Riding the Wave

by Danny Summers

We have talked before about the trend of seeing Plants and the activity of Gardening being leveraged while promoting non-related products or services. This is Riding the Wave of the growing popularity of what your Center offers... every day. Here's another example...

I was standing in the checkout line last week at our neighborhood Publix grocery store. I glanced at the magazines on display as I waited my turn. One publication slapped me in the face instantly. The title:

The Power of Plants.

It is a special edition by REAL SIMPLE, a Dotdash Meredith publication brand. They are one of the biggest digital and print publishers in North America. This special edition is a 98-page magazine (with NO ADS). And... it's $14.95 (US) - $17.99 (CAN).

You guessed it. I had to buy it.

On the cover are these words... Calming Benefits – Houseplants and Healing – Gardens that Thrive.

Inside, you see so many of the topics we have covered and discussed over the past few years. It's like the authors of each section are reading your play book, singing your song. They could also have had access to Dr. Charlie Hall's resource page on the benefits of plants. Here are a few of the section titles and introduction lines in The Power of Plants:

• It's Good to See Green - Just being around plants has surprising benefits.
• For Sound Mind and Body - Working in the garden is good for you in many ways.
• A Place for Community - Becoming a grower fosters all kinds of connections.
• A Life Force - Coping with trauma became easier while working the soil.

As I mentioned earlier REAL SIMPLE is a publication of Dotdash Meredith. Most of us know the Meredith name. Here are just some of the other publications they publish: Better Home & Gardens, Martha Stewart, Magnolia, Southern Living, People, Food & Wine, and many, many more. Here's a link for REAL SIMPLE and here's actually a FREE PDF I found to view The Power of Plants special publication (full publication copy).

A Major Point for this Discussion
When we see major companies and brands recognizing "The Power of Plants" and the trend of Plants and the activity of Gardening, this is more evidence of the plant and gardening movement. It also shows how much they want what you have. They want whatever they're selling to be accepted and valued just as much as Plants and Gardening are today... Green, Healthy, Organic, and all the other things we know about what you offer. Often times what they are selling is nothing even close to Plants and Gardening, but they use our products to draw the viewer's attention.

It is amazing as we watch broadcasts and see print/digital media and other programming how all types of brands are being promoted as they position their products or services around Plants, Gardening, or even Garden Center or Grower scenes. I encourage you to watch for this yourself.

Each time you see other unrelated products or services positioned around Plants, Gardening, and the activity of Gardening... they are Riding the Wave.

And it's Your Wave they are riding! And the truth is no one can tell the story of Plants and Gardening as well as you can. It's your story! Tell it!