Christina Salwitz Says Women Bring A Unique Perspective To The Industry

Christina Salwitz 2014_featured

Christina Salwitz

Garden writer Christina Salwitz is a powerhouse in the industry. She is an expert container designer, works at an independent garden center and runs her own blog. Salwitz is active on social media, and she fights for the industry’s ability to stay autonomous from the big box stores. Most importantly, Salwitz stands out in a field of garden industry people as a design and color specialist who can bring something brilliant and unique to the end consumer.

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Her garden design business, established in 1998, started with landscaping, then evolved into container design because of increased demand for her unique and color-filled designs. Salwitz continues to work at an independent garden center in order to connect directly with the consumer. She also evolved and expanded her business by blogging, authoring books such as “Fine Foliage” with co-author Karen Chapman, and concentrating on horticultural photography. Demand grew for her work, and by March 2014 her designs were featured on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.

Social media and website development was an evolutionary experience for Salwitz, a slow growth with a concentration on her beautiful photographic content. Having a primary website was directly linked to marketing and media via social media and blogging. When combined with traditional magazines, which are all online now, the increased media exposure for her design business partners with traditional marketing in order to pull in consistent new clientele. Her local clients also shop at the independent garden center and nursery where she works.

Salwitz says she believes that women, specifically, bring a particular knowledge to the horticulture industry of the needs of the end consumer. Here, Salwitz talks more about her own background and experience, as well as women’s role in the industry.

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Shawna Coronado: Tell me about some of the decisions you have made about how your business and the marketing of Christina Salwitz has gone in respect to its growth over the years, and also the implementation of your “Fine Foliage” book and your website. What is your philosophy?

Christina Salwitz: “In my original business plan, the entire idea was based on the conceptual idea of saving the customer money, time and labor, essentially forming a triad of need, then addressing each need as it is applicable. The triad essentially supports each side. For example, sometimes saving money is connected with time and labor. Cheap labor might save you money, but will the project be finished in a quality way in the time you want? Additionally, that three legged business triad comes into play sometimes when you have to throw money at something in order to save time on a project. Saving labor might mean that doing it right the first time dictates you do not have to go back and fix the situation later. Concentrating on that triad business structure then enables my business to function well.”

Christina Salwitz, Dan Heims, Allan Armitage, n Kelly Norris 2014

Christina Salwitz, with Dan Heims, Kelly Norris and Allan Armitage

Coronado: Your background is in horticulture and design. How has that helped you leave a footprint on our industry?

Salwitz: “School was centered on design. I double-majored in fashion merchandising and marketing. Nordstrom was where I learned customer service and an end-consumer’s interest in trends and designs. This learn-while-you-go education shaped my design mindset that color and design make a large impact on the consumer industry.

“While staying at home for eight years with a small child, I began working at a local nursery and then made the total connection of how the design principles I learned fresh out of college applied to horticulture and horticultural sales. Flower and plant combinations evolved from fashion design in my mind and it all tied together for stronger sales.”

Coronado: You also work at an independent garden center. Will you please tell me about that and what your thoughts are on our industry supporting local independent garden centers?

Salwitz: “I don’t even see this as controversial because I’m involved with several independent garden center groups online that emphasize that the independent garden center mandate nationwide should be ‘differentiate or die.’ How can we sell more container designs? How can we have better customer care? How do we ask for the pricing we deserve? I think the independent garden center versus the big box stores issue is really about helping my customers and clients understand that you cannot get customized and top-of-the-line service from the big box store. You get what you pay for with big box stores. The independent garden centers have a huge goal going forward of differentiating themselves and I am a part of that initiative. I want hands-on education, classes, unique products and a strong emphasis on healthy gardening to set the standard. There is so much more we can build on going forward.”

Coronado: How is the industry different today than when you first started in the horticultural industry?

Salwitz: “It used to be that garden centers displayed their products in old-fashioned rows and boring, no mixing of perennials, shrubs and trees. Modern differentiation is about the garden centers combining plants in interesting combinations and colors for display. Same with containers and container plant designs. In the future, I see the focus on ornamental edibles as huge. That is something we will see much more of, particularly mixing the edibles and ornamentals together.”

Coronado: What do you see as some critical areas our industry needs to address in the coming months and years?

Salwitz: “Our industry needs a stronger focus on relational sales. Building long-term relationships is what truly makes an independent garden center stand out in a positive way from the big box stores. I hope that by working with designers and architects, the independent garden centers can build a long term relationship that holds customers for life.

“We need to break away from the geranium, lobelia, petunia mix — the younger customers want functionality in their designs, so this will help evolve the market in future years. Edibles and containers allow a family to fix their dinner on their balcony and bring something valuable to the family.”

Coronado: What are and will be the growth markets in the industry that you see as exciting areas to watch?

Salwitz: “Without a doubt, containers and edibles are growing markets and are not trends — they are here to stay. Also, high quality garden art. Many different types of art from miniature gardening to kinetic art to everything in between. You cannot find good quality garden art at the big box stores. It is the finishing element to a landscape.”

Coronado: How are you getting involved in these areas?

Salwitz: “Modern design includes creative use of color. I use fun 21st Century color combinations such as silver, orange, purple and lime green. Modern and contemporary colors that work well together are very flexible and easy to coordinate year round.”

Coronado: Tell me a little about your family. What are some secrets you can offer on balancing your family and work life?

Salwitz: “During the growing season I work seven days a week, so the main thing is to find, at some point during the day, a few hours of do-nothing time. It’s always a challenge.”

Coronado: What do you think is unique about women’s roles in horticulture? What do women offer this industry that is special?

Salwitz: “In an industry that’s been so dominated by men for so many years, what women bring that is unique to the industry is a knowledge of understanding what women specifically want. Women know the market and understand the needs of the end consumer. A woman has that unique point of view that was tougher to find with a men-only industry. Women use color in different ways and are able to extract more delicate ideas with plant combinations that might have been considered taboo in the past. The feminine touch is vital to the garden industry because the mass of buyers — our end consumer — are mostly women.”

Coronado: How can women in our industry support each other and work together to encourage more women to join our industry?

Salwitz: “We are better than we were years ago, but the process of support is evolving, particularly in the last five years. Social media has enabled us to network more and keep in touch more and support each other with our achievements. I have a friend in Minneapolis, but I never would have been able to meet her in person. Social media has opened that door. She is incredibly supportive of me, but I didn’t meet her in person first — I met her via social media first. We support each other brilliantly. More friends than I can count have come to me from social media, Annie Haven from Haven Brand Manure Tea for example, is always everyone’s cheerleader and has supported me implicitly.We now have more opportunities because of the intense level of communication available to us.”

 

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