Earlier this month Benjamin Moore announced what it is choosing as its Color of the Year. They are calling Shadow “a rich, royal amethyst.” I call it, “Is that purple?”

It’s such a dark, smoky matte-finished color that it’s hard to distinguish Shadow from, well, a shadow. The paint expert’s creative director Ellen O’Neill described Shadow thusly: “Allusive and enigmatic, Shadow is a master of ambiance. It is a color that calls to mind a ‘past,’ yet it can also make a contemporary, color-confident statement. Shadow is sophisticated, provocative and poetic, it can bring energy to a space or harmony and a moment of respite.”

Benjamin Moore has spent much of the past year researching this color and its palette of 23 accompanying colors, attending industry shows and taking cues from architecture, fashion, textiles, furnishings, etc. They say that fine art was the leading inspiration for Shadow, indicating the correlation between the artist’s use of color and light to create a mood.

Back to those 23 accompanying colors: Interesting names, to say the least. Wet Concrete? Cloud Cover? Etruscan? They did redeem themselves with the use of Guacamole, although I’d like to eat guacamole a tad brighter green than that.

Which leads me to my headline question: Why so dark, Ben? Jen Polanz, who is writing up an article on color trends for Green Profit’s December Style issue, says the color experts she’s spoken to say dark colors trend when there's anxiety and unrest. I’d say there’s been a little anxiety and unrest lately, yes.

No, that’s not a command to shut down this fine newsletter. Nope. Buzz Off! is the sixth of eight gardening trends that Garden Media Group has researched for its 2017 Garden Trends report.

As you might guess, the “buzz off” refers to controlling mosquitoes and other insects that can carry diseases or act as pests on both humans and crops. Wanting to stay with natural control measures, folks are turning to both fauna and flora to combat the aerial assault. Like what?

Encouraging bats and birds to visit. A single bat can eat about 1,000 mosquito-sized insects every hour, and birds such as robins and woodpeckers are voracious eaters, too. Consumers are installing bat and bird houses to encourage those flying friends to hunker down nearby and come feast whenever they want. And with those bat and birdhouses come a number of accessories—such as seed and bird baths—that your garden center can sell.

Planting plants that repel insects. For example, herbs like basil, chives, lavender, mint, lemon balm and thyme keep mosquitoes away with the scent of their oils. The added benefit is they are all pretty, smell great (to you, not the insects) and can be used to create your own essential oils. 

Sticking with the trends theme here, let’s talk about culinary trends. I firmly believe that the direction things go in the commercial or home kitchen leads the way in what’s being grown in the garden. And according to the “Garden and Grove: Culinary Trend Tracking Series" from Packaged Facts, “fresh” is the trend that is definitely leading the way.

Even more influential than “local,” “non-GMO” and “organic”? Yes, yes and yes, Packaged Facts has found. And this influential “fresh” trend even extends into the Millennial generation. And as a Gen Xer, I would say to this, “fresh” is fresh.

The food trends that Packaged Facts sees as driving the bus of innovation in restaurants and retail include:

• celery and fennel
• fresh mint
• radishes
• specialty salad greens
• shishito, Peppadew and ghost peppers as the next trending hot peppers
• cocktail bar fruit

Perfect! I think we all can work with those in the garden. Make note and order them for the coming spring. (And if anyone can tell me why my October-planted radishes are not forming pretty round balls, please help!)

One of my favorite hort professionals and contributors of knowledge, Christina Salwitz, has recently joined The Garden Center Group. Christina will be acting as Visual Merchandising Coach.

Here’s the thing I adore about Christina: She brought the knowledge of fashion and marketing in her former career at Nordstrom into her love and employment in the horticultural industry. You can sense with her work in garden centers, in garden and container designs, and in garden communications that she uses this outside experience and influence to do things differently.

And now she’s sharing that with TGCG. “Visual Merchandising is a very important element that can make a dramatic impact on profit when creativity is aligned with sales objectives," said Danny Summers, managing director of The Garden Center Group, in a press release. “Christina has the right balance of creativity and sales management skills, and store teams will certainly benefit from her unique talent. Her outgoing personality makes the training fun and a great learning experience. I feel this is an area that garden centers have an opportunity for improvement.”

Congrats, Christina! Find out more about Christina HERE.

To be honest, the word “shiplap” means nothing to me, nor do the names Chip and Joanna Gaines and Magnolia Market at the Silos. Apparently I’m missing out on some big HGTV show called “Fixer Upper”! My Ball Publishing colleague Adriana Heikkila and husband Paul happened to visit the Gaines’ Waco dynasty and reported back with this:

When Paul and I decided to extend his business trip in Austin, Texas, for a few days vacation, the first thing I did was research the distance to Waco. Why a road trip to Waco, you may ask? Because it’s the home of HGTV’s power couple, Chip and Joanna Gaines and their Magnolia Market at the Silos. Both Paul and I have been fans of the Gaines’ HGTV series “Fixer Upper” since the pilot aired in 2013 and appreciate their “shabby chic” decorating style. Now in its fourth season, the show follows the couple as they turn rundown homes into showpieces adorned with shiplap walls and a signature Fiddle Leaf Fig tree (neither of which I knew existed or wanted until watching their show). Combine my love for making spaces beautiful and my husband’s workmanship, “Fixer Upper” created that additional excitement and new ideas in our ongoing remodeling projects inside and outside our home.

We were pretty excited to visit the market on a beautiful day this October, and it was better than I expected. Joanna’s style was apparent in all the details—the inviting exterior was mostly white with just the right touches of black, accents of weathered wood, rustic charm and lots of green space and plants. There were picturesque displays of pumpkins, kale and cotton bales, window boxes overflowing with fall plants, fall flowers in wooden planters on the outdoor seating tables and even fall plantings in the ground.

When you step onto the grounds the market awaits you with plenty of flawlessly designed displays from which you can shop. There were plenty of friendly staff and a pleasant scent in the air of their signature Magnolia candles and kettle corn that’s also for purchase. Back outside, the Silos Baking Co. sells many delightful-looking baked goods (we tried the cupcakes, they were delicious!) and it also has a cute outdoor seating area.

At the center of the property sits the silos and a large green space where you can lounge on beanbag chairs or play with the many games provided. I especially liked how the Gaines’ incorporated the existing silos’ structural components to create a planter for ferns and ivy, a pergola covered in plants, hanging swings and benches.

Situated behind the silos is the Magnolia Seed + Supply store that sells garden-related products for adults and kids and features a garden with a fairy garden and herb displays, a wood teepee covered with greenery and a smaller-sized decorative wooden greenhouse. Towards the back of the grounds are a line of adorable food trucks that offer tasty food and beverages that you can eat under the many covered picnic tables.

Folks, this paragraph is the whole take-home message of Adriana and Paul’s visit! Listen up!

All in all, we spent several hours there and really enjoyed everything that the market offered. Even our dog Nella had a great time. I particularly loved the experience and would definitely visit again at different times of the year to see the decorating for the seasons.

The Magnolia Market inspiration for Adriana’s fall mailbox project.

I left feeling inspired, so much so that I bought more fall plants and pumpkins to decorate the bed around my mailbox. It’s something I’ve always wanted to add to my outdoor fall decorating.   

Adriana and Paul traveled an hour and a half to visit. They spent several hours on the property. They bought stuff and ate delicious food. And, most importantly, they were inspired to create—using our products—when they got home. The memory of the experience extends from “Oh, hey, that was fun!” to “Hey, remember what we saw? We can do something like that ourselves.” Magnolia Market sounds like it would be a great inspiration for you, garden center owners.

Folks, it’s been a long, long season. Both have worked hard and slugged it out. And we can all agree, it hasn’t been pretty.

But November is when the campaigning ends, the month victors are crowned. In just a handful of days this whole thing will come to an end, thankfully. And right here, right now I’m choosing a side.

Go, Cubs!!