Telos Rare Bulbs

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Telos Rare Bulbs
Robert Parks via pbs (Wed, 17 Feb 2021 19:06:58 PST)

For years I produced my family's nursery catalog (remember paper catalogs),
and later also converted the catalog to html each year (long before online
shops). That was a giant yearly project...and I was 3000 miles away from
actual operations.

Sitting here, I glance over at my garden spreadsheet and shudder at the
thought of converting it to a presentable and useful online catalog...and
doing it in a way that it is maintainable and easily updated. Knowing that
whatever solution I choose, there will be many dozens of hours of work
before something workable results...time where I would be away from work,
the garden, and any other personal activities I might indulge in, time that
I wouldn't get back, nor compensated for.

It is really easy to understand the choice to keep legacy systems going
when the commitment to change is so expensive (time/labor/money)...and the
replacement never works perfectly for you, since it is alway a mass market
system with limited or expensive customization. We have three interlocking
systems at work, one an enormous spreadsheet that is manually updated, but
produces the reports needed, and easily workable, another commercial system
that does its job pretty well, mostly because of an inhouse software
wizard, and a standardized system that replaces a completely obsolete
system that had once been well customized...it does nothing well, is
ferociously difficult to use for everyone, but is what we are stuck with
since a previous administration wanted to get the resume entry for
"updating this obsolete system". No, they don't talk to each other, except
for a few limited digital reports that are sent occasionally. I will note
that you can get an answer out of the spreadsheet faster than you can get
either of the other systems started up.

Anyway. Kudos to the small independent nurseries that supply my plant
habits, so long as the websites have the basic information, I can do my due
diligence. If they add deeper descriptions and information, provide images,
and have a workable navigation interface, wow, that is a major plus!

Now, if you will excuse me, I _need_ to go pore over the Telos offerings.
I'm sure I'll find a "few" items I can't live without!

Robert
in sunny pleasant San Francisco where this week's biggest flower show is
fields of Oxalis pes-caprae in full glorious invasiveness.

On Wed, Feb 17, 2021 at 4:12 PM Diana Chapman via pbs <
pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:

I thank you all for the kind and positive comments. I can't tell you
how much that means to me.

I don't mean to complain about customers asking questions, just silly
ones like 'how much is this bulb?'. I try to answer all questions, and
give advice where necessary. In these modern times, it is rare to be
able to communicate with a real person, only with the small specialty
nurseries will you get personalized care. That makes it special for me
too, I feel I know some of my customers. People send me pictures of
their bulbs, or of their greenhouses or gardens, and that is really
wonderful, I feel I have friends all over the world.

Again, many thanks for your supportive comments.

Diana
Telos

For great, unusual plants I’ll happily deal with a non-professionally

designed website. I’m hot after the plants not the graphic design. So as
long as I can figure out how to pick the plant and pay for it I’m good.

Jan

On Feb 17, 2021, at 2:47 PM, Arnold Trachtenberg via pbs <

pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:

i think we can show our thanks to Diane and Robin by patronizing their

nurseries.

Even if it's only a bulb or two.

I heard a quote once about small specialist nurseries.
How do you make some money with a specialist nursery?
"Start with a lot of money"

ArnoldSnow coming in NJ

-----Original Message-----
From: Vlad Hempel via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>
Cc: Vlad Hempel <vlad.hempel@gmail.com>
Sent: Wed, Feb 17, 2021 3:57 pm
Subject: Re: [pbs] Telos Rare Bulbs

If I may add my two cents:

Diana, I find your website good enough for what it is.

Being a bulb enthusiast myself and not from US, I took time to read

through

the conditions (especially the international orders page).

I think your request about name and address is essential.

Please continue to offers these gems. There are hardly any place that

offer

so many generas and species in one place.

Greetings from Berlin,
Vlad

On Wed 17. Feb 2021 at 21:43 Diana Chapman via pbs <
pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:

Thank you, Robin. It has actually taken me the best part of three

weeks

just to update the availability on the web site, and I still have the
greenhouses to take care of and orders to fill. As for hiring someone
to do it, I couldn't possibly afford it, and anyway, I tried some time
back to have someone make a cd of bulbs that I would provide to
customers and it was a total nightmare, she couldn't understand the
names, couldn't spell them, even with me going over them carefully, and
I finally abandoned it. So, if my web site is clunky and 'not modern',
that's the way it is. I have rarely had any complaints about it.

Diana
Telos

A suggestion that revamping our websites that would avoid questions

and

other issues is great. But when you're a single proprietor with no paid
help and when revamping takes an incredible amount of time and

resources,

it's much, much more difficult. We struggle along as best we can and

make

changes as we can, but for me the last two years have been very

difficult

due to family issues, a major move and other obligations. Oh, yes, and

grandson who is no longer readily available... Given the pandemic and

the

fact that we all have family, often elderly or otherwise needing
assistance, things don't happen as quickly or efficiently as they

should.

Right now I'm faced with at least updating some website information

and

finding the time, let alone determining the best way to do it, can be
roadblocks in themselves.

So, these upgrades will get done, but for specialist nurseries, these

take a lower priority than making sure we have unusual and/or rare

plants

available for the plant lovers who support us. Personally, I'll put up

with

clunky websites to get what I want, knowing I can't get a plant

anywhere

else nearly as easily.

Robin Hansen
Hansen Nursery
In the southern wilds of Coos County, Oregon

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