GWA Atlanta in Pictures

We had a blast attending GWA  Atlanta! Not only did we release our 2017 Garden Trends Report, 

we partied the night away at Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint. Thanks to our hosts, The Davey Tree Expert Company, Espoma Organic, Costa Farms, Sunlight Supply and OPCOM Farm and to all who came out!! We danced the night away!

And a HUGE Congratulations to Katie for receiving the first ever Emergent Communicator award. Well deserved! And congratulations to Garden Writers for a hugely successful event! Here's to many more! 

  

   

 

 

2016 Garden Trends Report: Sneak Peek!

For the first time in the company’s history, Garden Media is offering a sneak peek into its 2016 trend research. Below are a few of the trends on the company’s radar for 2016.

Urine Luck! "Peecycling:" the Next Trend in Sustainability

You’ve heard of recycling, and even upcycling, but there’s a new cycle in town. "Pee-cycling" is the gateway to truly living a sustainable lifestyle. This sterile human waste can be converted into a valuable fertilizer. And 2016 is the year it will happen in the U.S.

The stuff that makes up plant food: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, are all secreted in the average person’s urine. Budget-conscious consumers know that they don’t need to pay top dollar for fertilizer when they can just make it themselves. Plus, since it’s usually sterile, using it as plant food is generally safe: Even the World Health Organization has guidelines for reusing urine in agriculture.

Several wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. have been making and donating biosolids to farmers for years. But the practice has been considered controversial up until now.

Although this trend is just starting to become mainstream (some might still consider it midstream) in the U.S., according to National Geographic, "peecyling" can be documented back to 1867 and is a mainstream notion elsewhere in the world. Nepalese studies have tracked the efficacy of using urine to fertilize sweet peppers and Amsterdam's water facility held public demonstrations to encourage men to use public urinals to collect their urine for use in rooftop gardens. 

 

So think about how you can incorporate pee-cycling into your daily activities, and how can your business capitalize on this upcoming trend.

There's no such thing as waste, only waste of resources.

It All Tastes Like Chicken. We Swear.

In an effort to return back to nature and cut back on carbon footprints, edible pets are on the rise.

Today’s homesteaders and DIYers, proud backyard chicken and goat farmers, have added other high protein animals to their farmettes. From bunnies and ducks to guinea pigs and snakes, these animals are plenty of fun while they’re alive and tasty when they’re on the dinner table. 

“The idea of the good life is rapidly changing,” says Suzanne McCoy president of Garden Media. “People are not only concerned about what they’re putting in their gardens, but also about what’s on their plates. They’re taking charge of the entire food chain — even using organic animal droppings to fertilize their gardens.” 

With most millennials just being dirt poor, raising and eating pets enables this generation to save on groceries and still feel like they’re splurging on the organic food they crave. The added responsibility of taking care of live animals is a bonus for this generation that’s tired of playing Farmville on their smartphones. 

“There used to be this stigma attached to eating your pets,” says millennial Latie Dubow. “But no one cares about that anymore. I’m more concerned about where the food I’m feeding my baby is coming from and there’s no better place than from my backyard. Since you can put practically anything in a stew, we’re raising goats, fish and even some smaller creatures so my daughter can grow up playing and eating all kinds.” 

Garden companies can capitalize on this new lifestyle by offering organic pet foods and hosting pot luck events. 

Stay tuned in 2016 for our full complement of garden trends.

New Vibrant Garden Plants & Products for Spring 2015

Warm weather and blooming foliage are on the horizon. In anticipation, Garden Media Group has released its much awaited 2015 Garden Superstars for Spring. Making an appearance on this year’s list are breathtaking patio plantings, chemical-free lawn care products and a new spin on a traditional garden flower.

Much of the winter is spent wishing for warmth and color. Now, it’s time to grow! These low maintenance and durable plants and products leave a lasting impression with their easy outdoor style and vibrant appeal.

Garden Superstars will inspire and influence gardening and “green-living” amongst new demographics such as Hispanics and Millennials, as well as seasoned gardeners.

Make the Most of Labor Day with Gardening Tips from Garden Media

Labor Day marks the end of summer and time to prepare the yard and garden for Old Man Winter.

“Spending time outside in your garden this Labor Day weekend while the weather is nice is the perfect time to get a jumpstart on spring,” says Suzi McCoy, president of Garden Media Group, a public relations and marketing firm specializing in the garden industry.

Put gardens on the fast track to success this fall with these Labor Day gardening projects from Garden Media Group:

Garden Media Group Catches Rising Star in Jourdan Cole

Jourdan Cole, a rising star in the world of journalism, has joined Garden Media Group as an assistant account executive. Cole brings a wealth of award-winning writing experience and national recognition to GMG. 

Before joining Garden Media, Cole was edited and oversaw the production of 25 monthly community magazines. She managed a team of writers and interfaced with community leaders across the country.

While studying at Penn State University, Cole wrote and edited for The Daily Collegian. She received both the national and regional Mark of Excellence Awards for editorial writing by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Gardening Spotlighted at the Largest Event for Women in Social Media in the World

As interest in outdoor living and decorating continues to grow, especially in the blogosphere, Garden Media Group once again will introduce new content, plants and garden products to thousands of key bloggers at the 10th annual BlogHer Conference in San Jose, California.

Some 4,000 social media experts in food, parenting, health and wellness, entertainment, style, social change, politics, technology and business are expected to attend the conference.

This year, Garden Media , the top public relations firm in the outdoor living industry, returns with its popular pop-up “Garden Shop” to introduce the world of gardening to even more bloggers. Located at Booth #306, the “Garden Shop” is open from 9 AM to 6 PM July 25-26.

Using Instagram in Your Garden Business

Instagram is now a part of the personal realm, but it should also be in the professional world. 44% of American adults have a smart phone, which means they can easily snap a vintage-chic picture on their Android or iPhone.

Instagram is free and has its own social network—while also easily hooking up to other social media platforms. 40% of Interbrand’s top 100 brands use Instagram, but does it make sense for your business?

Instagram has over 80 million users, and even if your garden business is focused on B2B or consumers, there’s a way to integrate Instagram into your media relations plan.
Below are 4 ways to use Instagram to spice up company announcements!

New Product
After months of creation, testing, and production, a new product is finally here! A press release is soon to follow, but snap a picture of it on Instagram too! Capture the essence of the product in a memorable photo. Don’t just randomly take a picture of the product on your desk. Be wise. Create a true scene. Go outside. Be adventurous.

In essence, your picture should reflect the vibe of your product.

New Hire
Wahoo! You’ve added a new partner to your garden business. Use Instagram to broadcast your new expansion. Don’t upload their professional headshot. Instagram thrives on lax images. Showcase the new hire surrounded by their favorite things, hard at work at their customized desk, or just hanging around the office.

A new hire reflects your garden company’s culture, so take a picture that fits this image.

Upcoming Event
Posting a picture to garner hype for an upcoming event is one of my favorite parts of Instagram! Planning an event takes oodles of time, but there are many iconic images that could (and should!) easily be shared. The customized tablescape, the city it will be in, the wine you’ll be serving—each small aspect of an event echoes your garden company’s taste.
Plus, with all of these awe-inspiring images, you’ll more than likely have a few Instagram followers ask for an invitation. Who knows they could just be your next client!

Award
Receiving an award either at a live-event or in a news article is so incredibly exciting! You and your garden team work hard and having that hard work recognized is like no other feeling. Share your hard work, and humanize your company. I’m not talking about the obligatory handshaking, award winning picture. Blah, it’s been done!

I’m talking about the CEO looking truly ecstatic backstage, or your team hugging in a true moment of bliss.

Instagram is for capturing atypical moments, so don’t just broadcast the same professional images we’ve all seen a million times before. 

Humanize your brand  by sharing images that are fun, creative, and unique. 

Have fun with it!! And, learn a bit more about how to Instagram properly with our e-book below! 

Pinterest Boosts Press Release Results

Pinterest recently became the third-most-popular social network in the world with 11-plus million users.

You're already using SEO to drive your press releases, but how can you use Pinterest to expand your reach? Try these tips:

1. Add an infographic to your release, then pin it.
Infographics are hot. Our clients are starting to use them more and more to help explain useful or helpful information to their customers.  Including a relevant infographic with your press release is still an unusual way to give media and news outlets a visual to go with the story.
For inspiration, try searching using the keyword "infographic." Our favorite is this one about the benefits of gardening.

Run the infographic with your wire release, embed it in your email and BE SURE to upload it on Pinterest, with a hyperlink to the full release.

No inforgraphic? Use a captivating or beautiful photo to achieve similar results!

2. Create a Pinterest newsroom
If you are pinning one press release, why not create a corporate newsroom pinboard to showcase it, along with your other media/news assets? It can mirror your website's newsroom, or enhance it with fresh material. Here is a great example from MGM Resorts.

In addition to press releases and infographics, your newsroom pinboard should include news clips, company blog posts, short pitches or expert opinion comments and video.  Video goes a long way on the web.

Another powerful media tool is an executive staff pinboard, which links headshot photos to biographies, bylined articles, and other content that demonstrates their credibility as an expert resource.

When you quote them in a press release, try linking their name directly to their pinboard for added oomph.

3. Create a pinboard that fits your infographic or news topic.
This capitalizes on search traffic and creates a natural platform for your news and/or infographic.
For example, if your press release is about a fabulous new plant or an event being held at your local garden center, look online for inspiration.  A pinboard on "Fall Festivals" or "New Plants for Spring" or "Garden Trends", might target your audience nicely and complement the topic of your release/infographic.

If your press release launches a new software product, then pinning screen captures and packaging photography might be a great start to your board.

4. Optimize the pin using the same keywords optimized in your press release.
SEO is your best friend on Pinterest. Google likes Pinterest and ranks pages high, sometimes within a few days.  Including targeted keywords from your release can magically propel your pin visibility—and thus your press release—so it's well worth the minor time investment.

Amplify your news results when you optimize your pins for the same keywords used in your release. How? Just include the same primary keyword in the title of your pinboard, wrap them into the description of each pin, then add them as a hashtag.

5. Use Pinterest for free market research.
Not only is Pinterest valuable as a post-distribution strategy, but it can spark great ideas for trend releases and bylined article topics. First, use Pinterest to identify what is being repinned and liked. Create a pinboard around a popular topic, optimize it for search, then support it with a trends or expert opinion press release that links right back to your Pinterest board. Voila—newsworthy content on a very hot topic!

If you're looking for more tips on how to maximize your garden business using Pinterest, download our free e-book:

 

-Katie

Top 4 Public Relations Tips from the 2012 Political Conventions

From Clint Eastwood’s now infamous chair speech to Bill Clinton’s awe-inspiring delivery, both parties’ conventions have been dominating the prime media spot for the past two weeks. 


Now that’s some good PR...but mistakes have been made as well.

We, at Garden Media, know we can learn much from the blunders and triumphs of the most planned, carefully calculated events of the year.

Below are the top four PR lessons learned from this year’s conventions: 
#1. Check Your Facts.

The Democrats and Republicans alike have taught us to never manipulate facts or flat-out lie. Republican VP candidate, Paul Ryan, was called out numerous times during his prime time speech at the convention. And likewise at the Democratic convention, President Obama and VP Joe Biden have had every word and fact they touted similarly scrutinized. When the news covered their respective speeches, the focus was on their incorrect facts, not the core content of their speeches. With a seemingly endless supply of media outlets, the truth will be found out and made public. If the facts are wrong, credibility and trustworthiness go down! Lesson Learned: Check your facts again and again (and again)!

#2. Heart Matters. 
 Politics can be a bit boring on occasion; a speech can be too dry or drag on for too long. But, there’s one surefire way to hold an audience’s attention. Speak from the heart. In a prime time television slot, Americans don’t want to feel like they’re being read to off a teleprompter; they want to feel the emotion and true passion of the candidates.  Viewers turn in to be inspired, not to hear a bedtime story. Lesson Learned: Share your passion; it’s contagious! 

#3. Social Media Shines.
In 2008, Obama captured the youth vote by his heavy use of social media. As we already know in PR, you’ve got to keep up with the times! Yes, that means Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Pinterest and LinkedIn! Learn to love them! Social media provides listeners at home with a platform to express instantly express their thoughts; plus, we on the PR side get quantifiable numbers. Statweestics calculates the hottest hashtags, users, words, and locations of the day. It’s the easiest tool to use, costs nothing, and provides hard numbers fast. Lesson Learned: Milk that tweet; its payoff is sweet!

#4. Be Mindful of External Factors.
Even though these conventions are supposed to be one of the most planned, well-calculated events of the year, both faced big hiccups this year. The Democrats had to compete with MTV’s Video Music Awards while the Republicans battled tropical storm Isaac. Obama lost the fight for the nation’s eyes; the VMA’s got more tweets! While in Florida, Romney’s speech was postponed while thoughts drifted from the party’s policies to the surrounding states’ safety. No matter how earth-shattering a new policy idea is, it’s nearly impossible to rival a storm that’s presently shattering the earth. Know the risks! The VMA’s are the same time every year, and well, tropical storms aren’t something new for Florida. Lesson Learned: Take every possible factor into consideration.

Don't learn your lessons the hard way.  Let us help you create your lawn and garden pr strategy. Call us.

Urban Agriculture in LA Backyards

Do you live in an urban area but crave the freshness of homegrown?

Well now, if you're an LA resident, Farmscape is here to help.  This new urban agriculture company is proving that there's enough of an appetite for residential farming to turn the proposition into a high-growth business. 

Home Grown tastes better!  (Photo via GOOD)

According to GOOD, "Projects range from a rooftop garden on a downtown Los Angeles highrise to small plots for families. An exciting project in the works is a three-quarter acre-sized farm for a restaurant in the West San Fernando Valley. And the diversity of the projects is echoed by the diversity of their clients. "When we first started, we expected that our clients would be of a higher income level and would be two-parent working families," says Rachel Bailin, Farmscape's marketing manager. Instead, Farmscape has been delighted to build gardens for preschool teachers, single mothers, and institutions and businesses that want employee gardens as perks."

An Urban Garden (photo via Farmscape)

So far they've installed more than 300 urban farms throughout the L.A. area and maintain 150 of them weekly.

Bailin says the challenges of farming in Los Angeles are manifold. "You have to account for  spaces that haven't had life or biodiversity for decades and then you kind of have to bring it back." The company uses raised beds to avoid contaminated soil and drip irrigation systems to provide water.

Read more at Good Magazine or on Farmscape's website.   

-Katie @KatieGMG
Garden Media

2012 ASLA Survey Shows Top Outdoor Living Trends for 2012

Design by Dan Maffei, APLD

The American love affair with the back yard shows no signs of slowing, according to the 2012 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends survey conducted by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

The results show a preference for a low maintenance outdoor space for lots of entertaining.

American Beauties Native Plant Garden

Landscape architects with a specialization in residential design across the country were asked to rate the expected popularity of a variety of residential outdoor design elements. The category of gardens and landscape spaces, with 94.9 percent rating somewhat or very popular, was followed closely by outdoor livings spaces at 91.5 percent, which were defined as kitchen and entertainment spaces.

Across all categories, here's how respondents rated things:

• 97.4% rated grills as somewhat or very in-demand for 2012
• 96.6% rated low-maintenance landscapes
• 95.8% rated fireplaces/fire pits (95.8 percent)
• 95.7% rated seating & dining areas (95.7 percent)
• 93.1% rated lighting features
• 89.9% rated decorative water elements

Garden trends are on the top of our minds. Be sure to sign up for our 2013-14 Garden Trends Report.

Suzi
Garden Media Group

Happy Birthday, America!

The Biochar Company goes to Hawaii

The Biochar Company, makers of Soil Reef™ soil amendment, are joining forces with one of the most successful biochar production companies in the US, Hawaii Biochar Products, LLC. 

Hawaii Biochar Products, owned and operated by Josiah Hunt, has produced over 100 tons of biochar, an average of one ton per week, since the company’s inception in 2009.  

Listening to Hunt explain biochar at TEDx Hilo makes me want to both save the world and move to Hawaii!

According to Lopa Brunjes, co-director at The Biochar Company, “Josiah is one of the leaders in the biochar industry. He is a wise, old young man whose whole heart is vested in developing biochar. We are so lucky to have him, and Hawaii Biochar Products, as part of our greater mission.”

Josiah Hunt with char 

Hunt wants the same thing. “If I am really going to make a difference, I need to make a heck of lot more biochar,” he says. “I have the motivation, the experience and the relationships. I have some great partners, as well—but I needed a partner with the capacity and shared vision that The Biochar Company team has, to really help make biochar happen.”

Touted for greater fertilizer efficiency, greater water efficiency, greater microbial activity, and greater yield, biochar, or, biological charcoal, is used for soil building and to enhance overall soil health. 

“Soil is like a pot of chili. It’s not just the beans. It’s not just the meat. It’s not just the veggies or the spices. It’s the whole thing, and the flavors are complimentary,” says Hunt. 

Josiah Hunt's "coral reef for the soil"

“Charcoal is a naturally occurring element of soil and is not something new. The practice of using charcoal in agriculture is actually very old and most cases forgotten,” Hunt explains. “In the realm of science involving waste management, energy production, climate change mitigation and agriculture, the paradigm was so exciting it had to be given a name—biochar.”

“The future of biochar lies not just in farmyards, but in backyards,” says Hunt. “Every gardener can make a difference.”

Read more about the partnership here.  And buy Soil Reef at select Whole Foods stores in the mid-Atlantic or at www.soilreef.com 

-Katie @KatieGMG
Garden Media

Using Pinterest for the Garden Industry

Garden Media Free E-Book

Pinterest has captured the attention of the media and the masses alike since its inception in 2010. But, some businesses are still left wondering how to use Pinterest to increase their social reputation. 

In this free Pinterest for Businesses e-book from Garden Media, businesses can learn how to create a Pinterest account, grow followers, attract attention, improve click-thrus and spread the word about new products or services.

For those not in the know, Pinterest is a social network that allows users to visually share, curate, and discover new interests by posting, or ‘pinning,’ images or videos to boards. Its ease of use for visually bookmarking, organizing and sharing things has made it a hit - 11.7 million unique U.S. hits to be exact - according to Pinterest’s Wikipedia page.

For me, Pinterest is about finding Do-It-Yourself projects. I pin pictures of beautiful gardens, hot upcoming trends and decorating ideas to the Garden Media Pinterest board, as a reminder about what’s cool in the lawn and garden industry. 

Garden Media Pinterest Board

I started using Pinterest as a virtual idea board for wedding planning. It's a lot cheaper and cleaner than tearing out pages from magazines. 

Now at Garden Media, we’re looking at what’s happening in Europe and Asia. We’re pinning photos of what we think is going to make a ripple in garden and outdoor living.  

Our Pinterest e-book suggests capitalizing on the popularity of info graphics, which do very well on Pinterest. If you have any industry data that you can visualize, do so before someone beats you to it.

You can hold contests, add the ‘Pin It’ button to your website, and let other users contribute their own pins to your business pinboard -- especially if their content includes your product.

2013 Garden Trends

The trick to succeeding on Pinterest is not showing off your products and services directly. It is about finding creative ways to show how those products and services fit into the lifestyles of your target audience.

Even though the site’s current users are about 70 percent female, Pinterest is continuing to grow. Early this year, it became the third most-popular social network, behind Facebook and Twitter, according to a report by Experian Marketing Services. 

Bottom line: Pinterest helps drive traffic to your website, so if a business isn’t playing in this social space, it’s missing out.  

 

For more information on Garden Media visit http://www.gardenmediagroup.com.
-Katie @KatieGMG

The Next Big Thing: Raspberry Shortcake from Fall Creek Nursery

My Raspberry Shortcake (TM) planted up

 One of the many perks of working for the Garden Media Group is that we get the chance to test out new products and plants before they're available to consumers. This summer I'm so excited to be trialing Fall Creek Farm & Nursery's new Raspberry Shortcake (TM) from their new BrazelBerries(R) Collection.

Birds eye view of my Raspberry Shortcake (TM)

This little compact beauty is the first thornless raspberry to hit the market. It grows to a height of 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall and really thrives in containers. And since it doesn't have thorns, it's a perfect plant for allowing kids to harvest fruit right in their own backyard.

Raspberry Shortcake (TM) from Fall Creek Nursery

I planted mine up in full-sun a few weeks ago in one of my containers.  If all goes well, I'll have full-size, super sweet raspberries next summer just like this photo to the right.  I'll be sure to post more pictures at the end of the summer, so you can see it how it's progressing.

If you want to be the first of your friends to try out this incredible new raspberry, you can order it online through White Flower here.

-Stacey
Garden Media Group