Independent garden center

Many of the best innovations come from collaborations. Here’s how CountryMax partners with master gardeners to draw a crowd.

April 2024
Events that grow foot traffic — and your brand

At CountryMax, we take pride in our knowledgeable employees. But to bring our customers even greater gardening expertise, we team up with master gardeners from the Cornell Cooperative Extension. These growers have decades of experience... more »
5 Minutes With … Nancy DuBrule-Clemente

April 2024
5 Minutes With … Nancy DuBrule-Clemente

Nancy DuBrule-Clemente is the founder of destination garden center Natureworks in Connecticut, which marked 40 years in business in 2023. What made you choose horticulture as a career? I never had a garden until I... more »
Garden Center Show Retailer Bus Tour details announced - The Gardens at Ball

March 12, 2024
Garden Center Show Retailer Bus Tour details announced

Five scheduled stops have been announced for the Lawn & Garden Retailer Bus Tour, taking place on Monday, Aug. 7, the day before The Garden Center Show. The tour offers an exclusive look at several... more »
innovator award

March 1, 2024
L&GR seeks nominations for Innovator Awards

How innovative is your garden center? Share your story now for the 2024 Lawn & Garden Retailer Innovator Awards. These awards will recognize garden centers for excellence in categories such as: Community Involvement Classes and Events... more »
Eckerts feature sign Bridget Behe

March 2024
Revamp Your Retail Series: Signage

If labor were unlimited and free, retailers wouldn’t need signs; customers could simply ask a question and get an answer. Signs are used in three basic ways: identity, direction and information. The identity signs are... more »
Attracting and Retaining Employees kicker stock

March 2024
How to attract employees with a marketing mindset

The job hunting experience can be tedious and monotonous for your potential employee, with constantly repeating tasks. From typing in their full name, uploading a resume and then retyping all of the content of their... more »

March 2024
Expanding your garden center’s product mix: A personal narrative

As I write this, I am home for two days in between the Dallas Gift Market and Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE). Both are great places to visit existing vendors, place orders, find new products... more »
Mar24_5 Minutes With ... Derek Ellis

March 2024
5 Minutes With … Derek Ellis

Derek Ellis is CEO of Ellis Home & Garden, a family-owned and -operated garden center with locations in Louisiana and East Texas. What made you choose horticulture as a career? I suppose I was born... more »
Pollinatives owner Donald Gerber shares why he started his retail nursery and how garden centers can sell more native plants.

March 2024
A need for natives

It’s not often that someone starts a business out of laziness. Donald Gerber, owner of Pollinatives in the San Antonio area and a self-described “lazy gardener,” said he did just that after discovering native plants... more »
Innovator Awards Featured Image

March 2024
Calling all garden centers!

The 2024 Lawn & Garden Retailer Innovator Awards will once again recognize garden centers that elevate the customer experience in progressive ways. We’re looking for IGCs that excel in one or more categories, including: community... more »
Garden Center Group welcomes new members

February 5, 2024
Garden Center Group welcomes new members

The Garden Center Group recently announced two new retailers as members of the group: Beyond Your Garden in Broadalbin, New York; and Twin Oaks Nursery in Denison, Texas. Beyond Your Garden serves garden lovers in... more »
The importance of community relationships Jake Scott Innovative Ideas

February 2024
The importance of community relationships

Recently, I received an email from a teacher at one of our area high schools asking if I would be interested in having a student “intern” this coming spring season. I was surprised to hear... more »