Best Cyber Monday Sales

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I've never been a big one for CyberMonday sales but this year they're off the hook. Here are the best deals in home and garden, if you're shopping for gifts (or yourself) today...

• The Growers Exchange is offering 12 FREE paperwhite bulbs with a purchase of $50 or more.
• Clarington Forge is offering $20 off any order over $150 with code NOV262012
• Perky Pet is offering 30% off their Design-A-Feeder until 3PM with code MONDAY2012
• National Wildlife Federation is offering 30% off site wide with code 98312
• Havahart is offering 25% off site wide with code HHCYBMON
• ACE Hardware is offering 15% off site wide 
• Plow & Hearth is offering 15 – 25% off their entire site, depending on what you spend
  

Happy Shopping!

TODAY Show Celebrates Earth Day with American Beauties

Yesterday American Beauties Native Plants was highlighted on the weekend edition of NBC's TODAY Show! The Earth Day segment featured David Mizejewski from the National Wildlife Federation and how to Garden for Wildlife! Watch it below or click here!



-Karen
Garden Media Group

The Rise of Conscious Consumption

Earth Day is just around the corner. You don't have to pick bugs by hand off your plants or wash your car in rainwater to be a good steward of our planet.

Decades after Earth Day launched in 1970, support for a cleaner earth, air and water for us and future generations has adherents from boardrooms to bedrooms throughout the world.

The message of sustainability and our roles as Mother Earth's caretakers is quietly shaping how we grow gardens in our own backyards or within communities.

Suzi McCoy, the Garden Media Group's chief garden trendspotter and green living expert, has long proclaimed, "Just plant something." And this message is catching on as statistics bear out.

According to the Garden Writers Association's 2011 Fall/Winter Lawn & Garden Survey of nearly one-thousand people across America, close to 70% of American consumers have a lawn or garden and three of five believe the issue of sustainability in gardening is important. (TechnoMetrica)

We're calling this trend: Conscious Consumption.

GWA's survey indicates that nearly 58% of respondents have reduced the use of chemicals and 53% have reduced or eliminated watering their lawns. Plus, 48% have used compost or other natural nutrients instead of chemical fertilizers, 66% have grown edible plants, veggies, fruit or herbs and more than 52% have created habitats for insects, birds and wildlife.

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 the earth and each other when we purchase," says McCoy.

You can preserve the earth's delicate eco-system and enjoy the wonder of nature in your little piece of heaven with American Beauties Native Plants. Their partnership with the National Wildlife Federation is an example of the mindshift. When you buy an American Beauties native plant, a donation is made to NWF's Certified Wildlife Habitat Program.

And the birds, butterflies and bees will thank you.

~Lynne Garden Media Group

GMG Monday Espresso: Celebrate the 'Little Victories' in Social Media ROI

PR News interviewed Danielle Brigida, social media manager for the National Wildlife Federation, about measuring the ROI of social media.

Danielle says it can be a complicated process—but it doesn't have to be. She is not only a believer in the absolute importance of gaining expertise in PR measurement. She claims, instead, that the process itself is about having fun and being social.

Here is the interview:

PR News: What are the first few steps PR pros can take in tying social media metrics to outcomes?

Danielle Brigida: Pick both quantitative and qualitative key performance indicators to measure. Stick with a few of the most important metrics and pay attention to the outcomes both in real time and over time. Some people like the view from above and others want to get incredibly specific. I think creating a consistent report is helpful because you then stick to it.

PR News: What advice can you share with other nonprofits or small businesses about proving ROI to senior management?


Brigida: Increasing the communication is key. Document little victories and make sure the expectations of your leaders are realistic. My experience with social media leads me to believe that what you invest in social media is what you get out of it.


PR News: What should be taken under consideration when choosing social media measurement tools?


Brigida: The biggest question you should ask yourself is what capacity you have to manage the tools. Also, if you stick to the rule that you’re spending about 15-20% of your time measuring, you can identify what will make things easy for you. Budget is also incredibly important. There is a huge price range for social media measurement tools—balancing your budget with free tools and paid tools can be a good solution.

Brigida promises those who attend her talk at the PR Measurement Conference next Wednesday, April 18 in DC will learn to have fun measuring social media!

Suzi
Garden Media Group

Spring Ushers in New, Easy to Grow Plants to Color Your Garden

It’s the first day of spring and time to take a lesson from Mother Nature’s palette to create a garden masterpiece with new easy to grow, low maintenance plants.

Susan McCoy, gardening expert for the Garden Media Group, a Philadelphia area firm specializing in green living and garden trend spotting says, break the rules when choosing colors. “You learned to color with crayons and experimented with mixing paints, so take that sense of play and extend it to the garden.”

Design and Photo by Margie Grace Associates, APLD

McCoy says to take cues from Mother Nature’s color wheel. “Mother Nature is daring,” explains McCoy. “She mixes amazing color combinations, from bright hues to soft pastels.”



Gardening experts say it’s easy to have a show stopping garden with continuous color spring through fall by picking the right plants for the right spot. New plants out this spring prove to be just what the gardener wants: easy to grow, full of blooms, and low maintenance. 

“The first thing you want to do when planning this year’s garden is to determine the “feel” of the garden, where you want your plants and the overall color scheme,” says Margie Grace, Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) member. “Then select plants that will create balance and draw the eye.”

Tropic Escape Hibiscus from Costa Farms

“Those looking for a backyard oasis can bring it home with the new Tropic Escape Hibiscus Collection from Costa Farms,” says McCoy. The over-sized flowers almost the size of dinner plates come in a dozen tropical colors like Caribbean Cocktail yellow and Tiki Temptation orange, and bloom twice as long as traditional hibiscus. These easy care hibiscus take the heat in sunny locations and add punch to any outdoor décor and quickly turn a deck, patio or balcony into a party.

 

Bambino Bougainvillea
from Hines Growers



“Bold colors are dominating this spring,” says McCoy. Purple, red and orange are showing up in many new plants, like the new dwarf Bambino Bougainvillea from Hines Growers. These new plants are more compact than traditional bougainvillea and produce abundant flowers. Plus, they’re drought tolerant once established. “They give spectacular color in the landscape, are ideal for containers and create a colorful spot in small outdoor spaces.” 



American Beauties Native Plans

Another planning idea is attracting birds and butterflies to the garden. McCoy loves native plants from American Beauties Native Plants for beautiful flowers and plants that are ideally suited for regional conditions. Plus a portion of each sale supports the National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat program.



Herbs in the landscape, in pots or in the kitchen garden are also hot this spring. Grace uses herbs to add color and texture in borders and mixes them in containers with veggies or perennials. 

Using herbs. like this wall of rosemary,
in the landscape gives gardeners beauty and function

McCoy agrees. “It’s so easy to pot up herbs indoors and out for fresh ingredients year round.” She loves the rare and traditional new herbs like stevia, lemon grass and bee balm, the herb of the year, she’s found at The Growers Exchange. “Perennial herbs like rosemary look stunning cascading over walls or out of containers,” says McCoy.

If planning a garden is challenging, it may be time to call in a professional. She says that professional landscape designers like Margie Grace, a recent International Landscape Designer of the Year, can help bring life to a garden with beautiful native and low-maintenance plants and natural materials. To find a local, professional landscape designer, check out APLD’s website.

 -Karen

Garden Media Group

American Beauties a Hit at MANTS

American Beauties native plant program was a hit at the 2010 MANTS Show. Looks as if the native plant program stood out for The Garden Center Group, too. Just saw this from Robert Hendrickson in his January Newletter:

"The timing couldn't be better for garden centers to add a program to the plant mix that focuses on native plants.

The program is a perfect tie-in to the "local is good" movement as well as being supportive of the backyard wildlife campaign thru the National Wildlife Federation.

Now there's merchandising tools like pots, bench wraps and tags available for retail growers as well as through suppliers of finished products.This is an easy, attractive and effective way to create a native plant department within your current perennial sales area."

Garden Media Group