Articles

One size does not fit all

Fact 1: According to the National Gardening Association's (NGA) 2001 National Gardening Survey -- a study of consumer gardening practices, trends and product sales -- eight out of 10 U.S. households, or 85 million households,... more »

Do You Walk Your Talk?

Last month I was asked to visit one of my client's facilities to help them determine why they've experienced lower productivity than in their other locations and to find the root cause of their high... more »

Birds of a Feather Flock to Native Habitats

Consumers can either leave your garden center with a single bird feeder or birdbath or the makings for an entire bird habitat -- the decision is largely up to you. However, if you are among... more »

Reviewing 2002: Spring and Summer at Retail

Weather around the nation was rather manic this past spring and early summer, with La Niña and El Niño causing Mother Nature to have mood swings that ranged from tempestuous rainstorms to water restriction-invoking droughts.... more »

The Beauty of Your Garden Center Building

Sure, the right structure is important for growers, but have you ever considered the benefits of having the appropriate structure for your garden center? Certain structures can help your plants and flowers last longer, make... more »

Little things mean a lot

As many of you know, I maintain that plants are the core product for the retailer/grower and any foray into gifts -- that stuff that Mike Berns calls frou-frou and I call geegaws and jimcracks... more »

Keep It Going

In the good old days of retailing, consumers flooded into garden centers at the first sign of spring, paid good margins, bought the majority of their annual purchases and returned only sporadically for maintenance needs.... more »

Plant Profit in an Instant

I was telling a salesperson at my local garden center about my recent change of landscaping plans, and they directed me to some All-American Selections (AAS) winners. The salesperson gave me a brief overview of... more »

Staying power

Imagine if you will, a rough day at work, no traffic in the garden center but lots on the way home, a messy home and dinner yet to cook. Now, imagine how much attention you... more »

Branding quality

Less than five years ago, Miles Rosedale undertook one of the biggest marketing initiatives in the 76 years since Harry Rosedale started Monrovia. Rosedale and the company's marketing division, led by vice president Pam Wasson,... more »

Become a growing resource

I had so much to do before spring arrived and was counting on my local garden center to provide me with all the resources I needed. Like many people, I made a resolution for this... more »

I DareYou

Did you watch Sesame Street when you were little? I did. Loved it. Remember that game where you were presented with several objects, and you were supposed to identify the member of the group that... more »