Growers, this one’s for you. Ball Publishing has just released the fourth edition of its Biosolutions Guide, sponsored by Koppert. The guide does the usual things a guide does: Lists bioinsecticides and biofungicides, notes efficacies and normal stuff like that. BUT it’s so much more. It contains informative articles from experts in this field from the likes of:

• Michael Brownbridge of BioWorks, who explains the differences between types of biofungicides and biostimulants.
• Lowell Halvorson, who includes case studies of biopesticide and biostimulant use.
• Jeremy Webber of Koppert, who lays out the values of entomopathogenic fungi to strengthening pesticide resistance management and simplifying rotation programs.
• Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, who provides tips and guidelines on how to incorporate biological controls in a holistic pest management system.
• Paul Pilon, who explains why sanitation is so important to the success of biological control programs.

My colleague Jake Holley, editor of the Inside Grower newsletter, said this of the guide in his most recent issue: “Leafing through it reminded me of a professor who once predicted in a lecture that if the 20th century was the age of chemistry, the 21st will be the age of biology and bioengineering. And it’s going to mess everything up, in the best way … Long story short, we’re at the very start of what should be a long and exciting period of discovery and commercialization for biologically derived inputs.”

The 2026 Biosolutions Guide is headed your way paired with the June issue of GrowerTalks. Or you can access the Guide as a digital copy HERE.

Interiorscapers, this one’s for you. Now that I think about it, this one’s for you growers, too. It’s a synopsis of Green Plants for Green Buildings, the non-profit that communicates the aesthetic, wellbeing and economic benefits of nature in the built environment. The latest post makes the clear argument that plants are no longer being considered as decorative accessories indoors but are increasingly being specified as “performance-driven elements.”

I highly recommend you read the piece yourself HERE, but here are some of its main points:

• Interior plants are being included earlier in project development, along with other structural components such as lighting and architectural components.
• With more employees working within office buildings, employers are investing in nature-integrated workspaces to reduce stress, improve focus and elevate employee satisfaction.
• Designers are integrating plants to strategically balance plant placement, density and scale to maximize wellbeing.
• And it’s not just plants! Plants are being combined with other natural elements and materials to create immersive environments and define spaces.

What this means for interiorscapers—and the growers who supply the plants—is that the interiorscaper becomes a project partner, not just a plant and service provider. In other words, those interiorscapers who can speak about plants’ return on investment, their role in wellbeing and the contribution to the building environment will be the ones who win the bigger projects and have more influence on those projects in the future.

If you ask me, the interiorscape sector is heading into some incredibly important years ahead.

Your thoughts? Drop me a note about your outlook on interiorscaping HERE.

Costa Farms did something very un-grower-like. They gave away houseplants at the finish line of the PNC Women Run the Cities race that took place May 16 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Partnering with Twin Cities in Motion, the pop-up plant experience hoped to connect houseplants with wellness, movement and community.

Costa Farms had more than 1,400 plants from its Exotic Angel and Trending Tropicals collections to give away to the 5,000 runners who crossed the finish line. I’m sure some folks couldn’t get their hands on a plant—but just being at the post-race celebration brings eyes and interest to the plants and, maybe more importantly, helps communicate the connection between houseplants and wellness.

“PNC Women Run the Cities is all about connection, community, and showing up as you are, and Costa Farms helped create a truly memorable finish-line experience,” said Angeli Breiner, Senior Partnerships and Events Coordinator at Twin Cities In Motion. “The plants brought a sense of joy, celebration and wellness that perfectly reflected the spirit of the event.”

“Wellness doesn’t stop at the finish line; it follows you home,” said Mari Carasquillo, VP of Marketing for Costa Farms. “We believe plants support mental well-being by bringing calm, beauty and joy into everyday life. Partnering with an event that celebrates strong, driven women felt like a natural extension of our mission to make plants accessible to everyone.”

What I like about Costa Farms is that they are always doing something different, feeling their boundaries and pushing beyond them. And they don’t—or haven’t recently—behaved like a traditional big grower. Or, maybe this effort to connect to their consumers in new and different ways is what big growers are evolving into. 

Costa Farms horticulturist and consumer marketing guru Justin Hancock just announced that he is a first-time author. Justin has long dreamed of writing a book, and he can now check that item off his bucket list with the debut of “The New Complete Guide to Houseplants.”

Published by Quarto Group and being released in December, the book “takes the mystery out of houseplant selection and care and replaces it with confidence and joy,” says the book jacket. Isn’t that what we want for our customers? More confidence, more purchases.

Houseplants have exploded in popularity over the past decade, yet many of the books on the topic haven’t kept pace with how people actually grow and collect plants today. Justin’s book represents the next generation of guides for the modern plant parent, featuring the newest trending varieties, practical care advice for today’s homes, and a fresh perspective on how plants build community.

Garden centers can contact Lauren.Flores@Quarto.com for wholesale pre-orders. 

Costa Farms might be an example of a “superteam,” or a team/company that consistently outperforms others. According to a recent article in SmartBrief, the secret to a “superteam” is having the freedom to experiment relentlessly. Experimenting can take all sorts of forms, from which products and sizes to grow to what markets you’ll pursue, A/B testing marketing messages and a million more.

One line from the article struck me: “Without the freedom to run experiments, meaningful progress is impossible.” Want to become a “superteam,” whether company-wide or in your particular department? The piece gave three simple tips for easing your way into building a base for experimentation.

Keep failure small. Run small experiments to test hypotheses and demand, then run with what works.

Remember to stretch. As in, stretch the possibilities. Test many things, not just the obvious ones.

Err on the side of learning. When choosing what types of experiments to run, don’t choose the ones that you know will succeed. Go with the ones that will teach you the most.

This SmartBrief piece on superteams was adapted from a book of the same name. If this kind of stuff gets you excited and you want to apply it to your own team, read the book!