Robust Blooms is the Hallmark of Annual Color Business
Awe-inspiring annual color sets one landscape job apart from another; particularly in high-end residential neighborhoods with large homes, manicured lawns and extensive landscape attributes.
That’s the client profile of McCullough’s Landscape and Nursery based in New Albany, Ohio, just outside of the Columbus, the state’s sprawling capitol and home to a number of top corporate headquarters.
Owner Nick McCullough, manages a 60/40 maintenance to design/build full-service landscape firm that he started 13 years ago with seed money from his parents. Today the $1 million plus company manages about 70 residential clients with about 30 employees.
Two years ago, McCullough added an 8-acre retail nursery to serve existing clientele and to spur retail sales. The nursery specializes in perennials, annuals and display gardens.
“The nursery started as a plant holding area for our design/build jobs, but we soon saw the potential for a retail business,” McCullough said. “We’re well-positioned to capitalize on the growth of Columbus which is moving our way. There’s no other nursery within a 10-mile radius.”
McCullough’s maintenance crews manage everything from mowing to fertilization to pond management and plant health. And, if the annuals and perennials aren’t blooming brightly and robustly, the responsibility falls on McCullough.
“Our containers for home landscapes are designed on a large scale; often many times larger than in a commercial setting,” McCullough said. “A lot of our clients don’t water because they aren’t around. We’re solely in control of the plant care on their properties, and we give our client the best product we can.”
To maintain exquisite blooms and customer satisfaction, McCullough needed to find a way to maintain plant moisture without breaking the bank on labor. About four years ago at a trade show, he spotted a new product called Angel Moss. The product, available in pellets and plant liners, acts like a sponge to hold water in containers and baskets as well as to insulate the roots from stress. As surrounding soil dries out, Angel Moss releases water to keep soil roots moist, extending time in between watering.
“We’ve achieved tremendous success. The plants don’t scorch out completely and gives us an extra day or two buffer to water, especially on 90-degree days when we don’t have to run back to water twice a day when the homeowner goes on vacation,” McCullough said. “The quality and quantity of blooms is directly tied to moisture. If our containers dry out, the plants get stressed and are less likely to bloom.”
McCullough buys Angel Moss in bulk and adds it to the mid-section of its sweet peat soil mix for containers. In baskets, the Angel Moss liners age well providing an aesthetic bonus.
Angel Moss liners are also sold retail at McCullough’s Gardens. “We teach a class on building baskets and containers in our nursery. We like to share the plant wealth.”
- Nick McCullough - Owner
