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There is an old saying that goes something like "the only constant in this world is change." The weather changes, the climate changes, prices change, technologies change, everything changes; and even though it is said that people don't change, they can.
Some changes occur slowly and subtly over time. Mountains and other major land formations change slowly through erosion and other natural forces, changes that humans, with our very short life spans, find imperceptible. Other changes can be abrupt and dramatic like the growth and expansion of urban areas into neighboring rural land by converting open living landscapes into a sea of monopoly-dominated strip-malls and mega-box-retailers. Some change is welcome, such as advances in medical care, while some change occurs whether we like it or not.The point is that change is a part of our lives.
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Yucca Do Nursery has been a constant partner with change. Some would say we change too often. Every season we seem to make some major adjustment to how we operate. Those who have watched us over the years must have whiplash from trying to keep up with our shifts and shimmies. Though some of our chameleon-like antics are a result of external forces (government and modern culture), much of the change that has occurred over the years is due to internal shifts in our personal desires and our eccentric personalities!
The Yucca Do catalog has been a constant mirror reflecting both external and internal changes. The first catalogs were simple text-based booklets offering a wide range of plants without visual accompaniments. Then, over time, the catalog gained artistic and graphic embellishments, eventually including photographic images. Other aspects of the catalog have changed over the years as well. The catalog's shape and size have varied tremendously, as have the number and types of yearly editions. Of course the variety of species offered has always been in flux.
The continual fluctuation of species and their ever-changing availabilities have always made the printed catalog a difficult and frustrating format in which to exhibit what we have to offer. How can an inflexible, printed catalog, with a lifespan of 6 to 12 months, reflect living and changing organisms? If a plant which is difficult to propagate sells out, or the entire stock suddenly and unexpectedly experiences crop failure within a month after the catalog goes out, how does this information get out to our customers effectively and efficiently? The answer is "it can't." These are a few reasons why a printed catalog is so hard to keep current. Fortunately, there is a flexible format that allows information to accurately reflect current conditions. That format is the internet.
The internet, via our website, allows us to change the availability status of plants, change plant prices (if necessary), add new or additional information about a species, add new plants when they become available, and change other aspects rather quickly compared to a printed catalog. A printed catalog simply can not stay accurate for long, and it is expensive and time-consuming to produce. These reasons and other contributing factors have caused us at Yucca Do to make the difficult decision that this issue will be the last printed edition of the Yucca Do Catalog.
This I am sure will upset many people, especially those who do not have internet access. But, as discussed previously, change is inevitable. When changes occur from one era of technology to another there is always friction between the old and new. I am sure that many people who grew up with the horse and carriage were not comfortable with the change-over to the motorized carriage. The carriage driver who had developed a relationship with the living horse saw the impersonal heartless machine as some devil in disguise. If the carriage driver expressed his opinion and lament, some young buck probably made some rather unfeeling statement like "that's just progress, man." It is not our intent to hurt or upset any of our customers. We thank all of you for your patronage and we especially want to thank those loyal customers who have purchased plants from us for many years. We want to continue to serve all of our great customers. Unfortunately, after this year, we can no longer reach you through a printed format.
Wade Roitsch
Nursery Manager
Yucca Do Nursery, Inc.
Shown at left are photos taken during a 2007 expedition to Argentina. |
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