I would say we are off to a great start—at least based on previous scores for the same weekend. The amalgamation of all your scores yields 6.9 in the U.S. and 5.3 in Canada, well above the 13-year average of 6.3/4.9.

More importantly, 6.9 ranks as one of the best U.S. scores for this weekend, only being bested by 2021 when it was Easter weekend (8.9), 2024 (also Easter, 7.8) and 2012 (7.0). Five of you (11%) scored it a perfect 10—two in Alabama, two in North Carolina and one in Oklahoma. However, there were enough 1s and 2s (Michigan, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois) to drag down the average. Otherwise, who knows how good it could have been.

And Canada, your 5.3 is only beaten by 2021 (Easter, 10), 2023 (7.8) and 2018 (Easter, 6.4).

Here’s the map:

That’s based on 58 scores from 33 states and three provinces (last year for this weekend I received 69 scores from 34 states and 4 provinces). Not as many scores or states as I’d like to get, but you can certainly see the colors are representative of how the season should be this time of year—brisk down south and slow, but building, up north. Regardless, send me those scores every Monday when I send you my reminder email!

I will say that things are looking positive right now. First, retailers in the south (mainly Florida) who I’ve talked to say sales have been strong. And the comments you’ll read below reflect that. Some retailers even came close to setting records. Of course, this was a weekend before all the talk of tariffs and the stock market decline, etc. … might that have a cooling effect on gardeners? Maybe a few—Jesse Shelton from Kentucky notes that his rural customers “are tightening their belts.” But overall, I’ll bet the regular gardeners will garden no matter what. The key is to be ready for them and to give them nice plants to choose from. Also, be positive! Plants are the best value and best investment out there, providing physical and emotional well-being. 

And weather! This nice weather has many of you feeling positive about the possibilities.

Here are your comments about the last week/weekend:

North Carolina (10+). “Biggest March sales day ever on Saturday. Picture-perfect weather. Third-highest sales day ever.”—Judy Mitchell, Mitchell’s Nursery & Greenhouse

North Carolina (10). “Speechless for a March weekend! We started the day Friday -6% YTD and ended Saturday +1% YTD. It was an amazing weekend, and we hadn’t even begun Sunday hours yet.”—Jake Scott, Piedmont Feed & Garden Center

Alabama (10). “Year so far has been a 6. Down 20% until this week. Really popped Saturday, making it our second-best week ever. Now only down 10%. Fingers crossed!”—John David Boone, Dothan Nurseries

Kentucky (8.5). “Probably would have went to a 9 if the foliage carrier had arrived on schedule so that we’d been fully stocked on houseplants and tropicals. Great sales all spring on fruit trees, brambles, strawberries—anything a person can grow to eat. Poor sales (to be kind) on ornamental nursery items. Folks around here—rural farm country—are tightening their belts. Many will admit to a bit of trepidation about the economy.”—Jesse Shelton, Shelton’s Greenhouses

Ohio (8). “Weather was decent and we had a lot of customers. And since we got a liquor license, Sunday Plant Bingo is quite the par-tay!”—Chris Baker, Baker’s Acres

Nevada (8). “Good weekend sales for very early spring in high desert; helped by short-term weather break from cold and windy conditions.”—Bruce Gescheider, Moana Nursery

Washington (8). “A good start for the season. We’ve had a cold, wet March (significantly wetter than last year) so we’re off to a slower start than last season, but all in all, I think the customer enthusiasm is there. Gardeners are just waiting for better weather to start going crazy!”—David Vos, Vander Giessen Nursery

British Columbia (7.9). “Cool, but sunny after incessant rains, and folks were happy to be out and about, making for easy-going customer service. Still, our nighttime lows had us cautioning against some of the more weather-sensitive purchases, leaving us just a hair behind (the) same weekend last year.”—Renata Triveri, Grow & Gather Trice Farms

Iowa (7.5). “Beautiful spring weather on Saturday and Sunday combined with a seminar on orchids for a hopping day at the garden center. Sunday started off rainy but busy and then tapered off around 2 p.m. as the temperature dropped steadily and skies turned gray. Sales good enough to eek out March and [put our] first quarter up over last year.”—Kate Terrell, Wallace’s Garden Center

Washington (7.5). “Saturday was strong … shows that the folks are just waiting for the weather to happen. Sunday was wet and windy—NOT what we hoped for or needed.”—Kathy Wheaton, Kathy’s Corner

Washington, Oregon, Idaho (7.5). “A bit sluggish, but kind of to be expected this time of year. A lot of recent rain and stormy weather probably isn’t helping. Looking forward to some forecasted sunshine!”—Tom Van Wingerden, Van Wingerden Greenhouses

Massachusetts (7.5). “The weekend before, many were very pleased, with a rating of 8 to 9. Good weather—they are very pleased with the start of the season.”—Bob Luczai, Ball Seed

Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York (7). “Saturday was really strong for March. Weather was warm in some markets.”—Andy Sausser, Corso’s Horticulture

Virginia (7). “Transaction count isn’t what we want to see yet, but the weather was great and revenues were very good.”—Duane Weaver, Milmont Greenhouses

Minnesota (7). “People are slowly beginning to ‘Think Spring.’ But we are still waiting for a good forecast of above-freezing night temperatures. It’s looking like middle of next week we should have the green light to start moving out early spring pansies and violas. Until then, it’s full speed ahead on planting.”—Jay Holasek, Fred Holasek and Son Greenhouse

Virginia (7). “After a sluggish start to March, we are happy to report that business is picking up. Time to sell plants while the sun shines!”—Gary Garner III, Gary’s Garden Center

Ontario (3). “Too much rain. We barely avoided the ice storm predicted for the entire province this weekend. Last year it was Easter. This year we get freezing rain. (I wish I could add some emojis to this reply.)”—Maryann Vandermeer, Vandermeer Nursery & Garden Centre

Here’s some fantastic intelligence from The Garden Center Group, courtesy of Managing Director and “Chief Instigator” Danny Summers. This is based on the weekly survey GCG does of its member IGCs—real-world sales data, not just an “amalgamation of opinion” as Dr. Charlie Hall calls my survey.

Here’s Danny’s intel, uncut:

Here we are in Week 13, and on average, we are seeing more of a traditional pattern for spring arrival. While last year, we saw an early jump, it has not been the case this year. But the last two weeks is showing the expected rise in traffic and sales gains. By Week 10, we were at -10.7% in YTD sales, and now, after two strong weeks, the YTD deficit is now at -7.1% with much larger weeks ahead. 

In the first graph of our “Big Three: (Sales, Transaction Counts and Average Sale) in green showing each week’s sales, the line is 2025 and the bar is 2024. You can see the early sales last year in Weeks 8-10 and how we are beginning to see gains.

The next graph in gold is Transaction Counts and it mirrors the sales pattern for the most part.

And the last graph reflects Average Sale. It is more erratic in early weeks but now beginning to level off and become more reflective of higher traffic.

The last two charts show The Big Three by region. The first is our Week 13 numbers. While Week 12 sales were +36.3%, produced primarily by big Transaction Count gains, this week was only up +5.2%.

The second is our YTD Big Three by region. The more Southern regions are the ones showing larger deficits, as they are the ones up against the bigger early weeks in 2024.

Overall, the next six weeks are crucial, as always. Weather ratings (which The Group also tracks) will be a big part of our results. Every garden center has to be at its very best and ready for every customer to walk through the gate or door!

Will it all come together to be a great spring … preparation, weather and traffic? We are intently watching!

Thanks, Danny! Comments on GCG’s results? Let me know HERE.

While Jen, Bill, Osvaldo and I are traveling the California Spring Trials, we always get questions by other attendees about what we’ve seen that we like, or remember, or we think will change the industry. For some reason, it’s hard when you’re in the heat of battle to remember what you saw over yesterday or the day before, let alone that morning, so our answers go like, “Jen, what was the name of that dahlia at Dümmen? The big bicolor, that was nice.” Or, “There was a new series of something at Syngenta … was it pentas? No, that was Benary. What was it at Syngenta? Oh yeah, scaveola!”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of any variety.

Now, if I want a refresher on something I saw at CAST, I do what you do: Watch the videos! We produced 23 of them, ranging in time from 17 minutes down to a minute and a half. All show you as much as possible of what we were shown, with as much detail as we were given.

They’re in spectacular 4K technicolor, so you can watch them on your HD big screen and really get an eyeful! And we tried to make them informative AND fun, so expect a bit of goofiness from the hosts, creatively edited by Osvaldo Cuevas.

Find our full YouTube Playlist HERE.

Beyond that, here are some general notes about CAST:

- Attendance was down. Maybe to 800 or so? From a high of 1,200 or 1,300? That’s in part because Home Depot does its own event, and most of those growers no longer attend. Travel costs have gone up, so companies are probably sending fewer staffers. But we saw busloads of distribution company sales reps—a top target of breeders. Still, will there be discussion this summer about maybe going to a central location or every other year or whatever? Of course. There always is. And then nothing changes. I can see a big player or two deciding to drop out and do something different, as Proven Winners did some years back. But a core group will still exhibit in California. (BTW, we will be at Four Star Greenhouses in Michigan to see Proven Winner’s 2026 intros at the end of April).

- Fewer international visitors. That certainly impacted the number above. According to one trial host, CAST attendees used to be 60% U.S./40% other countries, and now it’s more like 90/10. That’s due, in part, to the growth of Flower Trials in Europe in Week 24. And travel costs, too, I would imagine.

- More quality time. But due to fewer attendees, and maybe a few fewer trials, I’ve heard folks are taking a bit more time to slow down and get more out of their trip. Instead of rushing through the stops, giving trial hosts 30 minutes to tell the whole story, folks are lingering, seeing more and getting quality time with breeders and fellow travelers. I love this, as it’s half the reason one attends. It’s hard for us editors with our packed schedules, but we try to slow down to smell—and talk about—the roses, ourselves. After all, it’s how we learn what’s happening in the real world of greenhouses and garden centers.

Last time, I wrote about Jen Zurko’s visit to The Inspired Home Show in Chicago, where all the sellers of kitchen, dining and bath convene to show their newest wares. Here’s Jen’s notes from keynote speaker Leatrice “Lee” Eiseman, executive director of Pantone:

- People are currently into blending patterns and colors in multiple ways, and getting inspiration from the past. Lee quoted Vanessa Friedman, fashion critic for The New York Times: “When people are uncertain about the future, they will look toward the past.”

- Lee said that we can all agree that the future is up in the air, so she went through some color and fashion trends from each decade starting with the 1950s that are starting to become popular again (harvest gold appliances anyone?).

- People have much more of an interest in repurposing and reusing materials in simple, understated ways. Even brutalist architecture that’s becoming more popular because of the Oscar-nominated movie “The Brutalist” is creating those sharp, straight lines with sustainable materials.

- “Today’s consumer tastes are more eclectic than ever before,” said Lee, who showed examples from simple Hygge and Japangi styles to outlandish “Memphis style” décor (think the colors from the ’80s). It really covers a wide spectrum.

- Consumers aren’t just being creative with their designs, but with their actual houses. Because of the low availability of housing, people are finding different things to make into a home. Not just tiny homes, but metal Quonsets, and even an old airplane and a helicopter. Lee called it, “A variation of lifestyle.”

- The mixing of styles is showing in fabrics and textiles, too. She’s seeing linen and velveteen together, along with natural materials like wood, rope, rattan and re-used wire. “Nature and color together,” she said.

- Animal and bird themes are also pervasive in home décor. And pet accessories are starting to get more stylish. Everything from beds and bowls are getting fancier and more colorful. (I think my cat, Peanut, would love a pink faux fur bed.)

- Although Pantone still announces a Color of the Year, Lee doesn’t think there’s ever going to be one primary color trend ever again because there’s such a wide range of colors and textures. “There’s just too much out there,” she said.

Half the room laughed and half groaned when Lee mentioned this year’s Pantone Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse. She chuckled and said Mocha Mousse is “a delicious color that you can taste.” It’s comforting and warm, and it’s also versatile—you can communicate any style, from organic to luxury. “Brown is not going away,” she said. “It comes in so many variations.”

One thing she mentioned that I thought was interesting: shades of brown are good for displays because it doesn’t compete with the merchandise. Perhaps an endcap with a Mocha Mousse-colored backdrop will make for a good spring plant display this season …?

Don’t hand-wring over things over which you have no control, like tariffs. Instead, seek out inventive ways to increase the value of your product so you can sell it for more. Here’s the simplest idea I’ve seen in a long time to do just that:

The photo is courtesy of retailer and retail consultant David Williams. He took it at the new Terrain store at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. If you recall, Terrain is owned by Urban Outfitters and so is watched closely for retailing ideas and innovation. David shared the following comments about the display in a story about the new store he wrote for the May issue of Green Profit:

Merchandising and presentation matter enormously. Terrain removed plants from the plastic grower trays and placed them in short, rustic wooden crates. This simple yet impactful technique instantly elevated their perceived value, allowing customers to envision these plants as special additions to their homes rather than mere commodities. Such subtle merchandising touches can easily be replicated by garden centers looking to enhance their perceived product value and customer experience.

The prices Terrain was commanding? $9.99 for 4-in. annuals—almost double the $5.99 Dave says he used to get at his own store. Quart perennials, from Dave’s same supplier, were priced at $14.99, nearly double Dave’s retail price.

“Terrain’s merchandising elevated familiar products remarkably … Despite these significant price differences, the presentation and perceived customer price justification helps command the premium,” he wrote.

I can’t think of anything simpler than going from a plastic shuttle tray to a wooden bulb crate to increase the perceived value—and the price. Thanks for spotting and sharing, David!