Inflationary pressures are seeping through the cracks and influencing pretty much all of our purchases. I feel like my local grocery store increased the price of every product by at least a dollar, and I bet you feel that way, too. A National Gardening Association survey shows that the lawn and garden category was not immune to those pressures in 2022, and this situation will likely continue through 2023. 

The National Gardening Survey for 2022 found that inflation was a major factor for more than half of the folks responding to the survey. Inflation impacted both their planning of and participation in lawn and gardening activities. Ways that consumers combatted inflation were using water wisely, buying plants on sale and growing plants from seed. The survey also reveals that more than one-third of households surveyed plan to increase their spending on lawn and garden products in 2023 over 2022, especially in the food gardening category. To counter, however, more households plan to decrease their spending on flower gardening and lawn care.

Just because prices go up doesn’t mean participation in lawn and garden activities goes down. In fact, in 2022, 80% of American households participated in gardening in some way, mostly in the lawn care sector. Indoor houseplant gardening participation between 2021 and 2022 saw a big jump; in fact, it had the biggest participation increase of any of the lawn and garden activities.

Younger folks are more likely to be first-time participants or to try a new lawn/garden activity. On average, lawn and garden spending is rising, with the average going from $542 in 2021 to $616 in 2022. Younger folks—specifically those in the 18-44 age group—saw the largest increases in spending.

Head over HERE to learn more about the survey and its findings.

Rather than looking at spring sales through the weather lens as I often ask you to do, consider your spring so far from an inflationary pressure perspective. Can you notice if customers are anxious as they stroll through your benches? Are baskets less full and sales per ring down this year? Any other signs of how pocketbooks and paychecks might be impacting sales? Drop me a note about it HERE.

But yes, weather is still the major yay or nay when it comes to weekly spring sales. “UGH!” Elizabeth Russell-Skehan of Russell’s Garden Center replied to my question last week. “When the rain finally breaks we will be ready! What’s selling well are cool-weather veggies and herbs and pansies (long season this year). I hope people realize that gardening in the rain is a good activity because you usually don’t have to water after planting!” That’s what I like to hear, a big dose of optimism. Don’t worry, Elizabeth, Jacob on our local CBS station says this weekend will be sunny and in the upper 60s.

Let’s continue on both the “inflation stinks” and “let’s help customers save money” themes. Our fun friends at Mossify, the group that sells the different styles of bendable moss poles, is having a sale to celebrate the company’s third birthday, and you can pass that savings on to your customers.

But did you know they sell so much more than just bendable moss poles? So much more! Upwards of 70 different items, actually. And all of it is subject to a promotion of 33% off their products—that’s for both consumers and wholesalers. It’s a limited-time sale—from May 1-18.

If you haven’t shopped from Mossify yet or aren’t familiar with their products, take it from me—these folks are the nicest (they are Canadian, after all). Watch the video promoting their sale HERE.

You know who can help you save money? Sales reps. I have news of several new hires with two different companies, and I bet you can approach any of these folks to see what kind of deals and products will serve your customers best.

First, let’s meet someone new at Bailey Nurseries. Cory VonEgidy is the newest Territory Sales Representative in southern New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Cory is also finishing up a degree in agriculture business management. His previous experience in residential and commercial landscape design and his education give him a great starting point in this new role. You can reach Cory HERE.

Let’s move on to Eason Horticultural Products (EHR), who has just hired David Alm to join the team as the Long Island and metro New York sales rep. He’s been in the industry a long time, getting his start at Hicks Nurseries at the tender age of 14. With stints at Conard-Pyle, Hines Nurseries, Star Roses and Plants and his own brokerage company, David is more than ready to take on this role at EHR.

EHR has also hired Carolyn Begg. She’ll be joining their national sales team. Carolyn has spent the last 20 years servicing landscapers, wholesalers and garden centers in Canada and the U.S., where she focused on quality, service and a commitment to providing the best plant material possible.

I do not have contact information for David nor Carolyn, but you can probably reach them and find out more about the company on the EHR WEBSITE.

Another way you can assist your customers in their effort to save money is to help them save time. And you can do that by already having the products they are searching for on hand.

I was reminded of this when I received an email from Monrovia about the top trends influencing consumers’ plant choices in 2023. To know what your customers are searching for, you need to be up on their interests. Through their research and consumer interaction, Monrovia has determined gardening consumers will be on the hunt for items following these three trends:

Nostalgia varieties. Consumers are wanting the classics—roses, hydrangea, peonies that you might think are “old fashioned” but are actually currently on trend. We’re talking big blooms, soft colors. “Modern breeding is making these traditional plants even better for home gardeners, making them easier to grow and providing more blooms than shrubs of the past,” Monrovia’s Chief Marketing Officer Katie Tamony said of this trend. “Helping your customers connect the old with the new can play to their affection for the past.”

Photo credit: Doreen Wynja for Monrovia 

Wilding. We’re talking natural-looking spaces with this trend. Unlandscaped landscapes, we’ll call them, with plants for pollinators, edibles mixed in with the ornamentals and the general category of native. “Home gardeners are drawn to the term native, but that term can mean different things to each person,” Katie said in the press release. “Many times, they are looking for climate appropriate plants, pollinator attractors or drought tolerant varieties. Showing your customers not only natives, but other problem-solving plants can open a whole new selection for their garden.”

Private retreats. Plants are the perfect accessory to upscale relaxation spaces and private retreats as they define the space and allow a connection to nature. Think grasses, large houseplants used outdoors and splurges on “it” plants.

At the same time you are trying to help your customers deal with inflationary pressures, you also need to think about your own bottom line. It’s that careful balance of pricing something reasonably while also not leaving money on the table. I recently ran across a five-point pricing strategy from the folks at Forbes.com that’ll help you figure out how to strike a balance between asking too much and not getting enough.

Understand your costs. Consider fixed costs (rent, salaries, utilities, insurance, etc.) and also your variable costs, such as what is need to produce your product or service.

Understand your target market. Know who you are selling to! What are their needs and what do they value?

Analyze your competition. What are they offering, pricewise? And what made them decide on their own pricing strategy? Avoid lowering prices just to match or better them, however.

Test your prices. Before writing those prices in permanent marker, test your new prices and get customer reactions to them.

Monitor and adjust. Prices aren’t carved in stone! See how customers react, what demands are and what the economic mood is and then adjust as necessary.

Clear as mud? Read more about this five-point strategy HERE.

This newsletter comes to you for free thanks to advertising. We love and appreciate and need advertisers! So it’s really quite odd that I would suggest ways for you to get free advertising for your business. But I understand that you might be looking for ways to get your information out there with as little monetary expenditure as possible on your end.

I came across a listing of 40 ways that small businesses can get free advertising. Yes, 40! I’m listing just a quarter of them here:

1. Online directories such as Google My Business
2. Social media
3. Content marketing via blogs and videos
4. Networking events such as the local Chamber of Commerce
5. Referral programs
6. Guest blog on someone else’s site
7. Email marketing
8. Community involvement
9. Cross-promotion with allied businesses
10. Pitch a story to media outlets

There are a ton more—30, actually—listed HERE, including online forums and sampling events. And I know not all of them are applicable to you or your business. I do want you to know this one thing as you consider dropping whatever paid marketing program you have in favor of freebies: You’ll find yourself (or your staff) spending a lot of time pursuing these no- or low-cost marketing options. And what is time? Time is money. You might find that it’s more cost-effective for you to employ a combination of both “free” and paid marketing options. And just like the pricing strategy mentioned previously, be sure to monitor your efforts and adjust accordingly.

Online gardening resource Gardening Know How has conferred 20 sponsorships to community gardening initiatives for the 2022 season. Now in its fifth year, the highly competitive program promotes and supports initiatives that encourages and stimulates gardening, horticulture and sustainable practices in the U.S. and Canada. The financial grants of $1,000 each to individuals and organizations help a diverse range of programming, from community and school gardens to local ag programs to tackle food insecurity and programs that aid PTSD issues in the veteran population.

The 2022 Gardening Know How sponsorship recipients are (in alphabetical order):

1. Affordable Housing Ohana Garden, Kamuela, Hawaii
2. Community Greenhouse and Composting, Richland Hills, Texas
3. Douglas Discovery Garden, Illinois
4. Edible Garden & Orchard, Mongaup Valley, New York
5. Elmsdale Community Garden, Elmsdale, Nova Scotia, Canada
6. Gainesville Giving Garden, Gainesville, Florida
7. Grow at GIVE, Norcross, Georgia
8. KinPark Community Gardens, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
9. Linda Taylor Desert Sky Edible Garden, Bend, Oregon
10. Nana’s House Community Garden, Malabar, Florida
11. OWC Microgreens, Vernon, Connecticut
12. Pat Mraz Ben Franklin School Garden, North Royalton, Ohio
13. Pine Manor Community Garden and Food Forest, Fort Myers, Florida
14. Revive the Special Ed School Garden, Las Vegas, Nevada
15. San Antonio Park Community Garden, Oakland, California
16. Sharing is Caring Neighborhood Block Garden, Detroit, Michigan
17. Sharpsville Community Unity Garden Project, Sharpsville, Pennsylvania
18. WayGreen Heritage Garden, Waycross, Georgia
19. West Park Elementary Garden Projects, Napa, California
20. William Allen School Garden, Rochester, New Hampshire

But wait, there’s more! Not only do these recipients receive grant money, they also benefit from Gardening Know How’s support in the form of educational resources, marketing assistance and other tools to help them achieve their goals. It’s like the grant money just doubled, honestly.

“We are thrilled to continue our sponsorship program in 2022 and provide support to grassroots gardening initiatives that have a social impact on their own communities,” said Gardening Know How CEO Peggy Doyle. “We are committed to helping gardeners of all levels and backgrounds succeed and achieve their goals.”

For more information about Gardening Know How and its sponsorship program, please visit Gardening Know How.

There’s more grant money out there for other gardening initiatives. KidsGardening.com and Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day have paired up to present the Lots of Compassion grant program, which is designed to support local leaders hoping to transform vacant lots into gardens.

The grant program will award 10 programs a total of $20,000 each to transform a vacant lot into a garden that will grow compassion in their communities. These funds will be used specifically to help nonprofit organizations, school districts, universities, groups, religious organizations or other tax-exempt entities in the U.S. to build a garden in a vacant lot. Did you know that roughly 15% of land in urban cities is deemed vacant or abandoned? Aside from the trash that accumulates in these spaces, these empty lots can leave a neighborhood feeling unsafe, unsanitary and undervalued—I know firsthand because my own neighborhood has about a dozen unkempt and unloved vacant spaces of its own. A grant of $20,000 can do a world of good.

Get on this grant quickly! Applications are due June 2. Find more information HERE.

Do you know what May 6 is? It’s World Naked Gardening Day! If it isn’t obvious what one does on Naked Gardening Day, it’s a day where one should feel comfortable doing various gardening tasks in the buff. Started way back in 2005 as a day to discourage body shaming and experience a true connection to nature, today it’s a lighthearted event that is more apt to illicit snickers.

If you’re wondering which U.S. cities are the best places to experience World Naked Gardening Day, LawnStarter compiled that list HERE. It should come as no surprise that eight of the Top 10 are in the southern half of the country, with the other two being Seattle (I can see that) and Philadelphia (why?). 

Coincidentally, May is Melanoma Awareness Month, this past Monday was Melanoma Monday and National Sunscreen Day takes place on May 27. If you’re going to bare your body’s largest organ (your skin), do be sure to protect it from the sun’s damaging rays.