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March 2026 Issue
Vol. 89 No. 11
Finding the Right Mix
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Cover Story

Finding the Right Mix

by Jennifer Polanz
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NEWSLETTERS
Read and subscribe to a variety of Newsletters tailored to your industry interests.
COVER STORY
Finding the Right Mix
Finding the Right Mix
Jennifer Polanz
We’re starting to see U-pick cut flower fields being offered by independent retailers, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all. Check out how two retailers are providing beautiful blooms for their customer bases.
FEATURES
Adapt or Die: AI, Your Partner In Business
Adapt or Die: AI, Your Partner In Business
John Stanley, Sid Raisch & Dries Jansen
Strategies for deploying AI at the independent garden center.
Behind the Variety: A Gem of a Holly
Behind the Variety: A Gem of a Holly
Jennifer Polanz
Emerald Boxer Holly from Monrovia is a stellar substitute for boxwood.
Browsing the Winter Shows
Browsing the Winter Shows
Jennifer Polanz & Ellen C. Wells
From Baltimore to Ft. Lauderdale, we hit the road to see what’s new for 2026.
Consumers Are Ready to Garden
Consumers Are Ready to Garden
Mike Reiber
Are you ready to sell them the products they need?
Cut Flowers Made Easy
Cut Flowers Made Easy
Andrew Bunting
Help customers get started with their very own flower fields for cuts—or create your own!
Revving Up Container Revenue
Revving Up Container Revenue
Wendy Komancheck
Here are some ideas for driving more sales with container combos.
Trendspotting: Unique Experiences
Trendspotting: Unique Experiences
Katie Elzer-Peters
Selling the unusual and unusual ways to sell.
COLUMNS
First
Crazy for Cut Flowers
Jennifer Polanz
We’re hearing more about cuts—everything from brides opting for locally grown, sustainable flowers and consumers buying them at farmers markets to garden centers offering their own U-pick flower fields.
Profit
Value ... For the Garden Center
Bill McCurry
Buyers want predictability. They want businesses with a proven ability to continue profitable operations.
Kiss My Aster
The Summer of Fraud
Amanda Thomsen
On September 15, I watched this guy siphon over $3,000 from my account while I was on the phone with him.
Friel World
MANTS: Friendly Ghosts
John Friel
Intrinsic’s genetics are getting around; at MANTS alone, their intros were represented by at least four growers.
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FRONT LINES
Book Nook: Pressed Flowers
Certified Garden Center Training
Cool Plant Alert
Dallas Market in June
Green Thumb Winners
Pets on the Payroll
Year Of … Impatiens
PLANT POP
Plants in popular culture
for March, 2026
COLUMNISTS
Jen Polanz: Managing EditorJen Polanz
John Friel: Columnist, Marketing Manager - Emerald Coast GrowersJohn Friel
Bill McCurry: Columnist, Chairman - McCurry & AssociatesBill McCurry
Amanda Thomsen: Columnist, BloggerAmanda Thomsen
VIDEOS
  Watch More
California Spring Trials 2026: ThinkPlants
California Spring Trials 2026: ThinkPlants
California Spring Trials 2026: ThinkPlants
California Spring Trials 2026: Syngenta
California Spring Trials 2026: Syngenta
California Spring Trials 2026: Danziger
California Spring Trials 2026: Danziger
California Spring Trials 2026: Takii
California Spring Trials 2026: Takii
California Spring Trials 2026: Kientzler
California Spring Trials 2026: Kientzler
California Spring Trials 2026: Sakata
California Spring Trials 2026: Sakata
California Spring Trials 2026: Dümmen Orange
California Spring Trials 2026: Dümmen Orange
California Spring Trials 2026: HilverdaFlorist
California Spring Trials 2026: HilverdaFlorist
California Spring Trials 2026: Pacific Plug & Liner
California Spring Trials 2026: Pacific Plug & Liner
California Spring Trials 2026: PDSI
California Spring Trials 2026: PDSI
California Spring Trials 2026: Walters Gardens
California Spring Trials 2026: Walters Gardens
California Spring Trials 2026: Suntory
California Spring Trials 2026: Suntory
California Spring Trials 2026: PlantHaven
California Spring Trials 2026: PlantHaven
California Spring Trials 2026: Israeli Companies
California Spring Trials 2026: Israeli Companies
California Spring Trials 2026: Green Fuse
California Spring Trials 2026: Green Fuse
California Spring Trials 2026: Glow-in-the-Dark Petunias
California Spring Trials 2026: Glow-in-the-Dark Petunias
California Spring Trials 2026: Hem Genetics
California Spring Trials 2026: Hem Genetics
California Spring Trials 2026: Westhoff
California Spring Trials 2026: Westhoff
California Spring Trials 2026: Beekenkamp
California Spring Trials 2026: Beekenkamp
California Spring Trials 2026: Benary
California Spring Trials 2026: Benary
California Spring Trials 2026: Darwin Perennials
California Spring Trials 2026: Darwin Perennials
California Spring Trials 2026: Selecta One
California Spring Trials 2026: Selecta One
California Spring Trials 2026: Morel
California Spring Trials 2026: Morel
California Spring Trials 2026: PanAmerican Seed
California Spring Trials 2026: PanAmerican Seed
California Spring Trials 2026: Ball FloraPlant
California Spring Trials 2026: Ball FloraPlant
Trending Now: PanAmerican Seed Grower Insights On Select 2027 Varieties
Trending Now: PanAmerican Seed Grower Insights On Select 2027 Varieties
At the 2025 Hoffmann Heimos Poinsettia Trials With GrowerTalks Magazine
At the 2025 Hoffmann Heimos Poinsettia Trials With GrowerTalks Magazine
Trending Now: Ball Mums
Trending Now: Ball Mums
Trending Now: Corteva Summer Crop Protection
Trending Now: Corteva Summer Crop Protection
Trending Now: PDSI's Blast From the Pastel Hydrangea
Trending Now: PDSI's Blast From the Pastel Hydrangea
Trending Now: CREO Greenhouse Forever Forward Pots & Trays
Trending Now: CREO Greenhouse Forever Forward Pots & Trays
Trending Now: Bailey Nurseries’ Endless Summer Addition for 2026
Trending Now: Bailey Nurseries’ Endless Summer Addition for 2026
Trending Now: Adhesive Labels For Onsite Inkjet Printing from MasterTag
Trending Now: Adhesive Labels For Onsite Inkjet Printing from MasterTag
GrowerTalks magazine tours Cultivate'25
GrowerTalks magazine tours Cultivate'25
Darwin Perennials Day 2025
Darwin Perennials Day 2025
Safely Managing Whitefly (and more) on Poinsettias with Broch Martindale
Safely Managing Whitefly (and more) on Poinsettias with Broch Martindale
Dynamic Combos for All Seasons with Syngenta’s Lauren Kilpatrick
Dynamic Combos for All Seasons with Syngenta’s Lauren Kilpatrick
The newest in sustainable pots and irrigation from Proven Winners
The newest in sustainable pots and irrigation from Proven Winners
Hollywood Hibiscus, from Proven Winners
Hollywood Hibiscus, from Proven Winners
New black and creme (brulee) caladiums from Proven Winners
New black and creme (brulee) caladiums from Proven Winners
Walters Gardens Perennials from Proven Winners for 2026
Walters Gardens Perennials from Proven Winners for 2026
New Annuals from Proven Winners for 2026 and Beyond!
New Annuals from Proven Winners for 2026 and Beyond!
TRENDING NOW
Nostrand Signature Hybrid plant tables
Nostrand Ltd.
Nostrand Signature Hybrid plant tables
Soiree Flamenco vincas
Suntory Flowers Ltd.
Soiree Flamenco vincas
Twist.Lift.Water.
Costa Farms
Twist.Lift.Water.
Banana Bloom
Banana Bloom
Banana Bloom
Cultivate’26
AmericanHort
Cultivate’26
Zinnia Elegant Hot Mixture
PanAmerican Seed
Zinnia Elegant Hot Mixture
QuickClips
QuickClips
QuickClips
El Niño Chitalpa
Spring Meadow Nursery Inc.
El Niño Chitalpa
Calibrachoa Cha-Cha Diva Orange
Ball FloraPlant
Calibrachoa Cha-Cha Diva Orange
The Leaf Sweep
GOHA
The Leaf Sweep
Eco-friendly gloves
Riley & Sons
Eco-friendly gloves
Who will be this year’s Young Retailer winner?
YRA logo

We’ll be awarding this year’s Green Profit/The Garden Center Group Young Retailer Award at the Unplugged event during Cultivate’26. If you’re heading to Columbus, make some time to join us Monday night to see who will be on the cover of our September issue. There will be networking and your first drink is free!

WHEN: Monday, July 13 at 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Gaswerks
487 Park Street, Columbus, Ohio

Finalists for the 2026 Green Profit/The Garden Center Group Young Retailer Award:

  • Tyler Cerbo, Cerbo’s Parsippany Greenhouse & Garden Center, Parsippany, NJ
  • Maria Harford, Benken Garden Center & Florist, Cincinnati, OH
  • Isabella Paurazas, Willow Greenhouse, Northville, MI




An extra special thanks goes to The Garden Center Group and AmericanHort for sponsoring this year’s award!


The Garden Center Group logo AmericanHort logo


Partners for Success of The Garden Center Group
BallSeed
epicor
Espoma Organic
Everde Growers
First Editions Shrubs & Trees
Monrovia
Overdevest Nurseries
Plant Development Services
Prides Corner Farms
Proven Winners
Star Roses and Plants
Willoway Nurseries


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