‘A beacon in their community’: Q&A with Katie Dubow

In many cities, independent garden centers aren’t just places to buy plants and products. They're sources of inspiration for garden and home design.

One way to build a strong brand, attract new customers and establish loyal ones is by staying on top of trends and incorporating them into your marketing and merchandising strategies, says Katie Dubow, president of Garden Media Group. Here, Dubow digs into the origins of Garden Media Group’s annual Garden Trends Report and provides a preview of what she’ll discuss at the upcoming Garden Center Conference & Expo.

Editor’s note: Katie Dubow will speak at the 2025 Garden Center Conference & Expo from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6, in the session, “From Trend to Transaction: Capitalize on 2026 Garden Trends,” where she will give a sneak peek of the 2026 Garden Trends Report and discuss how to transform the report into concrete sales strategies.

Visit gardencenterconference.com for more information and to register. Click here to read more about the 2025 Garden Trends Report.

Lauren Cohen: Tell me a bit about what you do.

Katie Dubow: My business is called Garden Media Group, and we’re celebrating 37 years this year. It was started by my mom, and I joined about 13 years ago. She paved the way to help me have these kinds of speaking opportunities because she did a lot of speaking. We present the Garden Trends Report, but also, Garden Media Group is a public relations firm. We make plants popular.

LC: What got you interested in the green industry and made you want to join your mom’s business?

KD: I grew up with my mom being in the green industry, and it was never something that I thought I would pursue — family business probably being the No. 1 reason. I could not fathom, at the time, moving back home, working with my mom, following in her footsteps — it was not the path that I had originally thought of. And then, you know, life happens. You get out in the real world, and things are not as glamorous.

I was working for a jewelry company at the time, and we called our jewelry cheap and cheerful. Stuff would break, and you’d buy it every season — this consumption, consumption, consumption. Even if I’m still in an industry where consumption is the main goal, you’re getting people to buy something green. You’re getting people to buy something that does good for the people who are planting it for the planet, for their community. I’m just so grateful that my mom found this industry and that I was able to be adopted into it because the people in the industry are incredibly kind — they’re willing to help you.

LC: Tell me a bit about the subject of your Garden Center Conference & Expo session and what led you to developing it.

KD: It’s the Garden Trends Report, which will be the 24^th report. It’s really one of the things that put Garden Media Group on the map. My mom created it back in 2001, when the Philadelphia Flower Show came to her and said, “We are looking for some trends — what’s happening out there?” Nobody was doing it at the time.

This will be a sneak peek at the event, but we basically are working right up until the minute it is published. When I do present it, I like to get a lot of feedback from people — from the audience, particularly garden centers — because the report is very much honed toward garden centers. It is specifically what’s happening that consumers are seeing that directly impacts plants and plant sales and the products that surround plants.

There are seven trends this year, and we always have an overarching theme and a color of the year, so those are some of the big things that people love to tune in for, and then all the other trends, too. I hope people will be inspired by it.

It’s a report that’s intended to make people go, “Huh?” Trends are uncomfortable, and I want to make people stretch. I want to make them think. It’s going beyond just the actual trends report, and it’s helping people understand how to utilize those trends in-store.

LC: Who do you think will benefit the most from coming to hear about the Garden Trends Report?

KD: I think the marketing departments at garden centers and buyers for garden centers. It can take decades to create a new plant, so when we’re looking at breeders, they’re looking out 10 to 15 years down the road. So, it’s really for the people who are directly communicating with the end-user consumers.

LC: What takeaways do you want attendees to leave your session with?

KD: I want them to come away with a few new ideas on ways to merchandise their stores, some fresh event ideas and then some communication tools. So content for blogs or social media, some trends that perhaps they can use to really draw in new customers … or bring in the customers that repeatedly come, and to develop a stronger brand.

When our garden centers can attach themselves to trends and be seen as a little bit more cutting edge, then they’re seen as more of a beacon in their community, and people will rely on that more and more, not just for plants that they need, but for their lifestyle.

LC: What does the community at conferences like this mean to you?

KD: I work remotely, and so being able to get together at a conference is invaluable, really. This industry is full of people who are just really, really kind. And so, when you get to come together at a conference, first and foremost, you’re connecting with old friends, and so that’s really lovely. But then, of course, I want to do business, and I’ve heard that this is a show where you can do business, and so that is really beneficial. And that’s the really fun thing about a show is that I’ve admired or seen people on LinkedIn, and then you actually get to meet them in person. It’s really nice.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for style, length and clarity.

Lauren Cohen is the editorial intern for the GIE Media Horticulture Group.