It’s hard to find good help these days. That was the sentiment during this roundtable discussion. Fortunately, while discussing the struggles of hiring and training, a number of sound ideas came to the surface.

• Looking for a new manager shouldn’t be limited to those with green backgrounds. If you can manage, you can manage, says Margaret Cullember, Greenstreet Gardens, Lothian, Md. Plant and product knowledge can always be learned.

• When looking for new hires, try headhunting from other businesses, says Jennifer Schamber of Greenscape Gardens, Manchester, Mo. Look to places like Habitat For Humanity, Trader Joes and even local restaurants for waiters and waitresses with great attitudes.

• Diana Stoll from The Planter’s Palette in Winfield, Ill., adds that customers tend to make great hires. They know the product, they love the product and know what customers look for.

• Tom Hebel of Bucks Country Gardens, Doylestown, Pa., hires customers, too. He calls them the “Green Team.” This is a group that is hired for peak times with no expectation to stay on after the busy season. They are given access to an employee discount, too (20 percent). Hebel likes hiring customers because they know a lot of people in the community.

• If you have to let an unruly employee go, make sure you get their uniforms back. Ken Matthews of Ken Matthews Garden Center, Yorktown, Va., suggests keeping their paycheck until the uniforms are returned. He adds the last thing you want to see is someone wearing an old Ken Matthews shirt getting into trouble.