Murray Hidlebaugh likes the smell of dirt and the feel of it between his fingers, which is why the Saskatoon tree farmer finds it distressing that his customers seem to be losing their connection with Mother Earth.
Modern homeowners want low maintenance shrubs that don’t require much water, won’t grow past a certain height and are bug free to fill their “microscopic” suburban yards. Hidlebaugh tells them to go buy plastic plants.
“The majority of people are so disconnected from the land they don’t know how things grow. And that’s in Saskatchewan,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
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Hidlebaugh and his wife Jeanette got into the tree nursery business 22 years ago on their 15 acre farm near Bradwell, Sask., a short drive south of Saskatoon.
The couple, both 62, have since moved their operation to a small acreage even closer to the city. They have noticed a marked difference in their clientele since the early days of the business.
“The gardener now is not as sophisticated as they were,” said Jeanette.
Instead of looking for hardy, good quality plants that may require some attention and upkeep, people are gravitating to minimal care shrubs with bright colours and cheap price tags. They are finding what they’re looking for at large retail chains such as Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire and Home Depot.
“(Our shrubs) are healthier and would do a lot better, but people don’t see that or care,” said Jeanette.
That consumer indifference is showing up in slumping sales volumes. Last spring the couple bought 4,800 trees and shrubs from their wholesaler in Manitoba.
In the fall they tipped over 2,000 leftover potted plants, covered them up with plastic and flax straw and lined the pile with mouse bait to protect their merchandise over the long winter months.
Most of the plants they buy now are small trees and shrubs like spirea, potentilla, ninebark or roses that are sold in one or two gallon pails. But in the early days of the operation the couple sold 15 different types of large trees including spruce, pine, aspen, ash and birch.
The Hidlebaughs grew up on farms near Choiceland, Sask. Jeanette’s father was a registered seed grower who was once crowned World Oat King at Toronto’s Royal Winter Agriculture Fair. Murray was raised on a mixed operation that had cattle, hogs and grain.
Neither saw a future in agriculture, so they enrolled in university. Murray got a job teaching recreation and tourism at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology’s Kelsey campus in Saskatoon. Jeanette raised two boys in their home in the city.
The couple also owned a small farm in Bradwell. When Murray was breaking the land in 1985 he was approached by a friend to set up a tree growing business.
There have been many challenges along the way, none more daunting than dealing with the high salt content in Saskatchewan soil, which when mixed with irrigation causes all sorts of headaches.
“When the salt gets in the plant it just dwarfs it and twists it and stunts it,” said Murray.
The solution to that chronic problem was making sure not to overwater the trees by switching to drip irrigation. Murray also planted a combination of alfalfa and sweet clover between the rows to keep the soil moisture from evaporating and bringing the salt up with it.
In 1992 the couple bought out their partner and took the business in a different direction, focusing on smaller trees and shrubs. That’s when Jeanette took a more active role in the operation.
They moved from the city to an acreage 12 kilometres south of Saskatoon, the new headquarters of their tree nursery.
Murray’s pride and joy is his potting soil, a mixture of 10 parts wood chips, one part dirt and two parts peat moss. He lets it sit for three years before using it.
Jeanette’s forte is watering. She ensures each of the 4,800 plants gets a drink or two every day. With 148 different types of trees, it is a real art to know how much to give each plant – the kind of care and attention she contends can’t be matched by the Wal-Marts of the world.
The Hidlebaughs estimate they spent $25,000 on wholesale plants last spring. In a good year they would double that amount through retail sales throughout the summer months. Last year they did not.
Competing head-to-head with multinational chains is taking its toll on the Hidlebaugh operation, which sells most of its product through Clement Farms, a local greenhouse that has a small retail outlet in Saskatoon.
The Hidlebaughs have already scaled back prices as far as they can go. This year the couple is attempting to sidestep the competition, cutting back on common items like junipers, cedars and roses to make room for more exotic plants customers wouldn’t find elsewhere.
Murray said they will keep plugging away at their sideline until they turn 70 or sales deteriorate to the point where they are forced to subsidize the operation.
They’re not giving up because it’s fun. Jeanette enjoys pruning her roses and listening to birds twitter as she waters her newly potted shrubs. Murray prefers puttering on new production techniques and playing with his dirt pile more than going for a round of golf or playing a hand of bridge.
“I like the smell of soil,” he said.
