September 15, 2014
Pickering Nurseries closes for 2015 season
LO member Pickering Nurseries in Port Hope has announced it will not open for business next year.
In an announcement on the company website by owner Joel Schraven, his message reads, “The rose growing industry has seen a great many changes in the last ten years.
Unfortunately, the majority of these changes were negative for both the companies involved and their bottom lines. The pesticide ban enacted by Ontario in the mid-2000s, an increase in hybridizer royalty rates and how they are calculated, a glut of cheap U.S. grown roses, coupled with the Canadian government changing both import and export regulations (unable to ship to the U.S. 2013) and additional ongoing issues with our root stock have left me with no choice but to stop shipping roses for this season.
Schraven continues, “Over the last several years Pickering Nurseries has been exploring alternative propagation techniques and changes to our business model. Both of these things are still a work in progress. We hope to have a small, core selection of rooted cuttings available in the spring of 2016.”
The announcement says that with great sadness, the family acknowledges the passing of Joseph Schraven on May 27. He was the founder of Pickering Nurseries.
“In closing, I would like to extend thanks to all our long-time customers and our colleagues in the industry, and we hope to be able to serve you in the future.”
Joel Schraven has been a member of the growers’ sector group, and joined in supplying roses to Canada Blooms in 2012.
In an announcement on the company website by owner Joel Schraven, his message reads, “The rose growing industry has seen a great many changes in the last ten years.
Unfortunately, the majority of these changes were negative for both the companies involved and their bottom lines. The pesticide ban enacted by Ontario in the mid-2000s, an increase in hybridizer royalty rates and how they are calculated, a glut of cheap U.S. grown roses, coupled with the Canadian government changing both import and export regulations (unable to ship to the U.S. 2013) and additional ongoing issues with our root stock have left me with no choice but to stop shipping roses for this season.
Schraven continues, “Over the last several years Pickering Nurseries has been exploring alternative propagation techniques and changes to our business model. Both of these things are still a work in progress. We hope to have a small, core selection of rooted cuttings available in the spring of 2016.”
The announcement says that with great sadness, the family acknowledges the passing of Joseph Schraven on May 27. He was the founder of Pickering Nurseries.
“In closing, I would like to extend thanks to all our long-time customers and our colleagues in the industry, and we hope to be able to serve you in the future.”
Joel Schraven has been a member of the growers’ sector group, and joined in supplying roses to Canada Blooms in 2012.