The Search for Unique

by Danny Summers

If you are like me, late this week I will head to Columbus, Ohio to Cultivate'25. It is one of the industry's largest trade shows and the creation of our national trade association, American Horticulture Association (aka AmericanHort).

A Little Backstory: If you are relatively new to the industry, Cultivate has its origins as the Ohio Short Course, produced by the Ohio Florists Association or OFA, and commonly known for years as The Short Course. Ironically, there really wasn't anything "short" about it. While it had some "florist" related sessions, the event grew into the nation's largest show for greenhouse growers. They were the main targeted attendee, and therefore most of the exhibitors were offering everything a greenhouse grower would need to produce annuals and any other greenhouse-produced plant types.

From Your Guest's Perspective - Part 2

by Sid Raisch

How does this place look... From your Guest’s Perspective? - Part 2

Owners and Managers. Sid is back in the house. Let's talk straight. (CLICK HERE to read or refresh your memory on Step #1 through Step #4. You don’t want to miss it!)

Four Quarts in a Two Quart Jar!

by Danny Summers

I hope the title here has caught your attention...if so, it worked!

For anyone who is around me for any period of time, a phrase you may hear is one I learned from my Dad. As someone who was raised on a small farm in north-central Missouri, he had so many great idioms (some, of course, I would not share here).

A Big Ask!

by Danny Summers

Peer-to-peer sharing within The Group is extremely important and, as a whole, is much of "the glue" that connects the community of Group Centers. Most of it is done through our numerous eLists (email list-serves for major and subgroups) as well as the Weekly Department Review (WDR).

When we have a strong need to quickly connect with others who have experience or knowledge of the subject at hand. Seeing a conversation about a topic and quickly interacting directly in a side conversation can be important.

From Your Guest's Perspective 

by Sid Raisch

How does this place look... From your Guest’s Perspective?

Owners and Managers. Sid is now in the house. Let's talk straight.

What's New?

by Danny Summers

In many ways, we live in a world of "What's New?" Retail in general thrives in the search for "What's New?" Whether it's automobiles, apparel, technology, web technologies, or social platforms, they all constantly strive to show us "What's New?"

In the world of Horticulture, much of our world of "What's New?" revolves around New Plants. If you have been in the industry very long, can you remember a time when you were at a trade show, walking down the aisle and seeing an amazing new plant for the very first time? If so, that new plant made a real impression on you. And depending on how impactful that new plant has been, it is most likely one of the impressions you will remember for a long time.

Every Plant Has a Story!

by Danny Summers

This is not the typical message you find me sharing here in GROUPtalk. This is...

A Call to Breeders, Growers... and Retailers!

Telling Your Story has been a standard emphasis here in The Group for decades. It began with Robert Hendrickson pushing each Center to tell their story to their audience. For Robert, the idea was to make the connection to the customer and build upon that for years. You could say... life-long relationships.

What's Your Therapy?

by Danny Summers

Four weeks ago... you were REALY BUSY! It was the first full week of May, and just 3 days away from Mother's Day. That's why I believe most of you have not seen what I am about to share.

It was on Thursday, May 8th and our May GROUPtalk LIVE session. Nicholas Staddon shared an important message titled "What's Your Therapy."

A World of Workshops

by Danny Summers

One area I am always watching as I receive many of your enews is new ideas or topics for workshops or events. Our Centers are creating some amazing events these days. I wish you would share more across The Group. We should develop a regular sharing in our Marketing eList for each of your unique events... SO PLEASE SHARE!

Here's one topic I bet you don't have on your list (except for Down to Earth)... many of you have Pumpkin Carving events... but how about:

The Search for an Oasis

by Danny Summers

Everyone needs some form of an Oasis. It's a place to escape the day-to-day activities, routines, and stresses. For some, it may be exercise or sports. For others, it could be curling up with a good book. There are a number of ways to find or create an Oasis.

Years ago, an industry effort called The Garden Council had a number of program themes they promoted for everyone to use. They produced text and graphics, as well as some POP. This was well before any social media or internet options.

ReThink Marketing: Part 3 – Selling More

by Sid Raisch

Last time, I ended with this:

"Next time, I’m going to share with you exactly how to wrap this commitment up and tie it off with a bow—to do something so simple and so critically important. That’s right, it's to SELL MORE of the only thing we measure that really matters to the people who buy it—our products and services."

The True Value of What You Do

by Danny Summers

I know this is most likely one of the busiest weeks of the year for you as a Garden Retailer. You now have Mother's Day weekend behind you, and Centers are reporting Week 19 for WDR reporting this week. I am sure last week was a big week for you.

Something else very important happened last week. With it being such a busy week for you, I understand if you missed it. The May GROUPtalk LIVE Session was last Thursday, and Nicholas Staddon presented "What's Your Therapy?"

The Art of Refining Numbers

by Danny Summers

As of last week, "the number" is 864,936.

At this point, I hope I have your attention, and your curiosity is fully engaged.

What If... We Could Seize Every Opportunity?

by Danny Summers

What if... you could seize every opportunity to welcome every person who walked through your gates or through your doors? (I'm not talking about a used-car salesman approach here, but a welcome to our house type greeting.)

What if... we were coming to your home for a special meal or function? The idea of welcoming everyone would certainly be what you would do and what we would expect, right?

The Gardener – The Optimist

by Danny Summers

To be a Gardener is to be a persistent Optimist. The faith, hope or confidence that the simple act of planting a seed or a new plant in the soil will result in something far beyond its current state is the perfect example of being an Optimist.

As your Center begins to serve the countless customers in the coming weeks, try to see the Optimism in their eyes as they walk through your doors or gates. There is a level of expectation that their interactions with the plants and the garden will bring them to a better place.

Get Wiser!

by Danny Summers

The idea is simple. Every day is an opportunity for us to learn something new, to build upon the knowledge and experiences we have gained. And every learning experience adds to our ability to Get Wiser!

I have shared messages before on the goal of Life-Long Learning. Every week, our Group shares experiences, ideas, and advice that help all of us to grow. This happens in many ways throughout the year, it comes through emails, Zoom Sessions, one-on-one conversations, at industry events and of course at The Fall Event!

Excitement Ahead!

by Danny Summers

Here we are in Week 15 and that means you are most likely already feeling the excitement of busy Spring Weeks. But at the same time we have some Excitement Ahead here in The Group!

This Thursday - GROUPtalk LIVE
Rachel Reynolds presents...

The Group Experience

by Danny Summers

The Group Experience is multi-faceted. When someone outside The Group asks me what we do, the discussion progresses in multiple directions. Of course, I usually give a brief story on how The Group came together and the beginning stages of our financial sharing and benchmarking programs.

The conversation usually then moves on to all the areas of peer-to-peer sharing, through our WebSystem and all our 12+ different eLists. And of course, I talk about interaction with our Team of Service Providers as well.

California Trials 2025

Coverage by Ball Publishing's GrowerTalks

Most Garden Centers do not attend the California Trails in-person, but you can see what's coming in new plants through the GrowerTalks coverage. Chris Beytes, Jen Zurko, and Bill Calkins provide your best seat to not only read but to see their video coverage.

This is a preview of what we will see at upcoming trade shows and the exceptional new plants that may be selected by you for the Retailers' Choice Awards or Cool Product Awards!

The Homegrown Advantage

by Danny Summers

With all the news today about imports, exports and tariffs, it becomes natural to think about what our Centers offer today. The great Trees, Shrubs, Perennials and Annuals you sell are certainly grown close to you or at the very least in the same region or country. Some of you are actually growing some of them in-house. There may be some imported components, whether it is peat or peat substitutes, bamboo stakes, etc., but the majority of what a customer takes home could be considered Homegrown.

Even our great non-plant suppliers, the majority of them produce their products domestically. Just take a look at what you have in your Center today and think about where it is being made. I'm confident the majority of what you see is Homegrown. OK, saying a non-plant item is Homegrown sounds somewhat strange, but you get the point.