Economy impacts Oregon nurseries

Big landscape projects are down, but more people are buying edible plants from Oregon nurseries, StatesmanJournal.com reported. Despite the recession, retail nurseries and garden centers are seeing an increase in sales of locally grown food and gardening products. But as people focus on beautifying their existing homes, wholesale profits are dropping as building activity stays low. Elizabeth Peters at Oregon Association of Nurseries, said there has been a huge increase in consumer demand for edible plants. “Those growers have had a very good year so far. As long as the economy is down, we'll have interest in edible plants,” Peters said. “But for growers who wholesale or sell to landscaping trades, it will be a tougher year for them.”