Reading the Tea Leaves

by Danny Summers

The ability to read your audience (and market) is probably one of the most important roles in managing any business today. I sometimes call this "reading the tea leaves."

I wonder if anyone truly has all the secrets for doing so. But establishing a culture or practice for you and your team to monitor trends and understand your audience on an ongoing basis is essential. With this in mind, I want to challenge you to develop a regular schedule for discussing this topic as a team. Maybe call it "Trend Watch" or perhaps even... Reading the Tea Leaves. (just kidding)

A week ago today, Kurt Fromherz at Sunrise Marketing shared a message titled "What Today's Gardeners Really Want in 2026."  

Sunrise is one of our earliest Fall Event sponsors, and Kurt has developed a number of unique services for Garden Centers. In this message, Kurt said,

"Gardeners are still buying plants—but why they garden, how they learn, and what motivates their decisions has shifted.

To better understand what’s shaping the 2026 gardening season, we looked at garden-related search behavior, social language, and high-engagement gardening communities in late 2025. Rather than chasing one-off trends, we focused on consistent patterns that show up across platforms and age groups.

What emerged is clear: gardening today is about more than products—it’s about wellness, purpose, confidence, and connection."

Then, Kurt shared results from the search across social and community conversations, several themes that consistently stand out:

• Gardening is increasingly tied to mental wellness and emotional well-being
• Interest continues to grow in pollinators, native plants, and sustainability
• Edible gardening and raised beds remain strong drivers of engagement
• Indoor and small-space gardening is expanding the audience
• Gardeners value education, empathy, and problem-solving over promotions alone!!!
• “Near me” searches reinforce the importance of local expertise and trust

Sunrise developed the Grow Campaign for Garden Centers to tell the "why" story for the Center and its audience. Visit the link below for the full Sunrise email and more information about their Grow Campaign.

Sound Familiar?
The results Kurt shared in his email align with the trends we have been highlighting for the past few years. Dan Gingiss told us at The Fall Event 2025... "You can no longer compete on price or product, but you can compete on experience."

Tom Kegley first shared his ideas for Garden Centers to lean into the Health and Wellness message at his breakout session at The Fall Event 2025. And, tomorrow, he will share more of that message titled "Selling Health & Well-Being Through Plants" during our January GROUPtalk LIVE Session. 

All of these trends (or tea leaves) should be part of the Garden Center's position in the minds of the audience.

Health and Wellness... a year-round opportunity.
The activities of gardening, being around plants and nature, hands in the soil, and the broader trend of "being organic" should be at the heart of the Garden Center's image and positioning. Sharing a consistent message that supports the Health and Wellness benefits of what you offer should be a year-round effort.

Health and wellness don't start and stop with the 12 weeks of the spring season. With the right messaging, events, and activities, the Garden Center can develop year-round support and engagement from the growing audience who want what you offer!

A special THANK YOU to Sunrise Marketing for their support of The Garden Center Group and our Centers. You can read Kurt's complete message as well as learn more about their Grow Program HERE.

I hope you will be with us tomorrow for our January GROUPtalk LIVE Session when Tom Kegley will present "Selling Health & Well-Being Through Plants". This is a new day and time for our monthly sessions... The 2nd Tuesday of each month at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern.

And, if you or some of your team will be at TPIE this Wednesday, I hope you will participate in the Cool Product Awards search. Meet Tim and me outside the General Session Ballroom when it's over to receive a nomination form. We will meet at 4 pm to compare notes and compile a full list to vote on overnight. More details and sign up for this are below. And watch for coverage of the winning plants and products next week.

In the meantime, keep Reading the Tea Leaves!

Danny Summers
[email protected]
Tel: 678-909-7770
Cell: 678-761-7145

REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Tim Quebedeaux, John Kennedy, Seawright & Associates, and of course Danny Summers are included in your retainer!