Garden Center - Independent garden centers stand out from other stores selling gardening products with their high-quality products and customer service. The market continues to rebound as interest in edible and container gardening, among other trends, grows. Garden Center magazine serves retailers looking for relevant, practical business management information, as well as those looking for inspiration and out-of-the-box thinking to make their store one that customers will return to over and over.

The Growth Industry Episode 8: From NFL guard to expert gardener with Chuck Hutchison

Chuck Hutchison shares the lessons he learned from legendary football coach Woody Hayes while winning a national championship at Ohio State University, his journey from playing in the NFL to becoming the creator of a Smithsonian-lauded garden, and much more.

A smiling man and woman holding green houseplants while surrounded by more plants in a greenhouse.

Meet Baker's Acres Greenhouse in Ohio

A graphic with white text on a blue background reading 2025 trial standouts, with a gold ribbon behind the text.

The best-performing plant varieties in trial gardens for 2025

A skid steer unloading growing media into a recycling bin outside a warehouse.

Bolstering greenhouse sustainability by recycling growing media

A women sits in the middle of green plants growing in a greenhouse. She's smiling and wearing jeans.

HILA Class of 2025: Heather Gronek embraces the growth mindset at Plant Development Services, Inc.

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New Michigan box tree moth alert available in English and Spanish

[WATCH] Beyond the holidays: Finding success with unique seasonal events

Influencers in the aisles

The rise of AI chatbots

Plants View All

A closeup photo of plants with light pink flowers and dark pink edges.

Q&A with Buddy Lee: Encore Azalea Autumn Kiss

Encore Azalea breeder Buddy Lee shares behind-the-scenes insights on how Autumn Kiss came to be, what makes it unique and what’s next for the Encore program.

Seven people stand in a field of white roses under a blue sky.

NeuHouse Farms announces acquisition of Weeks Roses

Rows of small green square plant pots with seedlings of vegetables and plant tags at the front showing various vegetables.

How garden centers can capitalize on edible gardening trend

A man wearing a black hat, black shirt and khaki pants kneels down and looks at a small piece of moss he's holding in his hand.

How Mossify is mastering moss at its Canada farm

American Garden Rose Selections announces 2026 winners

Trends View All

How garden centers can capitalize on edible gardening trend

How Mossify is mastering moss at its Canada farm

Crayola announced the 'World's Favorite Colors' — and one of them is a plant

Hands work to arrange cut flowers in vase.

Foraging in your own backyard: How IGCs are taking advantage of the trend

A workshop on a trade show floor, with several people sitting at wooden tables potting green plants in gray and orange pots.

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society announces 2026 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show theme

Tickets for the 2026 Philadelphia Flower Show, whose theme is "Rooted: Origins of American Gardening," are on sale now.

Spotted View All

A black spray bottle with a white, green and black label.

FloraLife releases Liquid LeafShine spray for foliage plants

The FloraLife Liquid LeafShine spray is available in 16-ounce bottles and 1-gallon jugs for refill, making it suitable for both professional and consumer use.

A person visible from the nose up holding a pink and white bouquet of flowers and wearing a tan long-sleeved shirt hugs a person wearing an olive green shirt with long blonde hair who's facing away from the camera.

Floral businesses invited to join Society of American Florists' Petal It Forward event in October

Monrovia announces 2025 holiday program

A photo of a horizontal white greeting card folded in half and resting upright on a surface. The card has a closeup photo of a green and pink succulent on the front.

Sheryl’s Virtual Garden releases succulent botanical greeting cards for garden retailers

Trade show floor filled with plants and people browsing.

Meet the Retailers' Choice Awards from 2025 Farwest Show

Marketing View All

A smiling person with short brown hair wearing glasses and a black, gray and purple T-shirt sits among yellow flowers in a garden landscape.

How garden centers can use their employees as social media influencers

How garden centers can capitalize on edible gardening trend

A busy festival with a large crowd of people, white tents and palm trees.

This Florida garden center's busiest days are in the fall, not spring. Find out how they do it

How independent garden centers can find success in shoulder seasons

[WATCH] Beyond the holidays: Finding success with unique seasonal events

This Florida garden center's busiest days are in the fall, not spring. Find out how they do it.

Staffing View All

A photo of four smiling men wearing matching light blue polo shirts pose outside of a greenhouse.

How Knobloch's Greenhouse continued the family business after a sudden loss

A teenage boy and teenage girl wearing black aprons stand in a shop surrounded by flowers. They're both reaching for a pink rose.

How to motivate teenage garden center summer employees

Working better together: Q&A with Paige Franks

Ask HR: We got a bad review after an employee having a bad day snapped at a customer. What do I do?

Two people looking at each other and smiling in a garden center surrounded by plants and flowers. The woman on the left is wearing an orange top and blue denim overalls and holding a tablet. The woman on the right is wearing a green top and orange overalls and pushing a silver metal cart with potted flowers.

Ask HR: Should I hire a garden center customer as an employee?

In the latest edition of our HR advice column, HR expert Paige Franks discusses if passionate customers can make strong employees, including at garden centers.

Store Design View All

A graphic with black, brown, green and gray text on a light green background reads Creating Customer Cravings with Visual Merchandising: Birds Eye Visual Merchandising Garden Center. There are four photos across the top of the graphic showing various plants and flowers at a garden center.

[WATCH] Visual merchandising ideas for independent garden centers

In this replay of Garden Center magazine's Fertile Ground Live Event, learn about color theory, shoppable displays, effective endcaps and add-on sales from Rachel Reynolds of Birds Eye Visual Merchandising.

An aerial photo of the exterior of a garden center.

Find out the story behind Petitti Garden Centers' newest Ohio location

A display at a garden center with plants, flowers and pots.

Merchandising and display ideas for small independent garden centers

Long Island Reno: Implementing the redesign at Hicks Nurseries

Long Island Reno: The Hicks Nurseries design process

Money Matters View All

The Garden Center Group hosting 'The Financial Basics of Garden Retailing Workshop Series'

A graphic reads Garden Center Fertile Ground Webinar Series: What Is Your End Game? Succession & Exit Planning Best Practices for the Green Industry, September 10, 2024, 2:00 P.M. ET, Chris Cimaglio, PivotPoint Business Solutions & BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group, Register.

Fertile Ground Webinar Series replay: Succession & Exit Planning Best Practices

Two smiling man stand in a retail greenhouse surrounded by plants.

Industry veterans create Garden Center Consultants company

GS1 US Celebrates 50-Year Barcode 'Scanniversary' and Heralds Next-Generation Barcode to Support Modern Commerce

A store with wooden walls and tile floors, with wooden shelves with black piping holding a variety of products. Signs hanging from the ceiling above the shelves read Tea + Coffee, Honey + Spreads and Snacks. Additional signs above a wide doorway leading outside read Fresh Produce and Garden Party.

How to cultivate connections with garden center suppliers

There’s value in building lasting relationships with suppliers and distributors. Discover how strong vendor relationships give independent garden centers a competitive edge.

Long Reads View All

How garden centers can use their employees as social media influencers

How Mossify is mastering moss at its Canada farm

An AI-generated image of a smiling cartoon woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a blue shirt, green overall and yellow sun hat standing in a garden.

Greenhouse AI: How garden centers and plant growers are leveraging chatbots for customer service

Family in front of garden center on left and husband and wife standing together on right.

How a big risk became an award-winning North Carolina garden center called Mustard Seed Market

HILA Class of 2025: Heather Gronek embraces the growth mindset at Plant Development Services, Inc.

Whether it's bringing a new plant to market or creating a system that saves time and resources, Heather Gronek is motivated by the idea of making things better.