How Climate Change Prevention Can Be Part of Your Plant Marketing Efforts

Visit any garden center, and you’re bound to see plants highlighted for their specific purposes, whether it’s cold hardiness, pollinator-friendly, or drought tolerant. Now, Pennsylvania-based Mostardi Nursery has added to that list with plants and gardening strategies that can combat climate change.

I noticed this when one of Mostardi’s recent e-newsletters arrived in my inbox. The subject line “Combat Climate Change” caught my attention, and when I opened it, it offered 12 gardening strategies that anyone could follow, including:

• Growing edibles: “Growing fruits and vegetables will not only lower grocery bills, but will also lower emissions, since there will be no shipping to bring food from the garden to the table.”
• Mulching: “A thick layer of mulch on top of garden soil or flower beds will not only control weeds and moderate soil temperature, but will also help minimize water evaporation and control erosion.”
• Using timers. “Opting for timers for automated gardening tasks will help reduce energy and resource use.”
• Planting trees. “Trees are the most efficient plants at removing carbon dioxide from the air, and adding just one to two trees to your landscape can provide shade, serve as a windbreak, shelter wildlife, and more.

At a time when the horticulture industry is looking for ways to keep consumers buying plants, the right marketing approach could offer broad appeal. In addition to the steps companies such as Mostardi Nursery are taking, here are a few more resources:

• National Wildlife Federation: Gardening for Climate Change
• Arbor Day Foundation: How Trees Help Fight Climate Change
• University of Maryland: Sustainable Gardening Solutions to Climate Change