BY GINNY PRIVITAR
WEST MILFORD — It would be hard to find a man with more nursery experience than George Cluff. He has been growing plants for over 30 years. Cluff owned a garden center for more than 25 years, but sold his business a few years ago. For the past five years, he’s been a wholesaler to other garden centers and out of retail.
Cluff describes himself as a greenhouse grower, connected to nature like his farmer grandfather before him. He has five greenhouses on his land where he grows all kinds of flowers and herbs.
But he couldn’t stay out of retail.
“Basically people were asking, 'Where can I buy your product?',” Cluff said.
Former customers would say 'we miss you' and 'where can we buy your plants?' Cluff and his wife and partner, Diana, missed the interaction with the public. So they decided to get back into retail. Last May, they started Simply Planted, LLC, on their farm where they grow items for the wholesale trade. Cluff, who started in the nursery business when he was 23, has been at it full time.
“I do really love it. I’m very passionate about what I do,” he said. “My plants are healthy and we provide the best products.”
Cluff is a lifelong resident of West Milford and loves living here. Another reason he got back into retail was because he wants to stay on his farm. But farming is getting more and more challenging, he said. He needs other markets.
“We go to farmers markets; sell to wholesalers,” he said. “Right now, we’re focusing our efforts on retail.”
He noted his products are one of the main attractions on Saturdays at the Pleasantville Farmers Market in Westchester. But you won’t have to travel that far.
Simply Planted sells all kinds of plants, including hanging baskets and assorted bedding plants. Currently, they offer annuals but plan to add perennials to their production next year.
“Drop ‘n Grow” containers are a featured item. According to Cluff, they’re shallow, 10-inch containers planted with different annual combinations that perform well together. People can take them home and just drop them into their own containers or gardens. The mesh bottom of the Drop 'n Grow container allows for maximum plant performance, Cluff said, since the air prunes the roots as they grow, so plants don’t get root-bound.
Buy one, get one free sale
Simply Planted currently is running a buy one, get one free sale on every plant they sell.And they are getting ready for fall plantings. The Cluffs are working on production for fall, when they’ll have a full line of fall stock, including hanging baskets, ornamental cabbages, drop and grow containers, pumpkins, gourds and decorative combination fall planters.
Hurry in now for their buy one, get one free offer and be sure to check them out come fall.