From diversifying services and products to reducing inventory, Gwinnett's small plant nurseries are working hard to survive Georgia's historic drought.

Last fall was a disaster for many in the green industry. Some people may have forgotten, but nursery owners well remember that fall was dry, hot and parched. The statewide watering ban was in effect, and few people bought plants of any sort.

Kimberly Smith/AJC (ENLARGE)

Randy Kucera, owner of Randy's Perennials and Watergardens, maintains a niche in the nursery industry by specializing in rare and unusual perennials and hardy palms. He also retails a wide selection of aquatic plants, fish and supplies for backyard ponds.

Kimberly Smith/AJC/ (ENLARGE)

Donna Norris, a partner at Gravel Springs Nursery, brings some geraniums in for the night before closing on Saturday. The nursery has been around for 12 years, and many of its customers are local landscapers and homeowners looking for unusual items.

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"It was terrible," said Harry Bethea, owner of Bannister Creek Nursery in Duluth. "We just about shut down last fall and didn't buy anything."

Bannister Creek is a specialty, high-end nursery, with unusual and exotic trees and plants. Bethea said he caters to gardeners wanting their gardens to have a "finished look," not necessarily a new landscape. His unique, lovely plants are often pricey.

It's not possible for Bethea to slash prices by 70 to 90 percent, as did the Home Depot and three Pike Nurseries located near his business, he said. He can't make drastic price reductions and survive.

"I feel that Gov. Perdue and his cronies dumped the drought on the green industry," Bethea said. "I'm sure there were ways people were abusing water that weren't addressed."

At Gravel Springs Nursery outside Buford, partner Barry Steele said last year was difficult for his business for two reasons. The first was the drought, and the second was the widening of Ga. 324, which runs right in front of the nursery.

"Last year was terrible," Steele said. "The one thing we lucked out on was that we didn't order a lot of plants for the fall. The small inventory helped us."

This year, he said, the road project is almost complete, which should make the nursery more accessible.

Also, Gravel Springs Nursery is now selling bulk mulch, rainwater systems and hardscape materials. They are also doing stone consignments and are bartering for advertisements.

Randy Kucera's Lawrenceville business is Randy's Perennials and Water Gardens. The last part — the water gardens — carried him through the dry spell last year. People bought plants and items for their water features even as their gardens withered and they shunned perennials.

"We're going to be optimistic this spring," Kucera said. "We're going to be optimistic that this spring is going to be better."

He thinks gardeners are going to focus on having container plants this spring, ones that are easily in reach of a garden hose. Creating attractive container gardens is going to receive a lot of emphasis at his nursery.

With the watering ban easing a bit, Kucera is hoping people will replace their plants that either burned up in the drought or were frozen by the freeze last April.

While Bloomin' Designs outside Dacula has focused on wholesaling, occasionally it will have an open house for the general public to peruse and buy plants.

The business had already started down the road it will continue to travel, owner Mike Butler said. It is focusing on Internet sales and easing up on selling plants to retail and other wholesale nurseries.

"Last fall, those sales dropped off to nothing," said Butler, who works with his wife, Linda.

"But the drought even affected our Internet sales, because we ship throughout the Southeast, and everyone was affected by the drought."

Butler said his business is focusing more on drought-tolerant plants such as hostas and day lilies, sedums and grasses.

"We're pushing hard and praying for rain when we see it on the horizon," he said.