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Garden Media Group’s

Mega Trends toGarden Trends

February 4, 2010© 2010 Garden Media Group

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The Who, What, Why & How of Trends

• Global Consumer Trends

• State of the Industry Trends

• “What’s Hot. What’s Not.” for 2010 Garden Trends

• How to Ride the Trend Wave

• GMG Trend Sightings

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Why Should Careabout Trends?

Position your company as a trend leader

Consumers want what’s new and hot

Trends drive consumers and consumers drive sales

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How do I apply these trends

Connect the dots to select or create new products, services or customer experiences

Attract customers “living the trends”

Speak the language in marketing, advertisings & PR

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Let’s Look at WhatGlobal Consumer Trends

Are Shaping Buying Habits

And how to use them to motivate your customers

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Top Global Consumer Trends

SocialMindfulA-C-G-

GenerationsEco-BountyDown-SizingBuy Local

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Mindful is in.Bling is out.

The collapse of greed and self-indulgence

A new patriotism of spirit – volunteering has trumped greed.

Shift from ‘Me’ to ‘We’

It’s a healthy consciousness that is bringing us back to the earth to be restored.

Bill DoeckelBall Innovations

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A is for Ascending Generation

30-to-50 somethings

are redefining adulthood with their young-at-heart lifestyle

Driving demand for products made from recycled materials in sync with their focus on social and environmental issues.

Opportunity: Show them creative ways to sustain their lifestyle and express their individuality in the backyard

The A-Generation

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The C-Generation Content

CreativeControl

Sharing an experience is as valuable – if not more valuable – than the actual experience itself.

Opportunity: Provide personalized products, services, and solution information

Offer venues for sharing gardening experiences

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The 500 Pound Gorillas 350 million Facebook users –

up 600%

50 million Twitter users - up 1,382%

17% “Matures” —63 to 75 — use Twitter regularly

Facebook users post 45 million updates daily

Nearly 28 million “tweets” daily

3 Years of content being uploaded daily to YouTube

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The C-Generation: Mommies

Moms are spending time online searching for promotions and sharing opinions,

Of women with children at home

• 60.3% use Facebook• 42.4% use MySpace• 16.5% use Twitter.

Purchase Decisions: 93.6% regularly or

occasionally seek advice

97.2% give adviceRetail Advertising and Marketing Association

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The G-GenerationReputation Economy

Sharing a passion and receiving recognition has replaced 'taking' as the new status symbol

Service Rocks! More people volunteering

Giving and donating is painless, if not automatic

Opportunity: Let customers co-donate and/or co-decide what causes to support. Shift from “Me” to “We”

Giving is the new taking, and sharing is the new giving!

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Eco Bounty• A by-product of the

on-line revolution

• Save Our Society trend

• Ecologically aware

• Desire to build up society

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Eco-Bounty9 out of 10 are “green” in some form

59% working for a better environment

84.4% willing to pay more for “green” garden/landscaping supplies

Being “green” is defined by personal actions

& identified by a lifestyle

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ECO-BOUNTYShift from eco-elitism

to conservation and frugality

Opportunity: Show consumers how gardening is the ultimate “green” activity –

Plants are a good Value that support their environmental Values The invention of necessity,

CowPots now brokers Carbon Credits

2009 Conscious Consumer Study (LOHAS)

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Re-inventing HappinessPersonal satisfaction and

quality of life

Gardening is part of this ‘happiness trend’

Gardening = Luxury + Relaxation + Peace

Tending a garden helps people achieve higher levels of happiness self gratification, self discovery

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Down-Sizing• Median sq footage of new

homes down 9% from 2,300 sq. ft. in 2006 to 2,100 sq. ft. in 2009 (NAHB)

• What does this mean for gardening/landscape design-build professionals?

– Large porches, decks, trees and flower beds– new bonus room.

– Current homeowners staying put and investing in outdoor living spaces.

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Housing Opportunity• According to a Gallup poll,

landscaping can increase the overall value of a home by 7 to 15%.

• A home worth $250,000 has the potential to increase to $287,500+++ with the right landscaping!

Opportunity: Show how landscaping protects and increases the value of their investment

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New Homebuyers• All about community

• Interested in the community of the whole word.

• Instant answers to questions

• Companionship

• Control over information

Opportunity: • Offer “how to” workshops• Give venues to share success

with others

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“Locavore” was first introduced in 2005

New Oxford American Dictionary named locavore the word of the year for 2007

‘‘Lo-ca-vore’Lo-ca-vore’

Local is New Organic

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Local is now the backyard

Clearly, the right plant from the right spot and for the right spot is on the consumer’s mind

Opportunity: Promote locally

grown & native plants

as ideal for your yard

Local is the new organic

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Buy Local• "Buy Local" campaigns

increased holiday sales 3%, compared to 1.0% without Buy Local initiative.

• 80% said public awareness of the value of choosing locally owned businesses had increased in the last year

Opportunity: Position your business as a local provider

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Local Marketing OppsTarget customers on

line with

Set up Facebook Fan Page

Facebook ads

Use mobile devices and local Internet searches

Use one-to-one e-mail marketing to treat customers uniquely and individually

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State of the IndustryThings are looking up!Gardening is Back!

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Nursery & Garden Stores

U.S. Industry Report 2009

• Products and techniques have experienced significant change in the last twenty years

• Continued shift towards environmentally friendly products

• Changes centered around organic gardening, using natural products

Key Industry Figures 2009  

Industry Revenue *29,200 $Mil

Revenue Growth *-6.7 %

Industry Gross Product *4,814 $Mil

Number of Establishments *14,892 Units

Number of Enterprises *12,063 Units

Employment *130,305 Units

Total Wages *3,036 $Mil

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Industry is promising:

– Aging of the population

– Increasing need for help

– Outsourcing of landscaping services

– Continuing franchising

of the industry

Landscaping Services

U.S. Industry Report 2009Key Industry Figures 2009  

Industry Revenue *52,390 $Mil

Revenue Growth *-5.2 %

Industry Gross Product *34,261 $Mil

Number of Establishments *274,204 Units

Number of Enterprises *272,611 Units

Employment *1,139,538 Units

Total Wages *19,219 $Mil

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Product lines likely to do well in 2010?

Most garden centers expect business to be as good as this year, if not better.

Listed in “most cited” order

1. EDIBLE PLANTS2. ORGANICS3. Design/Service 4. Container Gardens 5. “Green” Products 6. Water Garden 7. Irrigation 8. Herbs9. Fountains 10.Décor 11.Composters 12.Birding 13.Native Plants

Predictions offered by 211 garden retailers

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GMG 2010 Trends

© 2010 Garden Media Group

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Main Street is in.

A new priority and the way we veiw $$$

Balancing practicality with comfort and fulfillment.

Responsibility, meaningful relationships and connectivity #1

“Can-do” truly American spirit powered by a new sense of self-sufficiency

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Main Street is in. Renewed & nostalgic

appreciation for our land

Have become caretakers rather than developers.

Certifying our backyard as a wildlife habitat

Sharing yards and gardens Connecting to the soil . . . and

each other Sharing the bounty

Eating food that’s more nutritious, tastier and less costly

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Younger couples embracing domesticity

SHE sews, knits, gardens - and even raises chickens

HE cooks and grows tomatoes

Veggie gardening up 19%

Seed sales up 30-50%

Canning jars up 15% With LOHAS – Up 45%

Looking for value, price & performance

Main Street Is In

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Edible Gardens

"Instead of mowing your lawn, you should eat it."

Eric Schlosser FAST FOOD NATION

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Edible Gardens Are In. • Lawns are out • Replacing with

gardens • Manicured lawns

are serving no purpose

• Want gardens to be productive, not just grass

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Edible GardensUp 19% in participation

• 41 million+ (38%) grew a vegetable garden in 2009

• 19.5 million+ (18%) grew an herb garden

• 16.5 million (15%) grew fruits during the same period

• 7.7 million+ (7%) new edible gardeners

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Edible Gardens• 37% plans to increase

their edible gardens in 2010

• 29% about the same

• 1% plant less

• Supplement groceries

• Why less? – lack of success 14%– cost 13%– loss of interest 8% – and time involved 4%

The Simple Garden makes it easy to grow herbs and veggies anywhere inside or out.

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Blended Edible GardensBlended gardens are

“productive spaces”

Mixing lettuces and parsley with the roses and petunias

“I grew it myself.”

It’s hip, its cool, and its what gardens started out as!

Ethne ClarkeEditor in Chief, Organic

Gardening

Rosalind Creasy Michael Pollan

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It’s time to reclaim our land for our greater good. 

Take that food-producing garden from the back 40 and put it wherever we want. 

Reunite the ornamental with the edible—roses beside tomatoes, corn anchored by geraniums, azaleas under grapevines. 

Margie GraceAPLD

2009 InternationalLandscape Designer of the Year

Blended Edible Gardens

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Edible Gardens: Ornamental Fruit

• Fruit-bearing shrubs used as ornamental shrubs –

• Feed both the birds and the homeowners

• 4 seasons of color

• Perennial – ‘foreverism’

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Edibles: Smaller Plants6-Packs are Back

Vegetables bred for containers--smaller size, less vining, still lots of production.

Diane BlazekAll American Selections

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Edible Gardening: Swapping & Sharing

• CSA’s increasing and full

• Community Garden waiting lists lengthening

• Plant swaps on the rise

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Slow GardeningStarted with the Slow Food

movement from the 90s

People taking more time to enjoy life, enjoy cooking with fresh ingredients and herbs

Burst of new hobby country farms and urban edible gardens

Grow it. Can it. Eat it.

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GIY Trend continues -- growing plants from seeds or transplants

Veggie gardening up 19%

Seed sales up 30-50%

Canning jars up 15% With LOHAS – Up 45%

Looking for value, price & performance

Slow Gardening

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Eco-Boosting58% of LOHAS segment want to go “beyond sustainable”

Boost the Environment.

Work with Mother Nature.

Natural Marketing Institute

2009 LOHAS Research

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Eco-BoostingConsumers think companies should focus on . . .

1st -- Supporting people2nd -- Protecting the environmentLast -- Profitability

Opportunity: Position your business as an eco-solution

Develop environmental programs families can easily adopt

Natural Marketing Institute2009 LOHAS Research

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Eco-Boosting: Biodiversity

United Nations Declares 2010 ‘International Year of Biodiversity’

A celebration of life on earth and the value of biodiversity for our lives.

Strive for a more sustainable use of natural resources • Preserve and increase natural habitats• Reduce climate change

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Eco-Boosting: Chelsea 2010

"Biodiversity will be big this year and a lot of people will be tying in with that, including the RHS, which will have its own stand dedicated to it.”

Alex BaulkwillShow Manager, RHS Chelsea Flower Show

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Eco Boosting: Gardening for Wildlife

Consumers are feeling they have more of a role as:

• naturalist• conservationist• and stewards of the

earth

Opportunity: Educate, Educate, Educate

Help people fulfill their new purpose

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Eco Boosting:Gardening for Nature

2008 NGA Environmental Lawn and Garden Survey

• 9 out of 10 households said it’s important to manage their lawns and gardens in an environmentally friendly way

• 53% know how to maintain their home lawn or garden using good environmental stewardship practices

• 30% don’t know how to care for their landscape in a way that is environmentally sound

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Eco-Boosting: Perennials

• Popularity increasing from the past decade

• Increasing for low maintenance, low water use and low chemical needs

• Drought tolerant and long blooming

• “foreverism” trend – the plants are “never done”

Early Bird CardinalCenterton Nursery

FUBUKI Hakonechloa

'Briform' USPPAF Briggs Nursery

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Eco-Boosting: Gas vs Fire vs Solar

Gas vs. fire for garden elements. Natural gas burns clean...wood pollutes.

Susan Cohan Certified landscape

designer

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• Consumers want to telegraph their “green” credentials: hybrid cars and canvas shopping bags

• ECO-ICONIC landscapes, living roofs & green walls

• Eco-lifestyle satisfies consumers’ need for eco-status

Opportunity: Help consumers “show-off” their eco-credentials and tell their eco-stories

Eco-Ego Boosting: Eco-Iconic

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Natives are the new “local”

Natives should rule the garden.

“Nativar” – A cultivar and/or hybrid of a Native species.

Allan ArmitageBreeder and Author

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Natives are the new “local”

• Relatively unknown topic only a few years ago

• Today a majority of the gardening public say they want to know more about natives

• 54% are highly interested in native plants

GWA Late June 2009

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Natives are In.

Role of naturalist, conservationists and stewards of the earth

Circle-of-life

Native plants provide birds with a natural food source

The best plants for your state:

nwf.org/backyard/food.cfm abnativeplants.com

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Landscapes get 'green' ratings

• 1st national rating system for sustainable landscapes

• Star rating scale measures several criteria, including landscaping with native plants to reduce maintenance, irrigation and use of pesticides

Opportunity: Be part of the

Sustainable Sites Initiative

www.sustainablesites.org

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Multi-Tasking Goes High Tech

• Tech Gadgets

• Animal & Plant Cams

• Water Saving technology

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Multi-Tasking:Rain Gardens & HellStrips

Strip of dirt between the sidewalk and the street,

Notoriously hard to grow plants of any kind

Lack of water, heat reflected from paved surfaces, foot traffic, trash, and salt from winter snowmelt.

Plant with drought resistant, native plants in ¼” gravel for ) maintenance garden

HellStrip Portland Nursery

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Multitasking Grows Goodness

Single purpose is out.

Luke MillerBetter Homes & Gardens

We’ll see more multi-purpose shrubs...ornamental, edible fruit.

‘Pink Lemonade’ Vaccinium

Briggs Nursery

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Multi Tasking Grows Up• Vertical plantings hide an

ugly wall

• Vertical lines blur the borders of the garden

• • Living walls act as sound

insulation

• Green walls provide a habitat for wildlife. At chelsea, the walls on this

Fenchurch Garden are clothed in alchemilla mollis,

grasses and sedumsSun Parasol

Crimson

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Multi Tasking Grows Green Walls

• Plants producing oxygen • Plants remove 87% of VOCs - carbon

dioxide • Plants purifying the air of indoor

toxins• Plants beautify a space

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Water is In. Water is Out.

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Water is In and Out! • 13 million

households participated in water gardening

• Offer water saving products – timed sprinklers, soaker hoses, rain barrels, rain water tanks, water-efficient nozzles

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Water is In• Educate consumers

on better land stewardship

• Create a positive image

• Promote your good practices

• For tips & strategies, visit: – anla.org/waterwise– www.costafarms.com– www.epa.gov/

watersense

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Succulent Gardening

"Succulent Container Gardens" Debra Lee Baldwin

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Water is InWater in the garden is an

essential element

Fountains – water without the mess or maintenance

Add value

Plug & Play

“I’m seeing lots of fountains- on tabletops and in the garden, and sometimes more han one. Adding a fountain to your garden, even a small fountain, is a great investment.”

Jon CarloftisGarden Designer

Campania International

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Outside In is InExtend nature’s influence by bringing the outdoors in

Indoor houseplants

Consumers concern for health benefits and indoor air quality

The USDA saw a 19.3% increase in Foliage sales in 2007

Red Sister Cordyline Costa Farms

Peace Lily Costa Farms

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Outside In: At HomeNASA scientists recommend at leaset one indoor plant for every 100 sq. ft of living space

Indoor plants = healthy living

Seeing more: Orchids

Indoor herbs gardensLive plants for the holidays

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Outside In: The Office

Peace lilies at the office.

Increase productivity

Increases biodiversity

Increases humidity

Increases attendance

Reduces stress

Reduces headaches

Reduces dry skin

Reduces fatigue

Indoor plants purify up to 87% of indoor air pollutants - VOCs

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Outside In: O2 for You: Plants with a

PurposeGrass rootsPublic service

campaign Educates about the

health benefits of indoor plants

Opportunity: Shout the green message.

www.O2forYou.org

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Color! Color! Color!Turquoise: a color of deep

compassion and healing, & a color of faith and truth

Purple! Purple! Purple!

Rhododendron ‘Florence Parks’

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Purple! Purple!! Purple!!!

‘Baptisia australis’False Blue Indigo

2010 Perennial Plant of the Year

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Color

“I think we'll see much brighter colours with dark, moody

backdrops."

Andrew DuffDirector

Inchbald School of Garden Design

Rhododendron 'Rabatz‘Briggs Nursery

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Ridethe trend wave

with key suppliers,& with customers

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How do I take advantage of trends

• Stay up to speed with what’s new with consumers in general

• Read related industry’s trade publications

• Attend trade shows outside of the industry – home – gift – outdoor living

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How do I take advantage of trends

• Read fashion & home “trend setting” publications

• Look at other “hot” retailers who “get it”

• Start connecting the dots in your everyday life

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How do I take advantage of trends with suppliers

• Leverage relationship with suppliers at the top of the food chain

• Use your sales rep

• Set up channels of commutations with vendors to get news bulletins, press releases, images, etc.

• Create an “As seen in “ program

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How do I take advantage of trends with suppliers

• Hold staff product knowledge workshops – either with vendors or by department

• Find out what products are being “spotlighted” from the supplier’s end – what are they pushing to consumers?

• Ask your customers to tell you what’s hot.

• Develop a dialogueHold “what’s new” training Hold “what’s new” training

with staff with staff

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How do I take advantage of trends with your customers• Position your retail store as

the place for what’s new and hot

• Use vendor’s press releases and images

• Position yourself with the media as the expert on what’s new

• Invite local, regional and national experts in for talks & demonstrations on what’s hot

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How do I take advantage of trends with your customers• Tap into your customers’

“collective brain” – tell their stories in pictures

• Highlight new trends in the store, on your web, Facebook and newsletters

• Involve the end users to share and participate in the creation of “products”

• Build communities

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How do I take advantage of trends with your

customers

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How does GMGdetermine

Garden Trends?

We don’t just use a crystal ball

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Eyes & Earson the Pulse of the

Industry

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GMG Trends Report – How do we come up with the

trends• First released 2001

• We gather results from research reports from various industry sources

• We look at home, fashion, retail, and consumer trends and research

• We compare with industry and horticulture research

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GMG Trends Report – How do we come up with the

trends• Interview breeders,

landscape designers, green industry leaders and garden media

• Follow trends in other industries, including cultural trends, home, fashion, and technology

• We visit lots of trial gardens across the country with key garden influencers GMG Summer Road Tour with

Southern Living

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GMG Garden Trends Sources• TrendWatching.Com• National Gardening

Survey• Garden Writers

Association• Standpoint Marketing• Industry Data• L&G Trade Magazines• Consumer Magazines• Breeders & Growers• Garden Centers• Garden Media• Connecting Dots

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The Bottom-Line on TrendsUltimately,

the consumer determines

what they need to try

& what theymust have

Make sureYou are keeping up!

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Gardens feed the soul

Evoke all the senses!Create breath-takingly beautiful gardens

Rachel de Thame of the London Times sees “A shift in mood, a yearning to combine common sense with

the equally important business of feeding the soul. In challenging times, what we need more than ever is the pleasure and comfort we find in beauty.

If you want to truly enrich your life, make your garden beautiful. Create something that makes you catch your breath as you step outdoors —

and tend it yourself as much as you are able.”

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© 2010 Garden Media Group

To download & reprint the GMG 2010 Garden Trends Report

or view all Trend Reports, go to:GardenMediaGroup.com

& Please remember to give GMG credit.

Susan@gardenmediagroup.com

610-444-3040