Garden Center web news and social media highlights from January 2018

Multimedia | Podcast

Goal: 90 percent of households gardening by 2025

It’s good to have goals — even lofty ones — especially when attempting to further the cause of gardening among U.S. consumers. That’s exactly what the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture is hoping to do with more than $47,400 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Ellen Bauske, co-chair of NICH and a co-author of the grant, says a National Gardening Survey estimated in 2014 that 70 percent of all U.S. households take part in either indoor or outdoor lawn and garden activities. The NICH hopes to use stakeholder partnerships to increase the percentage of U.S. households participating in horticulture to 90 percent by 2025 — a 20 percent increase in eight years. A tall order to be sure, but as Bauske says, “if you’re going to bite the sandwich, you might as well take a big bite.” Garden Center magazine editor Michelle Simakis spoke with Bauske for a Hort Report podcast to learn more about the initiative’s goals to stimulate consumer horticulture in America.

Listen here: bit.ly/2E1t7LM

What’s trending on Instagram

During the season of giving, there’s no better feeling than knowing you’ve made someone else’s holiday brighter. Each year, GIE Media Inc., publisher and parent company of Garden Center magazine, adopts several local families in the Cleveland area and purchases presents for children in need. This year, 11 kids from underprivileged families received presents purchased by GIE Media employees. Giving gifts is a joy, but the sight of all the presents under the company Christmas tree was also a gift unto itself!

See it here: bit.ly/2EOxwTJ

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:

“What is one big change you plan to implement this year?”

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

5 Stories in brief

Top industry news from our website

The year of ultra violet

Pantone named “Ultra Violet” the 2018 Color of the Year, saying the “contemplative” shade communicates creativity and ingenuity.

 bit.ly/2z9iV4s 

‘We are not immune’

Horticulturist Kellee Magee O’Reilly addresses sexual harassment in an open letter to the green industry.

California blaze

The Thomas Fire, which originated near Ojai, has destroyed hundreds of buildings and threatened homes and businesses for several weeks.

bit.ly/2BzJy1W

Christmas tree shortage

According to CBS, the recent shortage of Christmas trees can be traced back to aftereffects of the Great Recession.

bit.ly/2CNpwSi

Adopting a new look

Michigan-based grower Spring Meadow Nursery has released a new logo and is dropping “Nursery, Inc.” from its branding.

bit.ly/2CLWkLi