7/1/2021
More Than Just Pretty
Ellen C. Wells
Now, while we will all agree that plants are pretty, industry *hortistician and America In Bloom’s Treasurer and Board Member (and a Past President) Dr. Marvin Miller would like to remind us that there are 101 reasons (more, actually) as to why plants are more than just pretty.
“This is especially appropriate as we continue to debate whether the consumer will stick around after the pandemic and continue to embrace plants,” he says.
You want reasons as to why plants are more than just pretty? Well, okay! Here you go:
Head over to the America In Bloom website at americainbloom.org and take a look under the Resources tab. From there you can download a copy of the “Discover the Surprising Side of Plants” brochure. It’s 12 pages of reasons why plants are more than pretty. A few reasons listed that I can really relate to are:
• Shade trees reduce cooling costs during summer
• Flowers in your garden help to stimulate your senses while reducing stress—so cut a bouquet and bring them inside!
• Vacant land improvements result in surrounding housing values increasing by as much as 30%!
I call these and all the other facts listed in the brochure “back pocket” reasons that you can share with your customers. Just whip them out of your back pocket when customers inquire what else plants can do. GP
*Dr. Marvin Miller is actually an agricultural economist and that’s nothing to sneeze at!