Tracking Consumer Trends

Ellen C. Wells

One way you can assist your customers in their effort to save money is to help them save time. And you can do that by already having the products they’re searching for on hand.

To know what your customers are searching for, you need to be up on their interests. Through their research and consumer interaction, Monrovia has determined gardening consumers will be on the hunt for items following these three trends:

Nostalgia varieties: Consumers are wanting the classics—roses, hydrangea, peonies that you might think are “old fashioned,” but are actually currently on trend. We’re talking big blooms, soft colors. “Modern breeding is making these traditional plants even better for home gardeners, making them easier to grow and providing more blooms than shrubs of the past,” Monrovia’s Chief Marketing Officer Katie Tamony said of this trend. “Helping your customers connect the old with the new can play to their affection for the past.”

Wilding: We’re talking natural-looking spaces with this trend. Unlandscaped landscapes, we’ll call them, with plants for pollinators, edibles mixed in with the ornamentals and the general category of native. “Home gardeners are drawn to the term native, but that term can mean different things to each person,” Katie said in the press release. “Many times, they are looking for climate-appropriate plants, pollinator attractors or drought-tolerant varieties. Showing your customers not only natives, but other problem-solving plants can open a whole new selection for their garden.”

Private retreats: Plants are the perfect accessory to upscale relaxation spaces and private retreats as they define the space and allow a connection to nature. Think grasses, large houseplants used outdoors and splurges on “it” plants. GP