easy pot times.”

When Mocek would buy liners elsewhere, they’d typically arrive in 18-cell plastic trays on wooden racks. Not only would he have to pay extra for the racks, but he has to dispose of the wood from the rack and the plastics from the trays. Once his crew pots all the plants from a FloGo shipment, the only thing left is a stack of flattened cardboard.

“We put it in the recyclables and send it on its way, and it’s done,” he says. “It works out well, savings all around and it’s good for the environment.”

The FloGo system also allows Van Belle to fit more plants on a pallet, which means the grower spends less per plant on freight.

“They maximize the shipping space,” Mocek says. “They’re stacked right to the roof of the truck. I don’t even question the freight anymore. I’m in Connecticut and they’re shipping from Abbotsford, British Columbia, in Canada, and I pay less freight sometimes from them than I’ll pay from, say, the Carolinas, which is crazy.”