Teal is Garden Media Group’s Color of the Year for 2025, according to the company’s 2025 Garden Trends Report. Before you get a set idea of what this color is, here’s a sample of the varying hues within its range:

Yes, it includes the very natural colors of a Caribbean sea or the vastness of a summer sky. There’s also something very synthetic about it, something in the realm of fantasy or even virtual. And maybe because it’s both of nature and of tech, it’s so fitting for the age we live in, straddling the worlds of what has been and also what’s to come.

Does it have much application to the plant world though? GMG did point out shades of teal are present in some succulents such as senecio and agave and even in some alliums. I think it’s more applicable in the tropicals and houseplant world as accessories, such as residential and commercial pottery, containers, hangers and so forth. It’s also relatable in tropical artwork.

While Garden Media Group will say teal evokes a nostalgia for the vibrant and carefree spirit of the 1990s and early 2000s, I would say it brings to mind the wings of a tropical parrot and those beautiful Costa Rican butterflies. In other words, take the color teal and run with it for all things tropical this coming year.

And it also brings to mind pottery that I recently saw at Mahoney’s Garden Center. Way to be on trend!

Download GMG’s 2025 Garden Trends Report for yourself HERE. 

In 2023, two-thirds of holiday shoppers had planned to do some shopping for themselves during the BFCM (Black Friday-Cyber Monday) weekend. That’s according to a Gallup survey conducted in November 2023. The survey found that about a third of those self-gifting items were meant for stocking up on household items and about 30% were planned big-ticket items.

Modern Retail reported that holiday shopping growth is expected to be minimal this year—in the range of 2.3% to 3.3% range. As such, some brands and retailers are planning to put more emphasis on self-gifting purchases. This is especially true for those brands that can tie into the self-care, well-being and overall health trends.

I would slot houseplants into the self-care, self-gifting category. The Modern Retail article mentioned above discusses small self-care indulgences, such as candles and hair care products, with which many brands have seen high sales due to holiday product bundling. This essentially tells the shopper, “Here’s a set—gift one or two and keep one for yourself.” 

As you plan for holiday houseplant production and sales, think selling in sets! Bundles of three, especially for gift plants, is a nice way for shoppers to show themselves a little love while crossing names off their shopping list.

Have you bundled holiday houseplants? How’d it go? Drop me a note about it HERE.

I have two items I would categorize as public service announcements:

The first PSA is from horticulture graduate student Nelda Hernandez of the University of Florida, who has the great good fortune of working with Dr. Paul Fisher. As part of her research she's developed a survey to identify the training priorities for growers—that would be you! UF will use the survey results to continue expanding their popular Greenhouse Training Online program. Of whom should take this survey, Nelda say, “No matter what role you play in your company, if you are working with plant production we need your input. That includes owners through to watering staff and allied salespeople.”

What’s in it for you? It feels nice to help others out for the good of the industry, right? And for those of you not swayed by the “warm fuzzies,” survey participants will get 25% off any Greenhouse Training Online course through the end of 2024.

CLICK HERE to take the survey in English or Spanish. The survey takes an average of 15 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous, according to UF IFAS guidelines. UF is able to expand the online classes thanks to a grant from the American Floral Endowment and a donation from Ken and Deena Altman.

The second announcement is from UF/IFAS Extension. They'll be holding a three-day IPM Scouting workshop for greenhouse and nursery workers in foliage, landscape and vegetable production. Each full day packs in a lot of pertinent info and hands-on work so you come away from the training knowledgeable and skilled.

The three-day event is scheduled for three consecutive Wednesdays—October 30, November 6 and 13—and will take place at UF/IFAS’s Apopka location. Find out more information about the topics, agenda and how to register before October 23 HERE.

It’s time to participate in our annual Salary & Benefits Survey time. GrowerTalks and Green Profit have been offering up the survey for nearly three decades and for the second consecutive year we’re partnering with AmericanHort to help make our survey even more useful for you. AmericanHort has brought in research firm Industry Insights, who are actual professionals at salary and other sorts of surveys, taking our humble questionnaire to the next—and more valuable—level. 

“I’m too busy,” you say. You may be busy, but you always have time to learn how to better your business, right? Taking the survey and then reading its results in the December issue of GrowerTalks and January issue of Green Profit is exactly how you can better understand salary and benefit trends, and how you compare to your survey-taking peers. The survey includes company demographics, staffing and benefits, and salary data on dozens of different job titles across full-time, part-time and seasonal employees.

Survey takers are also eligible to win a Yeti 45 cooler and who doesn’t want one of those? CLICK HERE to fill out the survey (which is confidentially collected and maintained by Industry Insights’ professional data team and securely stored). The survey may be offered in conjunction with AmericanHort, but you don't need to be a member to benefit from it. All survey respondents will get the full report prepared by Industry Insights. However, AmericanHort Premium member respondents will receive the Comparison Report at no cost.