Garden Center web news and social media highlights from April 2018

Multimedia | Podcast

How to give homeowners a good start

Bobbie Schwartz wants gardeners to be successful in beautifying their outdoor living spaces. She also has ideas for how garden centers can help customers achieve their gardening goals. In her book, “Garden Renovation: Transform Your Yard into the Garden of Your Dreams,” she shares insights and wisdom from her years of experience as a landscape designer to help consumers get the most out of their outdoor retreats. Schwartz recently joined Garden Center on the Hort Report Podcast to discuss her book and share her thoughts on what garden centers can do to empower their clients to approach projects with confidence.

Listen here: bit.ly/2GtYzUC

What’s trending on Facebook

There is much worry in the industry regarding the Millennial generation and how to cater to it, work with it and involve it in the future of horticultural retail. However, when it comes to whether or not Millennials enjoy plants, there doesn’t seem to be much cause for concern. A recent article by The New York Times told the stories of Millennials filling their homes and workplaces with greenery and declaring their appreciation for the natural energy these plants bring into their lives. This was clearly a heartening story for those in the business of selling plants, as Garden Center’s Facebook followers reacted with dozens of “likes” and shares.

See it here: bit.ly/2pWwYFg

Your Turn

Each month, we ask readers a different question about their retail operations, inviting them to answer via email or social media. You can send your answers to associate editor Conner Howard at choward@gie.net.

This month’s question:

As you may have heard, Amazon has launched an online plant store. What do you think of the platform?

Answers to this question will be published in a future issue of Garden Center.

5 stories in brief

Top industry news from our website

1. Hiring tips

A brief rundown of the several must-read recruiting, staffing and personnel management strategies from Garden Center’s 2018 Spring Survival Guide.
bit.ly/2EcrL0m

2. Store #19

Calloway’s Nursery, No. 5 on Garden Center’s 2017 Top 100 IGCs List, is planning to open a 19th location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this spring.
bit.ly/2J7Mo1n

3. Goodbye, Grossmans

Grossmans Home and Garden in Penfield, N.Y., is closing its doors, with remaining assets being auctioned off.
bit.ly/2uEnNhp

4. Wambach’s closes

New York-based IGC, Wambach’s Garden Center in Irondequoit, N.Y. is closing for business.
bit.ly/2GOt4bk 

5. SiteOne acquisition

TreeTown USA has sold three Village Nurseries landscape centers to Georgia-based firm SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc.
bit.ly/2pWfkSe