In September, the Garden Media Group released its 2019 Garden Trends Report. This annual report, which is often spot-on in its accuracy, is designed to help growers and all horticulture industry members select the plants, products, and services that consumers are asking about the most. By taking advantage of these trends, you can present your company as a strong influencer in the industry, and hopefully breathe new life into your current business.
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The Garden Media Group's annual Garden Trends Report is designed to help growers and all horticulture industry members select the plants, products, and services that consumers are asking about the most.
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1. Indoor Generation
Today’s “Indoor Generation” might crave a connection with nature, but they are doing so from indoors. A new Indoor Generation Report shows that Americans spend 93% of their time either indoors or in vehicles. Instead of spending more time with nature, people are spending more time with their screens. This isolationism can lead to health problems, both physical and mental.
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1. Indoor Generation
Even with indoor being the new outdoor, the plant industry can help bby bringing light and fresh air to the indoor generation. According to the most recent National Gardening Survey, 30% of all households bought at least one houseplant last year, and millennials have been responsible for 31% of houseplant sales over the last few years. In addition, searches on Pinterest for indoor plants are up 90%, led by terrariums, succulents, and tropical plants.
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1. Indoor Generation
Suggestion; Promote your plants as great gifts for college students or office-bound friends.
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2. Screen Age
Whether it’s television, video games, or social media, we are simply addicted to technology. This constant barrage of blue screens can cause a lack of sleep, leading to stress.
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2. Screen Age
It’s time to teach our children that their time might be better spent away from the screen, and more into an activity like gardening, which instills everything from responsibility to patience to stewardship. Gardening can also be a family activity, with parents and children picking out plants and seeds together, putting them in containers, and helping them grow.
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2. Screen Age
Suggestion: Use signage and plant tags that highlight the value of gardening as a family.
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3. Golden Hearts
Rather than being absorbed with technology, there is a new group of environmentalists focused on creating a better future. These “golden hearts” are looking for fulfillment not from themselves, but from what the Earth can provide.
Suggestion: Join one of these organizations and promote the philanthropic initiatives your company is involved in.
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4. Root to Stem
This is based on the need to reduce waste through recycling and upcycling. For plants, it means using every part of what’s being grown.
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4. Root to Stem
Big brands such as Coca-Cola and AT&T are taking action through zero-emission deliveries and zero-landfill commitments. In the garden, composting can reduce household waste significantly.
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4. Root to Stem
Suggestion: Recycle your pots and offer recycling for your customers.
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5. Silence of the Insects
It’s a double-edged sword: The population of pollinators such as bees and butterflies is declining, while invasive pests such as spotted lanternfly are spreading due to a lack of natural predators.
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5. Silence of the Insects
Fortunately, there are a number of steps growers can take to reverse this trend, from breeding and selling more native and pollinator-friendly plants to adding ponds or compost heap to provide habitats for pollinators.
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5. Silence of the Insects
Suggestion: Monitor mulch, vehicles, and even your clothing for the presence of invasive insects.
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6. RoboGardening
Growers and gardeners alike are increasingly relying on technology, whether it’s drones, robotics, or soil moisture sensors. Even Walmart is getting into the business, as it recently filed patents for robotic bees that can monitor for crop damage and help pollinate plants.
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6. RoboGardening
Smartphone apps, such as PlantsMap, can also help organize and share information about plants.
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6. RoboGardening
Suggestion: Make investments in technology an important part of your business plan.
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7. Moonstruck
Gardening based on the phases of the moon may be based in folklore, but more people are turning to it when it comes to deciding when to plant. According to an “Old Farmer’s Almanac” tradition, growers should plant vegetables and annuals during the waxing moon, from the day the moon is new to the day it is full; flowering bulbs, and perennials should be planed after the moon is full.
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7. Moonstruck
Here’s something cool for gardeners: light-colored plants can grow at night, and can attract evening pollinators.
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7. Moonstruck
Suggestion: Add a line of moon-garden plants or host moon garden events.
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8. Get Minted
Mint-green colors are making a comeback in the home and in the garden. The blueish-green hue of mint is soft, upbeat, and easy to decorate with.
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8. Get Minted
Mint is also easy to grow and requires very little care. As a bonus, it has several purposes: Mot only is it a tasty herb, it also is a great pollinator plant.
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8. Get Minted
Suggestion: Consider adding this crop to your plant mix and incorporate this color into marketing materials such as flyers or emails.
A complete version of the report is available for download from the Garden Media Group’s website. Check out the slideshow above for a closer look at this year’s eight featured trends, and what you can do to take advantage of them.
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0158 Consumer Gardening Trends You Need to be Following
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Brian Sparks is senior editor of Greenhouse Grower and editor of Greenhouse Grower Technology. See all author stories here.
October 11, 2018 
