Cover Story

Creating Loyalty With Quality

Jennifer Polanz

Once customers recognize the benefits of good soil mixes, they’ll often return for more.

Features

A Plant for Every Season (and Reason)

Chris Beytes, Bill Calkins & Jennifer Zurko

The California Spring Trials may be mostly focused on annuals and perennials, but there’s always a smattering of new indoor foliage plants, tropicals and gift plants introduced to offer during multiple seasons.

Features

Adapt or Die: Your Store is Your Silent Salesperson

John Stanley, Sid Raisch & Dries Jansen

Your store is speaking. Now is the time to make sure it is saying the right thing.

Features

All in on Christmas

Photos & Story by David Williams

At Bob’s Garden Center in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, preparations for the Christmas season starts in July (and buying happens even earlier).

Features

Engaging Consumers IRL

LaManda Joy

Retailers and industry suppliers can connect with potential customers through in-person events, whether that’s local garden shows or at the retail store.

Features

Jump-starting Pollinators

Andrew Bunting

Here are early season native plant options to provide food for emerging pollinators.

Features

Strengthening Your Brand

Jennifer Polanz

Depending on your sales volume, it could make sense to work with a trusted supplier to private label products. Here’s how Family Tree Nursery in greater Kansas City does it.

Features

The Art of Building an Online Business

Jennifer Polanz

Garden Crossings in Zeeland, Michigan, has built their online business over decades, shipping across the country and offering in-store pickup. Here’s how they did it and how they manage both.

First

Keeping the Lines Open

Jennifer Polanz

The last couple of months have produced some turmoil in our industry.

Friel World

Epilogues & Emergences

John Friel

Landing an Oudolf garden entitles DBG to serious bragging rights.

Front Lines

“Digging for Dopamine”

Ellen C. Wells

The 2027 Garden Trends Report was released to the world in early September, after Garden Media Group President Katie Dubow’s popular sneak preview at Cultivate’26 in Columbus.

Front Lines

Bee a Winner

Ellen C. Wells

Monrovia had a successful Bee a Winner Giveaway campaign for 2026.

Front Lines

Breaking Down Gen Z Shopping Habits

Ellen C. Wells

The folks at newsletter Retail Brew are endeavoring to help retailers understand the still-evolving shopping habits of Gen Z.

Front Lines

Cool New Plant Alert

Jennifer Polanz

We wrote about these when they made their debut back in 2024 at Cultivate, but trees don’t get enough coverage and these trees are especially appealing for retail.

Front Lines

Earl May Closes Stores

Jennifer Polanz

In late August, we heard word that Earl May Garden Centers was in the process of closing seven of its 28 stores.

Front Lines

Official Winners at Farwest

Ellen C. Wells

Every year, attendees and official Oregon Association of Nurseries judges choose their favorites during their time at Farwest in Portland, Oregon. This year was no exception.

Front Lines

Pets on the Payroll

Jennifer Polanz

Pets on the Payroll is officially an international affair.

Front Lines

Scent-Forward Gardens

Jennifer Polanz

If there are downsides to some of the new genetics out there (and there are very few), the lack of scent may be one.

Kiss My Aster

Dedicated to Dolly

Amanda Thomsen

Dolly showed us all how amazing she was at business, with her whole brain and her whole heart.

Profit

Annual Check-Up

Bill McCurry

If you aren’t communicating with your accountant, find another accountant.

Tech Connection

Start With a Strong Foundation

Katie Elzer-Peters

The biggest tech update right now is how to get your business to show up in answers spit out by large language models (LLMs) like Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google) and ChatGPT (OpenAI).

TRENDING NOW

Blueberry Pie Buddleia

Bloomin’ Easy Plants Inc.

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Dahlia City Lights Compact

Selecta One

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Forged in Fire Heliopsis

Walters Gardens Inc.

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Garden Flags

Calmettos USA

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Indoor! Houseplant Food

The Espoma Company

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Lantana Shamrock Cherry Sunrise

Ball FloraPlant

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RENOURISH

EarthPeak Solutions

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Scabiosa caucasica Skyrocket

Monrovia Nursery Company

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Soaker Men’s Breathable Wide Brim Sun Hat

American Hat Makers

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Southern Living Plant Collection’s Red Sky Holly

Plant Development Services Inc.

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Super Grow Arch Commercial Series

Gothic Arch Greenhouses Inc.