Echinacea ‘Kismet Raspberry’ (Terra Nova Nurseries)

North Carolina State University; Bernadette Clark, trial manager. Clear raspberry-red colored flowers continuously blooming on sturdy upright stems are good for cuts or you can leave the seed heads for the birds. Low maintenance, and pollinators love these guys.
For more: jcra.ncsu.edu/publications/trial-reports/index.php

Heuchera ‘Grande Amethyst’ (Terra Nova Nurseries)

Michigan State University; Kristen Getter & Daedre McGrath, trial managers This Heuchera received perfect marks all summer. With vigorous mounding growth of purple wavy leaves, this variety practically formed a groundcover by mid-summer of its first year in the ground.
For more: hrt.msu.edu/plant-trials

Phlox LUMINARY ‘Opalescence’ (Proven Winners)

Walter’s Gardens; Laura Robles, trial manager. ‘Opalescence’ is one of two new introductions of Phlox paniculata in the Proven Winners perennial program. This variety is the gold standard for powdery mildew resistance and has the darkest green foliage of any Phlox paniculata we’ve seen. The fragrant, light pink flowers have dark pink eyes and are produced in large panicles. For more: waltersgardens.com

Veronica ‘Venture Blue’ (Terra Nova Nurseries)

North Carolina State University; Bernadette Clark, trial manager. Compact, low growing plants that are covered in dark blue flowers. Continuous flowering spikes on sturdy upright stems. Low maintenance, easy to grow and no deadheading needed. Handles the heat well. For more: jcra.ncsu.edu/publications/trial-reports/index.php

Digitalis Camelot Lavender (Syngenta Flowers)

Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens; Greg Michalak, trial manager. First year planting. Still flowering into October. Series typically performs well. For more: trialgardens.raker.com

Perovskia ‘Sage Advice’ (Proven Winners)

Walter’s Gardens; Laura Robles, trial manager This perennial is perfect for hot, dry climates, but performs well in a wide variety of environments. ‘Sage Advice’ has rich, lavender purple flowers that are a darker shade than other Perovskia to date. Compared to ‘Denim ‘n Lace’, this variety has darker flowers and calyces, broad (vs. dissected) foliage, and is slightly taller. For more: waltersgardens.com

© Coba yoshi | Adobe Stock

Let’s face it: Raising prices and margins is often met with emotional resistance.

Yet, with the kind of year we’ve had so far, it seems prudent to take a fresh look at pricing strategies and reevaluate how consumers view and define premium plants and products. Are you missing out on hard-earned margins?

There is no doubt that the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is going to mean big changes to financial projections, consumer pricing perception and pricing strategies. Change is inevitable for us all.

It is change, though, that is often the sticking point for growers and garden center retailers alike. Let’s take a look at your current plant availabilities, then ask yourself:

Are you hanging on to a dated production list of offerings? Are you just growing what you’ve always grown because that is what is easy and comfortable?

Are you resistant to growing high-price/high-margin specialty crops because you don’t want to pay a premium price for the seeds or cuttings?

As a retail buyer, I’m forced to buy based on price if most of my area growers offer essentially the same crops and size. Putting you, the grower, in a race to the bottom for low price customers.

But, if you have specialty items and offer premium crops — plants I know my retail customers will happily pay a higher price for — you will garner much more of my overall business and bigger average sales. I also win because I get to charge higher margins for premium plants and differentiate my offerings to my customers. Not to mention get more of what I need from fewer vendors.

Often, there is a perception that your garden center or landscaper buyers will not pay your higher price for a specialty or premium crop. But have you asked? As retail consumers and homeowners turned to plants and gardening during shutdowns, transitioning to working (and schooling) from home, and staycations, garden centers on average saw a big upswing in sales. The value of flowers, food and houseplants was elevated for many existing gardeners.

We also gained many new customers who started experimenting for the first time with both outdoor and indoor gardening. The perceived value of many types of plants and gardening products is evolving upwards.

If you doubt this evolution, please take a deep dive into the world of houseplants.

The demand has gotten so high for many tropicals that some savvy retail growers have resorted to high priced auctions. The amount that new plant parents are willing to pay for individual specimens is quite shocking. Realize, this is how many of our up and coming gardeners are being trained to value plants. They love the unusual and are willing to pay a pretty penny for premium plants.

The goal of a premium pricing strategy is higher profit margins, competition pressure and improving overall brand value. Premium products may be new plant introductions, rare varieties, those with limited availability, a special color, or they can even be bigger (or smaller) in size.

Premium does not always have to mean new. Big changes in the economy and emotional priorities of our customers can turn a once seemingly ubiquitous product into a high-demand, high-margin item.

The run on seeds this spring is a great example. Traditionally a low-price commodity item for gardeners, seeds transformed — overnight — into a high-demand premium product due to consumer urgency and supply.

Many of you were forced to change your product offerings this spring due to shutdowns and restrictions on the types of plants you could sell and transport.

If you already focused on edible transplants and herbs, you may have been able to keep your production lines moving better than ornamental-only growers. You might have even had a bigger spring than usual. What may have once been considered commodity staples (i.e. tomato transplants) suddenly became high-demand, premium crops. There is no need to let that new value perception fade post-COVID-19.

Now, keep in mind that growers and garden centers often see a sales slowdown post-recession. Traditionally, after the economy starts to shift back into a positive gear, homeowners tend to reinvest in big ticket items and cars. They usually stop spending as much on landscape plants.

Truth be told, I have no idea whether that trend will play out the same way during this more unusual recession. But it’s worth keeping in mind.

It is quite possible that consumers will be willing to pay even less for standard commodity crops but be willing to pay even more for premium crops that became high demand during the shutdowns. How their brains were trained, or retrained, during this stressful time remains to be fully understood.

As we continue to adjust to whatever our new normal will be economically, now is a good time to evaluate your offerings to see where you can command better margins and market higher value plants. Be it with crops you already grow, or new ones that you should add.

This article originally ran in the September 2020 issue of Greenhouse Management magazine.

Grasses are great sustainable landscape plants. But they can be a tough sell in spring at a garden center without showy flowers and simply a green tuft in that gallon pot. The University of Minnesota Extension created marketing materials designed to help consumers know what they are buying, how grasses benefit native butterflies and how they require few inputs such as water or fertilizer. These marketing materials, developed with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the USDA’s Specialty Crop program, can help growers and their independent garden center customer sell more grasses.

Stores in Minnesota increased their grass sales by displaying the 22-inch by 28-inch Benefits of Native Grasses point-of-purchase sign that accompanied easy-to-propagate native grasses such as Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass) and Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), along with native sedges such as Carex pensylvanica and Carex grayi.

Stores also increased the number of cultivars of grasses sold adding Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ (blue grama) and Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’. Using the sign and endcap displays of the grasses with other native plants helped customers see grasses as good choices for pollinators.

Colorful labels that highlight the benefits of native grasses were also developed. Minnesota has a complicated pollinator label law, so two labels were developed — one showing butterflies and one without butterflies (for any plants that may have been grown using neonic pesticides). MasterTag made labels in two sizes, a smaller 1.7-inch by 5.25-inch stick tag and a larger 3-inch by 7.65-inch hang tag.

Photos courtesy of
University of Minnesota

Additional educational materials include a two-page Native Grass Guide that can be printed and attached to the store sign or poster.

The most comprehensive educational piece is the free 72-page e-book, “Gardening with Native Grasses in Cold Climates.” Available online, it has five chapters showing not only the benefits of native grasses, but how gardeners can use these plants in the landscape.

Did you know that native grasses support over 30 species of native Lepidoptera as host plants for their small and often unnoticed caterpillars? We also created “A Native Prairie Graminoid Host Plants of Minnesota and Associated Lepidoptera: Literature Review” along with a 11-inch by 17-inch native grass poster showing the grasses and the butterflies these tough native plants support.

The posters, tags and labels are available here: https://grasses.cfans.umn.edu/resources. Download the e-book and other publications here: grasses.cfans.umn.edu/publications.

About the author: Mary Hockenberry Meyer is professor and extension horticulturist at the University of Minnesota; meyer023@umn.edu.

© Pasko Maksim | Adobe Stock

The enthusiasm for gardening certainly flourished this year and a recent survey revealed that gardeners of all ages will be back digging in the dirt in 2021. The research, conducted by the Minneapolis-based firm Axiom Marketing, found that 86% of homeowners plan to continue gardening in 2021. Nearly 40% of those surveyed say they will plant about the same as last year, with 47% say they will be planting more and expanding their garden spaces next season.

Many homeowners surveyed said they were gardening in 2020 because it gave them something to do while stuck at home during the pandemic, provided a source of exercise and helped to cope with stress. But, overwhelmingly, most were gardening to add beauty in their lives.

“More than half of those surveyed told us they just wanted a beautiful outdoor space,” says Kathleen Hennessy, head of Axiom’s horticulture marketing group. “With many of us spending more time at home, and more time outside, gardening opened the door for positive activities and good feelings in a time where things were looking pretty bleak.”

Growing flowers is by far the most popular gardening activity at nearly 73%, with shrubs and vegetables rounding out the top three. More than 32% rank container gardening high on their list. Houseplants are also important with 46% saying indoor gardening is a meaningful activity.

COVID-19 influenced younger homeowners to garden more, according to the research. In the 19-28 age range, 23% said they spent “more time” gardening (that includes indoors or out) and 49% of that age group said they spent “definitely more” time gardening. In the 29-39 age bracket, 26% spent “more time” gardening, while 50% said “definitely more.”

That younger demographic also said they plan to grow more in 2021 – 81% of 19- to 28-year-olds and 83% of 29- to 39-year-olds. The response from 40- to 55-year-olds was impressive, too, with 64% saying they’ll garden more next year.

Where did these folks buy their plants? Some 48% shopped at Home Depot, 45% shopped at an independent garden center, 38% shopped at Lowe’s, and 24% shopped at Walmart. Online shopping came in at 7%.

Fortunately, gardeners felt accomplished this year.

“More than 80% of those surveyed said they felt successful or very successful in their 2020 gardening tasks,” says Hennessy. “This is great news for the horticulture industry. When homeowners feel successful, they buy more plants, are more likely to try new types of gardening and expand their knowledge. These are all signs that 2021 will be another busy year.”

For more: axiomcom.com/ 2021-garden-survey