Garden Center 2025-2026 State of the Industry Report

The Garden Center magazine 2025-2026 State of the Industry Report speaks to what we’re calling a motivational moment for the independent garden center industry.

The data from our annual survey of owners and managers shows that the pace of growth has slowed since the pandemic-era highs of the early 2020s. In fact, 2025 saw one of the least profitable springs in the last decade.

Yes, the majority of businesses do continue to report profitable seasons, but optimism has fallen slightly.

But it’s not time to panic.

Things are excellent, but they also aren’t amazing. So, what do you do when performance decreases? You get motivated.

This is a time for the industry to look at how is does business, adjust expectations, try new tactics in promotion and marketing, and make needed improvement in tech, staffing, inventory management and infrastructure.

We hope you can use this deep dive into the data to help you consider the future. And above all, we hope that, like that kitten hanging on a limb, you hang in there.

-Patrick Alan Coleman, Garden Center editor

To read Garden Center's 2025-2026 State of the Industry Report, click on the image below.

For even more insights about the health of the garden center industry and opportunities to collaborate with industry peers, register for the 2026 Garden Center Conference & Expo.