HIGH Expectations!

by Danny Summers

As spring winds down and Group Centers begin to promote summer activities and events, we also have major trade shows in our sights. The Group will focus on both Cultivate'26 and Farwest'26. Both of these are listed below in our Retailers' Choice Awards signups. Be sure to participate if you will be at either.

New Plant Varieties and Products Galore
Both events feature large numbers of new plant varieties and new product showcases highlighting what can be found throughout the show floor. It's a great place to begin your search for great new items. Here are a couple of things we already know to expect to find...

Your Rx... as Close as Your Garden Center

by Danny Summers

This overall subject is not new to The Group. It has become a pillar of who our Garden Centers are since 2020 or even prior. From Florence Williams' The Nature Fix story in 2021 to numerous blog messages and Group conversations, the benefits of gardening and plants continue to gain acceptance.

But, over the recent months, we have began to see the focus on how nature can benefit our lives intensify. It is now becoming even at a prescription level!

Customer Connections

by Danny Summers

A lot has changed in the way Garden Centers communicate with their audience. If we travel back to around the time The Group was formed in 2000, we would see Centers using a combination of direct mail, local newspapers, and the emerging use of email, with support from basic, relatively new websites.

Today, websites have certainly morphed into dynamic presentation tools, with more interaction with live inventory and buying options.

The Stars of the 2nd Season

by Danny Summers

The ideas for this message actually began back in June of 2023. Seth Reed, then Sales & Marketing Manager for Ball/Darwin Perennials, asked me to invite some of our best-performing Garden Centers in the Perennials Category to come to the Darwin Perennials Day to share details of how they position Perennials. They did a wonderful job, and it was a great experience.

One of the observations I came away with from their presentations was...

The Search for Amazing!

by Danny Summers

Last week, I shared a blog post through our main eList GroupEs featuring Ball Publishing's video coverage of the California Spring Trials 2026 (aka: CAST) as they visited each site and the participating genetics firms.

Each morning after their previous day's tour, they shared what they found in video, how each new introduction was unique and why each new plant impressed them. A special THANK YOU to Chris Beytes, Jen Zurko, and Bill Calkins for guiding us through all the Amazing Plants and Osvaldo Cuevas for his professional videography!

Who Is the Real Customer of Your Garden Center’s Online Store?

by Souny Kennedy

A recent order inside the E-Commerce Connect network made us stop and think. The order totaled $1,900—all placed in a single transaction with larger quantities of plants. When we first saw it, our initial thought was simple: maybe it’s a homeowner tackling a major landscape project. That certainly happens. Many passionate gardeners will invest heavily when redesigning a yard or installing new beds.

But it also raised a bigger question - Who is the real customer of your garden center’s online store?

Round-Up... for a Cause!

by Danny Summers

Your Garden Center may have local or favorite "causes" that you promote, fundraise for, and get involved in throughout the year. Do you know we actually have one for our industry, including Garden Retailing? It's Seed Your Future.

Most Centers have had challenges filling staff positions over the last few years. Yet, we have a growing audience of consumers who love nature.

Forest Bathing – A New Event in Your Center?

by Danny Summers

The term "Forest Bathing" might sound a little weird at first glance. Just the basic perception might conjure up an image of filling your bathtub with every green leaf you can find and soaking in it. But put any "that's weird" thoughts out of the way and let's explore further

Here in The Group, the first time Forest Bathing has been shared was this past May in the GROUPtalk LIVE session when Nicholas Staddon presented "What's Your Therapy." Nicholas covered a number of the benefits and activities of plants and nature in our lives. One of those he mentioned was Forest Bathing.

To Be a Gardener

by Danny Summers

Last week, I received an email from Dr. Allan Armitage, sharing news of his newest book, "The Common-Sense Gardener." Through the process of ordering a copy, I read some of the preface. I have to admit, as I read the words, I realized that Allan is absolutely right. Here's a sample...

What's Your Focus?

by Danny Summers

Over the past several weeks, I have seen messages from two people I greatly respect as message "gurus." Both seem to be pointing us in a similar direction. I will share portions of each of their messages here, add some perspective that I think can be important for you as a Garden Retailer, and, of course, push you to see their full messages and also connect and follow both of them.

The first is Michael Katz. Michael created Blue Penguin Development some years ago and since then has become one of the nation's best at email marketing. Since launching Blue Penguin in 2000, Michael has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week Online, Bloomberg TV, Forbes.com, Inc.com, USA Today, and other national and local media.

Becoming The Experience Maker

by Danny Summers

I did not come up with the title of this message myself. Becoming the Experience Maker is the title of Dan Gingiss' new book, which is the 2nd edition of his award-winning book, The Experience Maker, originally published in 2022. Dan says...

"In today’s competitive retail environment, Garden Centers can no longer rely on price or product alone to stand out – customers have more choices than ever. So, how can your business cultivate long-term loyalty and turn shoppers into passionate advocates? The answer is Customer Experience."

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.

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.

Wellness = People + Plants

by Danny Summers

Our industry devotes a tremendous amount of effort to Plant Health (or Plant Wellness). Offering a healthy plant is at the core of what we do. If it is not healthy, it just doesn't sell.

What we don't spend much time on is the Wellness of People. Obviously, each of us is very concerned about our overall health and the health of everyone around us. But, there is a growing movement on a connection between the two, hence the subject today... Wellness = People + Plants.

America Needs a Break!

by Danny Summers

If you are subscribed to The Group's Marketing eList, you may have seen the message shared last Thursday by Tom Kegley, The Group's Brand Guru. Tom shared a review of this year's Super Bowl Ads, produced by Kantar, one of the world’s leading marketing data and analytics business and brand partners to the world’s top companies, including 96 of the world’s 100 biggest advertisers.

When Does Spring Begin?

by Danny Summers

The answer to that question varies by who you ask, where their Garden Center is located, and of course... the weather!

For a technical answer, we can turn to the Old Farmers Almanac, which says the answer is: