Living Walls are here to Stay

Longwood Gardens Living Wall

Each year for the past 10 years the Garden Media Group has released a trend report.  And for the past 3 years we have been talking about, blogging and predicting 'living' or 'vertical' walls as a rising star.   

Foster Plants Living Wall in the Aventura Mall Splendid Store

The Smith and Hawkin wall

Google: Always ahead of the trend

But, don't be fooled, living walls are a LOT of work to build an maintain.  I want one at home but can't fathom the back-end it takes to produce.  Man, they sure look cool.  What do you think?  Practical? 

@KatieGMG

Valentine's Day Gift Idea

I just love giving live plants for any special occasion, so I was so excited when our friends at Costa Farms introduced this amazing hybrid called Pick Me Pink just in time to celebrate Valentine's Day. 

By the looks of her, you might think she's a poinsettia, but she's actually a euphorbia hybrid produced from crosses between the poinsettia and other euphorbia species.

This stunning annual has almost fluorescent pink petals with a pale edge, which make this not only a wonderful gift for your sweetheart, but a lovely addition to your Valentine’s Day décor as well.

I know I'll be on the hunt for one of these! For more info and care tips, visit Costa Farms.

-Stacey (@staceygmg)
GMG

GMG's Friday Find - The Growers Exchange

As any good gardener knows, January & February are always filled with anticipation for the arrival of gorgeous new plant catalogs. This week's Friday Find is the just released 2012 catalog from The Growers Exchange.
 
Full of great growing tips for your favorite culinary, medicinal and aromatic herbs and flowers, as well as interesting facts, high quality pictures and more! They've also added more pages this year to include even more Potted Herbs and Potted Herb Garden Kits, Tools and Garden Accessories to give you the best selection possible.

And, just for requesting a catalog, you’ll get multiple discounts found inside and even some additional savings for referring your friends. This is definitely a resource worth holding onto for reference while planting.

Request a FREE catalog today and start planning your spring herb garden early...click here!

Like The Growers Exchange on Facebook here!
Follow them on Twitter here!

Keep sending me your ideas for our Friday Find!
-Karen
GMG

Garden Trends - The Power of Plants

"The Power of Plants: Gardening for the Good Life” is the over riding theme for our 2012 Garden Trends Report.

This appreciation of our connection with nature seems to ebb and flow with other big trends. We've been seeing it evolve over the past few years when people shifted from decorating their yards to gardening with a purpose. In our high tech, high stress world, people are searching for balance and purpose in their lives, and many are finding it in the garden.

And they are doing more than just decorate their decks. For the past few years we've seen this growing trend of people gardening with a purpose. People gardening to grow their own food, build a butterfly garden or create a happy place to just sit and relax. They are making connections with the garden in new - and old - ways.

We know it in the heart of our souls that by tapping into the power of plants we find some peace and harmony. Being 'within' or part of nature restores us mentally, physically and spritually.

People who garden, whether in a yard or a pot on a balcony, have known this little secret for years.

Plants are not a luxury, but a necessity for our lives. We need plants for the "new good life".

We need plants to breath. Without plants, the air would be so full of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) we would not be able to breath.

I never thought I'd be using those word. Volatile. Organic. Compounds. It's those nasty compounds like CO2, nicotine, and formaldehyde, that plants love to eat. Plants need those VOCs to live. It's a great balancing act.

Plants do more than scrub the air clean and provide pure clean oxygen for us to breath. Plants cool us and give us shade. They make us feel less stressed and happier. They help us heal and make us more productive. In other words, plants make our lives better. We clearly need plants to live a happy, healthy life. They have the power. If you want more research you will ever need, visit O2 for You http://www.o2foryou.org/ or Dr. Charlie Hall's blog for lots of white papers on the benefits of plants.

Why this connection with nature? According to Harvard professor Edward O. Wilson, we can't help ourselves. We are actually hard- wired in our DNA to bond with all living things. He calls this connection biophilia - love of life. Check out his book.

I agree 100%. We say around the Garden Media Group that plants are more than just a pretty face. From the power of healing to restoring neighborhoods, plants are vital for healthy, balanced lives.

A growing army of environmentally conscious Gen X & GenY’s agree, too. Taking care of Mother Earth is part of their culture. With exuberance, these compassionate givers are on a mission to preserve and protect the earth’s resources. These young curators of culture are planting gardens at home or on balconies, are sharing time and building connections in community gardens, and renewing urban spaces and restoring neighborhoods -- all with a fresh eye toward functionality combined with artistic design.

Spread the word. Read more about how to "Cultivate the New Good Life with the Power of Plants!"

Suzi
Garden Media Group

Tips for February Gardening

The Feb 1916 cover of House and Garden

Preparation. Preparation. Preparation.

January's garden was all about planning, buying seeds and dreaming of Spring.  February brings us one month closer to that delightful season!

The main tasks and priorities this month are:

• Paint a fun, bright color on all tool handles.  It will keep them looking fresh and help you find them in the yard. 
•  February is also the month to get the lawn mower going and check that it's in good working order. Sharpen the blade and lubricate the moving parts, it'll be busy before too long. The shears and other tools will appreciate a tune up or spring clean as well.
• Dig in some soil amendments like Soil Reef around the roots of shrubs and trees. This will help kick start them into action when the weather starts to warm up.
• Deciduous vines should be trimmed back now and shaped if needed. 
• Your roses should also be pruned back now if they haven't been done yet. 
• If you didn't do it in January, get buying those seeds!
• 

  @KatieGMG

Advertising vs. Public Relations?

If there is one question we get asked at the Garden Media Group all the time it is: What is the difference between advertising and public relations?

In advertising, the product does all the talking. You are being subtlety (or not so subtlety) “manipulated and persuaded” to buy whatever it is they are selling. You've seen paid ads and by now, know the language of advertising.

In this 21st Century of information overload, advertising is like wallpaper. We are so bombarded with ads that we don't notice them anymore. We don't hear them, we seldom click on them, and we don't remember them - unless they are really awesome or it's 'our' brand.

 
In public relations, it's a trusted source doing the talking and people take notice of what people they know and follow say.

We read PR generated "news and reviews" all the time. We follow our favorite blogger and take a vested interest in their product likes and dislikes. And sometimes, a PR person was involved in making the news happen. It's still magic.

What makes PR trust so powerful is that you can't buy it. You have to earn it. You can't influence when a great story about you or your product is going to run or where it is going to appear. You have no say in exactly what is going to be printed, what's going to be said or how it's going to be presented.  Your product has to authentically stand out. In other words, unlike advertising, you have no control.

It’s this lack of control that makes PR so powerful. People trust what they read in the paper, hear on TV or read on the Internet. The message is far more persuasive and is remembered longer than an advertisement, and it gives you instant credibility and makes your reputation soar and -- sales go up.

Public relations makes customers like you and your product, and I mean really like it, not just on Facebook, even though that is a form of PR, too. And we all like to buy from people we know, like and trust.

All in all, PR is a better bang for your marketing buck. Of course, advertising is beneficial, but studies show that for businesses in the $10 to $20 million range, PR is the most efficient use of your marketing budget. Dollar for dollar, the value of a news story is worth 10 times that of a paid advertisement.

According to Wilson Harrell, former publisher of Inc. magazine, "One idea from a good PR firm can be worth several times what you'll pay in advertising and promotion. Astute PR brings out strengths you never knew your company possessed." He went on to say that entrepreneurs get so caught up in sales and advertising that they forget how much can be accomplished with "the most effective and least expensive of all marketing tools: public relations."

Advertising and public relations should work hand-in-hand, but they aren’t always in the marketing mix together.

So when dividing up the marketing pie, save a piece for public relations.
@SuziMcCoyGMG

GMG's Friday Find!

Its Friday again and time for our Friday Find. This week's is slightly different with a Rock N Roll theme! I've already blogged today about ANLA's Garden Idol competition tonight so I tried to keep in the same theme....Be a Rock Star in your garden!

Petal Power Record Plantable Paper (Say that fast three times...)


I found this colorful creation on aHa Modern Living website. Lots of cool items there. Check them out!
 
Here is their description...Inside the Petal Power 45 record sleeve are two amazing sheets of plantable paper filled with wildflower seeds ready to sow. Add a melody of flowers to any patio container with Petal Power. Each is packed in a clear plastic sleeve with simple graphic instructions on the back. The seed paper is 240 gsm weight and has flower seeds. Planting the paper is easy, you don't have to be a rock star to grow a garden!

Dimensions: 7" in diameter
Price: $8.95

What a great gift for the record collector in your life! Very cool packaging...almost too cute to plant!

Until next week...Keep sending me your garden products to highlight!
-Karen
GMG

Tonight is Garden Idol!!!!

Tonight is Season Three of ANLA's Garden Idol! Our client, Hines Growers, is one of the Garden Idol 'contestants' and will be singing and dancing their hearts out about their new Bloomtastic! plants...Buddleia Lavender Veil and Bahama Bay Hibiscus 'Amazon Queen.'

Garden Idol, hosted by Lloyd Traven, is all about growers entering new plants to win "best in show" with clever performances in some over-the-top costumes. They'll be strutting their stuff in front of a panel of celebrity judges and the audience. Last year was cool; this year promises to be a Rockin' Eve!

And when its all over you can cast your vote for who should hold the exalted title of Garden Idol Winner. Vote early AND Vote often! (As soon as the link to vote is posted I will post it here! Until then here is the link to the Garden Idol page ANLA!)

-Karen
GMG

Headed to ANLA Clinc to Feed Our Minds

One of my favorite industry events of the year is the ANLA Management Clinic sponsored by the American Nursery and Landscape managers at the top of their game. About 1,000 owners of progressive garden centers and the top companies they deal with gather in Louisville, KY for an intense week of learning, networking and seeing what’s new.

The Clinic is invigorating, it’s innovative, and it gets my juices flowing. It is one of the few conferences I attend where I actually have a hard time picking between speakers.

This year’s theme is “Feed Your Mind, Grow Your Business.” As the ANLA says, “We eat, breathe and dream of speakers who matter, creative new ways to learn, and ides that will grow your team, your business and your bottom line.”

Powerhouse speakers this year include:

Jeremy Gutsche, The TrendHunter, who is going to talk about one of my favorite subjects; how our lives are changing and how we are spending our time and money. Most importantly, he’s going to clue us in on how to get them to spend more of it on plants and flowers.

Scott Stratten, author of Un-Marketing, is going to tell us how to quit “shouting at our customers: ads, commercials, flyers” and start communicating with them, engaging them in dialogue and positioning yourself as a trusted expert.

Isn’t that what Public Relations is all about – being a trusted friend?

Scott Ginsberg, HELLO! my name is Scott. He’s my kind of guy since I have such a challenge remembering names. Scott wears a name tag 24/7! Why? Because he wants people to feel comfortable coming to him for help with computer or smartphone problems. Being a solution provider earns customers and sets you apart from your competitors.

I’m privileged again this year to be one of the Clinic Specialists. From solo presentations, Lunch and Learns to drill downs after keynote speakers and speed rounds, I feel an intensity and excitement that charges me. I’m speaking on a range of topics from branding and cause marketing to trends and trade show PR.

And our clients, American Beauties Native Plants, Campania International, Hines Growers and SoilReef™ Biochar are sponsoring "A Taste of Kentucky” hospitality suite featuring Kentucky bourbon, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Kentucky Derby Pie – along with Ellen Wells’ homemade Oreo bourbon cookies.

And when I get back, I’m going to be ready to make 2012 great. In the meantime, follow the Clinic on Twitter using #ANLAClinic. It will be worth your time.

Stay tuned for updates.

Suzi
Garden Media Group

A Taste of Kentucky: ANLA Style

We are headed out TOMORROW for one of our favorite trade shows, the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) Management Clinic. 

The Clinic brings together the top minds in our industry for lectures, educational sessions and bootcamps.  Our own Suzi McCoy is one of the esteemed speakers. Catch her talk on 'Garden Trends' on January 26th and 'Making the Most of Out a Trade Show' on January 27th.  

And, speaking of education, we are hosting what promises to be yet another great GMG event, A Taste of Kentucky.  Come taste different bourbons, eat delicious, crunchy fried chicken and devour Derby Pie. 

If you have questions OR if you'd like to attend- please email Katie!


This event is sponsored by our clients, Hines Growers, American Beauties Native Plants, Soil Reef and Campania. We hope you can make it!

This ain't American Idol- it's Garden Idol

We're heading out to Louisville, KY next week (1/25-1/28) to attend ANLA Clinic (American Nursery and Landscape Association) that promises to be informative and FUN!

ANLA knows how to put on a show with top speakers and presenters (like our own Suzi McCoy) on subjects that range from practical solutions to real-world problems, to current and upcoming Garden and Horticulture Trends to watch.

We always enjoy meeting the happy mix of retailers, growers, scientists, media and a few errant minstrels thrown in. And the dinners and hospitality suites are always a great time to let your hair down while we meet and greet old friends and new.

For me, the highlight is Garden Idol. This year, Season Three is setting up to really be a rockin' evening. Our client, Hines Growers, is one of the Garden Idol 'contestants' and wow...all I can say is... hot new Bloomtastic! plants and a smokin' performance!

Not trying to sway you (too much) but their new Bloomtastic! Buddleia Lavender Veil and Bahama Bay Hibiscus 'Amazon Queen' are amazing plants that really are star performers. Want to know more?

Growers are entering new plants to win "best in show" with clever performances and some over-the-top costumes and They'll be strutting their stuff in front of a panel of judges and the audience. Last year was cool; this year promises to be even better!

Check out last year's Garden Idol  that gives you a chance to see what plants (and performances) won over the judges- and audience!

And when all's said and done... cast your vote for who should hold the exalted title of Garden Idol Winner. Vote early AND Vote often!

~Lynne

GMG

GMG's Friday Find!

We had a great response to our first GMG Friday Find last week so here is the second installment...
Our eyes have come across Garden Cookies Make & Grow Kit! How cute is this?

 

Here is the product description directly from their website..."Finally a creative kit to share the love of gardening with "little helpers"!! Garden Cookies are currently selling VERY well as gifts for "future gardeners". Make & Grow Kit can be made AND PLANTED directly in the warmer soil of the spring season. Kit includes everything needed to make real flowering cookies: Recipe and growing instructions, rolling mat, child-size rolling pin, flower seeds and clay. Available in Hummingbird/Butterfly and Wildflower varieties. Made in USA!"

What a great way to enjoy some time with your little ones and encourage their interest in gardening!

Not to mention the very old-fashioned packaging. Nice touch!

Do you have any 'finds' we should know about or that you think we should feature on our GMG's Friday Finds? Let me know!

-Karen
GMG

Using Nature to Heal

Biophilia.  You've heard about it.  It's hard to ignore.  And, it's catching on.  Coined by biologist Edward O. Wilson, biophilia suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and nature.

And, most recently, The National Wildlife Federation released a Whole Child Report on the physical and mental health benefits of nature.

Their report indicates that nature experiences buoy our mental and emotional well-being.  

Why else would people watch a sunset on the beach, spend weekends gardening or take long walks?  Being in nature is calming for our mind, body and spirit.  


We encourage you to get out of the house or out from behind your computer screen and be one with nature!  GO!

Katie

The Garden Media Group Trends Report: How Do We See into the Crystal Ball

The Garden Media Group has been spotting garden and outdoor living trends since 2001.  How do we predict these trends?

We begin by looking at consumer home and fashion trends on a global level to see how these fit in with gardening. Plus we follow what’s happening in American fashion, real estate and food industries. And, of course, we look at research to see what's hot in the garden now.

And we talk to lots of people -- those breeding and growing plants, garden center owners, garden editors, horticulture professors, researchers, and landscape designers. We know, for example, if a black plant is going to be trendy the following year by the number of requests we get from different magazines six to 12 months in advance.

Because we’ve been doing this for more than a decade, we connect dots, see patterns and spot trends coming on the horizon two or three years in advance.

Over the past 10 years, what trends has Garden Media Group spotted that have lasted?

We first started talking about outdoor living in 2001 when the backyard was just becoming the new living room – dining room – and kitchen. Now living outdoors is a lifestyle.

By 2002, 2003 we saw homeowners moving away from traditional gardening to decorating their yards, particularly with annuals in containers.

By 2004 we began to see the resurgence of the organic movement. Being “green” was gaining star power' and becoming 'eco-chic'. Leonardo Dicaprio was talking about the environment every chance he got and driving a Prius instead of a Hummer.

In 2005 we saw an uptick in growing your own veggies driven not by the economy but by foodies wanting great tasting veggies and herbs for cooking at home – and bragging to their friends that they grew it themselves.

By 2009, people were beginning to identify themselves as good stewards of mother nature, perrenials, particularly natives, were coming on strong.

By 2010 edibles were moving out of the vegetable garden and into the landscape.

 

What do you see as the big trend for 2012? 

"Gardening for the New Good Life” is our overriding theme which has evolved over the past few years. In our high tech, high stressed world, people are searching for balance and purpose. Research shows that by tapping into the power of plants we can find some peace and harmony and restore our mind and body.

We have seen for the last few years people aren’t just decorating the yard anymore. They actually are gardening with a purpose, whether it’s growing their own food, building a butterfly garden or creating a place to just sit and relax. And they are looking for the best way to garden with as little impact on the environment as possible.

The bottom line is: Plants are powerful. We really can’t live without them. They provide oxygen and filter VOCs from the air. They give us food and make our lives beautiful.

But even more than that, Harvard professor Edward O. Wilson in his famous book, Biophilia, says we are hardwired in our DNA to have an incredibly positive bond with nature. Plants play a vital role in our lives.

Plants are more than just a pretty face. They are vital for our health and well being. The more plants you have around you, the happier and healthier you are.

Ove the next year, we will be taking an indepth look at one trend a month and look at what is emerging as new trends for 2013. Follow us, and please add your comments and own insights.

Suzi McCoy

Garden Media Group

GMG's Friday Find!

I came across a very cool product for the very FIRST GMG Friday Find!
Edible Flowers Garden Bon Bons (I love the Bon Bons part!) by Moulton!
These garden truffles are for planting - not for eating!

From the Moulton website...Seed balls are a centuries-old planting technique. The compost provides nutrients to the seeds and the clay holds it together and protects against insects. Find a sunny spot, toss into the garden or indoor container, add water and watch them grow!
 
Not to mention they come beautifully packaged. This Edible Flowers selection pictured above contains anise hyssop, calendula, nasturtiums and violas.

Garden Bon Bon descriptions:

Round Red Clay Truffle - Viola 'Helen Mount'/Viola tricolor. Heirloom purple, yellow and white blossoms. For garnishes, candying and salads. 5"-7" tall.
Red Clay Truffle rolled in cinnamon - Calendula/Calendula officinalis. Bright orange heirloom flowers. Teas, salads and soups. Peppery. 12"24"tall.
Red Clay Brownie Square - Anise Hyssop/Agastache foeniculum. Licorice-mint flavor. Blue flowers and leaves for teas, salads and garnishes. 24"-36" Tall.
White Clay Truffle - Nasturtium/Tropaeolum majus. Peppery red, orange and yellow flowers for salads, soups and garnish. 14"16" tall.

A great gift for your favorite gardener...Valentine's Day is coming up...But don't forget the REAL chocolate too! (And please don't get them confused!)

-Karen
GMG