Staying Connected: Spring Trials and More

A few months ago, I was talking with a fellow GardenComm member about a meeting we were having at a large horticultural trade show. She had recently joined the organization because she wanted to do more speaking at her local IGC and to garden clubs.

“Why do I need to know more about the green industry?” she asked. “I just want to help people be successful with their plants and gardens.”

Her comment made me think about the reasons why those who work with the public benefit from being in-the-know about the business of horticulture. So, I asked myself: What is the value for IGC workers in attending plant trials and trade events?

New Plants and Products

The prime value of attending grower trials such as the Costa Farms Trial Garden Event in Florida or the California Spring Trials is staying informed about new plants. Yes, you can read about these in magazines (see the February issue of Garden Center magazine), newsletters and emails, but we all know that these can slip by us and be quickly lost downstream. And frankly, seeing a closeup beauty shot of flowers in print is never as informative as seeing a plant growing outdoors. In a trial garden, you can observe not only bloom size or color, but height and growing habit as well.

Trade shows offer a look at newer or award-winning plants in containers, along with hundreds of products. You will see firsthand what your customers may be asking about in the future and discover new tools or solutions to problems.

When visiting trial gardens or trade shows, be sure to take plenty of photos, and get in the habit of starting with a picture of the plant name or booth title. These will be useful in the future, and it’s often easier to find this group of pictures than it is to search out a long-buried email or catalog.

Insider Information

When visiting trial gardens and trade shows, you’ll pick up random bits of information that other employees and your customers will appreciate. You may learn that a particular plant has an interesting backstory, or that a product that was developed to solve problems in one area has proved to be of benefit for gardeners elsewhere.

For example, on a recent trip to the Costa Farms Trial Garden, I struck up a conversation with another Florida grower. I learned that the white residue that we sometimes see on new shipments of houseplants isn’t a fungicide or an insecticide, as my customers always assume, but lime from Florida’s carbonate-rock aquifers.

Networking

People from all segments of the green industry attend trials and trade events. You’re likely to meet plant breeders, growers, sales staff, university researchers, garden communicators and other IGC owners or employees. Connecting with people who have such a broad range of knowledge about plants and the business of horticulture can prove valuable in ways that are impossible to predict. Talk to as many people as possible, and either make a note about their name and contact information or take a photo of their business card. We’re all apt to lose a card, but we’re less likely to lose our phones.

Content

The pictures you take and the information you collect at industry events can be a source of quick content for your IGC’s social media, newsletters and website. Posting photos of what you’ve seen or tips for success that you’ve learned tells your customers that you’re always searching for plants and products they’ll love. Your photos and stories can also be put into a PowerPoint for employee and customer education. Garden centers without appropriate space to show slides can offer virtual classes for the public or their staff, and these can even be recorded for future viewing.

Hitting the road and attending green industry events is an additional way that we can be in-the-know and help people be successful with their plants and gardens.