A Feeling of Fall

by Danny Summers

We all live in different parts of the country, and I know for some, there may be one season that is dominant over the others. Areas in the farther parts of either north or south, you certainly can have much more extremes in either winter or summer months.

Karen and I have lived in North Georgia since the Fall of 1989. We moved from Central Florida and even today, we can remember so vividly our trip to Atlanta to look for a home. It was October, and what we were about to see was so different than what we were used to.

We left downtown that morning from the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, the host hotel of the annual convention we were managing. As we headed north toward the areas we wanted to explore for a new home, we were about to have a wonderful experience. A Feeling of Fall!

And when I think about it now... it was an experience that didn't cost a lot... we were just amazed at all the Fall Color. We traveled north on Peachtree, and then Ashford Dunwoody Road, the Fall Color was everywhere. It seemed like the farther we went, the more amazing color we were seeing.

As we crossed I-285 and approached the Perimeter Mall area, we were mesmerized by all the Maple Trees around the mall and spent time simply driving around the mall taking pictures of all the colors.

It was A Feeling of Fall that we were experiencing for the first time and just soaking it up. To describe it as being "giddy" seems strange today, but I'd say it is accurate.

Fast forward 35 years and we certainly have seen many great Fall seasons since, but even with all those years of experience, it doesn't lessen that feeling you get that first morning when you step outside and you suddenly have A Feeling of Fall.

I know for Garden Centers it is Spring that provides the basis for the business overall. But the other seasons give you a chance to share ways to celebrate each one in unique ways with your audience.

Most of your audience may think of your center as a place to be only in the Spring, but the opportunity to share nature and gardening across all four seasons should be an important focus. As I was typing the previous sentence I instantly thought of our two Group Centers that are named... Four Seasons. Four Seasons Greenhouse & Nursery in Colorado and Four Seasons Nursery in Oregon. They may have a natural advantage just in their name to engage their audiences in every season.

As Florence Williams taught us in her "Nature Fix" story, the need for nature in our lives is not just in the Spring. And your opportunity to share the "nature experience" is a unique one that should be taken seriously. You know... you really are a Nature Store!

Today, Karen and I still laugh about that morning when we were driving around Perimeter Mall, taking pictures of the wonderful Fall Color of Maple Trees and how crazy it must have looked to others who saw us. But for us, it was a magical time we still remember and cherish today. Coming from Florida where it's either green or brown in the fall and winter, it was a big change – a new feeling that felt so wonderful and refreshing. It was a change of seasons.

A Feeling of Fall is something everyone can enjoy, if we will only slow down to soak up what is around us. We can't wait for our Sugar Maples in the backyard to begin "showing off" their fall beauty soon.

Let's all celebrate A Feeling of Fall that is coming your way soon!