Online local services marketplace platform Thumbtack recently released their 2026 Curb Appeal Report and found something quite interesting. While many folks keep their home “sell ready” by not adding too much personalization (e.g. white walls, typical foundation plantings and such), the survey of 1,029 people shows that folks are creating “personal rather than perfect” spaces outside their homes.

The Thumbtack survey asked homeowners across the country about how they use, design and think about their outdoor spaces. At a top level, the results show that homeowners are shifting their outdoor priorities from a resale strategy to creating spaces that reflect how they actually live.

• Some of the top takeaways from the survey include:
• About two-thirds of respondents are updating plants, flowers or greenery
• About one-third are refreshing front doors, entries and outdoor lighting
• More than half are investing in projects such as patios and fences that create privacy
• More than 40% are using colorful accents to personalize outdoor spaces
• This is interesting—more than 30% are actively avoiding HOAs that limit self-expression
• 44% plan to spend up to $500 on curb appeal projects
• About 60% say cost is their biggest barrier
• Best curb appeal cities? D.C., Charlotte, Atlanta, Austin and Baltimore

They also included their findings of the top trending outdoor projects and their average costs.

This reminds me—I need to do some pressure washing and trim that overgrown rhodo this weekend.

Does this indicate an intention to live in the same spot for a while? A realization that financial circumstances advise that they stay put? Or perhaps a desire to just be happy, self-expressive and live in the moment? Who knows, but if more folks will be engaging with our products, I’ll take it whatever the reason.

Read their report in full HERE and see what they include as trending outdoor colors.

The New York Times last week reported that bird watching and sales of feeders and birding accoutrement suggest a “soaring future” for the hobby. Americans are spending $4 billion on bird food—just food!—per year. Feeders and water suppliers are increasing, too, with an increase from $2 billion to $2.9 billion spent on those products from 2025 to 2035.

The ARTICLE also points out that other in-demand products include birdbaths, birdhouses, hummingbird feeders and models that are easy to clean and are squirrel-proof. Interestingly, one retailer mentioned in the article that bird feeders are not just for the benefit of the birds but are also a form of yard décor.

Get your orders in for all sorts of birding supplies at the next distributor show!

The Alfresco Home 2026-2027 Open House began June 1 and is running through July 31. Located just outside of Philadelphia in Pottstown, the company’s 10,000 sq.ft. headquarters will be hosting their 23^rd annual product launch during the Open House.

The event gives you access to Alfresco’s nearly 2,000 SKUs and early buys for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027. Check out their new collections of outdoor casual furniture and their all-new handmade Italian terracotta and high-fired glazed and Tech-Jection rotational planters.

And like the Thumbtack survey mentioned above, homeowners are looking to create backyard oases, so that is confirmation these products are in demand.

Alfresco Home has plenty of inventory-reduction opportunities for you during the Open House with the best deals available through July 1.

All visits must be scheduled prior to arrival, so get in touch with your Alfresco Home sales rep today. For more information, contact sales@alfrescohome.com.

Speaking of containers, you are encouraged to learn more about their availability and supply during an upcoming Ball Publishing livestream event. “Reducing Surprises in the Container Supply Chain” will include Growscape CEO Ed Cooper joining Bossman Chris Beytes for a practical conversation about the operational challenges growers and suppliers are navigating today, from peak-season volatility and product availability to forecasting, sustainability requirements and rising production costs.

Ed will share how one of the industry’s largest suppliers of containers, planters and growing systems is approaching supply planning, domestic manufacturing, customer collaboration and service reliability in a changing market. Topics they’ll discuss will include:

• Reducing supply chain disruptions during peak season
• Improving communication and forecasting between growers and suppliers
• Investments in domestic manufacturing and infrastructure

They’ll also explore practical approaches to sustainability through Growscape’s EarthSafe platform, including ReSource, ReTerra, and ReAssure.

Join the conversation next Wednesday, June 24, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern/Noon Central. And thank you, Growscape, for sponsoring the livestream! Register for the livestream HERE. 

M&M Wintergreens Inc. and Smithers-Oasis Forage Products recently announced that they are collaborating on a retail-ready Wintergreens Forage Kit for holiday sales. This is a collaboration and a product that I didn’t know we needed but now that it exists, makes total sense.

Available starting in July and exclusively through M&M Wintergreens, the kit includes signage, Oasis Porch Pot Forage Foam and Oasis Stay Green anti-transpirant solution. Meant to be displayed alongside M&M Wintergreens’ fresh greenery porch pot kits, the Wintergreens Forage Kit lets consumers easily create their own winter and holiday porch pots. And displayed together, they create an easy end-cap or display that encourages impulse sales.

Shannon Kuhrt, President of M&M Wintergreens Inc., is very excited about this new collab. “Most consumers don’t have a forest in their backyard to forage fresh evergreen cuttings, so our fresh evergreen porch pot kits provide the foraging materials to sell alongside the Wintergreens Forage Kit. This combined solution is easy to set-and-sell to the consumers in a grab-and-go format.”

Mike Walburn, Oasis Forage Product Sales Representative said, “Oasis Forage Porch Pot Foam helps keep stems secure, hydrated and beautifully arranged, whether using foraged or fresh materials. Finish your creation with Oasis StayGreen Spritz to keep everything hydrated, fresh and vibrant.”

Sell the Wintergreens Forage Kit alongside M&M Wintergreens’ two unique styles of fresh greenery porch pot kits. And get a look at the collab yourself during Cultivate’26. Visit M&M Wintergreens Inc. in booth #2246 and Oasis Forage Products booth #3619.

With all the interest in DIY and crafting projects, this collaboration certainly makes sense, and is available at a time of year when other outdoorsy craft projects have wound down.

Another new product you can check out at Cultivate is Rosy’s new Garden Mix designed for patios, balconies, raised beds, herbs, vegetables, flowers and container gardens. This launch is the company’s first foray into outdoor gardening products, previously offering peat-free/biochar-filled houseplant soils of all various sorts.

Rosy has a big following of new-generation plant owners wanting access to high-performing, low-impact potting soils. These folks are now taking their first steps into the outdoor gardening world and want to take the benefits of Rosy’s indoor potting mixes out onto their balconies, doorsteps and other outdoor small-space growing environments.

“Rosy was built for the modern plant parent, especially people gardening in apartments, condos, patios, balconies and smaller urban spaces,” said Chad Massura, founder and CEO of Rosy. “The new Garden Mix takes everything we’ve learned from our houseplant community and brings it outdoors with a blend designed to help newer gardeners feel more confident and successful.”

Rosy launched their soils in independents first and today Rosy products are available in more than 1,500 retail locations, including a large network of independent garden centers, plant shops and florists across the country. “As we’ve grown, we’ve found that many independent retailers are looking for products that help attract younger gardeners and houseplant enthusiasts into the category,” Chad told me. “The Garden Mix launch is really a reflection of what we’ve been hearing from those customers, who are increasingly moving from indoor plants into herbs, vegetables, raised beds and container gardening.”

Rosy’s Garden Mix will be available in 8-quart and 16-quart formats. And speaking of packaging, the Garden Mix intro accompanies Rosy’s overall refreshed and brighter packaging design with clearer plant-by-plant guidance to make choosing the right soil feel simple.

Look for the Rosy booth at Cultivate, contact your rep or check out their wholesale page.

Last week I told you about Justin Hancock’s new book, “The New Complete Guide to Houseplants,” publishing later this year. Well, I misspelled the last name of the contact for wholesale pre-orders. My bad! The correct email address is Lauren.Flors@quarto.com.

Thanks to all who wrote in to let me know and my apologies!

For those of you on the edge of your seat awaiting the second half of my interview with Marvin Miller on “I Dig Your Story,” it’s live and available for download. Do not let words like “commodity subsector analysis” and “derivative” and other calculus terminology get you all befuddled. We quickly move beyond math and into other topics Marvin feels passionate about, such as traveling to view nature, photography and cycling for a cause.

In fact, show Marvin some support in his upcoming 162-mile bike ride to raise money for multiple sclerosis. He’s participating in the upcoming Tour De Farms Bike MS Ride and could use your help in reaching his fundraising goal. Give Marvin a week’s or a month’s worth of coffee money HERE.

Marvin also has some insights into how you can double your sales. If learning what that is isn’t incentive to listen, I don’t know what is! Find Marvin Part 2 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and iHeart.