Top 9 Garden Center posts of October 2017

Earlier this year, a series of tropical storms developed in the Atlantic Ocean, including hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which heavily affected the Houston area and several communities in Florida, respectively. The cover story of Garden Center's October 2017 issue focused on the garden centers caught in the impacted areas, a look at preparation, perseverance and recovery that proved popular with readers.

Visitors to gardencentermag.com also responded strongly to updates in the retail industry, including a survey on consumer buying habits and target demographics. A widely renowned figure in the horticulture industry also made the list of most popular news in October - Ernest Wertheim, a pioneer of the garden retail field, was recognized by AmericanHort for his long and influential career.

Look over the nine most popular news, magazine articles and multimedia posts of October 2017 below, as ranked by total pageviews: 

1. How Texas and Florida garden centers braved hurricanes Harvey and Irma - Retailers in the affected areas discuss preparations, recovery and hardships in the face of the two major storms.

2. A tour of Vermont garden centers - During the 2017 Garden Center Group Fall Event in Burlington, Vt., attendees were given tours of several prominent IGCs in the area.

3. AmericanHort recognizes industry pioneer Ernest Wertheim - AmericanHort released a video with Ernest Wertheim, a passionate industry advocate and business owner for over 75 years.

4. American retailers targeting 26-year-old Millennials - The Wall Street Journal says this age bracket is pushing many brands to include more education in their products and services.

5. New floral purchasing study reveals data on flower-buying consumers - The Floral Purchase Tracking Study is a joint effort by the Society of American Florists and the American Floral Endowment.

6. Celebrating Ernest [Video] - AmericanHort asked Ernest Wertheim about his 75 years as an industry advocate and business owner.

7. American Vanguard completes acquisition of OHP - OHP will continue to operate in the greenhouse and nursery markets using its brands.

8. All-America Selections announces winners of “Foodscaping” Landscape Design Challenge - AAS Display Garden representatives were challenged to create designs based on the theme of interspersing edibles in the garden.

9. Pennsylvania garden center plans to reopen after fire - Despite losing their retail building to the fire, the family owners of Cellurale Garden Center plan to rebuild in the near future.

Pictured above: Chuck Walker, staff member at Lindley's Nursery & Garden Center in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., repairs an awning during the retailer's recovery from Hurricane Irma. Photo by Laura Yang.