For the love of birds in your backyard habitat

Ah, fall. A glorious patchwork of vibrant colors splashed like a sunset across landscapes. I'm a fall junkie. Love the changing leaves, hearty soups, fall bounty and harvest celebrations. Plus, it's a great time to plant before old man winter visits.

When planning your landscape, consider plants that provide habitats for birds and other wildlife that are integral players in the delicate ecosystem. 

The National Audubon Society suggests planting native plants that provide nuts, seeds, fruit and nectar.  Browse the site for shrubs, grasses, vines and trees that provide shelter and food sources for specific birds along with great tips and resources you and your family can enjoy together.

Chickadees, cardinals and finches love seeds found in coneflowers, asters, grasses, fir and maple. 

Yellow-rumped warblers and bluebirds will flock to fruit-bearing shrubs like elderberry, blueberry and pokeberry and hummingbirds hover for nectar around columbine, lobelia, Bee Balm and the new Bloomtastic! butterfly bushes Lavender Veil and Purple Splendor. 

Majestic trees like walnut, hickory, chestnut and oak provide shelter and nuts for nuthatches and more.

Prepare your garden now and you can have spectacular year round color and beauty and a perfect habitat for wildlife.

                                                 

Let us know your favorite birds and what you've planted to attract them to your backyard habitat

Lynne
Garden Media Group

photos: landscapes: American Beauties Native Plants; Bloomtastic! Buddleia Lavender Veil; Nuthatch: WikiCommons

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: What does YOUR business do?

I recently saw a post on the Facebook group for garden centers asking, "How do I write a mission statement?" WOW! This is a tough question and a hard task.

It seems like a simple questions. What does my business do? This is the stuff of which mission statements are made. So why is this simple question so insurmountable? Why do so many people get tongue tied when asked this question?

I think because we aren't really clear on what it is supposed to say. We get it confused with our vision - which is what we want our business "to be". We get hung up on using just the right words or words that are way too fancy. And we think it is supposed to sound like something someone who has an MBA has written.

So just how do you get this illusive mission statement written?

First of all, you will – and should - struggle with this. Getting your mission statement right is important and that doesn’t happen overnight. While you are in the struggle, make a “mission statement” folder and write down your thoughts, examples of other mission statements you like and other resource materials to help you "think." Just Google “mission statement” and you will get lots of ideas.

And involve your staff. Ask them what they think your business does. What it does better than anyone else? What it does differently that makes it stand out and differentiates it from the competition?

But don't struggle to find the proper words. Just jot down a few ideas and put it in the file.

Put this list in (order of) priority. Then cross off those ideas that don't seem important. Then rewrite the list.

Remember, all mission statements include:

• What you do. The type of business you are in.
• The needs your company fills.
• Clients you serve now or want to serve.
• How you serve these clients?

You want your statement to be broad, not specific, and positive and forceful. It should be free of jargon. Everyone must be able to understand it, especially your customers. And, most importantly, it is easy for you and your staff to live with. That's a pretty big billing.

Our mission at Garden Media Group used to be some marketing gobbly goop like "we help mid-sized companies achieve their goals through focused, responsible public relations evaluations and efforts" that, when I "recited" it to people, I could just see the shades of their eyes close. They didn't get it.

Now we say, "Garden Media Group helps make lawn and garden companies popular with their customers through focused public relations and social media efforts." People get it immediately. Everyone understands popular.

It is clean, easily understood and general. It's positive and forceful, and not at all vague.

Here are a few other examples of some lawn and garden companies:

America Beauties mission is to bring life to the garden and protect the balance of nature by offering great performing native plants that attract wildlife and solve a variety of gardening challenges.

Bloomstatics! Plants mission is to help gardeners be successful by offering both new and redeeming under-utilized plants and shrubs that provide fantastic color, are easy to grow and low maintenance.

BrazelBerries wants to bring beauty, purpose and joy to the berry lifestyle by offering superior ornamental berry shrubs perfect for the landscape, simple to grow and bursting with great tasting berries.

Now, in my opinion, you should try to make this as personal as possible, because it is YOUR statement of business. So it better be YOUR mission statement in 30 words or less. Then get it down to seven clear words.

Just for fun, very quickly, write down what it is you do. Now turn that paper over and write three or four sentences that explain the purpose of your business. Now narrow this down to 25 words.

Pause.

Look away.

Read your sentence aloud. You didn't do it! Okay. Start again from the very beginning in 30 words or less.

You need to know what you do - or no one else will either.

Suzi
Garden Media Group

Trendspotting: Water Watchers & Seedlings: Part III

Here at the Garden Media Group spotting green living trends that include hot new plants and products for your lawn and garden and green lifestyle is our passion.

In the last of our 3-part series of GMG's Garden Trends for 2012 Report: Cultivate the New Good Life with the Power of Plants, we've identified Water-Watchers and Seedlings as important trends that are coming on strong.

Water-Watchers. According to Dr. Charlie Hall, professor of horticulture at Texas A&M University, "There is no single issue greater than water."

Drought and regional water restrictions are causing us to grow plants, flowers and vegetables that require less water.

Beneficial soil amendments like the new Soil Reef Biochar are considered by many scientists to be like a "coral reef" for soil. Its high carbon content and porous nature help retain water and nutrients, saving gardeners time and money.

New Bloomtastic! plants from Hines Growers use EcoCover mulch discs to help save water and reduce weeds. Look for their new bougainvillea and Bougainvillea Patio Trees that are drought tolerant and give vibrant multi-colored flowers for your patio, deck and porch all summer long.

Seedlings. From the White House to the neighborhood schools, kids are learning how to grow their own food and take care of the planet. Suzi McCoy, our chief trendspotter and garden expert says the popularity of miniature gardens is "ideal for kids and the young at heart to share the whimsical world of plants and appreciate the joy of gardening."

Share what you see trending on the horizon. We'd love to hear from you!

~Lynne, Garden Media Group

Photos: Soil Reef Biochar and Bougainvillea, GMG

What’s Trending NOW

American Beauties Native Plants

Here we unveil four more green living trends to cultivate the good life, with the power of plants.     

Conscious Consumption. According to the 2010 Cone Survey, 83% of consumers still want to see more brands, products, and companies that support worthy causes. 

We finally moved from “me” to “we” and consider our earth and each other when we purchase 

Why use native plants? You can save your backyard with American Beauties Native Plants^®. This partnership with the National Wildlife Federation is an example of this mind shift. Buy an American Beauties’ native plant and a donation is made to NWF’s Certified Wildlife Habitat Program.

Occupy Local. People are “occupying” local farmers markets and joining CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) for fresh produce, plants and products

Farmers markets are our new backyard veggie gardens and are becoming our local grocery store.

According to the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, sales of “locally produced food” reached $4.8 billion in 2008.They project that locally grown foods will generate $7 billion in sales dominated by fruit and veggies this year  


In Living Color. From Tangerine Tango, the new Pantone color of the year, to deep purples and soothing greens, colors are all over the landscape.

Create a technicolor summer with new Bloomtastic! Bambino Bougainvillea and multi-colored bougainvillea Patio Trees that add intense tropical color to patios, balconies and poolside.

Hines Growers Bloomtastic! bougainvillea

Costa Farms Tropic Escape Hibiscus

With rich, gem like colors you can create your own personal paradise. Tropic Escape Hibiscus from Costa Farms produces huge flowers that last twice as long as regular hibiscus and are perfect for decorating patios and landscapes.

Techno-Gardening. With the rise of smart phone technology, QR-codes, apps and Groupon, social living is bringing power to the people and consumers into the buying experience. Gardening is going digital with free e-zines. Costa Farms’ GrowingStyle digital magazine brings designer tips and the latest plant info from growers and designers in this free app.

The Havahart Motion Activated Sprinkler

Garden products are going high-tech, too. Now there’s a cutting edge way to rid your yard of unwanted critters. The new motion activated sprinkler repellents from Havahart® provide caring control solutions that safely rid unwanted animals from your yard. No toxic chemicals that can harm people, pets or the environment.

For more inspiration for garden and outdoor living from the 2012 Garden Trends visit our website www.gardenmediagroup.com. 



-Katie
Garden Media Group

Hot new plants for 2012

The holidays are just around the corner. With all the busyness of buying gifts and celebrating, and battling wintery weather, here's a peek at new plants for spring 2012 that's bound to bring some cheer, color and life to any size garden.

A few weeks back I mentioned a new Black Hawaiian Spider Lily: Crinum 'Purple Dream' from Hines that's one pretty, durable plant that really rocks!

I promised to give an early "sneak peek" of some well-bred beauties and plant discoveries I think you'll love.

Keep an eye out for these new Hines Growers plants with new Bloomtastic! tags and labels.

The folks at Hines Growers are like plant hunters with a mission... no kidding! To make the cut, plants must be easy to grow and low maintenance and provide continuous color and abundant blooms- just what busy gardeners demand.

The butterfly bush in the above photo is Hines' exclusive new Buddleia Purple Splendor - a robust plant with fragrant flowers that produces waves of spectacular blooms during the summer heat. Best of all, it attracts butterflies and hummingbirds! Zone 5-10

And here's a beauty you can't pass up. Buddleia Lavender Veil from Hines is a compact grower that grows very low to the ground and bears abundant lavender fragrant flushes. This beauty attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with flowers that spill from containers, hanging baskets or look fabulous in your landscape as a groundcover, or in rock gardens, or perennial and cottage gardens. Zone 5-10.

On the left is Bambino 'Sophia' Bougainvillea, and below is Bambino 'Victoria' Bougainvillea, two of eight new varieties in the Bloomtastic! collection.

They are compact and full with dramatic variegated foliage, that contrasts against the profusions of large clusters of flowers, spring through fall! Both are well-suited for smaller gardens and hedges, containers, baskets and medium size groundcovers. Zone 8-10

So keep an eye out for these beauties and many more like the new Agapanthus africanus 'Summer Sky'  (I'll write about this one later) coming nationwide to a garden center and retailer like Home Depot for 2012.
Cheers!

~Lynne, GMG