The Revolution

Selling? Looking For A Garden Center?

2011-01-25T13:48:00.002-05:00

TGC Columnist and consultant Sid Raisch has started a new webpage devoted to listing retail operations and greenhouses that are for sale.

Click here to see the page.

If you'd like to list an operation, include the link to your 'for sale' page in the comment section below the listing.

Checking Out - Without Talking To A Human

2010-12-01T15:54:00.006-05:00

OK, technically you can already do this with self checkout. Except for the fact that they virtually NEVER work, frustrating the customer to no end.

In fact, it ends up taking longer, because the little light starts blinking, and then you have to wait for an associate (who is inevitably in the middle of a ridiculously long story with another co-worker) come and wave a key fob to take over and hit one button to fix it. Can you tell I'm not a big fan?

But, I've just read about a new mobile app from Aisle Buyer where a customer can scan a barcode and pay for the item right there in the aisle. No need to go through a checkout. The customer shows a receipt on his or her phone to an associate before leaving.

Now I realize this brings up a whole host of potential theft issues. It's sort of the wholesale club idea of checking the receipt but not really being able to "look" at the receipt and all the items in the cart to make sure it matches up.

However, it seems like the opportunities for impulse buys are greatly increased if a customer doesn't have the stigma of a line to deal with. Plus, you can offer them special discounts or promotions once they scan the barcode, offering greater flexibility in your marketing messages.

It's an interesting concept, and one I'm going to watch closely to see if it catches on. The app is available currently in the Android market, and being beta tested (interestingly enough) in an independent specialty children's operation called Magic Beans, located in Massachusetts.

Could this be just one more way independent garden centers set themselves apart from the competition?

Why Cyber Monday?

2010-11-23T13:44:00.003-05:00

This might be a bit of a rant, but I can't figure out why people are still all about Cyber Monday.

It used to be a big deal a couple of years ago, when dial-up still ruled and people spent the Monday after Black Friday shopping online. The theory went that most people had a much better Internet connection at work than they did at home (and therefore spent Monday shopping online, much to the chagrin of HR directors everywhere).

But now, with high-speed Internet widely available, and about 30 percent of the U.S. population armed with smartphones, it doesn't seem to be all that appropriate to offer the biggest online deals on Monday, does it?

I for one have already done a good deal of browsing online, ready to pull the trigger as soon as I make sure there's nothing advertised on Black Friday that I am willing to get up at 3 a.m. to purchase (and I'm pretty sure there's nothing out there to move that needle).

So the question remains: why wait until Monday? For that matter, with online deals and free shipping dangling out there, why even bother with Black Friday?

Mobile Shopping

2010-09-29T13:36:00.003-04:00

I'll admit it. I have a cell phone that, while not quite the Zack Morris phone, is still pretty 20th Century. Additionally, things like using your smartphone while shopping to allow you to find products faster just seems like something out of a Back To The Future movie to me (you know, the one where they go forward in time - which I might add is to 2015, only five short years away).

But it's pretty much here. According to an article in The Dallas Morning News, more and more retailers are using mobile apps as a way to entice customers to buy more while they are in the stores.

We've always said garden center retailers aren't just competing against other garden retailers and box stores, but also against any retailer that trades in discretionary income (i.e. restaurants, salons and spas, gaming and tech retailers, etc.)

So the question is, what are garden center retailers doing to join the fray when it comes to using mobile apps to enhance the shopping experience? We already know of a couple garden centers using Microsoft Tags, or QR tags (also known as smart tags, 2-D tags, etc.) to provide more plant information to customers while in the stores.

How else can retailers capitalize on in-store apps? Let's take the discussion here and see what comes up!

Bellagio Conservatory Transformation

2010-09-28T08:28:00.007-04:00

The horticultural crew at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas change over the conservatory there five times a year. I've always been enamored with the conservatory, as they just do an absolutely beautiful job. I've seen it at least three times, and it's always been stunning. I think my favorite was the Monet display, with a ton of spring bulbs and a Japanese footbridge.

Here's a video of its most recent transformation from summer into fall, and a story about it.

Loyalty: Supporting Other Local Businesses

2010-09-24T13:39:00.004-04:00

OK, two posts in one day? Shocking, right? And they're both about loyalty programs. I just saw a story about a loyalty program in Portland, Ore. that features 50 local businesses. So the customer gets a loyalty card and uses it at any of those 50 businesses for points that accumulate.

There's even a garden shop on there: Naomi's Organic Farm Supply. The program is called Supportland, and you can read about the program in the FAQs.

As the proud owner of multiple key fobs, this sounds awesome to me. No more fumbling with multiple fobs when you can just swipe or scan the one card. Apparently an iPhone app is in the works, too.

Use Your Loyalty Program Wisely

2010-09-24T09:22:00.003-04:00

I have a great example of a way to use your loyalty program to add benefit to your customer. And, it takes a negative event and spins it positively toward your store.

My son's formula was recently recalled by Similac, which made me upset and angry (it had bugs in it, which also grosses me out to no end). The recall made the news on the web Wednesday night (Sept. 23).

By Thursday (Sept. 24) we had a message on our answering machine from our local grocery store, Giant Eagle. It was the store manager, saying according to their records someone in our household had purchased a can of Similac in the last 18 months and what to do with it.

To me, this is proactive and very much appreciated. If I hadn't been on the web the night before, I wouldn't have known about it. Giant Eagle staff reacted quickly, using the data in the loyalty program to notify us before my poor little man had to ingest any more bugs.

This just strengthens my loyalty to the store, and gives me even more incentive to shop there. Now, you likely won't have too many instances of recalled products, but using your loyalty program proactively is still a great lesson.

You could use it to help buyers in a certain ZIP code that had weather damage, or to let buyers of certain products know it's time to fertilize their particular plant. Have another idea? Post it in the comments below!

Reinvigorating The Blog

2010-09-14T14:05:00.003-04:00

Whew. Well, that was an undeserved break in the action. I'm going to try to get this blog back up and running again. Luckily, all it takes is a few posts to get it back in shape (unlike myself, which will take far more work).

I just saw an interesting story on Retail Wire about a new study showing 94 percent of grocery shoppers use a list when at the store. Several retail and grocery types are lamenting the lack of impulse opportunities with this blasted list.

One comment caught my attention, though. It said while 94 percent of shoppers use a list, other data shows 80 percent of brand decisions are made at the shelf. Those numbers don't have to be in conflict, the commenter says, because the list is rather generic: eggs, milk, bread, etc. It's the job of the packaging and the POP to sell the brand.

Just something to think about when merchandising, even at the garden center. The customer may come in with a list that says sun annuals, but its the job of the merchandising to sell the product. And entice the customer to add on some much-needed tools, fertilizer, pots, etc.

"Pretty Cool" Products

2010-02-26T12:16:00.018-05:00

It's jeans Friday, lunchtime and Cleveland's just reached the halfway point of a forecasted "snowicane." Greenhouse Grower editor Kevin Yanik is braving the elements and kindly picking me up a sub from Subway. It's actually not that bad out there.

I figure if I'm having lunch al-desko, I might watch an episode of The Office (BBC version...so much better), but do this first - blog about some pretty cool new products I've seen this week and last month.

In chronological order, I'll start with AmericasMart. In the temporaries at the Gift Market, we came across Artscapes cool solar-powered flowers. Alan from Artscapes said they've been getting great feedback from them. They also come in a few different colors. Check out the vid I took:

Then just last weekend I made a trip to Anthropologie with my girlfriend. We have one store in the Cleveland area and it's a pretty sharp, high-end place. Top-notch merchandising; and a nice side-note, spring was the theme and gardening displays had a lot to do with that. While patiently waiting, a 12-inch pot and one particular add-on really caught my eye.

I think this notepad is something EVERY garden center should have on their checkout counter. An awesome impulse item.

And new in at Gali's Garden Center this season are the Bellingham Leather Gloves. Selling Christmas trees this past winter I used the brown leather Bionic gloves. They were awesome and super durable, but a little pricey. I think they retail for around $50. I haven't had a chance to test out these Bellingham's for durability, but they are probably the most comfortable gloves I've ever tried on and they're half the price. They felt like thick golf gloves.

And last but not least, Good Earth Manufacturing's Olde World Hanging Garden, which actually comes to us by way of Gregg Curtis, owner of the Revolutionary Good Earth Garden Center in North Little Rock. He's pretty excited about it and when we got it in the mail today, we were sold on it, too. Pots rest easily and securely in the hanger and would be ideal for hanging baskets.

Inherent Laws of Retail Plant Sales

2009-12-15T09:18:00.002-05:00

Law No. 6: The Customer (continued)

Part I

The coupon is the lone reason behind a customer's wanting of a particular item(s). If they can't use the coupon, they won't buy the product.

Part II

A customer will complain about the price of a small plant and will often not buy a small plant, but will be more than willing to pay twice as much for a plant twice the size.

Part III

Sometimes customers need vocabulary assistance when reading coupons. A "tray" is not a "flat" and a "purchase" is not synonymous with "item."

Inherent Laws of Retail Plant Sales

2009-12-07T08:59:00.002-05:00

Law No. 5: The Customer

Part I

A customer who wants to plant impatiens in the sun or geraniums in shade will complain to you that they don't ever grow well for them there...or if you tell them they won't, they'll tell you they've done it before.

Part II

After about June 30th, the "crazy ones" will appear - customers who aren't regular gardeners, who will want to plant flower seeds and shrubs on the hottest afternoons.

Part III

79% of your shrub shoppers have never actually seen firsthand the plant they want. They merely "saw it in a book." The shrub they want is usually native to South America or Australia.

Next week: The Customer continued
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Inherent Laws of Retail Plant Sales

2009-11-30T15:38:00.003-05:00

Law No. 4: Probables

Part I

The most topsoil and mulch will be sold on days just after a heavy rain.

Part II

The approximate time a customer will "Just set these four flats on the counter while I take a quick look around" will be slightly longer than the time of the mad rush, in which there is never enough counter space.

Part III

When presented with an empty parking lot, a customer may park in a way that does not require the use of the parking space lines painted on the ground.

Next week: The Customer

Inherent Laws of Retail Plant Sales

2009-11-23T08:43:00.006-05:00

Law No. 3: Customer Inquiries

Part I

The customer would rather ask you how much something costs, than read the sign that's two inches from their hand.

Part II

The customer, on a 53% basis, will want something that doesn't exist (for example, the blue geranium).

Part III

"The ambiguous plant" seeker. This customer identifies a plant with this description: "It's in my neighbors yard. It's sorta large. It's green and has white flowers on it. It's so beautiful. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Part IV

"Do you work here?" is often asked to employees wearing their garden center uniform.

Next week - The Probables
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Inherent Laws of Retail Plant Sales

2009-11-16T13:40:00.003-05:00

Law No. 2: Senior Citizen Discounts

Part I

Senior citizens always insist on their 10% discount, even on purchases totalling $1.50.

Part II

Senior citizens will ask for their discount after you have checked them out. This can be primarily annoying for garden centers without POS systems.

Next week - Customer Inquiries
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The Inherent Laws Of Retail Plant Sales

2009-11-10T08:46:00.006-05:00

On what might have been the most perfect day in Cleveland for all of 2009, I spent most of it outside enjoying it, raking up leaves at Gali's Garden Center.

Toward the end of the day on Saturday, I came across a Gali's relic - the "Inherent Laws Of Plant Retail." I think its date of origin is unknown (anywhere from 15 to 20 years ago), and if it wasn't for some of the text written in Sharpie, the actual paper these 20 laws/rules were written on would look very pre-Constitution.

I thought the laws would make for an excellent blog post and maybe even a smile or a "ain't that the truth." So, once a week I'll be posting an Inherent Law or two Of Plant Retail.

Law No. 1: "The Fly Theory" and its exception

Consumers will always arrive or leave in hoards to leave the sales force completely panicked or bored.

Exception: The 5 minutes to 6 p.m. stragglers. These customers sneak in just as your about to lock up. They spend 15 minutes browsing, end up complaining about something, and leave without purchasing anything.

Next week - Senior Citizens.
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Product Review: The PotLifter

2009-09-08T08:22:00.013-04:00

This Labor Day weekend rounded out a seven-day workweek for me, which finally gave me a reason to put the PotLifter to work.

I saw the PotLifter for sale at Cornell Farm back in July. It’s one of those products that makes me wonder why you don’t see more of them around…maybe not for sale, but for use by garden center employees.

When I got home from Portland, I sent the folks at PotLifter an email saying the same thing I said in the previous sentence. I wanted to test it out and they were totally up for it. A week later a Potlifter, via our mail-guy Tim, found its way to my desk.

During a pretty steady Saturday at Gali’s (Garden Center), Chris Murray and I took advantage of some lulls and decided to give the PotLifter a standard road test.

The PotLifter is a pretty straightforward gadget. It requires two people and a good grip. You fit it around a heavy pot. Pull back to cinch it up. Then you lift. Pretty easy and pretty foolproof.

We tried it out on a whiskey barrel outside of the shop. We fit the PotLifter around the barrel and moved it easily. We only moved the barrel for the sake of moving it, and Chris said, we really wouldn’t move a planted up whiskey barrel anyway. That being said, anytime that we’ve ever had to move a (unplanted, full of soil) whiskey barrel, we had to pull out the towmotor and slide the bulky container onto the forks. The PotLifter made it a whole heck of a lot quicker.

It even works with oddly shaped pieces. This bench leg actually weighs an awkward 150lbs. I turn 27 on Thursday and I'm finally realizing the importance of having a fully functioning back and I think the PotLifter shares the same sentiment. I'm not sure it would find its way into the everyday work routine at your garden center, but it definitely has its place when it comes time to move the big (heavy) stuff.

Consumers Dig Private Label

2009-09-01T13:14:00.002-04:00

It wasn't that long ago that private label translated into generic and a lesser product. But that perception has been changing.

A June survey from GfK Custom Research North America showed 57 percent of shoppers frequently purchased store-brand products. Only 2 percent said they never purchase store-brand products.

That's heartening to hear, especially in light of many garden retailer's efforts to use their own brand on products such as plants, soils, amendments, pest controls and even gifts.

Where Is The Line For E-mail Promotions?

2009-08-27T09:05:00.002-04:00

I get several daily e-mails from various sources. My favorites are news-based e-mails, like Retail Wire. These are super helpful to me and the information we need to get to our readers.

The e-mails that make me groan on a daily basis are the promotional ones. I can see the desperation of the major retailers just growing exponentially as places like Kohl's, Amazon, New York & Company, Athleta (now a division of Gap) and others hit my personal inbox on a near daily basis. It's a minor annoyance, but one that may force me to opt out of those, despite the sometimes appealing savings I may get out of an e-mail blast.

So my question is how often is too often? Daily is borderline stalking when it comes to "sale" e-mails, in my opinion. No one shops that much, so there's no reason to tell me about the sales on your website or in your store on a daily basis. Is weekly acceptable? Or twice a month?

A Post In Pictures

2009-08-20T09:57:00.009-04:00

It's not often you find a Today's Garden Center blog post filled with Smart Cars, "grass knuckles," abandoned newspaper boxes and late rapper 2pac. So when you do, you better take advantage.

A couple weeks ago, I stopped into Gali's Garden Center to pick up some potting soil on my lunch break. Katie (cashier) showed me a picture she took on her cell phone (pictured above). I had to have it. So she emailed it to me and voila. I know Mini Coopers are getting into crossovers/SUVs, maybe Smart Car should take a hint and think about pickup trucks. After all, city dwellers need utility vehicles, too.

"Grass Knuckles." Almost as impractical as loading up a Smart Car with a tree. Product designer Hafsteinn Juliusson has created living jewelry. But don't expect to see this while ordering a Bacon Turkey Bravo at Panera. This is more for the uber earth-conscious celebrity on the red carpet, like Natalie Portman or Leonardo DiCaprio. There are pussy willow earrings, too.

Lastly, this photo of an abandoned newspaper box potted up reminds me of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. Wait for it...wait for it... Along with rapping, Tupac was a prolific poet. His collection of poetry is called "The Rose That Grew From Concrete." There's the connection. This pic is definitely a bright spot on an otherwise blah and dreary city sidewalk.

Toronto-based street artist Posterchild is responsible for this work of urban art/guerrilla gardening.

In a recent Pop-Up City blog post, Posterchild was quoted, "I’ve always been amazed by the state of most flyerboxes. Some haven’t been filled in years. Yet, there they are: everywhere in the city taking up valuable sidewalk space. For whatever reason, a great many of them offer nothing but an empty box. But that offers a great opportunity for some people! The boxes makes a perfect platform for planters – and with them you can guerrilla garden almost anywhere in the inhospitable concrete city!"

By the way, the Pop-Up City blog is one of the coolest I've ever seen. When you have a second, check it out.

Jo-Ann's Rewarding Best Customers

2009-08-06T10:58:00.003-04:00

I just read this short item about Jo-Ann Fabrics. I'm not sure what I think about this promotion. Does anyone have any thoughts, comments, ideas for ways to translate this to garden retail? It seems like this could have some application in the independent garden center, but in a more creative way.

Jo-Ann Launches Promotion to Celebrate Anniversary
HUDSON, Ohio--Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts Stores is marking its 66th anniversary in business with a special offer.
The sewing- and crafts-products retailer will designate 66 of its best customers across the nation and give them $100 Jo-Ann gift cards from their local stores. Travis Smith, chief operating officer, said the campaign is a way of saying thanks to some of its most loyal customers, and a recognition of their creativity in making their own crafts and fabric items.
Founded in 1943, Jo-Ann now has more than 750 locations across the United States.

More From PANTS

2009-08-03T10:16:00.000-04:00

I didn’t get a lot of opportunity to walk the floor at PANTS, but I did get to visit a few booths before our Revolutionary 100 panel discussion. I stopped at the Organic Mechanics booth, which is a line of organic potting soils. This company has private labeled soils for American Plant, an all-organic, multiple-store garden retailer in Bethesda, Md. It also just launched a new all-organic planting mix to add to the line. That will be available in Spring 2010.

I also saw a new option for growers and retailers looking for biodegradable pots. Fertilpot is a spruce fiber pot that allows roots to poke through the pot. Consumers plant the whole thing in the ground. There’s also a shrink-wrapped label that can be branded or it can have generic variety information on it. The shrink-wrapped label gets torn off and can be recycled.

At the Spring Meadow Nursery booth I learned more about Bloomerang, a new lilac variety developed by breeder Tim Wood. It’s a dwarf lilac that reblooms three times - once in spring, once around July and then again in the fall before the frost. Amazing, right? And it retains its well-known scent. Initially it was to be released in Spring 2010, but apparently it’s growing so well that some could be available this fall from some Gold Key growers.

And finally, I heard more about Nema Globe, a new product being introduced from Canada into the U.S. It’s a retail version of nematodes to prevent pests, and can be mixed into a Nema Globe nematode sprayer to be watered into a lawn or garden. Nematodes don’t harm pets or children, and are friendly to beneficial insects like bees or earthworms.

Great Ideas From PANTS

2009-08-03T10:08:00.001-04:00

We conducted our first Revolutionary 100 Panel discussion at the show and it went great. The panelists were Steve Gallion from Stauffers of Kissel Hill, Denni Jones from County Line Landscape Nursery, Stephen Barlow III of Barlow’s and Frank Fernicola of Fairfield Garden Center.

One big highlight included Frank’s before and after pictures of the inside garden center store that received a coat of white paint this winter. It was amazing, appearing as though he adds tons of new lighting. But all they did was paint the ceiling and support beams white and lower the sight-lines of the fixtures a couple of feet. What a difference!

The panelists also talked about their plans for 2010, which for three out of the four included reducing inventory in the area of big-ticket items like statuary and furniture. They also talked about shoring up labor to make sure they’re watching labor costs, as well as using events and educational seminars to promote gardening. Denni Jones focuses heavily on relationship-building with customers via her e-newsletter and direct contact with customers. Barlow’s has begun to focus more on children’s activities and events in the hopes of bringing in families and moms to shop.

And finally, Stauffers of Kissel Hill has used a program called a detached-address label through its local Clipper coupon book to mail out direct-mail pieces at a fraction of the cost of a regular direct mail piece. To learn more about this program, click here.

Great Story About Independents In BusinessWeek

2009-07-24T09:04:00.004-04:00

BusinessWeek recently celebrated the best independent retailers in the country with a slideshow story. It's a nice piece that highlights why people love independent retailers, but I was a little sad that it didn't include any garden centers.

I'm not sure if that's because there are none on their radar or if they just didn't think any were worthy, but I think there are quite a few garden centers that equal retailers on their list in success and notoriety.

Check out the story here: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/06/0619_best_independent_stores/1.htm

My Eventful Uneventful Sunday

2009-06-15T13:58:00.017-04:00

It was an interesting Sunday at Gali's Garden Center this past weekend. I've worked there since 2001, and I always forget when the bottom drops out for sales. This Sunday, the bottom did in fact drop out for a few 15-minute spans in the afternoon. There were times when the empty parking lot called for a roaming tumbleweed.

It has always amazed me at how fast a garden center parking lot can fill up...and in the same breath, how fast it can empty out as the season begins to wane. Luckily for us, an empty parking lot coincided with a not-so-busy Chagrin Blvd. at around 5:40 p.m. We, the staff, were wrapping up things inside the property lines - sweeping, watering, closing vents, etc.

On the other side of the curb, well that's another story. We received a phone call from a couple drivers/customers of Gali's. "One of your carts is in Chagrin." This doesn't happen too often, but it has happened, where one of our annual carts positioned in our parking lot snuck out and rolled its way into a usually busy street. No one was hurt, no cars damaged, no plants lost. Phew! Just looking at the photo above, you can see we're big risk-takers.

Other than our end of the day excitement, a couple new things to hit Gali's are worth a mention. How about these Serenity White Bliss African Daisies. I remember seeing these in one of our Variety Central sections, but this is the first time I've seen them up close. Kinda cool.

Also, the new cardboard dumpster. Chris Murray, one of my pals (and a manager) at Gali's, has been pushing for this dumpster for a while now. He's done plenty of research on the benefits of it and I'm happy to see they've made the leap.

Speaking of Chris, he showed me this email he received from one of the big nurseries he orders from. I love the Lemon Daddy. My parents stopped into Gali's a couple weekends ago and I peer pressured them into buying one for their yard. They said, "We don't have the space." To which I replied, "It doesn't matter, the yellow leaves are really cool." Spoken like a true generation Y-er. I digress.

Look at this ad! And look at the Lemon Daddy...the one in the suit, not the hydrangea. This is just one of those ads that doesn't answer any questions and doesn't get you excited to buy, it simply succeeds in making you laugh...and also wonder, what were they thinking.

Lastly, I know there's Cockadoodle-doo, and Moo-Nure and even Zoo-Doo, but I learned of one more this weekend. We had a female customer come up to the counter asking us if we had any "sheep poo." I'm not too familiar with it, but I guess it was call BahBahDoo. Hilarious. Her husband chimed in, "It was really bahhhhhd."

Cautious Optimism

2009-06-05T10:14:00.001-04:00

The recession didn’t entirely slam the retail garden industry the way it did the rest of retail. But there are some signs that retail in general is looking up - or at least looking better than it did before.

Retail Forward is reporting that despite deterioration of same-store sales in May (except for Wal-Mart, of course), it appears shoppers are showing signs of letting up from the current "belt-tightening behavior." Shoppers reported in Retail Forward’s May ShopperScape survey that they are less inclined than last year to limit their spending, seek deals or trade down to lower-priced brands and retailers in response to the economic downturn.

Did you see customers "trading down" this spring? We were hearing reports of foot traffic increasing but average ticket decreasing. Did this hold true for you? And if it did, do you think customers will stick with this type of spending for a while?

GroGood Campaign

2009-06-03T13:49:00.004-04:00

Check out these veggies!

I visited the Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. headquarters in Marysville last week with Rick Welder, our sales account representative on Today's Garden Center. While we were there, we took a quick look at the raised bed gardens the company created as an internal contest and as part of the GroGood campaign to donate fresh produce to local food banks.

It's a great cause, and it looks like lots of Scotts employees have gotten into the spirit by planting rows of veggies to care for throughout the summer. The one bed that really caught our eye, though, was the one planted by the research and development team (the picture above). The rest looked pretty meager compared to the giant, leafy veggies being cared for by these guys.

I think I might have an idea who's going to be winning that company-wide contest!

Want to know more about the GroGood Campaign? Here's the link: http://www.scotts.com/grogood

~Jen

Garden Center Mania

2009-05-27T16:30:00.001-04:00

Jen Polanz here. I visited Donzell’s Garden Center in Akron late last week, along with Graf Growers and my little local greenhouse, Wyatt’s in Mentor (that’s Ohio, and if you live here long enough, it’s pronounced Menner). I'm starting with Donzell's and I'll do separate entries for Graf and Wyatt's. Plus, you'll see more of Donzell's in the July issue of Today's Garden Center in the Idea Gallery section.

I was impressed with Donzell’s overall. I felt like the layout made sense, and - Ernest Wertheim would appreciate this - there was very clearly marked entrance that was separate from the exit. The first thing I saw when I walked in was a little pathway of statuary, which you don’t see often first thing in the retail shop. But I thought it worked. I meandered for quite a while, and the signage helped me through the whole place. I felt very comfortable, despite never shopping there before.
Couple of things I noticed that I liked:

This display just really struck me. It's the first one you see right when you walk into the greenhouse, and sets the tone for the rest of the place. Very fun and funky.

Check out these wide aisles. There's little to no butt brush going on here (yes, I stole that from Paco Underhill, in case you were wondering).

Yep. That's a trash can. There were several around the building. It's simple, but not something I often see in garden centers, especially smaller ones.

This is my cart when I walked out. I wasn't planning on buying anything, but they got me with the herbs, and then I added a tomato plant. They had the Garden-tone cross merchandised with it, so I picked up some of that. Then I thought, heck, I'm spending money, might as well go get that bird feeder I wanted to put in the back yard. Then I needed a hook for it. Do you see how this all starts to add up?

Another idea that's good for the customer and the retailer is a cooler full of water and pop at the registers. Sometimes it's sweltering in the garden center, and customers will drop a couple of extra bucks to quench their thirst after a shopping excursion.

Learn more about Donzell's at www.donzells.com, and read on for Graf Growers.

Graf Growers

2009-05-27T16:13:00.006-04:00

Graf Growers was a much different vibe than Donzell's. It was in a slightly more rural area, from what I could tell, and consisted of a main retail shop, a couple of hoop houses and two large tents.

Oddly enough, Graf had a point-of-sale system, where Donzell's did not. Graf also did a nice job of merchandising smaller products at the register for impulse buys, like in the picture above.

I also liked how Graf used hanging basket tags to suggest other products, like Miracle Gro's Bloom Booster. It even offers 75 cents off any size.

And finally, I just love, love, love this pot from Scheurich. I'm not sure if this is new or if it's been around a while, but it's fun.

Check out Graf Grower's online at www.grafgrowers.com.

Wyatt's

2009-05-27T16:04:00.000-04:00

This one will be short, mainly because I didn't take any pictures at Wyatt's. It's a tiny little greenhouse that's within walking distance from my house, which automatically makes it "my" garden center.

It's not much to look at, but the quality is decent and it's convenient. It's amazing how much traffic they get during the spring - they hire high school kids on the weekends to do nothing but direct traffic.

There's a lot wrong with it. I could go into great detail, really. But really doesn't it boil down to one thing: are they making money? I gotta say, yeah. They put very little back into the infrastructure, other than routine maintenance. They do a massive business in the spring (driven by a pretty established 7-mile radius of single-family home neighborhoods), carry some mums and host a hay maze in the fall, and turn a few poinsettias and firewood in the winter.

In these three blog posts we've looked at a good, better and best of garden centers. So who's doing it "right?"

U.S. Food Safety Concerns Continue

2009-05-22T09:35:00.001-04:00

This is not good news, per se, but it continues to reaffirm why customers are determined to grow their own food - a recent New York Times story reported frozen food companies have labeled products in such a way to take the responsibility for killing harmful pathogens away from them.

One example cited ConAgra, which in 2007 could not identify which ingredient in its frozen pot pies was contaminated with salmonella. It could have been the peas. Or the carrots. Or potatoes. Or perhaps the turkey. After several attempts to find the culprit, the company passed the buck and labeled the 69-cent pot pies this way: "Internal temperature needs to reach 165 degrees F as measured by a food thermometer in several spots."

ConAgra isn’t the only one doing this, either. Other frozen food manufacturers are placing the onus on consumers to cook products well enough to kill salmonella and E.coli pathogens.
Is it any wonder your customers are now flocking to your stores to buy veggie, herb and fruit plants and trees?

And wouldn’t a fresh, homemade pot pie (like the one pictured above) taste so much better than a frozen one that may or may not make you sick?

Park-like Settings Aren't That Great

2009-05-19T08:48:00.015-04:00

Not too long ago, I headed out on my own and visited three popular garden centers east of Cleveland: Lowe's Greenhouse (not the box-store), Breezewood and Eagle Creek. It was right before Easter, and there wasn't much going on. It's amazing what a few spring weeks will do.

Last Thursday, I hit up the same three, but this time I had a posse: Jen, Bob, Sara and Richard (editor, publisher, online editor and group editor).

Let me start off by saying that I am by no means a green thumb. Sure I work at a garden center, and sure I write for Today's Garden Center...but don't bother asking me when and how to prune your roses. What's with the disclaimer? Well, that's how I walk into a garden center...not too plant savvy. So when I peruse the greenhouse or the perennials outside, I sometimes need my hand held. And that was the biggest difference I noticed between Lowe's and Breezewood.

Lowe's had signs EVERYWHERE. There were large, simple signs by any and everything. I didn't need to reach for sales associate right away. I saw a sign and then knew where I was. There were even aisle numbers. For some reason, the aisle numbers were my favorite part. It was like a grocery store for plants. I didn't feel overwhelmed or lost when I walked around. I would take that over an "inspirational," park-like setting anyday.

And Breezewood did lean a little more toward a natural setting, which is definitely nice to walk through. But if you're new to scene and you're not even sure what you're looking for, then good luck. You better grab the nearest sales person.

My question is, how come garden centers don't put signs on every inch of their property? Are park-like settings really helping your sales? You have busy days, and sometimes you don't have enough experts to help everyone at the same time. For those unfortunate few who happen to slip through the cracks, wouldn't it be better for them to walk around a place with tons of visible information, instead of walking aimlessly around a place with a few signs here and there? I think the same can even be said for any inexperienced employees you may have.

Retail Sales Fall In April

2009-05-14T09:42:00.003-04:00

IHS Global Insight painted a bleak picture of consumer spending in April in a recent update. Retail sales declined by .4 percent in April, and a revised March estimate showed a dip of 1.3 percent.
"This is not a pretty report, no matter how you look at it," wrote Brian Bethune, IHS Global Insight Chief U.S. Financial Economist. "Granted, consumer prices may have declined slightly in April, and that will buffer a small fraction of the decline, but spending weakness was fairly broad based with declines across most major channels."
Despite the gloomy news, garden center retailers across the country are reporting increases in foot traffic and better sales figures than last year at this time. Many retailers reported the average ticket down in April, however.

To read more retailer reports, check out our Weekend Weather Wrap-Up reports.

I'm Not Happy With WDIV Detroit

2009-05-06T17:06:00.003-04:00

Win a $100 gift certificate to Ray Weigand's Nursery for Mother's Day. Sweet. Just answer this trivia question. No problem.

Question: A Peruvian is the youngest person to give birth on record. How old was she?

Well, if that's not a weird enough question for you in the first place, the answer doesn't make things any better. She was five. FIVE!? One, that's crazy. Two, how can that be? Her name is Lina Medina. Google it.

My biggest gripe is the question choice. When talking about Mother's Day and a quality garden center like Ray Wiegand's, the thought of a five year old giving birth shouldn't be in my head. That's quite the buzzkill. I mean, if that was your garden center instead of Wiegand's, would you care about the question? Would you be a little miff'd at this local Detroit newschannel?

Britney Spears And Gardening...Yawn

2009-05-06T15:51:00.005-04:00

So last week, we found the words "Britney Spears" and "gardening" placed in the same sentence. Big news, right? Not really. It sounds like perfect blog fodder. Too bad the only thing I can muster up for this earth-shattering news is "Who cares." And that's a statement, not a question.

I'm more interested in setting fire to junipers. Too bad I don't live in Nevada, near a Moana Nursery location. I take that back, no one's setting fire to any junipers...they're exchanging them. (Apparently I need to read the entire press release before I start typing.)

I didn't know this, but junipers are nicknamed "tall green gas cans." The University of Nevada Coop Extension explains that a juniper's dense growth and a high proportion of volatile natural chemicals make this shrub a highly flammable cocktail.

In an effort to reduce the threat of fires, the third annual Junk The Junipers is being held in conjunction with Nevada Wildlife Awareness Week. Juniper owners can bring in their tall green gas cans to Moana Nursery and receive one free replacement plant per household. The exchanged junipers will be made into mulch. Some of the replacement plants include yellowtwig dogwood, crimson pygmy barberry, Anthony Waterer spirea, snowmound spirea and Katherine Dykes' potentilla.

That's good PR for Moana. I just hope people were leaving with more than their tall green gas can replacement.

What Not To Do

2009-04-17T16:39:00.002-04:00

OK, I realize it’s April. It’s not like it’s Mother’s Day. But we’ve been popping in to a few local garden centers recently and I’m not liking what I’m seeing. Or rather, what I’m not seeing.

I’m not seeing clean floors, or wide aisles. I’m not getting asked if I can be helped, and in one case I seriously questioned whether the garden center was even open.

It’s going to be 70 degrees here on Saturday, and these retailers should be hopping. But if customers question whether the store is open, I’m not sure they’ll be reaping the benefits of our good weather.

There are things to be done in April, even in Cleveland. Early baskets full of pansies should be flying out the doors, especially after the long and dreary winter we’ve had. So here are the don’ts I’ve come across recently:

Don’t barrage your customer with product at the door. I walked into one retailer recently and instantly didn’t know where to go or what to do - there was product all around and I didn’t inspect any of it.
Don’t hide what your customers need this spring. I saw a display (if you could call it that) of garden fencing leaning up against the wall at one retailer. With herbs and veggies exploding this spring, this stuff needs to be cross-merchandised with your edibles and not in the same place it’s taken up residence the last five years.
Don’t push your benches so close together only one person can walk through at a time and call yourself a garden retailer. How do you expect me to shop this? If I can’t get a cart through, I’m only buying as many plants as I can hold - and without getting dirty I’m going to say that’s two.
Don’t try to sell product that’s faded, torn, worn, out of the package or just plain dirty. I’ve seen an awful lot of that in the last week, and I wonder why you think I’d want to buy a product that looks five years old.

OK, that’s it for now. I’ll be working on my new bird sanctuary this weekend, so I’m sure I’ll be stopping at more retailers.

To Pandy’s With Sandi

2009-04-13T13:36:00.020-04:00

As much as I’d like to deny it, I’m pretty sure being the youngest of four (and the youngest by nine years) automatically makes me a mama's boy. So, like any good mama’s boy would do, I eMailed my Mom (who loves gardening) to see if she wanted to go to a garden center she’s never been to.

I was thinking the huge Petitti's in Avon would be a good stop...but everyone goes to Petitti's. I stayed on I-90, zoomed passed Petitti's, which is pretty impressive from the highway, and went to Pandy's Premier Garden Center in Elyria.

(Their sign is classic.)

Pandy's is on Facebook, they have a great website, and on their homepage is an active Twitter feed. From those three things, my imagination began to get in the way. I assumed Pandy's would be some huge, sparkling, cathedral-like garden center...like the Petitti's we passed. It wasn't. Darn you, social media.

I think my problem is that I've just grown accustomed to more "urban," state-of-the-art garden centers, and I wrongly get caught up in newer this's and bigger that's. At a little over 30 minutes west of downtown Cleveland, Pandy's leans a little more toward rural, but it's definitely not off the grid.

Crammed up against Griswold Rd. and a railroad track, there wasn't much in the form of curb appeal. I did think about Mike Brady's architectural style when I pulled into the parking lot.

The inside, however, offered plenty to look at, all basically under one huge/high roof. Lots of yard art. Customers are greeted with tons of running fountains, immediately upon entering. The running water echoed throughtout the ginormous storeroom...very calming and very rainforest-esque.

Pandy's mulch display was neatly set up inside on the floor, near the checkout area. The bags of mulch (and stone and soil) are stood up and then the tops are opened and rolled down. It's a nice, protected spot, but tucked away. I happened to come across it when I was leaving. I can't remember seeing any signs drawing attention to it.

As for my Mom (Sandi), she signed up to win $500, fingers crossed, and also purchased wind chimes. She spoke highly of Pandy's houseplants. We were both impressed with the staff. Phew! Last week's trip to three garden centers on the eastside was a bust, in terms of customer service. I'm glad Pandy's picked up the slack.

Hop, Skip and a Jump

2009-04-07T10:20:00.014-04:00

Lake effect snow...who doesn't love that? Here in Cleveland, we had a nice dose of it yesterday. And just think, our Sunday topped out around 60, with blue skies for most of the day.

Around noon, I took advantage of the great Sunday weather and went on a quick trip to three northeastern Ohio garden centers: Eagle Creek, Breezewood and Lowe's Greenhouses. Eagle Creek and Lowe's are on our 2009 Revolutionary 100 list. All of them were on the same road (route 306), and they were all within a couple of miles from each other. Isn't that convenient?

Eagle Creek's parking lot was dappled with cars. Not much going on, yet (remember? lake effect). It's a beautiful place with huge, airy greenhouses. With the small traffic, I was surprised I wasn't hounded by the staff. It was actually the complete opposite. I didn't get one, "Hi, can I help?" (The same goes for Breezewood. What's up with that?) Maybe my Neptune's Harvest t-shirt gave off the false impression that I'm a green thumb.

Private labels are growing in popularity, and Eagle Creek does a great job reinforcing their brand with huge banners, promoting their house brand of plants. The banners read "Buying with confidence has an official name." They also had a home-front vignette in one of their greenhouses that does an excellent job showing how easy it is to dress up the front of a house.

A mile or so north, Breezewood Garden & Gifts is a good deal smaller, at least in greenhouse space. As seen in the pic, not much hustle and bustle there, either. It's clear here that an emphasis is placed on gifts. I've always heard they do an excellent and profitable job in that department. They offer a small selection of outdoor apparel: Columbia, Merrell, The North Face, Ugg... I didn't find too much in my size. Is managing an apparel section a pain? Too bad one-size-fits-all doesn't really work, like Snuggies.

My last stop was at Lowe's Greenhouse. Unlike the first two, this place was packed. Two overflow lots were used and filled for parking. Kids everywhere, thanks to an Easter Egg Hunt and a visit by the Easter Bunny. I like Lowe's. It reminds me a little more of my work at Gali's. It's not huge and fancy and perfect. It has character and a smiling staff...and a really low entry into one of their greenhouses.

In the picture below, I think it's a hot water pipe that spans the top of the entrance into Lowe's Rainforest House. I didn't see a caution sign, and the clearance is around 5'10". I'm sure it hasn't met a forehead it didn't like. For older garden centers, how do you overcome/improve obstacles like that without making huge changes?

False Advertising

2009-04-03T15:17:00.011-04:00

I hope this doesn't get me blacklisted anywhere, but I like the new Lowe's Home & Garden commercial. It's fun and it certainly gets out the message that Lowe's is going to be stocked, stocked and stocked some more. Check it out...

It must be nice to have their budget. I think that's Gene Hackman doing the voiceover, too...sellout. Didn't he coach a small town team to a national championship in the movie Hoosiers? Now, with this Lowe's commercial...it's like he's on the other team. Gene, that's so anti-Hoosiers.

Anyway, I noticed at the 20 second mark in the commercial, you get a nice aerial shot of their selection of annuals. I've been to a few Lowe's in my day. You and I both know it doesn't look like that. But we also know that your places probably do.

Hopefully, consumers who make the trip to Lowe's after seeing this commercial will learn what we already know - it's a big place with little quality. Then they'll eventually end up in your parking lot. Don't disappoint.

Panic? It's Organic!

2009-03-31T16:20:00.012-04:00

So, I don't get what the big deal is. Call me ignorant, short-sighted and glib. But how can the "organic" vegetable garden at the White House be a bad thing?

Just a few days ago, members of the Mid America CropLife Association sent a letter to the First Lady, encouraging the White House staff to avoid going organic and consider using "crop protection products" and "recognize the role conventional agriculture plays in the U.S."

Maybe I'm looking at Mrs. Obama's organic garden through rose-colored glasses...but let's look at the big picture here. They are promoting vegetable gardens. I don't think they're saying you SHOULD be organic, or organic gardens are the ONLY way. Let's face it. Most people who decide to delve into homegrown veggies this spring, will do so to complement salads and just feel good about doing something, well, good.

I was asked if I thought that the Obamas growing an organic vegetable garden could be misleading for the American public. Basically setting us up to fail. Why? Well, because going organic is definitely not easy.

Again, bigger picture. I think focusing on the word organic might be a waste of time.

If you asked President Obama his opinion on going to college. Would he say, only go to college if it's an Ivy League school? I doubt it. He'd say, go to school wherever you can and get the most out of it. The same goes for vegetable gardens. In this case, the White House's happens to be organic. I know it's apples and oranges, but I think it works.

And say a good deal of Americans try their hand at organic gardening and it doesn’t pan out for them. What next? I'm assuming they’ll first turn to conventional ways to save what they’ve started. And if that doesn’t work, well, then it’s a wash. They gave it a try, and that alone is pretty commendable.

Am I way off here? What are the real, concrete drawbacks here?

Find A Penny, Pick It Up...

2009-03-31T15:28:00.002-04:00

All the day you'll have ... free pizza?

Sure. If you happen to wander past a CiCi's Pizza restaurant in the near future.

As the economy weakens, I've been hearing about a lot of creative promotions businesses are coming up with to drive sales, most recently, CiCi's pizza. The chain is getting consumers to rethink the value of the penny through its "Penny Picker Upper" promotion.

It works like this: CiCi's has dropped one million pennies printed with offers for free food outside its stores across the country. The campaign is being promoted via television, radio and and the Internet. Consumers who visit BeAPennyPickerUpper.com can look up CiCi's locations and make avatars of themselves.

"We realized that as a value brand, we had to take some action, and with the penny, many people just walk by it and don't look at it as money anymore," said CiCi's CMO Tom Koenigsberg. "It may be a penny, but it's still money and money is cool. As a brand, we value every penny, as well."

Check out the full Brandweek story here.

Take A Whiff

2009-03-26T15:32:00.019-04:00

I love Cleveland, but it definitely has its pitfalls...weather being one of them. While garden centers in Southern Florida, anywhere Arizona, and even St. Louis are hopping with early season business...thanks to crummy weather, Northeastern Ohio garden centers are a little slower on the uptake.

Today, for lunch, Rick Welder (Today's Garden Center account rep extraodinaire) and I went on a quick, local field-trip. We went to Bremec Greenhouses & Nursery.

It was a little dreary out: 45 and rainy. Once you stepped into their main retail greenhouse, though, it didn't matter. The smell was enough for the two of us. It smelled like earth, go figure. I like to think that our reaction to the smell of dirt and tiny, not-ready-for-retail plants is representative of the consumer in the northern half of the contiguous 48. (Below, Rick was all about the Sweet Peet. One of the Bremec employees said they fly through the stuff, and she didn't mean by the bag, but by the yard.)

I think there needs to be a national campaign, a Visit Your Local Garden Center in February Day that promotes visiting your local garden center before it's even ready for you to be there. Kind of like what Rick and I did today. It's all about the bug, and using cabin fever to your advantage.

It's that whole scent-to-memory sensory thing. The olfactory bulb in your brain has "intimate access to something called the amygdala, which processes emotion, and the hippocampus, which is responsible for associative learning." Make your customers connect. Make them remember what mid-June smells like.

Bremec's is in that "getting ready" stage, so there wasn't much to drool over plant-wise. They do, however, have a relatively new and expansive structure that acts as their pottery barn. Its permanent openings were temporarily covered with protective plastic sheets. The inside was packed with pots, statuaries and fountains.

All I know is I'm getting pretty tired of talking about "getting ready." Smell ya later!

Flash Is The Enemy

2009-03-24T12:05:00.014-04:00

I recently invested in a new camera for myself. It's a point-and-shoot Sony Cybershot...10 megapixels, which means the images can be enlarged into wallpaper, I think. It does all the work. What are you working with?

Spring is here, technically. Soon, the colors will pop and make you a believer. Whatever camera you have, I hope it's digital and I hope it allows you to upload your floral images to your garden center's website. Then you can show your customers what you're working with, literally.

Writing for Today's Garden Center, I've come to learn one thing...people love pictures, sometimes more than words. I think it's because one picture is worth 1,000 tiny little words...at least that's the word on the street. So make sure you indulge in photography, too (if your website can handle it).

Take pictures of what's new, what's hot...or simply, what your place looks like. What you snap can also make for some great signage. I came across two helpful floral/landscape photography websites: Landscape and Floral. Sort of a photography for dummies. Which is perfect, because I'm a dummy when it comes to this, and I found they both had great tips and FYIs I sometimes forget.

Encourage digital camera use with your customers, too. They can print out pictures of ill plants and bring them in for you to diagnose. According to a recent The News Tribune article on cameras as the newest must have garden tool, cameras help with record keeping, inventories, identification and so on.

So get out there and get your Ansel Adams on.

A Week Early

2009-03-16T11:10:00.012-04:00

It's Spring! I know the 20th is circled on your calendar as the first official day, but for me it's here a week early.

Now it's still pretty brown and blah here in C-town, and I'm not too sure where the swallows are...my spring indicator is a little different. My first day of spring comes at Gali's Garden Center in Beachwood, Ohio. My first day of spring revolves around bare-root roses from Jackson & Perkins and Star Roses.

Not sure the exact amount, but each year, Gali's gets in huge boxes filled with hundreds of bare-root roses, which are then pruned and potted up by the staff. It takes a couple of days.

Sunny blue skies this weekend, but the customer spottings are still few and far between, despite the nice temps. I'm pretty sure Mother Nature was so overcome with guilt for the kind of winter she put us Clevelanders through, she decided to give us a sneak peek at spring. Well, it's at least a start.

Those customers who actually pulled into the parking lot and parked the car, did so just to do so...if that makes any sense. They came in to remind the senses, "Hey, this is where I'll be in a few weeks."

Like always...it'll be here before you know it.

Pretty soon, I'll be working weekends there, regularly ...ringing out crazy customers, loading cars, watering flats and delivering mulch. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll keep my camera with me just in case something pops up.

After my first day back at Gali's rounded out, I threw on some shorts, grabbed my tennis racquets and met a friend at some local courts...spring is definitely here.

Name Your Price

2009-03-13T20:20:00.003-04:00

I came across a story about a small business owner who's found a creative way to attract customers during the recession. Sam Lippert, who owns the Java Street Cafe in Ohio, is letting his customers name their own prices for the food and drinks they purchase there.

Sure, some customers are definitely underpaying, but many are overpaying, too, which balances it out. And according to employees, patrons are definitely digging the new policy.

"In the current economy, maybe that's what people need to feel comfortable going out again," Lippert said. "They need to know that they're going to pay what they feel is a fair price for what they're getting."

Check out the full story here.

Howdy Partner! Garden Chaps

2009-03-06T16:23:00.006-05:00

GreenJeans can save your legs from gravel, dirt, paint, sharp edges, thorns, flying objects, you name it. And in this case, these GreenJeans aren't recycled Levis or denims dyed a hunter hue...these chaps are tough and great for those do-it-yourselfer/landscaper customers.

They come from a small operation on Whidbey Island in Washington State called Muscle and Arm Farm. The GreenJeans are made of 1000 denier textured nylon with built in knee-pads. They were recently seen on local Chicago television with Joe Lamp'l. Lamp'l is the founder of The Joe Gardener Company. The GreenJeans were also mentioned on his website.

Flowers & Veggies In Perfect Harmony

2009-03-05T12:05:00.002-05:00

Who says flowers have to be on one side of the garden and veggies on the other? Why do vegetables and herbs have to be segregated to a separate plot of land - or even a separate part of the garden center?
Learn2Grow.com, a website that caters to gardeners of all levels (sponsored heavily by Lowe's) advocates mixing edibles in with ornamentals, showing all plants the love.
This marketing message could be particularly beneficial to garden retailers who want to capitalize on the sale of edible plants, but not at the expense of ornamentals.
Check it out here.

Daydream On Elm Street

2009-02-24T13:43:00.009-05:00

At the Cents Show late last month I had the pleasure of meeting a pretty cool Georgian, Jared Bookhardt from Sharp Top Trees.

Jared and Sharp Top Trees are all about bringing back the respect and prominence of the Princeton American Elm tree (Ulmus americana "Princeton"). "The reason there are more Elm Streets than Main Streets," these American classics are extremely resistant to Dutch elm disease.

Over lunch, Jared told me to check out his blog, which has a ton of great information and pictures. His blog also had this really cool link I wanted to pass along for an easy-to-use National Tree Benefit Calculator. Check out how much the trees you sell help the environment.

One Man's Trash...Flower Pot

2009-02-24T10:50:00.008-05:00

A friend in the biz said these were kind of ugly upclose. I haven't had the pleasure to see them in person, but based on pictures and descriptions alone, I'm a fan.

Pots made out of recycled tires - Re:Treads. Officially titled Recycled Re:Treads Collection of Tire Pots, these hand cut and hand sewn planters are made of tires stripped of their tread and steel belts. And with almost 300 million tires scrapped per year, according to the EPA, River Market Pottery is trying to do their part to lighten the rubbery landfill load.

What's next, rubber mulch?

“One of the neatest things about the Re:Treads pots is that not only do they help to cut down on environmental waste, but when they are planted up and used for container gardening, they actually enhance the beauty of their surroundings," says Alec Junge, president of River Market Pottery. "It’s a great redemption story for what would otherwise have been a piece of garbage.”

Re:Treads are sold exclusively through http://www.flowerpotshop.com/. Check out their official press release here.

Something To Pass The Time

2009-02-20T14:47:00.007-05:00

So this will be the third time or so I've pushed to get the Gardening Mama video game into our news, and I'm not even a gamer. What's more, it's not even out yet...it's due to drop sometime in March. I found some screenshots...that's the reason for this entry.

Gardening Mama is coming out for the Nintendo DS gaming system. In it, players become Gardening Mama. You can plant seeds, flowers and trees, add fertilizer and even earn rewards for good gardening practices.

Borrow your kid's Nintendo DS, because in between filling out orders, this could be a nice filler during the quiet winter months for you (even for your antsy customers)...good practice. Click here to get some more info about the game that might actually turn your thumbs green.

The Crocs Phenomenon

2009-02-18T10:20:00.011-05:00

Four years ago, at my garden center job, I busted out an orange pair of Crocs for the busy season. You could see these things from miles away (not me. Mario Batali). They were gaudy and garish, and perfect for the garden center. Customers loved them. But that's a given. Gardeners love bright colors. If they didn't they wouldn't be gardeners.

For a few seasons, Crocs sold well for garden retailers...not so much anymore. It's a shame because Crocs did an excellent job exploiting the colorwheel. They were also great at giving customers choices, allowing them to stand out or just be different if they wanted to.

Luckily there have been some side effects from the Crocs Phenomenon.

Dramm's Colorstorm (pictured left) hoses, sprinklers, sprayers, etc. come in six different colors. Coleman Cable's Cool Colors (pictured right)extension cords line also comes in six not so run-of-the-mill hues.

And, of course, the Bosmere (below) Nutscene twine. I first saw these colorful tins of twine at Terrain Garden Center during the GCA Holiday Tour. This morning, Sue at Bosmere said these have been extremely popular sellers, and many people are using them for gift wrapping.
It's not too late to make sure your tool wall gets the bright and cheery "Spring's Here" memo.

As for me, I'm going down with the Crocs ship. I swear by them. Now I just need to decide on a new pair before the temps break 50. Purple, aqua or kelly green?

What's Your Game Plan?

2009-02-10T13:23:00.003-05:00

I heard something very interesting this weekend at ANLA Management Clinic. At the Retail Swap Shop (and idea exchange session), the topic of social media sites like Facebook came up. Someone asked "What happens when a customer posts something bad about your business?"
A couple of people answered that since you get notified about all posts, you can delete it before someone else sees it.
I would challenge that and say think about it for a minute. The people who take the time to go on a business' Facebook page and post messages are probably pretty computer savvy. That means they know how social media works - and it tends to work on the notion of transparency.
There's a trust factor that whatever they post will stay there, because they visit hundreds of other peer-review websites that keep the bad and the good. If they know they posted it and come back later to see it's been deleted, you've lost their trust. You've also probably just lost their business.
Think of a negative comment as an opportunity. Other customers will likely respond to defend you. It may start a debate. You are free to go on and explain what happened or, if it was a problem on your end, offer a solution. It's an opportunity to show how you resolve customer issues. If a customer came into your store to complain, you wouldn't ignore them.
It's a new medium, and you have to think about it in a different way.

They're Blogging!

2009-02-05T10:53:00.004-05:00

There are garden bloggers all over the country, and their numbers are growing every year.

Apparently they don't just go online to talk about their gardens and post pictures - they also meet in person to share their common interests.

Do you know who the garden bloggers in your area are? And are they your customers? Wouldn't a garden center be the perfect place for garden bloggers to meet?

This is just one example of a garden blogger: http://www.gardeness.com/2009/02/you-gotta-have-friends.html

Great 'Beginning Gardener' Story

2009-02-03T12:47:00.002-05:00

The New York Times just published a great little article on how to begin gardening. We often forget in our industry that some customers walking into the garden center have never touched a plant or trowel before.

It would be worthwhile for retailers to have something like this on their websites to show beginning gardeners how to get started and be successful initially. A happy beginner will come back for more!

Read the story here.

Buds On A Budget

2009-01-22T16:35:00.003-05:00

A press release came across my desk today that caught my eye - "Website Offers Bailout To Economically Strapped Suitors This Valentine's Day."

The company is Saved By The Bud, and they're trying not to let the economic downturn put a damper on Valentine's Day this year. "Valentine's Day approaches, the day when cupid meets commerce, and even the poorest of paramours is expected to pony up with a present," the release eloquently states.

To help bail out cash-strapped suitors, www.savedbythebud.com has created a new section, Buds On A Budget, which includes affordable floral gift ideas for Valentine's Day.

Saved By The Bud comes from the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center (NFBIC) in Danby, Vt., and offers "a lifeline for clueless guys offering the hows, whys and ways of using the power of flowers to communicate with girls."

Suggestions in the Buds On A Budget section include choosing one, fabulous flower over a bulked up bouquet. "Properly presented, one or two wisely-chosen stems can be just as cool a gift as two dozen - if your presentation is charming."

The site also offers information on buying and caring for cut and potted flowers, including how-to videos so "even the most horticulturally challenged can learn the ins and outs of floral gifts."

Fascinating Story On An Independent Book Store

2009-01-19T08:44:00.002-05:00

This story is almost heartbreaking. It's from Business Week on a large independent bookstore in California and its rise to success and subsequent demise.

There are some great cautionary items in here for any independent retailer, though, about not changing to meet the current demand. Click here for the story.

Blogs Do Matter

2009-01-16T15:19:00.005-05:00

I don't really think this is actually debated anymore, but for those who still wonder, blogs are pretty influential when it comes to buying decisions.

If you need statistics, a new study by Retailer Daily looked at how blogs factor into consumer purchases and how they influence buying behavior.

Here's a breakdown of the findings:

Those who read a blog more than once a month said they trust blog content more for purchase decisions than content from social networking sites.
Half of blog readers surveyed said they found blogs useful for purchase information.
Outside of technology-related purchases, other key categories were media and entertainment; games, toys and sporting goods, travel; automotive and health.
The niche focus of a blog increased the perception of usefulness. For example, more than half of those surveyed said blogs with a niche focus and topical expertise were key sources for them when buying a product.

Those are just some of the statistics from the study. Find out more at: http://www.kenradio.com/content/view/1609/1

Have A Beef With You Friends? Burger King Has A Solution

2009-01-13T14:07:00.005-05:00

By far one of the most interesting social media marketing techniques I've come across to date, Burger King is promoting its new Angry Whopper through a Facebook application that gives a free burger to any member who sacrifices at least 10 of his or her Facebook friends.

Users must download the Whopper Sacrifice Facebook application, shed 10 friends and then enter the eMail address where they'd like the free Angry Whopper coupon to be delivered.

According to WhopperSacrifice.com, more than 215,000 friends have been dumped for burgers. Holy cow.

Check Out The World's Largest Sock Monkey In Atlanta

2008-12-30T14:18:00.004-05:00

Gift and decor supplier Midwest is taking its popular sock monkeys to new heights (literally), introducing the world's biggest Genuine Monkeez sock monkey at the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishing Market, which runs Jan. 6-14.

At 8 feet tall, Super Sammy is really more of a sock gorilla. Larger than life, he'll be on display in Midwest's AmericasMart showroom in Building One/Merchandise Mart, Suite 16A7, and he'll also be the star of Midwest's Go Bananas event on Friday, Jan. 9 from 4 to 7 p.m. Independent retailers are invited to attend the event, get their photos taken with Super Sammy and receive complimentary Genuine Monkeez gifts, as well as free freight on all Genuine Monkeez orders of $500 or more with immediate shipping.

If you don't have a chance to meet Super Sammy in Atlanta, he'll be making appearances in Midwest's showrooms in Dallas, New York and Las Vegas, too.

Programs For Kids

2008-12-30T09:02:00.001-05:00

I’m going through the Revolutionary 100 surveys now to write up details for our web coverage, and noticed a couple of garden centers focusing activities toward kids this year. I wanted to post a link to a program that I think is really beneficial and might help some retailers in their efforts to reach kids. It’s a program called Veggie U, and the link is www.veggieu.com.

This program is a non-profit created by The Chef’s Garden in Milan, Ohio. It’s a farm dedicated to growing specialty herbs, veggies and microgreens sustainably, and supplies chefs all over the country. The idea came about when the owners were sitting with some chefs talking about the lack of nutrition education for kids. They came up with the program, which involves sending vegetable seeds and soil packets to classrooms across the country, along with a curriculum designed to teach kids in a fun and enjoyable way about vegetables and nutrition.

I don’t know if there are partnership opportunities with this program for garden centers, but it seems like it would be a great way to tie together nutrition and gardening.

ANLA Blog Fest Today!

2008-12-18T11:57:00.001-05:00

Want to find some good ideas fast? Check out the 2009 ANLA Management Clinic blog, which is being updated Thursday, Dec. 18 every hour from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with all sorts of ideas you can take to the bank.
The blog’s focus is Managing Through Tough Times, and our own Group Editor Richard Jones will be one of the featured bloggers, along with Dale Deppe of Spring Meadow Nursery, Ken Long, president of Garden Centers of America and co-owner of L.A. Reynolds Home & Garden Showplace, and many others.
Find it all at www.managementclinic.org/blog/index.cfm.

Think Local, Not Independent

2008-11-24T12:26:00.012-05:00

I was going through my notes from the trip and realized I left out one of the most important parts of the GCA Holiday Tour. I left out Lloyd Traven's opening-night talk. Lloyd spoke to a full and just-arrived room of tour members about being local, getting rid of your "crap" and being green. He's from Peace Tree Farm, and is currently in the process of getting certified organic through the State of California.

He made too many good points, there was no way I could leave any of it out. (And sorry for the picture, I was just starting to get a handle on the camera.) That's Lloyd in the yellow shirt. The following is a quick synapse on some of the points he touched on:

What's Independent?: Quit with the Independent Garden Center talk. What does it really mean. From now on, try saying "locally owned" instead. That's something people can connect with and something they can understand. "We are local, this is what people want," said Traven.

"Differentiate or Die!" was the first slide of his presentation, which is pretty self-explanatory.

Stop Pack-Ratting: "If you sell what you've always sold, you'll get what you've always got," he said. Quit being that person who says they'll buy new stock once the old stuff is gone. "There's a reason people aren't buying that crap." And it's taking up valuable space.

Timing: Work with your growers. Strenghten your relationship and get a sense of timing down with them.

seXY Tip: Generations X and Y love taking home tip sheets. Continue to teach them even when they've left your store.

A Green Sense: Of course going green makes environmental sense, but make sure it makes economical sense for your garden center first. And if you sell it, "You must also tell it." What's the point of selling organic plants if your customer then goes home and douses it with Sevin or Peters. You need to teach them. Explain to them the significance of going organic and why some things may cost more than others.

A Dream Teamer

2008-11-24T10:43:00.017-05:00

Remember the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and the USA Dream Team? At the time, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley showed the world just how far ahead the U.S. was in the realm of basketball. If there was a garden center dream team, Homestead Gardens would be in the starting five and in line for a gold medal.

The size of Homestead is one thing, but it's what they're doing under their roofs that's something worthy of it's own HGTV show.

When you walk through the front doors, the first thing you notice is a runway of main-aisle that gives you an unobstructed view all the way to the back door. Dave Hanger, Homestead Gardens General Manager, said it gives the retail space a racetrack layout, which leads shoppers to everypart of the interior property. He compared it to Target's main, 15 foot aisle that runs throughout the store.

The space at Homestead Gardens is second to none and makes for a breatheable experience. And that space doesn't interrupt their holiday offerings.

Scott Daley is the resident creative genius. Hanger said that Scott is just "unbelievable with some of the things he's doing around here." A great example of this is the half taxi cab. Found in the Department 56 section, some Homestead workers went down to a junk yard and found this car. They had them cut it in half before they hauled it back to the store. A fresh coat of paint and voila...an instant display fixture meets conversation piece. Vintage chairs, freezers, tables and ovens can also be found in their displays.

Besides everything else going on during the holiday, Homestead's toy train track is a big ticket. With a full-time conductor on hand, "On weekends it's sometimes three deep in here (around the track)," says Hanger. "Sometimes you'll see three generations come in to watch the train."

Baby Vegas

2008-11-23T23:45:00.006-05:00

Our final day on the road toured us to the crabcake state, Maryland. First stop: Valley View Farms in Cockeysville.

It may have been the cloudy day. It may have also been the “getting ready” transition between seasons, but Valley View Farms looked a little bare from the outside, which ill-prepared me for my first couple steps into the store.

It was like Clark Griswold’s house inside-out.

Ceilings were lit from corner to corner. And the rotating artificial trees decked in an assortment of ornaments and lights were an added touch that didn't/won't go unnoticed.

I’d be interested to see what it would look like if they turned down the normal house lighting a little. I bet the Christmas lights would pop even more, and save on the electric bill along the way.

The Little Things

2008-11-23T23:34:00.006-05:00

Don’t let the title fool you, Bucks County’s Bucks Country Gardens does Christmas big, but they also do a lot of the little things. Not to mention, their barn turned retail center is a perfect place not to get lost.

Sometimes you want your customers to get sucked in at your store, it’s a testament to the experience you’re providing. But those who wander at Bucks are definitely not lost. Their centrally located customer service desk (I highlighted it in the photo) gives shoppers a great reference point. Think library, it’s kind of like that.

If you ever visit Bucks and you’re around the customer service center, be sure to look up. They make hanging banners easy. Bucks utilizes a pulley system to swap out the signs that hang high from the barn’s rafters. It cuts down on labor and from having to drag out the ladder.

And if your garden center sells Christmas trees and offers a delivery service, maybe you should think about getting your tree team a box of hospital booties. They can be used to slip on over their boots when entering a customer’s home, says Donna Denter, Bucks lifestyle/home décor manager. No more tracking mud and now into homes and no more having to take shoes off.

What The X?

2008-11-20T23:49:00.004-05:00

GCA

It’s no secret, I love Christmas. I have Johnny Mathis’s Christmas album on my iPod year-round. So forgive me if I get upset for seeing signage that uses the term “Xmas” instead of Christmas. It just rubs me the wrong way.

So here it is, a decree of sorts. No more “Xmas,” or else.

Let’s agree not to take shortcuts on holiday names. It just takes something away, the sparkle.

What brings this up? After we departed from a place that’s Christmas through and through, we visited Gasper Home & Garden Showplace in Richboro.

Gasper is a relatively new operation that focuses on landscape services. There’s no getting around it, it’s a sharp place. High-end granite tables and benches, and striking modern statues are placed neatly throughout the grounds.

My only gripe came in their storeroom. Small signs posting holiday deals used “XMAS” instead of Christmas. I cringed, and I wasn’t the only one. Cyndee Carvalho of Alden Lane Nursery in California agreed, saying there’s something not right with the way it sounds or looks. I would be interested to hear what other garden centerers think about using “XMAS.” I know it’s not a deal-breaker...well, maybe it is.

Day 2: Feeney's

2008-11-20T23:14:00.008-05:00

There are those places you come across in life where you just feel comfortable and safe.
Feeney’s is one of those places.

When bus-driver Fred heard we were starting day two off with Feeney’s, he wasted no time telling a story about his wife’s shopping experiences there. He also made sure to tell us they have a reputation for excellent customer service, which is hard to tell on a tour visit (everyone’s on their best behavior), but easy to believe.

With displays from floor to ceiling, I felt fully encapsulated by the store. I was starting to think Feeney’s main goal is to give their customers a sore neck…flying reindeers, airplanes, clouds, to name a few.

You never know what catches a person’s eye or what fills a void in someone’s home. On that premise, Feeney’s offers a bidding process to customers on select pieces-parts of displays. On the way out, I saw slips of red paper on a large china cabinet. Sometimes fixtures need to move and make room for newer ones. The bidding gives customers a chance to grab something (e.g., baker’s rack) for cheap, and Feeney’s makes out too, getting money for a piece that might otherwise find it’s way to the dumpster.

Feeney’s figurine collection is just one more knife in the drawer. I’m not sure that saying makes any sense. What I mean is aside from their seemingly unlimited Christmas merchandise, they are a destination location for Byer’s Christmas Carolers and everything Department 56 (plus retired pieces). They don’t skimp and that’s why it works for them. If you decide to run with a collection line, thoroughness is a good way to go. It gives your customers a sense of security with their investment. If they want to continue collecting, they’ll know where to turn first.

Terrain: The Not-So Bad And Everything Else

2008-11-19T04:16:00.004-05:00

Not even a year old, it’s only natural for Terrain to have a couple hiccups in the growing process, right?

While a big fan of what Terrain had to offer under ceilings and between walls, I was a little less confident in their exterior efforts. Here are a few key points members of the tour made on more than one occasion:

1. Wheelchair accessibility- edging that sectioned off locations in the yard sometimes stuck out above the ground in many places. Also, there were steps, but hardly any ramps.

2. It was hard to locate a cart to load up your selections.

3. Unlike Waterloo, there was no map of the property.

4. Terrain’s structures are all unattached, something that might fall out of favor with customers during the cold winter months. Dress warm and bring your boots.

Is Terrain unpractical? Maybe. Or are we just to knit-picky? Probably. I have a bad feeling that Terrain may never be accepted by the independent garden center community. I've heard a bunch of opinions isolating Terrain as one of them and not one of us. They're approach is unfamiliar, but is that a gateway to judge the heck out of them?

Terrain: The Good

2008-11-19T04:15:00.005-05:00

Pier One dressed in an expensive flannel shirt. That’s my initial take on Terrain. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.With live garland wired and streamed over the main walkway, it was easy to see that “rustic” oozes out of everything. And isn’t it funny that this is considered cutting edge?

From Waterloo’s sharp, shiny and packed to Terrain’s rough, earthy and hip, the tour did a complete 180, really challenging our perception of garden centers.

There’s no doubt that Terrain has a definite cool factor. The indoor retail space is full of “one of a kinds” and post modern merchandise displays—using huge tree stumps, old school running faucets, boxed frames, and refurbished doors and dressers.

Terrain is not the type of place you’re going to find a lot of one thing in a bunch of different colors. They are not looking to appease the demand for run-of-the-mill products. They want you to leave with a “treasure,” something that not everyone can get their hands on.

Mentioned in the morning talk, chalkboards provided plenty of useful signage space. This time of year, they keep their customers up to date on any current or upcoming events.

At the counters, customers can find Terrain branded grid paper to jot down their ideas or draw up that masterpiece in the works. An outdoor fireplace and an indoor café (which has a full menu) also offer places to mull over any remaining gardening or home décor decisions your customers may have.

Christmas On Steroids

2008-11-19T03:55:00.005-05:00

There’s about 75 of us on this tour of Southeastern Pennsylvania and beyond. We’re split into two buses, and GCA’s Shanan Molnar wasted no time informing us that we were on the official “fun bus.” With Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer playing on the radio, the tour’s very first stop started at Waterloo Gardens in Exton.

To the right of Waterloo’s front entrance, I noticed two things right away. First, before you even step through the doors, there’s an easy-to-read map of the grounds. Second, they had this week’s savings flyer framed and at eye level (I’m not sure if it’s sent out in the local paper or not). It lets the customer know right away what’s on sale this week. Both eliminate some FAQs upfront.

As we piled into Waterloo’s, a manager mentioned a few tidbits about their Christmas layout, one of which was half-trees. Waterloo removed one side from a handful of the artificial Christmas trees used in the displays. This lets the tree lay flush against the wall, preventing wasted space. It’s one of those, why didn’t I think of that (if you haven’t already) concepts.

Overall, Waterloo was a bit overwhelming for me, but a huge hit with almost everyone else on the bus. The garden center received loads of praise for their ability to merchandise a high volume of product.

There were rooms upon rooms with unfathomable amounts of Christmas goods. Ornaments and ornaments. They are all well thought out, and plenty of them carry themes. One garden center owner and tour member said the sheer volume alone would keep her up at night.

As we drove off, Dave Williams of Williams Nursery in New Jersey told us that Waterloo’s employees are trained to listen for no music. If they are walking through the storeroom and aren’t hearing anything, they need to seek out a music box and wind it up. “Customers can’t experience quiet music boxes. It only takes a few seconds.”

She, She, She

2008-11-19T03:42:00.002-05:00

The 2008 GCA Holiday Tour (Pennsylvania/Washington D.C.) started bright and early Tuesday morning. With a room full of groggy faces, and plates full of bacon and eggs, Greg Lehmkuhl, creative director of Urban Outfitters/Terrain at Styer's, talked about the new-garden-center-on-the-block’s target, their ideal customer: an affluent, trendy female in her forties and fifties.

He referred to her as “she” more than a number of times.

The whole time I was thinking, well, what about me? I’m 26, male and a fan of Urban Outfitters. What about marketing to the next wave of would-be gardeners? I’ve heard a mixed bag of impressions Terrain’s left on its visitors and I’m looking forward to seeing if Terrain lives up to any of the hype they’ve received. It’s our second stop on the first full day of the GCA Holiday Tour.

For the rest of Terrain’s morning breakfast presentation, Greg explained his take on redeveloping a dated garden center and also a few things he’s implemented that help set Terrain apart from everyone else in the industry.

Here are a few things he wanted us to think about and also look for during our visit to Terrain:

1. Use chalkboards, handwritten signs. They’re easy to update and they can help explain products. Greg went on to say, if you buy a wacky or expensive product, use simple signage to “explain to your customers why you bought it. Don’t assume they know.”

2. Use stencils for branding. Terrain’s name is tagged throughout the grounds with a stencil and some bright colored paint. On mailboxes, benches, screens…it creatively burns your brand into your customer’s memory.

3. You don’t always have to use the fixtures manufacturers send you. For Terrain, most POP isn’t cohesive with their style. Sometimes it won’t mesh well with your store either and that’s okay.

4. Along with the property, always update your Web site. Terrain updates at least once a week. Like products in the store, the same can be said for your site—customers need a new reason to come back.

The Bottomless Mug Club

2008-11-07T08:50:00.005-05:00

Bruegger's Bagels just introduced an interesting new promotion to keep customers coming into its stores. "The savings go up with every cup" is the tagline for Bruegger's Bottomless Mug Club, which allows patrons who pay a flat fee of $129 to receive unlimited coffee, tea and soft drinks in 2009. To sweeten the deal, they also receive a Bruegger's coupon book worth $40.

So, $129 for coffee seems like a lot, doesn't it? Not when Bruegger's illustrates your savings on its promotional pieces. If you get three cups a week in 2009, you'll save more than $130. Five cups a week saves you $310, and seven cups a week gives you a savings of $485 (plus a case of the caffeine jittters).

The concept is genius. Save the few people who will go in there, get their cup of coffee and be on their merry way, the majority of customers won't be able to resist that cream cheese-slathered bagel or egg and ham breakfast sandwich to go along with their beverages. Bruegger's has pretty much got a customer for life. Or at least for a whole year.

The Coolest Thing Ever

2008-10-29T08:34:00.006-04:00

OK, maybe not the absolute coolest thing ever in the history of all things, but it's close. I came across the EasyBloom Plant Sensor today, which can determine which plants will thrive in a specific spot in your yard. On top of that, it can diagnose ailing plants and bring them back to health. And, at the risk of sounding like an infomercial (sorry), there's even more! It also gives you access to plant information on 5,000-plus plants and allows you to create a custom library of your favorite plants.

It works like this: You plug the EasyBloom Plant Sensor into a USB port on your computer, which takes you to your My EasyBloom Dashboard page. Put the sensor into "Recommend" or "Monitor" mode. Then you place the sensor in the ground where you want to put a plant, or next to the plant you want to monitor. The device then gathers a "plant's eye view" of the location. The next day, plug the sensor into your USB port again, and the data is uploaded to the EasyBloom Web site, which then recommends plants or diagnoses problems, based on whether you have it in "Recommend" mode or "Monitor" mode.

Check out the EasyBloom video here.

Pumpkin Planters

2008-10-15T08:36:00.003-04:00

I just came across the blog for San Francisco Bay-area Sloat Garden Center and wanted to share one of their neat posts. A local news station did a bit on using hollowed out pumpkins as planters for mums, cabbage and other fall plants and filmed it at one of Sloat's garden centers. Sloat made sure to post the video on the garden center's blog for anyone who might have missed it. You can check it out here.

Supporting A Good Cause = Good PR

2008-10-03T13:44:00.003-04:00

I just got an e-mail from the frequent parker program I belong to at the local airport. The car park is working with Feeding America to host a canned food drive. For every can parkers drop off, they get a dollar off their parking stays (up to $3). Everyone who contributes is also entered into a drawing for the chance to win gas cards.

Maybe some garden centers are doing something like this? If you are, make sure you give your local newspapers and TV stations a call to let them know! They love these human interest kinds of stories, and you just might get some media coverage, while, of course, supporting a great cause.

IGCA Congress 2009 – Destination: Manchester, England

2008-09-14T00:29:00.003-04:00

The British representatives on the tour did an excellent job getting people excited about next year’s IGCA Congress, which will be held in northwest England. By the closing gala reception, there were already 60-plus people signed up for the tour.

Anyone interested in more information can click here to visit the IGCA Web site.

Granville Island

2008-09-14T00:26:00.002-04:00

For the final stop, the bus dropped us off on Granville Island. Once a run-down industrial park, Granville Island has been transformed into a tourist destination with parks, boutiques and a public market with fresh fish, produce, cheeses and more.

The artistic presentation of the produce blew me away. Too pretty to eat!

Art Knapp’s Plantland

2008-09-13T11:19:00.002-04:00

The final garden center stop on the IGCA Congress tour was Art Knapp’s Plantland, the company’s flagship store.

The garden center touts its selection of unique, imported furniture, which is beautifully displayed.

Attractive vignettes help lead shoppers through the extensive home décor department, which includes everything from large furniture pieces to artwork. The home décor department was just beginning its transition into the Christmas season, which one of the employees admitted is a little earlier than usual. But, Art Knapp’s does Christmas so well, they wanted to make sure everyone on the tour had a chance to see it. I especially liked the Asian-inspired Christmas display (pictured).

Triple Tree Nurseryland

2008-09-13T11:17:00.003-04:00

Triple Tree makes most of its money in trees and shrubs, and it’s easy to see why. The nursery yard is innovatively cross merchandised, and a spotless brick walkway, wide enough for carts, leads shoppers through the area with ease.

The garden center also offers a wide selection, including a variety of large specimen trees.

Trice Farms Pond & Garden

2008-09-13T11:14:00.000-04:00

After a scenic drive through the countryside, we arrived at Trice Farms. The garden center markets itself as the area’s water gardening expert, and a number of lovely display ponds on the property confirm it. This store spares no expense when it comes to showing customers exactly what they’re capable of in the water gardening category.

A water gardening information center (pictured), staffed by employees, helps take the intimidation out creating a pond. The store also features a studio where classes and seminars are held to educate customers.

Northwest Landscape Supply

2008-09-12T02:42:00.002-04:00

Northwest Landscape Supply doesn’t do plants. It instead focuses on landscape rocks, fountains and statuary, profiting by selling a significant amount of heavy, high-cost items.

Brian Minter pointed out to me that Northwest has found a bit of a niche with its “disappearing water gardens,” which use natural rocks to absorb and recycle a water feature’s water. This allows the homeowner to have the look and sound of running water, but without algae build up or the risk of attracting disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Ninety-Nine Nursery & Florist

2008-09-12T02:36:00.002-04:00

Day four of the IGCA Congress first took us to Ninety-Nine Nursery & Florist, a family-run operation known for its award-winning displays. “Impeccable” was the word many tour attendees were using to describe the garden center, and that pretty much sums it up. This is a garden center that’s not afraid to throw away tired plants. Every plant there was perfect.

Ninety-Nine has also found a way to profit from waste, selling petals from roses about to be discarded for $4.99 a box.

GardenWorks: Mandeville and GardenWorks: Burnaby

2008-09-12T02:28:00.002-04:00

Both of these GardenWorks stores aim to inspire. GardenWorks is definitely not afraid to use a little paint to jazz up its displays, and vignettes created using brightly painted doors get customers excited about decorating their porches and patios.

The Burnaby store is the flagship, and there’s no shortage of curb appeal at this store. Beautifully planted flower beds at the entrance invite customers in. At Mandeville, the quaint café includes a lovely patio with tables and chairs, helping to make it a true destination garden center.

The stores also do a fantastic job with their cross merchandising, always helpful in getting the add-on sale and raising average price per transaction.

Sustainability is an important mission for GardenWorks, too. GardenWorks not only offers reusable shopping bags printed with a message to support independent Canadian garden stores, it also supplies grower flats for shoppers to use and bring back to the store, in place of expensive cardboard boxes.

Minter Gardens

2008-09-11T03:57:00.004-04:00

If you ever happen to flip through the book “1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die,” it won’t take you long to get to Minter Gardens. It’s the first one mentioned.

The 7,000-foot tall Mount Cheam is a splendid backdrop for the 11 gorgeous themed gardens. You’ll find out more about the gardens in the November issue, too, but until then, check out these photos!

Minter Country Garden Store

2008-09-11T03:45:00.002-04:00

I won’t give too much away about this one. Minter Country Garden Store is going to be our November cover story, so you’ll be able to learn all about it in that issue of TGC. But I will say that owner Brian Minter is doing everything right. The merchandising is spot on, and the garden center is filled with spectacular mixed containers. Kids enjoy visiting Minter Country Garden Store, too, because a miniature train takes passengers on a fun tour around the property.

Cannor Nursery: Abbotsford

2008-09-11T03:42:00.002-04:00

Surrounded by box stores (including a Home Depot right across the street), this particular Cannor Nursery store has had to reinvent itself in recent years in an effort to cater to the higher-end consumer.

The store’s café, Tamaringo's, creates a cozy, inviting atmosphere that no big box could replicate, and it serves a delicious assortment of coffees, teas and other foods (including yummy gelato).

Cannor’s efforts to focus on “relationship selling” – building connections with customers so they won’t want to shop anywhere else – have been successful. The owners say sales are growing more every day, and they’ve found their niche with the more affluent customers.

Nordic Nurseries

2008-09-11T03:36:00.003-04:00

Nordic Nurseries isn’t a garden center, but it was full of spectacular marketing and merchandising ideas, in addition to magnificent trial gardens.

The nursery is actually a grower of more than 300 varieties and is in the Proven Winners grower network – hence, the fantastic displays featuring Proven Winners point-of-purchase materials.

Tanglebank Country Gardens

2008-09-11T03:26:00.002-04:00

The lovely Tanglebank Country Gardens hosted us for brunch on day three of the IGCA Congress. The boutique-style garden center started in 1996 and is in the planning phase of creating a new and improved store that will include a bistro – perfect for the weddings and other events often held at the garden center.

I really liked the way Tanglebank uses paint to add interest to otherwise ordinary benches. Owner Brenda Falk says she decided to add the splashes of green and yellow paint because in an area known for its rainy weather, the colors can make the garden center feel bright and inviting, even on dreary days.

The garden center also does a great job reinforcing its brand with signage and tags throughout the store that feature the logo.

Marigold Nurseries

2008-09-10T05:37:00.004-04:00

A fourth generation family business, Marigold Nurseries is Vancouver Island’s largest garden center.

The operation also does its own growing and sells most of what it grows at its own store, but also wholesales to some grocery stores.

Marigold creates beautiful and unique mixed containers, which are displayed throughout the store, and although one of the employees admitted they might not necessarily sell each and every one of the containers, customers love the inspiration they get from them.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Marigold, the garden center’s resident kitty cat.

Elk Lake Garden Center

2008-09-10T05:24:00.003-04:00

This grower-retailer really focuses on color and quality. The benches were fully stocked with perfect pansies and magnificent mums. Blooming potted plants are another big part of the business.

Elk Lake does a great job getting color out in front, too, making it almost impossible for passers by not to notice it.

Garden Works

2008-09-10T05:11:00.004-04:00

GardenWorks has 10 locations throughout BC, and day two of the tour took us to the Vancouver Island store, where merchandising is the operation’s bread and butter. In addition to its already creative displays, GardenWorks uses a tremendous amount of point-of-purchase material, like the Rock Stars line, to make the plants really stand out.

GardenWorks also partners with local artisans to offer a unique mix of art and décor for its customers. One of the artists creates beautiful mosaics using pieces of broken china (pictured). The mosaics are durable enough to stand up to the elements and can be left outside in the garden, even during the winter (which tends to be pretty mild on this temperate island).

Cannor Nursery

2008-09-10T04:58:00.003-04:00

This particular Cannor Nursery store has the right attitude when it comes to marketing and branding. The garden center really wanted to emphasize its focus on water gardening, so it created Wildwood Waterscapes. Giving the water gardening department its own name shows it’s not simply an auxiliary product category for Cannor – it’s something the garden center really focuses on.

Another cool venture Cannor is participating in is the “100th Monkey Effect.” The story behind the “100th Monkey” comes from Lyall Watson’s book “Lifetide,” which describes scientists studying macaque monkeys on the Japanese island of Koshima. Every day, scientists delivered sweet potatoes to the sandy shores to feed the monkeys, who ate the sandy potatoes for weeks, until one day, one of the monkeys washed the dirt off. A few days later, the monkey had taught his mother to wash her potatoes, too. Eventually it spread, and a group of 100 monkeys followed suit. After the “100th Monkey” tipping point, the whole colony was washing the sand off their potatoes before eating them.

The story is meant to be taken to heart and considered in the context of climate change. When will there be enough people concerned about the planet that we’ll reach a tipping point?

All the proceeds from the purchase of these cute monkey statues (pictured) go directly to the David Suzuki Foundation, which uses science and education to promote solutions that conserve nature and help achieve sustainability within a generation.

Butchart Gardens

2008-09-10T04:37:00.002-04:00

We began day two of the IGCA tour at 5 a.m. to catch an early morning ferry over to beautiful Vancouver Island, which is home to the capital, Victoria.

Our first stop was Butchart Gardens, which were absolutely breathtaking. Words can’t really do these gardens justice, so here are some photos!

Capilano Suspension Bridge

2008-09-09T02:10:00.003-04:00

Capilano Suspension bridge, built in 1889, spans 450 feet across and 230 feet high. Below is the beautiful Capilano River, and at the end is a lush rainforest filled with old cedars, hemlocks and Douglas firs, some as old as 500 years.

The walk across the bridge is a little frightening, as it sways from side to side, making it difficult to keep your footing. But Jim and Mary Wallitsch of Wallitsch Garden Center in Kentucky (pictured on the bridge) and I made it across, one wobbly step at a time!

It was all worth it at the end, where we got a fantastic nature tour and learned all about the history of the First Nations (the area’s indigenous people). Interesting tidbit: banana slugs (which can be up to a foot long), found in the area, have yellow slime that acts as an anesthetic. If you touch it, your finger will go numb. The First Nations would simply slap a little of that banana slug slime on their teeth if they had a toothache and not feel a thing.

Fortunately (or unfortunately?), we didn’t encounter any banana slugs while we were there.

Southlands Nursery

2008-09-09T01:41:00.004-04:00

Nothing is out of place at Southlands Nursery. The garden center is meticulously laid out and merchandised. The owner Thomas Hobbs was a florist before entering the retail garden center business, and it shows. His artistic approach to merchandising makes Southlands a delightful place to shop.

Items like old windows and doors jazz up displays and add a whole new element of interest to plants and pottery, inspiring customers. And, if customers are especially intrigued by certain displays, they can even purchase the old windows and doors for their own gardens. Everything at the garden center is for sale. Southlands even make use of broken pottery, planting it up with stunning combinations of succulents and other varieties.

The team at Southlands has mastered branding, too. Boxes and paper bags adorned with the garden center’s logo are somewhat pricey, according to Hobbs, but it’s worth the investment for the opportunity to be constantly reinforcing your brand.

Maple Leaf Garden Centre

2008-09-09T01:20:00.003-04:00

Nestled in the foothills behind a stunning, mountainous backdrop in West Vancouver, Maple Leaf Garden Centre caters to a high-end demographic in a neighborhood filled with beautiful, historic homes.

With an elegant yet rustic atmosphere, the garden center certainly fits in with its surroundings. They’ve dressed up some ordinary hoop houses with attractive, cedar facades, which help add value while creating a richer ambiance and more enjoyable shopping experience.

Exquisitely planted containers throughout the garden center include recipe cards so customers can easily recreate them in their own gardens.

IGCA Congress - Stop One: Art Knapp's Urban Garden

2008-09-09T01:00:00.004-04:00

More than a dozen different countries are represented on this year's International Garden Center Association (IGCA) Congress. The three tour buses full of people visiting Vancouver's finest garden centers are melting pots of garden retail for the next five days. The tour promises to provide of host of ideas for everyone to take back home to their own operations, and day one certainly did that. The first stop was Art Knapp's Urban Garden.

Art Knapp’s Urban Garden is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver. A unique atmosphere and product mix cater perfectly to the garden center’s demographic – young urbanites and condo dwellers.

Because of the recent explosion in high rise condo construction over the last few years, The Urban Garden has adjusted its product inventory to include more home décor pieces and indoor/tropical plants (or, living art, as they call it). There are also plenty of cool containers planted up for condo owners looking for something easy but different to drop on the balcony.

The garden center also does a particularly good job of promoting the benefits of indoor plants, effectively using signage to tout plants’ ability to clean the air we breathe.

Don't Forget About My Mom

2008-08-20T14:58:00.006-04:00

There's a lot of talk in the industry lately about how to attract Generations X and Y. That's great. We absolutely should be coming up with ways to attract new gardeners. But not at the expense of the seasoned ones.

Take my mom, for example. She's retired, but not tired. In her case, 67 is the new 47. She's always on the go, but she also spends a considerable amount of time in her garden. I'm sure she would love it if her local garden center offered classes that catered to her generation. Perhaps a session on low-maintenance plants? She is spry, but that doesn't mean she enjoys lugging a heavy watering can or hose around the yard twice a day to keep her water-guzzling plants looking good. Or, if you offer ergonomic gardening tools, what if you offered a pruning demonstration session in which you used some of these tools? That surely has the potential to beef up your tool sales, I would think.

The other thing my mom loves are Wednesdays at Kohl's. Why? Because it's Senior Discount Day. All she has to do is flash her driver's license to save a few dollars on her purchase. Even if she doesn't need anything at Kohl's, if it's a Wednesday, there's a good chance you'll find her there, and Kohl's has gained a sale it otherwise might not have. Just a thought ...

It’s All Happening At The Zoo

2008-07-31T10:14:00.004-04:00

TGC’s summer intern, Pete Mihalek, who also happens to work at Gali’s Garden Center in Beachwood, Ohio, told me about an interesting concept that’s generating a bit of buzz among gardeners: Zoo Doo.

Some zoos were finding themselves up to their waists in waste and decided to do something about it. They began recycling the animals’ excrement and selling it as composted manure, which not only enhances soil but can also deter deer.

Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle is just one organization with a Zoo Doo program. Its zebras, elephants, hippos, giraffes, gazelles and other animals produce one million pounds of compost each year, and the zoo saves about $60,000 a year in disposal costs. The Zoo Doo is sold in its ZooStore year round in 2-gallon or 1-pint containers.

What Women Want

2008-07-03T08:58:00.002-04:00

A couple of months back, we ran a story in TGC called “Are You Relevant To Women?” and it got a great response from our readers. Apparently we hit on a hot-button issue.

It definitely seems like businesses these days are looking for ways to cater to the female demographic, which is smart, especially when you consider that 8 percent of all women are recession-proof shoppers, according to a recent survey by Elle magazine. Who knew?

Apparently Trademark Property Company of Fort Worth, Texas, did. I came across an article in the New York Times yesterday about the property development company, which is going to pretty extreme measures to make sure a new mixed-use retail shopping center it’s working on is exactly what women want. Instead of simply assembling a team of architects and building consultants to work on the project, Trademark Property Company tapped into a whole new group of consultants: women.

First on board were two female retail consultants. Then the company enlisted the help of 24 other women from the area to “pick apart its plans for the center.” Among them were Kristen Fair, a stay-at-home mother of two and Debbie Stout, a City Council member who also runs a small business. The women shared their thoughts on everything from the shopping center’s layout and landscaping to parking options and outdoor art.

According to Stout, the developers “asked us about every detail, and then they listened.”

Now if only the automobile manufacturers would ask for women’s input when designing cars. Are they ever going to add a compartment for my purse? I think my husband would appreciate that, too -- maybe my purse wouldn’t always end up on his lap when he’s in the passenger seat.

Don’t Miss This: A Glimpse Into The June Issue Of TGC

2008-06-23T10:40:00.011-04:00

The June issue of Today's Garden Center is loaded with tons of ideas for bettering your business, so I hope you’ll have a chance to check it out (if you haven’t already). Maybe these highlights will entice you:

Gavin Herbert Jr., co-owner of cover story subject Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar, Calif., realized gardeners weren’t going to come to Roger’s for petunias and marigolds, because they can get commodities like that anywhere. His philosophy? “Rather than sell 100 $1 items, I’d rather sell 10 $100 items,” he says. This philosophy has served Roger’s Gardens well. With annual sales of $18 million -plus, they’re right on target. Check out the cover story in the June issue of TGC to find out just how they do it. You’ll like it. I promise.

In her story, “The Name Game,” Jennifer Polanz drills down deep into the topic of branding, which entails more than just putting your company’s logo on a package. Jen’s story will help you determine what to consider before creating your own brand, and how to deal with the challenges, like quality control and marketing, that come with it.

If you’re starting to think that a pencil sketch on a coffee-stained napkin isn’t cutting it anymore when it comes to helping your customers design their landscapes, you should definitely peruse assistant editor Kevin Yanik’s story called "Servicing With Software." Kevin talked to some key suppliers of landscape design software to find out how it can help homeowners visualize their dream gardens, while garden centers reap the benefits. The best part? It’s quick and easy.

I love animals. So do people in 83 million other households in the U.S. That’s how many have at least one cat or dog, and if they’re anything like me, they spoil their pets. Why not consider capitalizing on the pampered pets trend? You’ll find some advice on how to implement a successful pet department from some garden retailers who’ve done it themselves in story I had lots of fun writing, called “Catering To The Pampered Pet.”