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12 CapitalPress.com August 18, 2017 Nursery finds niche in urban setting Julia Hollister/For the Capital Press Andrew Alvarado manages Sloat Garden Center in the bustling Marina District of San Francisco. His clients’ gardens range in size from sweeping lawns down to window boxes. By JULIA HOLLISTER For the Capital Press Prices good thru 9/30/2017 Greenhouse Manufacturing & Supplies 503-678-2701 1-800-347-2701 (outside OR) FAX: 503-678-2789 www.ovg.com • ivans@ovg.com 20357 HW 99E • AURORA, OR 97002 WE HAVE A Greenhouse Size TO FIT EVERYONE’S NEEDS, FROM RESIDENTIAL TO COMMERCIAL! 20x96 Low Profile Quonset 6’ On Center, 4’ side walls Frame includes: 17-Bows 1-96’ Purlins 34-Legs 4-21’ End Braces Hardware & Instructions to assemble Frame w/1 5/8” 0.085 ~ $1,497.00 Frame w/1 7/8” 0.095 ~ $2,079.00 Receive 5% Off Your Next Greenhouse Frame Bring this ad to the show. Must place order by September 30, 2017. Frame only - not valid on sale items. 30x96 Semi Gable Frame MECHANICAL PIPE Corrugated Poly Carbonate 4’ 2” wide sheets 8’, 10’, 12’, 14’, 16’ & 24’ lengths 10-year warranty on light transmission Clear ~ $0.96/ft 2 ALSO OFFERING Roll-ups Poly Exhaust Fans Wire Lock Poly Carbonate Bench Tops Injectors Shade Cloth Code Structures Heaters Ground Cover Gutter Connects 6’ On Center, 4’ side walls, 13’ high Frame includes: 17-Bows 3-96’ Purlins 34-Legs 4-21’ End Braces Hardware & Instructions to assemble Frame w/1 7/8” 13 ga. Bows ~ $2,913.00 Frame w/2 3/8” 13 ga. Bows ~ $3,387.00 COME SEE US AT THE FAR WEST SHOW OREGON CONVENTION CENTER, AUGUST 23rd-25th BOOTH #17047 + #17045 N17-3/#7 SAN FRANCISCO — Nestled between a popular neighborhood bar and crowd- ed restaurant is Sloat Garden Center, a plant “boutique” in San Francisco’s Marina Dis- trict. Andrew Alvarado has been manager for three years and caters to different customers’ needs. “We’re part of the neigh- borhood and our plant selec- tion reflects that,” he said. “Ev- ery customer has unique needs but the most common question has to be: ‘What do you have that’s impossible to kill?’ I try to reassure people that even the hardiest plants take a lit- tle know-how but that we’re always available for advice, knowledge and guidance.” Sloat Gardens has three lo- cations in San Francisco and several others in Marin County and the East Bay. Each has a different clientele. Some have customers with large expanses of lawn and gardens while the Marina location has customers with window boxes. Most of the plants are locally grown by wholesale nurseries in the Bay Area. “We know the story behind every 2-inch succulent and 15-gallon Japanese maple that enters our doors,” he said. “All the plants are geared to San Francisco weather.” The outside area is a daz- zling array of colorful flow- ering plants and herbs. In addition to growing plants, Sloat’s sells high-quality garden tools, soils, planters and offers garden design and delivery. From planting and pruning to weeding, the nurs- ery offers customers a month- ly garden to-do list. “It’s not just San Francis- co weather in general but the particular and unique micro- climate that is the marina,” he said. “Most of our customers live down the street from us so we have to think of their yards when selecting our plants.” Alvarado answers ques- tions daily about which plants are the most popular and which are the hardest to grow. Right now, the ficus lyrata is most popular. It’s featured in all the design and lifestyle blogs and is in high demand, he said. “Thankfully, they’re not too difficult to take care of,” he said. As far as the most difficult plant to grow, “in my expe- rience, maidenhair ferns are probably the toughest,” he said. “Demanding in light, water and humidity, they don’t forgive you if it isn’t just right.” He says many challenges face the nursery industry, but one stands out. “In my opinion, the big- gest challenge facing the California nursery indus- try is effectively educating the public,” he said. “We may be officially out of the drought but we still need to keep water-wise practices and drought-tolerant plants at the forefront of everyone’s minds. We have to be proac- tive instead of reactive; you never know when the next drought may occur.” Alvarado said he can an- swer most customers’ ques- tions, but one day he was stumped. “One time I had a custom- er come in wondering why her ming aralia (a tall fern) was smelling like maple syr- up,” he said. “I couldn’t fig- ure out why initially, but we later got one in the shop and soon enough it started smell- ing like maple syrup, too. I figured out we had been overwatering it and when the roots rot they emit that smell.”
