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Garden Centers Report A Strong 2011 Holiday Season
More than a third of respondents exceeded previous sales records.
Top Story
The Good Earth Garden Center Is The National Winner For 2012 Revolutionary 100 Garden Centers
Find out how the Little Rock, Ark., garden center wowed a panel of peers and industry experts, enough that they selected this retailer as the best in the country.
Other News
5 Finds From AmericasMart
Check out five of the the great products Revolutionary 100 Garden Center retailers and the Today's Garden Center staff discovered at this month's AmericasMart.
Why Pinterest Is A No-Brainer For Garden Centers
The photo-based social site is a perfect fit for visual industries.
The Home Depot Acquires Redbeacon
The site connects consumers with home repair and renovation contractors.
Plants That Work Brand Now Officially Imperial’s, Willoway’s
Imperial Nurseries and Willoway Nurseries have formed a new product marketing partnership in Novalis LLC and acquired most of the brand trademarks once owned by Carolina Nurseries. The Plants That Work and Plants That Work by Color brands are now part of the new partnership.
Consumers Ready To Spend Again
Tired of the years of belt tightening, consumers are spending again, said Kelly Corcoran, Midwest-CBK's creative director last week at The Essential Buyer's Workshop in Atlanta. Find out what other changes Corcoran predicts will take place in 2012.
Wingard's Nursery Founder Dies
Judson Wingard, the original owner of Revolutionary 100 Garden Center Wingard's Nursery, has passed away.
Update: Financial Reform Is More Of A Boon Than A Burden For Retailers
Pundits predicted that financial institutions would create a number of loopholes to make up for any losses created by the Financial Reform Bill. It looks like consumers are footing the bill, not retailers.
Garden Center Employee Surprises Thief On Christmas Eve
A burgler was in the middle of breaking into the store's safe when Johnny Mangos' manager walked in.
Which Summer Plants Bloomed Into December?
The University of Georgia's Plant Of Distinction program managers made note of which summer plants continued blooming long past when anyone expected them to. Check out which ones made the list!
Goebbert's Embraces The Seasonal Nature Of Garden Centers
Find out how far the garden center goes to remake itself each spring, summer and fall.
2012 Revolutionary 100 Garden Centers Southeast Region Winner: The Good Earth Garden Center
We conclude unveiling the regional winners in Today's Garden Center's Revolutionary 100 Award program with the Southeast winner. (Watch for the announcement of the full 2012 Revolutionary 100 on January 10.) Check out what makes The Good Earth Garden Center an award winner.
The Most Influential Retailers In The Social Sphere
Who are the biggest retailers on Twitter and Facebook? Take a look at how Klout ranks them.
Landscaping is a Top Home-Improvement Priority
Landscaping ranks eighth among a list of 21 home-improvement projects, according to a nationwide study conducted by Houzz.
Down To Earth Infuses Its Bird Display With Nostalgic Charm
Birding displays are notorious for being chaotic. Down To Earth Garden Center found a way to tidy up the category while staying true to its 1960s-era visual theme.
Is Amazon's Price Checking App A Threat To Small Businesses?
A garden retailer raised the alarm about the new app on Fresh Air Forum. Business author Laurie Brown explains why she thinks the retailer is right to be concerned.
Fall Creek Farm & Nursery Introduces Drawf, Thornless Raspberry Shrub
Tapping into the popularity of edible plants, Fall Creek plans to introduce a line of berry bushes in its BrazelBerries Shrub Collection.
Rockledge Gardens' Sets Its Christmas Specials To Music
Check out this humorous video displaying the store's specials and its staff's willingness to play along.
No Place For Dye-Infused Plants?
The trend to feed dye to white plants irks many plant lovers, especially those in the horticultural industry. See what some have to say about plants like Blue Orchid.
Vitamin Institute's Dr. Thomson Passes Away at 100
The creator of SuperThrive, John A.A. Thomson, PhD, died November 28, just five days after celebrating his 100 birthday.
Make A Fun, How-To Video Customers Will Actually Watch
Watters Garden Center's Ken Lain demonstrates how to prune Russian sage in a humorous, fast video. And more than 3,000 customers have watched it.
Christmas Trees Stolen From New Hampshire Garden Center
More than $1,000 in Christmas tree stock was stolen from Maggie D's Garden Center.
Are Your Price Strategies Working?
Common price strategies designed to make your store seem more affordable could be backfiring.
PlantHaven Puts Promotional Push Behind Abelia Kaleidoscope
The compact shrub has an unusual range of color variety on a single plant.
Restrictions Considered For Imported Boxwoods
APHIS informally tells ANLA that concerns over the high number of banned pathogens may lead to restrictions.
Independent Retailer Organization Offers Free Holiday Promotions
The 3/50 Project has selected an independent-friendly slogan for the holidays: Keep The Cheer Here.
Black Friday Sales Broke Records
The average amount spent per shopper across the U.S. was almost $400. The results for Small Business Saturday were mixed, however.
Calloway's Holds An 11,000 Facebook Fan Contest
The Texas garden chain reached the major milestone of 10,000 fans earlier this year. Find out what it is doing to reach 11,000.
Act Now! Early Bird Registration Ends November 30!
The Essential Buyer's Workshop at AmericasMart will give buyers much needed tools to be the smartest buyer they can be, but space is limited. Reserve your spot today and learn from top notch experts both inside and outside the garden industry.
Terra Nova's Top 3 New Varieties For 2012
Terra Nova is introducing a yellow echinacea, a red crocosmia and a heucherella.
Restrictions Considered For Imported Boxwoods
Those importing Buxus spp. from Europe should ask suppliers whether Cylindrocladium buxicola has ever been found in their operations.
A Dressing Room Everyone Will Talk About
Lowe's Greenhouses' adds a new – very unique – dressing.
Pricing Shapes How Consumers View A Store
Emory University’s Ryan Hamilton will share his research on consumer behavior at The Essential Buyer’s Workshop, the latest Business Builder Conference from Today’s Garden Center.
Home Depot's Holiday Sales Grew 300 Percent Since 2006
Since Home Depot began selling holiday goods in 2006, it has increased its number of SKUs from 50 to 500.
Mass Merchants' Third Quarter Reports Show Growth
Home Depot had unqualified success in its third quarter; Lowes sales overall took a hit due to store closings, but same store sales were up modestly.
Al's Garden Centers Remembers There's A Holiday Between Halloween And Christmas
Most garden centers promote Thanksgiving with only a dispaly or two within the store. See how Al's Garden Centers reaches out to customers for the most overlooked fall holiday.
New Speakers Added To The Workshop Program
Two MBA program professors from Emory University lead the list of powerful speakers at The Essential Buyer's Workshop.
Grower Weighs In On Grower/Retailer Debate
Swanson Nurseries' greengoods buyer suggested several ways growers can improve their relationships with retailers, sparking a strong reaction from both retailers and growers. One grower steps in with a voice of reason that should appeal to both sides of the debate.
Rancho Tissue Technologies Introduces The Rancho Collection
The Rancho Collection includes agaves, aloes, dyckias and echeverias.
11 Ways Growers Can Improve From A Retail Perspective
Greenhouse Grower magazine asked Seattle’s Swansons Nursery how growers could improve on in their relationships with retail customers. See if you agree with the suggestions Swanson's plant buyers offer.
Our Growth For The Future Hinges On Inspiration
SNA’s Danny Summers says five inspirations will determine the future health of the nursery industry.
Steal This Idea Update: Made In America Holiday Tree
Countryside Gardens' Tish Llaneza shared her idea for a Made In America holiday tree in October's Steal This Idea issue. Check out photos of the completed project.
Encore Azalea Holds A Naming Contest For A New Variety
Retailers are invited to submit names for one of four fall 2012 introductions for a chance to win 10 3-gallon Encore Azaleas.
Independent Businesses Improve Their Neighborhoods
Study shows independently-owned stores and restaurants do more for their communities than other businesses.
Plants Unlimited Uses Scarecrows To Raise Money For Charity
Emily Buck explains her store's fundraiser to Coast of Maine's Cameron Bonsey as part of the vendor's Celebrating Independent Garden Centers series.
Home Depot's Operating Margin Is The Highest Among Home Improvement Retailers
Financial reporting group ranks the top three home improvement companies.
Sickles Market Named New Jersery Family Business Of The Year
The garden center and gourmet grocery store earns top honors over many other types of businesses.
Blooms Of Bressingham Introduces Red, Orange And Pink Coreopsis Series
The Limerock series breaks from the expected yellow. Blooms recommends the richly-hued coreopsis varieties for combo planters.
Stein’s Second Run For Pop-up Store Permits Succeeds
A month ago, the retailer lost a bid to open a pop-up store in a small strip mall parking lot. After renegotiating its location to a neighboring parking lot, Steins gains approval.
Oregon Store’s Bank Takes It Over For Liquidation
Oregon Coast Garden Center goes out of business after sales dropped sharply since 2007.
Fafard Gains Veriflora Certification For Its Peat Production
Syngenta's Fafard division earns an important environmental thumbs up, which may allay concerns some ecologically-minded consumers have about peat.
Merchandising Ideas You Can Use
The two top winners from Proven Winners' store-within-a-store contest share their winning techniques.
Today's Garden Center Announces A Conference Just For Garden Center Buyers
The Essential Buyer's Workshop at AmericasMart will give buyers much needed tools to be the smartest buyer they can be. The latest entry in our Business Builder Conference will gather top notch experts from both inside and outside the garden industry.
Touchpoints By Carol Miller
Top Issues For The Revolutionary 100
The problems that the Revolutionary 100 Garden Centers face may be the same ones you do. So how do you deal with them?
Management And Profitability By Sid Raisch
Are Your Saving And Spending Ideas In Order?
A reality check on what smart spending and savings really means.
