Retail Revival: Cultivating sustainability at independent garden centers

We see and hear the term “sustainability” used in a variety of contexts, from business reports to the environment.

In addition to reading it in the news, our customers also use the term when talking about the care of their yards and the products that they purchase. The increasing use of “sustainability” and the awareness of its importance has prompted IGCs to be mindful of what it means both for their operations and their customers’ satisfaction.

In its broadest sense, sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, environmentally, economically and socially. We want to protect our natural resources and ecosystems, while still paying attention to the company’s bottom line. And we desire to do so while promoting fairness and well-being in our communities.

While there are many ways that we can look at an IGC through the lens of sustainability — water usage, plastics pots and packaging, and pesticides, to name just a few — this column will focus on how we can help our customers be more sustainable in their yards and gardens.

With our focus on the products we sell and on educating our clients, IGCs can certainly assist in the protection of ecosystems and conservation of natural resources. Here are a few ways that an IGC can make a difference.

Sustainable plant choices

Customers are increasingly aware that while in the past, they may have been buying plants based on the flower color or bloom time, there is also a greater purpose with their purchases.

People are becoming better educated about how native plants support more than bumblebees and butterflies. While they still may focus on songbirds and want to ignore the more creepy of the crawlies, our shoppers are also willing to embrace the concept that everything is connected to everything else.

Our part in this process is to be sure that we offer customers a wide range of native plants that are as well-grown and displayed as the exotic ornamentals. We can provide tips for how the average home landscaper can incorporate such natives into existing landscapes.

Educational programs, both in-store and virtual, can be presented seasonally. Our websites might offer downloadable plant lists or other handouts, and the company blog can put a spotlight on keystone natives or those that tend to be underutilized. An IGC’s social channels can spotlight specific plants and offer them for sale on an ongoing basis.

Learning about soil

Back in the day, if a customer was concerned about the growth rate of their plants, an IGC might have automatically handed them some synthetic fertilizer. My father’s go-to remedy was undoubtedly a bag of 10-10-10.

Now, garden centers are not only extolling the virtues of organic fertilizers, but we encourage our customers to have a complete soil test done before they apply anything to their soil.

We can have printed information about where our customers can have their soil tested, and once they have results, we can assist them in understanding those reports. Based on what the test shows is already in the ground, we can show them the fertilizers and soil amendments that will be beneficial.

A recent customer in my IGC had test results that found that her gardens were high in all nutrients except potassium. I was able to show her the products she could use to increase the levels of potash without adding more phosphorous as well.

Consider having a training session for your staff about how to read a soil test and what the ground in your region typically contains. You might pardner with your local nursery and landscape association to offer an educational event for area professionals that explains soil nutrients.

A targeted response for pests

Just as sustainability means not applying fertilizers that aren’t needed, it also reminds us not to use pesticides indiscriminately.

When they see problems on a plant, many people are tempted to go to the shelf in their garage or shed and grab whatever product is at hand. Unfortunately, this leads to insecticides being applied to fungal problems and fungicides being sprayed on insects.

It also results in pesticides being applied when the problem insect has come and gone, or when the damage that the homeowner has noticed is both old and cosmetic in nature. Our job is to help our customers know that an accurate diagnosis comes before any treatments are used.

Are there times when a customer is determined that something must be sprayed on their plants right now? Absolutely. In such cases, if a client doesn’t have the information for a correct identification of what they are seeing, we can at least steer them to something that won’t do further harm. Organic neem products are labeled for both insects and fungal problems, for example, and in a pinch insecticidal soap could be applied without much damage.

Rethinking landscape design

IGCs can help customers embrace the acceptance that there are many types and styles of landscapes. We can encourage area gardeners and home landscapers to know that a property can contain some well-manicured spaces as well as some where the native weeds are allowed to grow or fallen leaves can be left in place.

Gone are the days when every front yard must be a mono-culture lawn and the foundation plantings need to be evergreen.

Our garden centers can advocate for sustainability when neighborhood associations are insisting on out-of-date maintenance standards or designs. We can lend our voices of support when a homeowner wants to grow vegetables in their front yard, have a meadow instead of a lawn or install water-wise plantings.

Highlighting local vendors

IGCs that are fortunate enough to have local vendors and growers can inform their customers that these plants and products have a smaller carbon footprint. We can certainly stock the same wide range of merchandise, but we can also make it easy for those shoppers who want to “buy local.”

Have a handout that lists the companies that are in your region. Use “locally sourced” or similar stickers on those plants and products that are made in your region. Or create a “love local” section where some of those items can be featured.

Creating gardening communities

Independent garden centers can contribute to sustainability by connecting people with each other. When people gather around a topic as life-affirming as plants and gardens, our communities are supported and strengthened. We can assist people to come together in plant groups, allotment gardens and at our seasonal celebrations.

In these ways, we retain loyal customers, nurture our business and cultivate a green future.