Talking Trends
Each year, Garden Media Group releases its Garden Trends Report for the following year. Today is the first day you can download the trends for 2018!
The theme this year is “Nature’s Rx for Mental Wellness.” The seven trends emphasize decreasing stress and finding positivity and self-care through plants.
I want to pull two ideas out. The first one is “Grow Your Own Protein.” We know that vegetable (and even fruit) sales are hot, but have you seen an increase in protein-rich foods in particular? We’re talking edamame, quinoa, kale and sunflower seeds just to name a few.
A second trend is “Purple Reign,” with purple as the new color of health. I jumped on the “green is king” bandwagon a while ago and still enjoy a delicious green smoothie for breakfast. Now, however, it seems like acai berries, beets, blackberries, goji berries, purple cabbage, purple carrots and similar-colored foods are taking the crown for promoting mental strength. Do your customers love these foods?
Send me an email about what’s happening at the garden center (and maybe 2018 will lead to protein-rich and purple-colored sales).
Download the full report with all seven trends here.
Harrowing Hurricanes
We’re sending all our thoughts and prayers to those of you in Texas and now Florida. I’ve reached out to a handful of garden centers in Florida, and it sounds like today is the day when they’ll be taking note of what damage Hurricane Irma has caused.
Dane, manager at Rockledge Gardens (on the east side of the state), said in an email that everyone from the garden center seems to be OK. Power is out, but the garden center didn’t flood like many lower areas. “We are very blessed that we didn’t have more severe damage,” he added.
Let me know how things are looking and what type of help you could use as you begin to rebuild. I’ll happily pass it along.
Cheers,
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