Sara's Green Space

Why Pinterest Is A No-Brainer For Garden Centers

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:38:00 +0000

Pinterest is the social site that lets users keep track of their favorite photos and group them into categories, called boards. This is the ultimate lookbook - save images of everything that you like, from wedding plans to summer garden plans. Pinterest places more emphasis on images than text.

"What Tumblr was to 2011, Twitter was to 2007, and Facebook was to 2006, a site called Pinterest is to 2012," says the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Chronicle says that the site, launched in 2009, had 11 million visitors during one week in December of 2011, and estimates monthly users is around 40 million uniques by mid-January - 40% growth year over year.

How has it grown so quickly? From word of mouth. Pinterest has grown organically with a female-majority of users. Mashable reports 59% of users are female. I've seen many pin boards designated for weddings (and every category under wedding - wedding hair, wedding manicures, wedding cakes), new babies, home decor and, of course, gardens.

For what we do, there isn't a better idea out there right now, in my opinion. When we write about a flower or a design concept, I can use a million words to describe it, but there's nothing like seeing it. Show your customers how you interpret the trends, and how you can help them achieve the look at home.

How To Use Pinterest
1. Apply for an account invitation at Pinterest.com. Or ask someone you know on Pinterest for an invitation.

2. Once you receive your invitation, link your account to your Facebook account. It will let everyone on Facebook know that you've joined Pinterest. You can also link individual pins to Facebook and Twitter.

3. Create boards for garden, decor, holiday, pots, edibles, miniature gardening. Anything you'll be looking for content on and that you want to share with your readers.

4. Share images from articles from your local garden writers.

5. Start liking and repinning other users' pins and follow gardening boards. Get a feel for what real gardeners like. Join the community.

So with a female user base and a visual delivery, how can Pinterest go wrong? I follow Goebbert's Farm and Rice's Nursery on Pinterest. Take a look at what they're doing.

Halloween Chic And Rock And Roll From Demdaco

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:51:00 +0000

This year at AmericasMart my favorite was the A Little Bit Of Boo line from Demdaco's Silvestri division.

The collection ranges from owl figurines (owls are in!) to creepy cool spider bracelets, goth headband veils for those who want to dress up for Halloween a little (or a lot) and yard stakes and door signs in classic, bold Halloween colors of orange, purple and green.

Also on display was the Lyricology line, which gives color and design to classic rock songs through canvas wall art.

Click through here to see more photos of the two lines from Demdaco.

Combine Mums And Pumpkins And Get...Mumkins

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Everybody loves this idea.... mumkins from Posey Peddler Flowers in Jonesboro, Ark. Take your old Halloween pumpkins and jazz them up with mums. Shared on Facebook by SAF.

What are you doing differently this holiday? New products? New displays? We want to see them. EMail them to me at satambascio@meistermedia.com.

Bonnie Plants Puts Cabbage In The Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Did you see the episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution where he quizzed kids on the foods that they eat (or should eat)? He held up a tomato and asked them what it was. A full class of schoolchildren couldn't identify it. Then he told them this is where ketchup comes from, and they all snapped to attention.

So thank you to Bonnie Plants and its Third Grade Cabbage program. The program teaches kids not only where their food comes from and how to garden, but life lessons in responsibility, nurturing, patience and perseverance.

Each year, Bonnie trucks more than 1 million free cabbage plants to third grade classrooms across the country. Teachers distribute plants with instructions, provided by Bonnie, to students to take home and grow. So the kids bring the parents to gardening. Brilliant!

At the end of the growing season, teachers select a class winner, based on cabbage size, appearance and maturity, and that submission is entered in a state scholarship drawing. The state winners are randomly selected by each state’s director of agriculture, and Bonnie Plants awards a $1,000 scholarship to one student in each state.

The program is free to any third grade classroom in the United States whose teacher signs up online at www.bonnieplants.com. This year more than 1.5 million kids across the country participated.

In 2002, Bonnie Plants initiated the Third Grade Cabbage Program with a mission to inspire a love of vegetable gardening in young people. Bonnie Plants has delivered nearly 11 million cabbage plants, nationwide, over the course of the past nine years, fostering an interest in gardening, healthy eating, and the environment.

“The joy of gardening and the satisfaction of growing healthy food are gifts that kids never outgrow,” says Stan Cope, president and CEO of Bonnie Plants. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to share these gifts with the next generation of gardeners.”

The cabbages used for the third grade program are OS Cross (Over-sized), which is known for producing giant, oversized heads, making the process even more exciting for kids. Some kids have grown cabbages weighing more than 50 pounds. Somebody call Jamie Oliver. These kids are going to need some help carrying those cabbages.

How Are You Thinking Differently This Holiday?

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:35:00 +0000

I want to see 'em -- all the things you've never tried before, the new decoration idea you're trying, the products you've never sold before, the displays you've never tried before. Giving painted poinsettias a shot? A new color scheme for Christmas? A new holiday plant? If it's new, I want to hear about it.

I saw this cool idea to steal in This Old House magazine -- DIY chalkboard planters. Spray the side of some wooden boxes with chalkboard paint and bundle with a few sticks of chalk. Plant your amaryllis and paperwhites, mark down the date you planted them. Or plant herbs and label them. It's part of the customization trend that can work for you.

So I want to see your photos. EMail them to me at satambascio@meistermedia.com and let's share some new ideas.

Pumpkin Trees And The No-Man's Land of Autumn In The Garden Center

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:30:00 +0000

There used to be a commercial here in Cleveland around this time of year for Cedar Point amusement park. It was a push to get people to make one last visit to the park before the end of the season. The ad opened by showing the Corkscrew rollercoaster during the sunny summer with screaming riders tearing along the track. The shot then faded into the same twist of the coaster but this time covered in snow. I hated that commercial. It was so depressing and made me mourn the ending of my summer. No business should make its customers feel that way!

Seeing an empty garden center this time of year kind of gives me the same feeling. Is there anything sadder than empty benches in a garden center? If your store depresses me, I'm probably not going to be stopping by.

So what do you do this time of year? I'd like to hear more success stories from the "fall is for planting" mindset. Truthfully, here in Zone 5, I could probably have a fall season that's almost as long as summer. I could get a good two to three months out of a flat of pansies, and how about throwing in some other varieties, while we're at it? If I'm not into pansies and mums, does my gardening year have to be over?

I just noticed a container of nemesia in my backyard making a comeback now that our oppressively hot summer is over. If I'd known this was going to happen, I might have looked for more at a garden center to color up my front porch this fall. I've been trained that the end of my true gardening season is around the end of August. True or not true?

Fall Is For Gardening
I've seen a few things in the last week that have gotten me excited about fall. Have you ever seen pumpkin trees as floral items? Me neither, until I heard from California-based Dos Gringos, which is growing pumpkin trees. You can check out this novelty on their website. One Halloween idea website, 365halloween.com, says, "I’ve been seeing these for sale a lot recently at places like Trader Joe's, farmers markets, and a few grocery stores."

In fact, another blog reports that Trader Joe's has been carrying the floral department item for at least 12 years, but the vase life is a little short. Breeding opportunity!

The other thing that got my attention, of course, is Silver Vase's Halloween orchid, Lila Mystique. It's the third in the series after Blue Mystique and Indigo Mystique. Applause. Halloween needs a signature plant.

“Studies show consumer spending on Halloween décor is second only to Christmas,” says Silver Vase CEO Andrew Barth. Get in on those sales!

Do a Google Image Search on Halloween plants and look at all the great stuff that comes up - the eyeball plant, Spilanthes oleracea; Chinese Lanterns with paper-lantern-like orange flowers; Venus flytrap.

As a gardener, I don't want to see all the life and color of spring and summer fade away into fall and winter. What do you have that might make me feel a little breeze of spring even as I'm pulling out my winter clothes?

The Ideas Lowe’s Is Stealing From Independent Garden Centers

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:47:00 +0000

The headlines from last week’s Lowe’s second quarter earnings call were all about the numbers – seven stores closing, average ticket declining 0.9%. But in that call, Lowe’s also outlined some steps it will take to rebound from a rough quarter. And some of it may sound familiar to you.

Lowe’s Robert Gfeller, executive vice president of merchandising, reported during the call that Lowe’s will take the following steps to turn things around and present value to its customers.

1.    Product differentiation. Lowe’s says it’s looking for vendors of all sizes, especially those who provide high-tech products for the home improvement industry.

2.    Solutions-based merchandising. Gfeller says stores will bring the components of projects together in vignettes to help the customer visualize the end product (a modernized bathroom), not each step of the project (vanity, mirror, faucets, fixtures, etc.) Gfeller says this new display methodology is being tested in one store, and reallocating store space and making room for these presentations has paid off. Customers found it easier to find what they’re looking for and to understand product value.

3.    Going local, which Lowe’s is calling Integrated Planning and Execution. Gfeller said Lowe’s wants to ensure “the right product is in the right market in the right quantity,” and take a comprehensive view of customer needs.

Does any of this sound familiar? Of course it does. These are the same things garden centers have been talking about for years. If you’re already two steps ahead of Lowe’s on these points, good for you. Being agile, offering solutions rather than tools, unique products – these are all traditionally the purview of the IGC versus the box stores. If the box stores are going to take on your sweet spot, how will independent garden centers stay two steps ahead?

Now, here’s another thing Gfeller said: “Customers have learned to wait on the next big deal because they know that if they wait long enough, they can get a lower price than the Everyday Low Price.” Lowe’s will compete with other boxes on price by matching it - offer comparative pricing on commodity items. They call them “high-velocity” items.

Items 1, 2 and 3 above seem to involve a lot of time and cost to the retailer. How will they pay for it if they continue to lower prices?

It Doesn't Matter If You Like It

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:26:00 +0000

In this week's Benchrunner eNewsletter, we had a story about Silver Vase's new Indigo Mystique orchid, in the same family as the Blue Mystique orchid. It was the most clicked-on item in the eNewsletter, and we have two comments on the story so far. They are:

Fake is still fake no matter the color. As far as I can tell the consumer is not made aware of the deception. Sorry, thumbs down on orchids dyed wild unnatural colors. I don't much like it in food either.

And, succinctly:

Repulsive...

There is a parallel controversy going on over on the woody side with Proven Winners Color Choice's Bloomerang Purple, a lilac that blooms several times a year and has garden purists all up in arms.

I love Proven Winners' response to the controversy:

And isn’t that the beauty having your own home garden? Since it is your garden, you can put in whatever plants you want – innovative and new, or traditional and old-fashioned.

While I'm completely interested in hearing your thoughts on anything you want to talk about, I hope you realize as a grower that your opinions on a variety don't mean a whole lot compared to what consumers think.

Let's talk about why consumers like the Mystique orchid varieties -- color! That's what consumers are looking for in plants. The splash of color an electric blue orchid can provide for a room is a lot easier to obtain compared to painting walls or even adding slipcovers on couches.

The consumer chatter has already started over Indigo Mystique. Look at what consumers are saying about Indigo on the Blue Mystique Facebook page:

i want one i am in houston

I have one and I love it

Awesome!!!! Love it

Beautiful!

While you're making your selections for next spring, ask yourself if you are putting more weight in your opinion over your customers. It's fine if you hate it, but are you willing to put that aside to give consumers what THEY want?

Are You Willing To Try Something Crazy To Stay In Business?

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:44:00 +0000

The OFA Grower Town Hall -- it is a great time to get together and talk about all the revolutionary things we can do to change the industry. But are these changes being made? It seemed to me that some people in the room this year want to try new things, and some people want to keep on selling the same old products and using tired marketing.

I heard a lot of talk about what we have to get consumers to do -- come into our stores, appreciate perennial color and texture, connect with the earth, value the product this industry creates. Truthfully, those are some pretty tall orders to fill. You can be exactly the solution the consumer needs for cleaner air and a more peaceful life, but if they don't get the message, you don't make the sale. You, as a product provider, need to give the consumer something they want. So now we need to ask ourselves, "Are we offering a product that the consumer, the non-gardening consumer, wants?"

I find it interesting that as a woman, on the border of Gen X/Y and pretty tech savvy, no one in the industry has ever asked me what products and services I want. Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.

As someone said during the Town Hall, we are just one tweak away from going gangbusters, like that little kid who's dancing slightly off beat. I believe it, too. We may need just one little tweak to really rock it. How about these?

- Indoor plants, patio plants and balcony boxes and plants for these types of products. Consumers don't have the time or patience for gardening. Are we doing anything about it? Americans are moving to smaller apartments and condos, but we're offering a LOT of the same plants -- bedding plants. I'm still shocked at how garden centers offer bench after bench of bedding plants, and so little product for indoors. Can annuals and color be bred to grow indoors? Tell me you wouldn't have a pot of calibrachoa on your desk if you could. We need to offer a product for every consumer, whether they're indoor or outdoor gardeners.

- Gifts. This is the number one thing I don't get. I have to buy my mother a birthday gift every year. My co-workers. And I can't think of anything to buy them. Where is the grab-and-go potted plants that look like gifts? You know -- nice packaging. Several price points. While I may not want to spend on myself when times get bad, I'm going to buy my mother/brother/spouse a birthday gift every year.

- Get them to try it once. Do you remember the first time you grew a plant? Do you remember what it was like back in the beginning? That's what needs to be shared. We need new customers! I don't buy into the idea that we don't need to market to a generation until they're homeowners. If you aren't reaching out to a school to get kids into gardening, then you can't complain when they don't know how to garden as adults.

- Get into different stores. Garden centers and growers need to partner with other retailers. Everyone who comes to My Salon today for a haircut gets a 4-inch geranium. The Wreath Factory at Otter Creek did it. If I'm not a gardener, I have absolutely no reason to go to a garden center.

- Whoever you are, it's your responsibility. If you're a grower, you need to talk to the consumer. After the town hall, it's clearer than ever: This is all hands on deck. It's important for gardeners to connect to a person, in store and online. And I want to see that person. Where is the photo of the person?

Change is scary, no doubt. You want to talk about change, look at the publishing industry. We're going through it, too. And we have to adapt or die. Doing the same old thing is not an option. Our customers want something new. Offering the same old thing isn't an option. We have to try crazy things, which, when they're said and done, don't seem so crazy after all.

You know the definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Art Parkerson of Lancaster Farms asked a great question over at Open Hort: Will there be a town meeting for you to skip in 10 years?

Rethinking Store Receipts

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:56:00 +0000

The concept cars at the auto show are both cool and a drag. They show all kinds of awesome features that you can't get in your car. While it seems counterintuitive to show off these extras, they show the forward thinking nature of auto companies and I'm sure they get design engineers thinking about how they can practically incorporate things like automatic parallel parking.

So keep that thought in mind when I show you this -- a fun store receipt designed by the British firm Berg. It includes a piece of trivia, sales stats on the products you've purchased ("Ham & Cheese Baguette, which often sells out by 2pm"), the calorie counts of a few of your items and a request for email address that sounds more like a service to the customer than a reach to build an marketing list.

This receipt is definitely something you wouldn't just throw away, but you'd take it home to show your spouse. It's interesting. It's the next generation of "Won't you take our online survey for a chance to win $1,000?"

Why be just like everyone else? Can you incorporate any of these elements into your store receipts? Invoices? You want customers to hang on to your receipts. They're just another touchpoint that calls to mind the experience the customer had in your store.

Like the designer Matt Jones says in an article on the project on FastCoDesign.com, “Not everyone can save the world every time," Jones says, "but you know, it’s quite good if you just make somebody smile for 15 seconds.”

Medical Marijuana: The Three Issues To Consider

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:04:00 +0000

I didn't think I was a conservative, but all this talk about medical marijuana, grow lights and garden centers has me squirming in my chair. I've probably been to more Dave Matthews Band concerts than the average person, but I'm still nervous Googling "medical marijuana" on my work computer. What will the IT department think?

You've probably heard by now that Scotts wants to target the pot market, This news, combined with all the talk about hydroponic production has generated a lot of discussion at our office. Should we cover hydroponics?

Our readers have shared their opinions with us. A few retailers say they sell supplies on the downlow. One said that when customers ask for grow lights, staff is told to say, "According to federal law, we cannot sell supplies related to or give advice related to the production of marijuana. We do carry a variety of equipment and supplies that can be used for indoor gardening, which I would be happy to show you."

Growers responses have been more varied, positive to negative, everything from the gateway drug argument to the other uses of marijuana (hemp) and the extremely lucrative nature of the marijuana business.

It seems to me that there are three issues with selling marijuana supplies or marketing to that niche:

1. The legal issue. Some states and the federal government are still at odds over legalization, and I can't imagine I'd want my business tangled up in it.

2. The moral issue. You may consider this the first issue, actually, whether you think marijuana use is a bad idea or a relief for chemotherapy, glaucoma and AIDS patients.

3. The business issue. If you stock these products, is it a good business for you? A commenter on our site says it actually brings buyers into the store. What I do like about the stance that Scotts CEO Jim Hagedorn has taken is that he's thinking differently -- about new products, new markets, evolution. In the Wall Street Journal article, Hagedorn said:

In the past, Scotts wouldn't have considered pursuing businesses or product lines that generated less than $10 million a year in revenue. But, Mr. Hagedorn said, "We can't operate our business like that anymore."

Here's a question for you: If it wasn't possible to grow your own medical marijuana, would this whole situation be different? It will never be a controlled substance, not that controlled substances ever truly are. If you could grow oxycodone in your backyard, it might be illegal instead of controlled.

I don't know where I stand on this issue. The older I get, the bigger the gray area of the world gets. What would happen if marijuana was made legal? Amsterdam still hasn't burned to the ground. And while I know that Europeans and Americans are very different, it's another good question to ask yourself. What would America be like if marijuana were legalized? If this were a cut and dry issue, it wouldn't be controversial. Your thoughts in the comments.

Why Costa Farms Is On Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:29:00 +0000

Why do consumers need to know what's going on in the greenhouse/garden center? The question was posed by me by Bren (@BG_garden). This is such a fascinating question, because it seems that some greenhouses and garden centers have the same question but in reverse. Do they need to communicate with consumers? And if so, what do they need to communicate? What do you think?

There is such a huge wealth of knowledge that greenhouses/garden centers can share with the people that ultimately enjoy their products. Here's a bunch of questions they can answer for gardeners:
- I think I know what Rudbeckia hirta is, but can you confirm?
- I got this plant without and/or lost its tag. What is it?
- My plant has this weird spot/discoloring/holes - what should I do?
- There are so many petunias/geraniums/groundcovers out there - which one is for me?
- Where can I buy the plants you grow?
- Is this plant/pest control/fertilizer poisonous to my kids/pets?

The disconnect between growers and consumers is just a shame. There are so many brilliant plantspeople in the horticulture industry with so much information to share about plants. I think it would be so awesome to connect those people with consumers. USDA Zones, media recommendations, sun/shade - imagine if all their years of experience in your region were at your fingertips. There's already a ton of information online about gardening, a lot of it is conflicting reports. How great would it be to have a personal garden concierge, willing to help you maintain success in the garden?

And on the other side, what benefit do greenhouses/garden centers enjoy when they communicate at a deeper level with their customers? So I asked one of the greenhouse operations I see reaching way out to consumers, @CostaFarms. Costa Farms is on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr - everywhere. And these services are front and center of the operation's website. So I asked Costa's Melissa Marti why.

"Through social media, you build relationships, trust, and a position of expertise," she says. "People always prefer to work with people that they know, trust and like. And even though social media is very time intenstive in the beginning, as you get up to speed, it becomes an extremely efficient use of time with regards to informing your fans, followers, etc."

And while the garden center is there to talk to and interface with the consumer, Costa says we are in a new age in which the consumer demands more from the manufacturer, in our case, the grower.

"In the age of social media, the rules have changed radically, and people today demand a more honest and direct relationship with companies with which they do business," Marti says. "To engage with our consumers, it its no longer enough to have an eMail address and customer service number on our website. Today, plant lovers want to interact with and engage with us via their chosen means of communication, whether that is Twitter, Facebook, discussion forums or blogs."

Roses Wrapped In Chocolate - Genius

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:21:00 +0000

I found 4-inch miniature roses wrapped in four bars of Hershey's chocolate at my local grocery store. Bound with a rubber band. $15.99 each. Yes, please.

Don't Stop Expanding Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:07:00 +0000

The floriculture market has matured, and there are no new sales out there to be had. Growers who expand their operations are simply taking market share from each other.

I read this a few weeks ago from grower, and his response to this situation is to focus on current customers and not worry about finding new ones. I can understand this point of view; you should take care of current customers fully, and work at what works. But something about these comments didn't sit right with me.

Then at Short Course last week, I heard Stan Pohmer speak, painting the same picture of the industry, but said that this mentality is a self-fulfilling prophesy, and is exactly why the market has slowed down.

Maybe you're happy with the size of your business and your revenue, but you can't keep all your customers forever. You'll have to replace that business somehow. And if you want to grow and be more successful than you are now, you need to find ways to fight, don't you?

This industry has matured -- does that assume that there's only one way to go now? Is the industry just going to decline without a fight? Most of the houses in my neighborhood aren't landscaped with color at all. Isn't there room to expand the market there?

Reaching the consumer can't only be the responsibility of the retailer, I believe. What about partnering with your retailers for in-store education? Or better, what about going out into your community? Earlier this summer, a group of California growers opened their doors to the public. Even a non-gardener would be amazed at what they'd find behind the walls of a greenhouse during the height of production.

It's easier than ever for a grower to reach through directly to the consumer. I love what Ball and Proven Winners are doing with the free tools of social media. Check out the Wave and Proven Winners Facebook pages when you have a minute.

And if you think only the big brands can reach people through social, check out Rocket Farms' Facebook following. The more demand there is out there for plants at the consumer level, the more market there will be for growers.

Have you seen what Bob's Market is doing with smart tags? Other growers/retailers are testing them out, including Hort Couture, and more are thinking about it.

Please don't stop thinking about ways you can help create new gardeners!

OFA Short Course: All My Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:34:00 +0000

Just back from OFA Short Course...that show gets more fun every year. I think this is every single photo I took at Short Course 2010.

It was so cool to see the Twitter and Facebook logos popping up everywhere around the show -- on signs and catalogs. It's the ultimate in opt-in digital marketing, and I can't wait to see more of you there.

If you'd like to hear more about the show, read Greenhouse Grower's Short Course coverage and Today's Garden Center's Short Course coverage. Enjoy!

Flowers Versus Food: A Tale Of Two Surveys

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:40:00 +0000

We received the 2009 Floriculture Crop Summary, which again paints a mildly sad picture of the industry -- the wholesale value of floriculture crops was down 7 percent from the '08 numbers, California down 12 percent, Florida down 9 percent. Number of producers down 13 percent.

But if you look at numbers from the National Gardening Association's 2009 Impact of Home and Community Gardening in America survey, you'll see a very different picture. Food gardening was UP 19 percent over the year before. And 21 percent of food gardening households in 2009 will be new to gardening. Here are a few more stats from that survey on why people reported that they garden:

To grow better tasting food ....58
To save money on food bills ....54
To grow better quality food....51
To grow food I know is safe ....48
To feel more productive .....40
To spend more time outdoors ....35
To get back to basics ....25
To have food to share with others....23
To live more locally ....22
To have a family activity.....21
To teach my kids about gardening ....30

These aren't all about food! 35 percent of respondents just wanted to spend more time outside. Outside! In a white-collar, computer-centric world, people still want to be outside.

Maybe we need to stick the Floriculture Crop Summary in a drawer for a little bit and take a look at what's working, not how we're failing. A few suggestions:

Cross-merchandising. Do you market flowers with vegetable plants? Get that impulse buy going. How about six packs or flats mixed with strawberries and white petunias? Strawberries and cream! Tomatoes and torenia.

Continue to market vegetables in a big way. If people aren't in the garden center, they're not going to buy any kind of plant. If the veggies get them in the door, so be it. Some people are saying they're not sure how long the veggie trend will last. I think it might have more legs than we think. After all, I've already put all this sweat equity into building a raised bed. I should keep using it.

Don't forget about the kids. Direct from the NGA survey: "Nineteen percent of all U.S. households were aware of gardening activities for students at their local school. That contrasts with a majority of households (55 percent) that said gardening activities should be implemented whenever possible (35 percent), or should be implemented in every school (20 percent)."

This is your future consumer. Is there anything you can do to get a plant in a school near you?

What else? It doesn't have to be flowers versus food? How can they work together?

Creating An Online Events Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:15:00 +0000

Want to put together a web calendar that's easy to update? Try Google Calendar.

Bob's Market & Greenhouses put together a calendar for events, which includes community events like the Tour de Ohio and local car shows. It's free and super easy to update.

Here's a Google Calendar support page that will help you get started.

Social For Marketing: It's Not About Me, It's About You

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:10:00 +0000

Attended the Online Marketing Summit in Cleveland yesterday. Social media people are fun and when it comes to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs, this gathering brings together people who know what they're talking about.

Here's what stuck out in my mind, or thoughts I had while I was sitting at the conference:

"We need to be in a perpetual state of Beta." Meaning you need to constantly ask yourself these questions about your digital content: Do people like what you've created online? What needs to be added?
- Kip Edwardson (@kedwardson), manager of interactive marketing of Scotts Miracle Gro, who, by the way, has 8 people on his team. Can you afford one? Half a person?

Some thoughts from John Heaney (@johnheaney): You don't get to mandate how people receive your message. Be where your fans are, and they'll hear what you're saying. But don't forget to give them what they're looking for: "If everything is me, me, me, I guarantee no one is listening."

We probably need a social media policy, even though I've been resisting it. You probably do, too.
The key to content success? It's not about what you want. It's about what your readers want.

Increase your content that is link worthy, that people will want to link to, and you'll increase site traffic. Blogs are an easy and great way to do it. Schedule out keywords and topics you want to cover. And the first four words of your headlines are most important as far as indexing for search. Make them count. Thanks, Dominic. (@DJLitten)
What are people willing to do for five dollars? Fiverr.com

Having trouble selling social at your business? Bring examples of other companies you wouldn't expect to see on Twitter. How about the Pentagon? @pentagonchannel

Six Tips For Better Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:07:00 +0000

So you've set up your Facebook and Twitter pages. Now what?

I spoke at ANLA Management Clinic about social media in January. You can find my presentation below. It contains a bunch of examples of how garden centers and national brands are using social media to communicate with customers.

Thanks to the panelists for the session, Melodie McDanal of Gardenhood in Atlanta (@melodiegardens) and Larry Grossman of Grossmans Garden & Home in Penfield, NY (@grossmansgarden). They also shared some great ideas and you should check them out.

Here are six tips from my presentation on how to enhance your brand using social media.

1. Don't forget the "social" in social media. Talk with people, not at people. Interact.

2. Post things that your customers will want to share with their friends/fans. This can include local information, links to stories (on your site or others), fun stuff.

3. Post photos and events on Facebook. Photos kill and events can be viral. And if I know my friends are attending your event, I'll want to attend, too.

4. Put your name (or the contributor's name) on your Twitter account. I like to know who I'm talking to on Twitter. I think Twitter represents less of a corporate identity and more of a personal conversation.

5. Integrate your social media. Ping.fm, HootSuite and Tweet Deck allow you to post once to multiple types of social media like Twitter and Facebook.

6. Also cross promote your social media. Post links to your Facebook page on Twitter, and vice versa.

Bonus Facebook Photos Tip: If you want other people to tag themselves in your Facebook photos, you need to change a default setting behind the scenes. Under your Fan page profile pic, click on Edit Page, then on Edit under Applications -> Photos. Edit Settings -> Allow all fans to tag photos.

See the presentation below for even more ideas.

Proven Methods To Enhance Your Brand Using Social Media

View more presentations from Sara Tambascio.

Why This Spring Is Different For Retail

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:37:00 +0000

Next week will be my first ANLA Management Clinic. Who's going to be at Clinic? I think this is a critical time for all types of retailers to look at their practices to take advantage of a few key elements of business this spring:

- We're tired of being depressed. As a shopper myself, I'm tired of being thrifty. I want to spend. Even if I can't spend a lot, I want to have fun shopping. Are you ready for me? I loved what I was seeing at Atltanta's Mart this year -- lots of fun, vibrant

colors that made me feel ready for spring.

- New spins on last year's trends. Fresh and local veggies are going to be hot again this year, but they're going to need a new spin this year. Because the economy is starting to turn around, the need-based vegetable gardener may be going away, but the Food Network-watching demographic isn't. What can you do to get the budding chef to buy your herbs, veggies, or maybe gourmet foods?

- Talk to your customers for free! A year ago, what was your social media profile? What is it now? If the picture's about the same, it's time to supercharge your Facebook page and get rolling on some YouTube videos. These services multiply your reach exponentially, and cost nothing but time. There are several sessions at Clinic this year on social media. Please check out at least one, maybe the roundtable session I'm hosting on Tuesday, February 2 at 1p.m., on using social media to enhance your brand.

- Gardening needs a hero. If your reach isn't national, be the gardening hero in your region. Get your face out there. Answer some questions. Is there a local radio show that needs hosting? And be entertaining. Now that America is entertained by the viral video, the bar has been raised. Entertaining isn't just for Super Bowl commercials anymore.

Hope to see you at Clinic, but until then, what will you do to make this spring different at retail?

The Mind Of The Male Shopper

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:41:00 +0000

How do you get male shoppers into your store? Ever think about it much? I found this article by Aaron Britt of the San Francisco Chronicle on making guys feel at home shopping. Britt visited several men's stores with retail and brand development specialist Bertrand Pellegrin, and shared some notes from the trip.

It seems Pellegrin's favorite store was the Mollusk Surf Shop. Britt says its "large, open space felt immediately authentic, charmingly quirky and instantly right." Sounds a lot like the reviews I've heard about Terrain.

The article also shares 10 tips for getting into the male shopper's mind:

10 commandments of a great men's store
The following are author Bertrand Pellegrin's non-negotiable suggestions for creating an ideal men's retail experience.

1. Get the goods - and believe in them.

2. Make service a priority, and never compromise.

3. Give them something they can't find anywhere else.

4. Selling isn't the only goal; make time to connect.

5. Keep it real.

6. Give 'em room - especially in the fitting room.

7. Tell them something they didn't already know.

8. Create a great community and evolve the idea of a 'third place.'

9. Make them feel like Hugh Hefner.

10. Show and tell a great story.

A lot of these rules apply to women, as well, and while I don't know about #9, I like #8. It would be safe to say my husband "hangs out" at Home Depot, visiting his future riding mower and checking out the new power tools. Do you have the merchandise that makes women AND men want to hang out?

Marketing with lumpy mail

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Thumbs up to Schoneveld Twello. Today I received this in the mail - an invitation to its indoor flower trials. Schoneveld is also celebrating its 75 anniversary this year, and so with the "Building blocks for the future" theme, I received the press release on a thumb drive shaped like a Lego block.

Ron Rosenberg told us about lumpy mail in a session at Short Course. It got my attention - that's for sure. Great marketing.

Turning a negative (blight) into a positive (spring 2010)

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:42:00 +0000

So we have tomato blight, in a year when home gardening of vegetables is on a high. What do we take away from this?

Two things jump to mind - strong plants and stronger marketing. After an event like this, we'll need to prove somehow that the plants we provide are healthy and that gardeners themselves aren't to blame for growing sick tomatoes this year. Gardeners need to know that this isn't the norm and that they can be successful in the garden.

Even if we didn't have any kind of disease problem this year, it's important to keep up with those first-time gardeners and give them the information that will help make them second-time gardeners. I just wrapped up a story for Today's Garden Center on e-newsletters, and they're a great opportunity to get a quick exposure with your customers - and give them information they can use. And please, get a Facebook page.

Next spring, what will your marketing message be? Do we need to have a more targeted message after this year? I asked Don Eberly of Eberly and Collard PR what his thoughts were on next spring, and he said,

"History shows PR programs in down economies and other tough times resulted with companies getting and staying on top of their marketplaces, while those who hid under the table were left behind. Simply put, it is all what we make of it; I really believe these times give us all opportunities to change our stances in the market - that is, if we grab at the chance while we still have it."

JIT: But in time for the growers?

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:11:00 +0000

Wrapping up this spring, you can see the post-spring weather report and the results of the Industry Pulse survey at Today's Garden Center magazine. Sounds like it was a wet spring for the northeast, but really great in other regions of the country. Our survey showed that foot traffic was up, but the average ticket was down this year.

The most interesting thing to come out of this spring has to be the retailers' growing reliance on a just-in-time live goods policy. Retailers went back to growers to replenish supply during the spring, making fewer inventory purchases before the season started. What will this mean for next year?

It sounds like a good idea, but what if we do find a way to get young people into the garden center, and the shelves are bare? A ridiculous oversupply is no good, but running out of product isn't good either. Is the JIT balance easier to manage than I'm thinking, or are we up for several years of tinkering with this system to make it work?

And how with this affect the grower side? Will growers keep growing enough on spec to keep up with these last-minute orders? I guess they'll have to if they want to sell all they can through the independents and not miss any opportunities.

The New Look GreenhouseGrower.com

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Tambascio) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:33:00 +0000

With all the changes going on in the print version of Greenhouse Grower this month, we decided it was a good time to spiff up the website, too. Here are a few of the new features you'll find at GreenhouseGrower.com:

Content areas. Production, Profit Center, Variety Central and Trends. These content areas reflect the new organization of the print version of Greenhouse Grower and this new navigation will help you find what you're looking for a little more easily. Don't miss the link in the menu bar to our Top 100 Growers section at the top of the page.
Featured Video and Featured Content. Take a look at the top right of the home page. We've made video more visible so you can get a sample of what's available at GGTV. We'll also show you highlights of our most timely stories and programs in our Featured Content section.
Links to Facebook and Twitter. Click on the Facebook/Twitter logo on our home page for links to Greenhouse Grower's Facebook fan page and Twitter accounts for editors Delilah Onofrey, Kevin Yanik, Pete Mihalek, Richard Jones and me.

And, of course, we have a brand-spankin' new Greenhouse Grower logo. Want to hear the story behind it? Check out a Q&A with our new logo's designer, Bill Rigo, over at Kevin's Greenhouse Angle.

Check out all the changes at GreenhouseGrower.com and click here for associate editor Kevin Yanik's take on the changes we've made in the pages of Greenhouse Grower.