It’s time once again for our annual year-end review and New Year forecast with Lyndsi Oestmann, Loma Vista Nursery’s president. We asked Lyndsi a few questions for this blog and hope you enjoy her insightful responses. Happy New Year to all!
Q. What are key learnings from 2024 that you will carry over into 2025?
A. Lesson #1 – Having great core values, company culture and vision is all well and good, but having buy-in on this from employees is where the rubber meets the road. I was reminded in 2024 that no matter what we do to attract and retain top talent to our company – not everyone will be a good fit because not everyone will buy in. Get the right people on the bus in the right seats.
Lesson #2 – Act now. Don’t wait until the “right time.” This goes for changes, upgrades, big projects and lofty goals. The right time is now.
Having a cohesive structure and a committed team that believes in the company’s vision and core values are essential to its success.
Q. What was Loma Vista Nursery’s most exciting accomplishment in 2024?
A. We successfully managed operations under a new labor structure using two H2A contracts and staggering the entry of each group of H2A employees. This was so we could be best prepared to execute during peak business times while not having excess workforce during down times. Managing two contracts comes with extra expense upfront, but it really helped us manage our labor force better and make the most out of the time each team member was here.
A new labor structure enabled us to make the most of the time each team member was at work.
Q. What challenges do you see facing the horticulture industry in 2025?
A. Election years often come with loads of uncertainty, and I believe this will be one of the biggest challenges facing the horticulture industry in the New Year. Uncertainty naturally causes people to behave differently and to generally express more caution in their day-to-day business operations.
From environmental factors to consumer contradictions and changes in political leadership at every level of government, our resiliency as horticultural businesses and collectively as an industry will depend on our ability to anticipate, prepare for and adapt to change. I believe the key to this adaptation is resiliency planning. That is, planning centered on a company’s core values and hyper-focused on how those values are expressed in the course of doing business day-to-day.
Resiliency planning helps quell uncertainty. For us, that means renewing truck leases and upgrading equipment.
Q. Where do you see our industry’s largest growth opportunity in 2025?
A. Uncertainty! Truly – I do see uncertainty also as an opportunity. I’ve heard 2025 described as the “Year of Reset” and I’m embracing that because “reset” takes into consideration what you’ve done, where you’ve been and what worked and what didn’t. I call this ‘resiliency planning’ because it essentially takes out the planning map you’ve created, dusts it off and analyzes where new streets are and identifies where any new roadblocks may have sprung up.
Resiliency planning requires focusing on what you can control rather than putting mental emphasis on what you cannot control. Uncertainty is also a good time to get hyper-focused about the company’s reason for being in the marketplace and how it presents its values publicly as a horticulture business. It’s an opportunity to get reacquainted with our industry’s analysts and experts – to ask questions and get sound advice on forecasts that can help us look at our internal plans with some degree of certainty.
Getting materials ahead of the spring rush helps us start our spring plantings and other projects on time.
Q. How is Loma Vista Nursery recognizing the “Year of Reset?”
A. We’re honoring the Year of Reset at Loma Vista Nursery with renewed reliance on organization and resiliency planning – focusing our energy on what we can control versus what we cannot. Short- and long-term planning are part of being prepared. So is a well-trained staff that is cared for and valued. Having a well-developed vision and mission and identifying and practicing its values are part of being prepared. Documented standard operating procedures that are flexible and resilient are, as well. All of these are within our control.
We’ll continue to train our management team and workforce on standard operating procedures that make sense, while expanding on and exploring new operational efficiencies that are informed by our internal benchmarking data. Internal transparency and team communication remains one of our greatest strengths as a business, and we’ll continue this as well. This winter, we’re making sure our equipment and facilities are up-to-date, our workspaces are organized and our tools are sharpened. To have the best, most productive growing season possible, we’ll have everything we need ready so that when it’s time to execute our plans for spring, it will be much easier to do from a clean and organized operation.
This winter, we are in our maintenance shop, working on our equipment to make sure it’s spring-ready.
Q. What new plants will Loma Vista Nursery be growing in 2025?
A. We’re excited to be growing many new varieties, some of which are ready now. These include Chameleon Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Chameleon’), as well as:
For Ball Seed/Darmin Perennials:
Echinacea Double Scoop™ Watermelon Deluxe (Echinacea x hybrida)
For First Editions:
Flowerfull® Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Baiful’)
For Proven Winners:
Aronia Low Scape Snowfire® (Aronia melanocarpa)
Bubbly Wine® (Weigela florida)
Daisy May® Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum superbum)
Incrediball Storm Proof™ Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)
Kodiak Fresh® (Diervilla x)
Magic Show® ‘Pink Potion’ Spike Speedwell (Veronica hybrid)
Magic Show® ‘Purple Illusion’ Spike Speedwell (Veronica hybrid)
Magic Show® ‘White Wands’ Spike Speedwell (Veronica hybrid)
‘Paint the Town’ Pinks (Dianthus hybrid)
Prairie Winds® ‘Cheyenne Sky’ Red Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum)
Whip it Good™ Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)
Wine & Spirits® (Weigela florida)
For Star Roses and Plants:
Easy Bee-zy™ Knock Out®
Orange Glow™ Knock Out®
Beautiful 2024 blooms in the processing area of our nursery. Looking forward to experiencing this view again in 2025!
Q. What do you most look forward to in the coming year?
A. I’m excited to see new blooms on our plants! I’m also excited for our newest team members to gain more experience this spring, and to welcome new team members in the spring of 2025. I look forward to continuing to train staff and to offering them opportunities to take ownership of their departments, roles and outcomes in their areas of expertise and within the company.
Q. Fast-forward to 2026. What is the industry celebrating?
A. Fingers crossed that we are celebrating efficiency gains! These may come from embracing AI technologies to make aspects of individual tasks easier, faster and more efficient.
Learn More About Loma Vista Nursery’s Landscape Plants
Loma Vista Nursery grows a variety of trees, shrubs and perennial plants for Midwest independent garden centers, landscape contractors and wholesale distributors. Our staff members – all experts in the field – love helping people learn about plants and the healthy varieties we grow.
Spring ordering is underway! Review Loma Vista Nursery’s plant catalog for information and visit our website to learn about our values and best practices as a Midwest plant grower. For help with orders and plant-related questions, send an email to sales@lomavistanursery.com or call (785) 229-7200.
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