Photos courtesy of Carolina
Native Nursery

Horticulture has become dominated by brands. Some growers have become so enamored with them they have become “brand-a-holics.” I wonder how they choose which of the many brands they should grow and represent, then how they choose from all the plants available under that brand, then the expense of all the swag and royalties. It is certainly understandable considering how it seems everything has someone’s logo or brand on it. From our socks and underwear, to the computer I’m typing this on — most consumer products — it is harder to find something that doesn’t have a brand on it than something that does. Could it be that brands have become so pervasive that most have lost their strength and meaning or never meant anything to begin with?

Brands are supposed to do many things. They are supposed to: deliver a message clearly and succinctly, reaffirm your credibility, build an emotional connection with an audience, motivate a potential audience to buy or take the next step, generate goodwill and loyalty, and more. When you walk through a garden center today, there can be dozens of different brands on display. What does it really mean when there are many brands in the same section, some having practically the same species of plants? Probably not very much. And do landscape companies really care? Most don’t want to pay the extra 20-25% markup for the brand.

Do native plants need to find a way to fit in? How do native plants fit in to what has become horticulture brand land? Maybe they do not need to fit in to brands. Perhaps native is the brand because Mother Nature created their outstanding characteristics, and market forces outside horticulture are working everyday to reinforce “the native brand.”

How do native plants do this without fancy pots, tags, trademarks, royalties, expense accounts, marketing and sales programs, trials and everything else? They do it naturally. Let’s review what brands are supposed to do. Deliver a message clearly and succinctly: Native plants will bring birds, butterflies and pollinators to your garden and help restore our ecosystems. Reaffirm your credibility: By growing and selling native plants you are truly a part of the green movement. Build an emotional connection with your audience: By planting native plants in your garden, you are helping save our songbird, butterfly and pollinator populations, many from extinction. Motivate your potential audience to buy or take the next step: Gardeners know they are doing the right thing ecologically by buying and planting native plants. Generate goodwill and loyalty: See the preceding statements.

Native plants really have no marketing budget, plan or strategy. There are many organizations that occur outside of horticulture that are working on the marketing and sales of native plants. They have large audiences that are growing, lucrative, educated and very influential. For example, National Wildlife Federation, Audubon Society, Sierra Club and many more environmental and ecological groups, clubs and foundations all over the U.S. are talking about native plants today, as in right now.

The National Wildlife Federation was founded in 1936 and counts somewhere north of six million members and affiliates across all 50 states. They have over one million followers on Facebook alone and post about native plants constantly. The National Audubon Society, established in 1905, has 500 chapters, and over 600,000 members. They count over one million followers on Facebook and encourage all their members and followers to plant natives for the sake of the survival of birds. The Sierra Club has 3.8 million members and over 1 million Facebook followers. These groups have a combined 6.3 million members and 3.5 million followers on Facebook. Add to them master gardeners, all the school kids that learn about monarchs and milkweed in kindergarten, bird and wildlife lovers in general, young people in the Sunrise Movement, those who understand the Green New Deal, and many more.

Native plants meet many of the qualifications of some of the strongest consumer brands in any market. They are naturally credible, reaffirming, recognizable and deliver a message strongly and succinctly. The marketing takes place every day, all over the U.S. by immensely trusted and recognized sources that have millions of intelligent members and followers, many of means. And as more of these potential and current residential, commercial and municipal clients purchase plants and landscapes, the brand they will ask for is native.

No leader wants to let an employee go. Unfortunately, in these harsh economic times, more of us find ourselves having to deliver bad news. It’s one of the most painful parts of being a leader. But you can let people go without abandoning them emotionally — and as the pandemic sets in for who knows how long, it’s a skill every leader needs to learn.

How you lay someone off should be an extension of how you lead. Great leaders do both with compassion, integrity and candor. They lead with an open heart and the assurance that employees do have what it takes to excel — and they let people go the same way.

Above all, follow the Golden Rule. If you must lay somebody off, the best approach to take is: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Golden Rule is a guiding principle that leaders should live by every day, but never is it more important than when employees are at their most vulnerable. Imagine how you would want to be treated if you were to lose your job and move forward with that in mind.

Maybe you can’t be by their side, physically — but you can be emotionally. I once had to lay off my team when I worked for AT&T. When my first team member came into my office, I motioned for him to sit on the sofa instead of in one of the chairs on the opposite side of my desk. I immediately came out from behind my desk and sat right next to my team member, turning toward him. I was right there next to this employee as I laid out the details of what was going to happen.

This physical closeness likely can’t happen now due to social distancing. But leaders can and must find a way to keep that spirit of human connection and caring — even if you must deliver the bad news via video chat.

If you keep your message authentic, from the heart and honest, they are most likely to receive it well.

Spell out their unique strengths — and reassure them that they’ll be able to leverage those strengths again. This is a time when people need to be reminded of the gifts they bring to the table. Be specific as you recount the many contributions the person has made to the team and the organization. Share how much you honor, respect and admire them and remind them that other organizations will recognize and value their skills and abilities as well.

Help them brainstorm their next step. After you have broken the news, roll up your sleeves and make yourself an ally to your employee as they begin envisioning their future. Discuss with them what they would really love to be doing going forward. Brainstorm about the type of jobs they would love to have.

To get the ball rolling, ask, “What is important to you in life, and what makes you excited about your career?” Listen closely to each response.

Wholeheartedly commit to helping them find their next role. Call around to any contacts you have and inquire about potential job opportunities for each member of your staff. Give referrals freely. Help them come up with stretch assignments that will give them more experience and prepare them for potential opportunities they are interested in pursuing.

Later, when things open back up, coach them through the interview process. Touch base with the team member through their interview process at other companies. Make yourself available to run mock interviews and check in often to see how they are doing. They will appreciate having a mentor through this challenging process.

Is it unorthodox to keep in touch with employees after you let them go? Perhaps. But if you truly care about someone, you will want to. And who knows? You may be able to bring the person back at a later date.

There’s no escaping the discomfort and pain caused by layoffs, but these steps keep the suffering to a minimum. You have the responsibility to send an employee off into the job market hopeful and inspired, not angry or hurt. If you’ve done your job right and acted from a place of love, they’ll leave knowing that the best part of their life is still ahead.

I am writing this article in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic when social distancing is the practice and the norm. I have begun a little Facebook ritual I call Sunday Morning with Mark Leichty, where I post video and photos from my favorite local gardens. Each “episode” begins with the reading of a Shel Silverstein poem. Last week, I visited Dancing Oaks Nursery, which truly is “The Place Where the Sidewalk Ends!” I have found these outings and the photos I share to be cathartic for many people that view them.

One of the most liked photos recently was of Stachyurus praecox var. matsuzakii, which was first discovered on the remote island of Hachijo-jima some 100 miles into the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo. Commonly called a catkin tree, this beautiful shrub/small tree is adorned with stunning 6- to 10-inch pedant racemes in spring. The flowers are creamy-yellow and are adored by bees. The large vase-shaped shrub reaches a height of 15 feet when fully mature, which is somewhat larger than other S. praecox varieties. It grows well in full sun to dappled shade. The flowers, to my dismay, have little or no fragrance. Stachyurus prefer humus-rich, evenly moist soil, and do best with periodic water during dry summers. The large structure of S. praecox var. matsuzakii provides great habitat and cover for birds during the summer. The fall color of this deciduous shrub is yellow to golden.

I have seldom seen this elegant plant for sale, except at specialty nurseries like Dancing Oaks. I would love to see it become more mainstream, because it certainly deserves a more prominent place in North American gardens.