This is your last year. Argh! What does this mean? Owners Roger and Nancy Lindley plan to retire in the fall. Roger's arthritis is getting worse and we can draw on his 401K retirement soon. The Lindleys plan to move to a warmer climate. They've been trying to sell the property and nursery for nearly two years, but no one has stepped forward to continue the business. So, they will "wind down" Great Lakes Roses during 2008. This creates some opportunities for our customers and industry colleagues to acquire discounted roses plus our production equipment and unused growing supplies. Read on.
What about your remaining rose inventory? I suppose you don't have many plants left. Wrong! We're opening this year with our largest inventory of retail plants. We have a two-year crop cycle and did our final propagation in 2006. So, few young plants remain. We shifted the roses into large pots this winter and filled up the greenhouse space formerly used for young plants. Click here for a listing of our rose varieties.
So, can I get a "good deal" on your roses -- a deep discount? Shop early for best selection. Unlike previous years, we don't plan to add inventory during the summer. Our usual volume discounts will be granted for purchases through Memorial Day. After Memorial Day, we will extend a larger discount on the remaining inventory. At this time, all the roses are discounted 60%. This is our final markdown prior to closing. Click here for rose pricing and the discount schedule.
I remember seeing some really nice big plants at your nursery, in back in the "off limits" area. I think you called them Mother or Stock Plants. Are you selling those? Yes! We did offer those large "instant gratification" plants. All have been sold. Click here to learn more about the Mother plants.
What about discounts on non-rose merchandise? Right now all books (except Roses for Michigan), all gloves and most rose care products are 50% off.
Are you still selling at the Farmers Markets? What about MSU Garden Day, Growing with Master Gardeners (Dearborn) the fall gardening conference in Lapeer, etc? Our inventory is low and we have much to do to prepare for the move, so all remaining sales opportunities will be at the nursery.
Are you still doing your programs at the nursery? Yes! We're repeating our favorite programs on Sundays and Mondays from September 7 until closing on October 13. Click here for a schedule of the talks, programs and workshops at the nursery.
I'm not a commercial grower, but I saw some things at the nursery I'd like to buy -- nursery carts, concrete blocks, treated lumber, etc. Are you selling that stuff? Yes, we're selling our equipment. Click here for to learn about the nursery equipment. You don't have to be a commercial grower to find this list interesting. Also, the listing of supplies like pots, soil, fertilizers, etc, could be of interest.
What about the house and property? Is it for sale? Yes, it's offered by a real estate agent from Belleville. We're asking $275,000 for the 10-acre property, which includes an updated 1800 sq. ft. home, large traditional barn and several outbuildings. While we're on a paved road, there are many secluded unpaved roads and horse owners in Sumpter Township. Click here to view the listing.
Are you selling your household stuff? Yes! After a series of garage/yard sales Salvation Army has hauled away all our household items. We're now sitting on cheap, white plastic outdoor furniture and sleeping on a mattress on the floor. It's a snap to keep the house clean!
What about this website? It has so much good reference information. Yes, we plan to keep GreatLakesRoses.com active into 2009. After that, we'll move the rose care information and Michigan Gardener articles to http://nancyandroger.com
How can you just go out of business? We aren't "going out of business". We're not "shutting down". We're retiring. This is something we've planned for over two years.
Why couldn't you find someone to continue the business? Surely a family member? What about your employees? Well, these questions are starting to creep into the realm of being our personal, private business. But, we've heard them often, so here's our response: The Lindleys never had children and have few relatives. We've advertised and publicized the sale of Great Lakes Roses for nearly two years. We have entertained dozens of potential buyers. None have just the right combination of desire, financial resources, willingness to live on-site, physical endurance and insanity it takes to successfully operate a rose nursery.
Well if Roger's health is so bad why not just pay someone to do what he does and "go south" for the winter? Like many Ma-and-Pa enterprises, Great Lakes Roses is basically a "subsistence" business. This means a family can earn a living if they are willing (and able) to work the business. The business isn't profitable enough to pay someone to do all the physical labor while we sit back and "manage". We have a two-year crop cycle, with plants in the nursery or greenhouse year-round. Someone has to respond quickly to power outages, high winds and heavy snowfalls.
So, where can I go to get my roses? Many garden centers in Michigan stock hardy roses. The problem is that they also stock wimpy roses and it’s hard to tell the difference. Start by going to the garden center with Nancy Lindley’s book, Roses for Michigan. Select roses from her book. We plan to keep this website active into 2009 and will move the rose information to www.NancyandRoger.com. We’ll have a list of roses we recommend for Michigan.
If you can’t find recommended roses at local garden centers, then consider our favorite mailorder sources:
Corn Hill Nursery, New Brunswick, Canada The owner, Bob Osborne, wrote the book on Hardy Roses. He was our inspiration when we moved to Michigan from Texas, discovered all our favorite roses in the Michigan garden centers and learned they don’t really succeed here. All of Bob’s roses are on their own roots (like ours).
Pickering Nurseries, Ontario, Canada They have a vast inventory of roses. Yes, they’re grafted roses, but they graft onto Canadian multiflora which is much better suited to Michigan than the U.S. rootstocks. All of the big U.S. rose growers produce roses in California, Texas or Arizona (despite their mailing address) and they use rootstock best suited for warm climates. When planting a Pickering rose, place the bud-union (the knob at the base of the plant) 2 – 4 inches underground for the best winter hardiness.
Most U.S. suppliers of own-root roses send nothing more than rooted cuttings. If you’re used Great Lakes Roses’ large, monster own-root roses, then consider:
Antique Rose Emporium, Texas
Roses Unlimited, South Carolina
Yes, they’re Southern growers. We’ll let you in on a little secret. Our roses aren’t hardy because we grow ‘em in Michigan. They’re hardy because they’re varieties that are “genetically programmed” to succeed in Michigan and because we grow them on their own roots (they’re not grafted). The good folks at Antique Rose Emporium and Roses Unlimited ship large rose plants, on their own roots. But, (unlike Great Lakes Roses) not all their varieties succeed in Michigan. It’s important to have Nancy Lindley’s Roses for Michigan at hand when you order from these suppliers.
Are you going to retire someplace warm? Yes.
Arizona, Florida, where? Thailand.
Excuse me? Did you say Taiwan? No, Thailand. It’s a friendly, warm country between India and Vietnam.
Why Thailand? Well, we don’t have any children and our parents are gone, so we don’t have many “family reasons” for remaining here. We’re retiring young, before we can claim Social Security or Medicare. Currently we spend over $12,000 annually on minimal Blue Cross coverage, without a drug plan. The medical care in Thailand is superb and economical. The Thais are a friendly people who enjoy great food and spend many years studying English in their public schools. We’re going to Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand where the climate is warm without being oppressive. Roger lived in Thailand while in the military and we’ve visited several times. In 2006 we lived there for a month, on a retirement lifestyle, developing a budget and learning how we’d spend our time.
So what will you do in Thailand? What does anyone do when retired? Somehow the days will be so full we’ll wonder how we ever ran a rose nursery. Roger is active in Rotary International, which has a big presence in Thailand. There are thousands of retirees in Chiang Mai who speak English as their native language. Many are women and Nancy will be involved with them. We’ll do some traveling throughout that hemisphere.
The internet service in Chiang Mai is better than in the U.S. We’ll keep in touch with our U.S. friends via www.NancyandRoger.com Admittedly, our new website is a little lame right now, but once we retire we’ll post more photos and will probably create a blog and share videos.
Chiang Mai, Thailand is a popular tourist destination. Please let us know when you plan a visit to our new city. We’d love to show you around.
Doesn’t it bother you to leave Great Lakes Roses? Well, yes. It’s been very gratifying. It’s humbling to think about the impact we’ve had on the state of Michigan. We like to joke that our roses are in much better homes than we could give them. Perhaps someday, we’ll have the leisure time to see our roses at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. We’ll continue to vote for Jennifer Granholm, despite her setbacks, because she’s planted our roses at the Governor’s residence. We’ll hope we never get to “enjoy” our roses at the Jackson State prison. It’s amazing to think that our roses will outlive us and continue to improve the quality of life for Michigan residents. Thank you for your support. |
