• Buzz
• GreenTalks
• Classifieds
• Industry Calendar
• Article Archive
• Media Kit
• Reader Service
• Subscribe
• Young Retailer Award
• Survey

Search Our Site:

Published:4/1/2008

Frankly, I’m confused. All the buzz about the lack of Generation X and Y gardeners has me wondering if our industry has any hope when it comes to getting young folks to buy our products. Everyone seems to be trying to nail down the root of the matter—and in my opinion without much luck. Pundits have suggested that my generation (I’m 20) is the furthest away from the land than any previous generation. While it’s true that a lot of Gen-Yers haven’t grown up with gardening or haven’t even been surrounded by earthly things, I don’t agree that that equates to being away from the land. Maybe we just haven’t been given the chance. Regardless, all this subjective evidence seems to have clouded what might just be the last clear idea in this storm of conjecture: talk to a Y!

As an industry, we’re not without shortcomings. I think many young consumers find gardening to be challenging because they lack what is presumed to be a needed skill set. I’ve often wondered if our efforts at elucidating the fine points of gardening have come off sounding more like lectures in rocket science rather than inspirational sermons. Our marketing efforts should send a message of hope and encouragement, cheering beginners onto a rookie victory rather than souring loss.

I imagine that each of us started gardening with the same humble plants: petunias, marigolds and the like. We may not look back with fondness, either, noting the stunning callicarpa or handsome baptisia in the front yard today. Why go back to such “meager” varieties, right? All notions of esotericism aside, the point is that we all started somewhere. For my generation, it may mean starting in a very minimalist way. If the initial urge to buy is driven by the decorative value of an agave, the plush looks of petunias in terra cotta, or the sense of doing something healthy, let’s focus on that. Sure, outdoor living is probably a little over-chic right now, but if it works to recruit new gardeners, why fuss about it?

I recently read a1992 New York Times feature about baby boomers getting into gardening. The feature tells the story of a young corporate ad executive and his new family starting a garden. Neither he nor his wife were raised as gardeners, but after the construction of a new home they “practically lived out there.” The hopeful dialogue that ensued offered many of the same notions that I garnered from a recent conversation with some Gen Y gardening friends.

I asked each friend to think about three of their friends who weren’t gardeners but who might be interested in gardening at a time in their lives when gardening made sense. All agreed that gardening wasn’t something most 20- and 30-somethings had much time for. School, relationships, two jobs, and apartments aren’t exactly conducive to expansive gardens or extensive garden center purchases. I gather from my research that few boomers were buying many green goods at this age, either, a point which the media at the time seemed to take note of.

I also asked them to give me a punch list of the selling points they would use to sway those non-gardening friends to the ways of green. Here they are:

1) It’s a way to connect with people. You can socialize in the garden.

2) You get to see the results of your labor. It’s very rewarding.

3) It’s hard to screw up. You can invest in annuals cheaply and enjoy season-long rewards.

4) It adds to your home value.

5) It’s a green way to spruce up the neighborhood.

A favorite history professor of mine once remarked that it was egregious to judge the past with the eyes of the present. I’d flip that to say it’s foolish to judge the future with the present’s eyes, given that we’re jumping to conclusions. Each of my friends was lucky to have gardening influences during their childhood. And while all own iPods, send text message regularly and live very digitally connected lives, they’ve found their real connection in life: gardening. So be patient with us!

Kelly D. Norris is a 20-year-old Master Gardener, freelance writer and speaker. He lives and gardens in Bedford, Iowa. He also helps manage the family business, Rainbow Iris Farm.