The desire to connect with nature through plants and wildlife is influencing the buying habits of generations of independent garden center customers. Habitat gardening, biodiversity and even pollinator plants have gone from fringe trends to integral parts of mainstream consumers’ identities as stewards of their natural worlds. Independent garden centers are uniquely positioned to help strengthen this beneficial connection for customers and communities. A regional Missouri-based initiative known as BiodiverseCity St. Louis may provide ideas and inspiration to help your IGC build business while doing good.

Creating a focused coalition

Like many urban areas, metropolitan St. Louis is often defined by its geopolitical boundaries, demographics and crime statistics. But the region that surrounds the city has a history of programs focused on nature-rich living and biodiversity. Even so, the assortment of programs historically led to fragmented results.

Sheila Voss, vice president of education at the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), puts it this way: “There was a sense that there were a lot of parallel efforts that just weren’t breaking through to be foremost in people’s minds.”

In 2012, that changed when about 30 organizations — ranging from independent garden centers to governmental agencies and nonprofits, including MBG — rallied around the idea of urban biodiversity. A regional coalition, BiodiverseCity St. Louis (BiodiverseCitySTL), was born, with a goal of working together to improve the region’s quality of life through actions that protect, promote and enhance its biodiversity.

BiodiverseCitySTL now comprises more than 100 organizations working in increasingly collaborative ways to celebrate nature, influence policies and practices, and activate community change through projects as varied as invasive species removal to tree planting events and community gardens.

Voss emphasizes that nurseries and garden centers, “literally at the table” since the coalition’s beginning, have been key partners of successful public events and action projects. “Retail centers that interact with people throughout the year can reinforce these concepts that every single person, at any scale, can make a difference,” she says.

St. Louis-area garden center Sugar Creek Gardens became a BiodiverseCitySTL community partner about five years ago. For owner Abby Lapides, the move was a natural extension of the nursery and garden center’s mission: Gardening to Grow ... Community, Environment and Yourself. “The changes BiodiverseCity is trying to promote will have positive, lasting effects on the region,” she says. “We need to be proactive in preserving our ecosystems.” 

Finding nature in neighborhoods

One pivotal aspect of BiodiverseCitySTL’s success has been helping citizens see their backyards, neighborhoods and the St. Louis region in new ways. The program’s wide-reaching embrace provides a framework for viewing projects — from edible school gardens to backyard birding — as parts of a bigger whole that speaks directly to enhancing the region’s diversity of plant and animal life and the quality of human life.

Through “Nature in our Neighborhoods” activities, citizens are urged to “find somewhere to love” in their own backyards or places where they live, learn, work, play or pray. Extensive print and digital materials suggest project possibilities, offer guides and resources, and list nurseries, garden centers and landscape designers to help citizens “beautify, biodiversify and better” their communities.

Jennifer Schamber, general manager of BiodiverseCitySTL community partner Greenscape Gardens & Gifts, stresses that IGCs can help people make the nature connection. “Getting people to value it, whether through monarchs or migratory bird stories or turning it into a human health and wellness story, people make connections between what they do in their yard and how it affects the world around them,” Schamber says.

Giving “citizen scientists” new purpose and productivity

November 2018 marked the public launch of a new citizen science component of the St. Louis regional initiative. Known as BiomeSTL (Biodiversity Metropolitan St. Louis), the project’s goal is to document the region’s biodiversity through observations by average citizens to create an atlas and, ultimately, an action plan to guide policy and practices in ways that promote biodiversity and quality of life.

A map shown at the launch for this “living resource” emphasized natural connections over county lines. “The human-drawn lines are literally and figuratively faded in the background, because we want people to see the natural assets of our region and start to think of it as natural corridors and create an identity for themselves that they live in a nature-rich region,” Voss says.

The project relies on a free, simple-to-use app called iNaturalist that any person (or IGC) can put to use for projects, big or small. All it takes is a smartphone and the desire to connect with the natural world.

As of Dec. 27, 2018, BiomeSTL’s iNaturalist project page includes more than 38,000 non-casual observations from 3,027 observers documenting 3,666 plant and animal species in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Through iNaturalist.org, you can access the project — or information specific to your own community — and see the public results.

Schamber says that teachers are especially excited by this development, noting one school that is planting native echinacea species and echinacea cultivars to study pollinator preferences — and this was the school’s own idea, without any suggestion from Schamber or others. Schools have really zeroed in on biodiversity, she says.

“The citizen science component is probably one of the most enticing things. The technology is now accessible to anyone to connect into this greater message,” she says. “As a garden center, there’s definitely been a tremendous increase in projects going in, especially in the schools. They’re planting not just a plant, but an idea.”

Reinforcing the importance of regional results

National programs have an important role in promoting public awareness of biodiversity. As this issue goes to press, the National Pollinator Garden Network is poised to announce that the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge has reached its goal of one million pollinator gardens nationwide. But region-specific efforts have additional power to change backyards and entire communities.

In addition to being a BiodiverseCitySTL partner, the City of St. Louis has extensive biodiversity programs of its own, including nationally recognized monarch habitat initiatives. Sustainability Director Catherine Werner suggests the regional focus of programs, such as BiomeSTL and the city’s Milkweeds for Monarchs, may be paramount to success. “It’s for the people as much as the butterflies,” Werner says. “This isn’t just for environmental activists, it’s for everyone. It’s localized, tangible and personal.”

Lapides agrees that regional focus is extremely important. “Though I think national organizations that are trying to sway policy are vital to conservation efforts, we need to start at home,” she says. “When people see their friends or neighbors working on these initiatives or see tangible benefits locally, they become strong motivators to join in.” 

Help biodiversity-focused customers

As nature awakens and takes center stage this spring, your garden center can be ready. Concerns for nature and biodiversity can transcend traditional gardening trends. Consumers want to be good stewards of nature, get involved, be informed, make purposeful plant and product choices — and shop at businesses that share their concerns.

“Projects like BiomeSTL or the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, [these are the] greatest gifts our industry has ever been given, except maybe victory gardens — that was the last time we’ve seen something with such collective impact and call to action,” Schamber says. “Make it really easy for people. Figure out those top 10 plants for pollinators and always keep those on hand.”

She suggests partnering with local nature- or native-focused organizations, curating your plant offerings carefully, recruiting staff passionate about biodiversity, and educating customers. Greenscape’s spring plans include BiomeSTL signage, citizen science seminars, and a small-scale iNaturalist project on their own property.

“Plants with purpose create people with a purpose and, all of a sudden, your business has a purpose,” Schamber says. And purpose pays off in many ways.

The National Pollinator Garden network reports that 92 percent of garden centers have seen an increase in demand for pollinator-friendly plants and services since 2015, when the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge started. Initiatives like BiodiverseCitySTL and the City of St. Louis’ Milkweeds for Monarchs program have impacted regional plant sales, as well.

“There has been a massive increase in demand for Missouri native perennials. I have seen efforts to save the monarchs become a gateway for new gardeners,” Lapides says. “Once people see what sort of effect they can have just in their backyard, it opens up this idea that nature isn’t just hidden away in our parks, but is everywhere and it needs to be nurtured.” 

Through BiodiverseCity St. Louis, coalition leaders have seen the impact that a garden center can have when the message of biodiversity is shared with intention. “I can’t emphasize enough the role that they can play,” Voss says. “By [selling plants] in such a way that connects it to something bigger, that really resonates with customers because it makes them feel really good about the plants that they’re buying.” Echoing that message can create demand and position your IGC with nature-loving customers and communities.

Jolene is a freelance writer, former hort professional and frequent contributor to GIE Media publications. Reach her at jolene@lovesgarden.com.

Over the past few years, drones have infiltrated our news headlines and airspace. People are flocking to the flying devices for recreational and commercial activities, and it doesn’t seem to be fading anytime soon.

Drones come in all shapes and sizes and can be equipped with a camera to capture angles that are otherwise difficult to get. Because of this, drones are becoming increasingly popular in the garden center industry to not only pollinate and feed plants, but to help create marketing videos to promote the company’s offerings from a perspective rarely seen before.

Neil Marek of Magnolia Gardens Nursery in Waller, Texas, has been experimenting with drones and drone videos for his business. What once started out as a hobby for Marek, he now uses drones for many different aspects of the business.

“I received an RC [radio controlled] plane for Christmas in 2011, and that got me on to YouTube looking for flying videos as I was learning to fly the plane,” Marek says. “I saw a video of someone flying a drone FPV (first person view is a method to control the drone from the driver or pilot’s view point) and was instantly hooked, ordered the stuff to build my first drone right away. Once I got myself in the air, I fell in love with flight and started to dream about what all the possible applications could be. Not too long after that, I made my first aerial videos of the farm to use in marketing.”

Here are Marek’s six tips to use drones for your garden center’s marketing efforts:

1. Know your equipment

When starting out, choosing a drone can be a daunting task with the many available options, says Marek.

“A good way to think about it is to consider a drone a tool, and there is the right one for the job,” Marek says. “When looking for the right drone to make marketing videos, you will want to choose one with a good camera that is on a motorized gimbal to help smooth out the shots and GPS capabilities, so it can assist in flight and be able to return home if any problems arise.”

With the cost of drones varying from as little as $25 and up, Marek says, what you invest in your drone will determine the quality of the device.

“As a general rule, which holds true with most things in life and surely does with drones, you get what you pay for,” Marek says. “I have found that most of the offerings from the company DJI would be perfect for nursery owner, the Mavik and Phantom being the most popular models. It is very important though to read the manual of whatever platform you choose so that you can fully understand how it operates and what its limitations are.”

2. Practice makes perfect

Like anything you are trying to learn in life, working with drones takes practice to truly master all the nuances of the device.

“No one was born knowing how to ride a bike, drive a car, or even walk for that matter,” Marek says. “Those skills were learned and needed some practice before they became second nature to most all of us. Flying a drone is much the same way.”

Just as pilots and golfers use simulators to help them practice their craft, drone simulators are ready and available to those looking for extra tutorials.

“There are now some really great simulators out there in the world that are very inexpensive and can really help anyone get a feel for how to control the drone,” Marek says. “Once you get the feel for the simulator, I would then recommend spending some time with your drone flying it in a very open space with no people or obstacles near so that you can also become very comfortable with the controls.”

3. Know the story you wish to tell

In order to produce a good marketing video for your garden center, Marek says the key is editing the photos or videos collected from your drone and knowing the story you wish to tell while filming.

“Think about the story that you want to tell, what it is that you want to show, what do you want people to remember about you,” Marek says. “Have that idea before you go out to shoot content, and it will help you out a ton after. Meaning if you have a plan of what you want to see and how you want to show it, it will make the editing process much simpler if you are working to gather your content with that final product in mind.”

Length is also something to consider when filming. Marek says shorter videos tend to resonate better with consumers.

“It depends on what you are doing, but as a rule, the shorter the better,” Marek says. “Unfortunately, people’s attention spans aren’t as long anymore, and you want to be able to get your whole message through to them before they move on to the next thing.”

4. Shoot to edit

When shooting your marketing video with a drone, you will want to remember to save time to edit the content that you collect.

“No one wants to watch 5 minutes of uncut, raw, jerky video,” Marek says. “Anything that is going to be enjoyable to watch is going to take a fair amount of post-production.”

Programs such as Windows Movie Maker, GoPro Studio and iMovie for Mac are free and may be good starting points.

5. Know your surroundings

Though drones are fairly safe, they can cause harm if operated improperly.

“I like to take a walk around an environment that I am about to fly [a drone] in to make sure there are not any obstacles that might be missed from where you plan to launch from,” Marek says. “You should never fly near or over people, or over anyone else’s property without permission.”

Marek also recommends business owners or employees who plan to operate drones become certified and get a commercial license through Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) training.

“Through this training, you will learn valuable information about safe operations and restrictions on where you can and cannot fly,” Marek says.

According to the FAA, anyone flying a drone less than 55 lbs. has to register each drone they intend to operate. They recommend registering your drone via the automated registration system.

6. Have fun

With anything new that you are trying to master, it is important to remember to enjoy yourself.

“You are going to crash [your drone] at some point no matter if you follow all the above tips and are careful,” Marek says. “If you stick to it, you will be able to produce some amazing content that will set you apart from the crowd and help your customers know who you are, remember you, and think of you when they make their next garden center purchase.”

Selected for Proven Winners^® Hosta of the Year Award, Hosta SHADOWLAND^® ‘Autumn Frost’ claims the prize for 2019. As a Proven Winners^® Hosta of the Year, you can expect to see this plant featured in Proven Winners^® marketing and promotional pieces. Learn more about this campaign at Proven Winners® consumer-focused website: www.nationalplantoftheyear.com

About ‘Autumn Frost’

Still relatively new by Hosta introduction standards, ‘Autumn Frost’ comes from impressive lineage. ‘Autumn Frost’ is a showy sport of the 2010 Hosta of the Year ‘First Frost’ and differs from its parent with exceptionally wide, brightly colored yellow margins. ‘First Frost’ is itself a sport of Hosta ‘Halcyon,’ a popular blue Hosta with a number of its own awards. From ‘Halcyon,’ ‘Autumn Frost’ inherits the powdery blue color of its leaves. ‘Halcyon’ also passes down leaves with a thick substance that have demonstrated good slug resistance.

‘Autumn Frost’ goes through a seasonal color change. The emerging foliage best displays the powdery blue color and yellow margins. Through the summer the oldest leaves develop a green cast with the margins turning creamy white. This perennial will attract the most attention in late spring to early summer when its color is at peak. ‘Autumn Frost’ is very easy to spot during this time and will stand out whether it is in the landscape or in the garden center.

At maturity, ‘Autumn Frost’ is a mid-sized Hosta. This perennial will grow approximately 12 inches tall and 24 inches wide and has a fast growth rate when compared to other Hostas.

In production

Growers will appreciate the faster growth rate of ‘Autumn Frost’, particularly in production.

Even with its above-average growth rate, we still recommend growing ‘Autumn Frost’ for a full year before offering it at retail. Hostas are a difficult plant to force, as they are susceptible to losing leaf substance and developing a floppy, open habit when grown too warm too quickly. ‘Autumn Frost’ is best when planted in late spring or early summer and grown through the warm season, as the long summer days will increase root growth. Small plugs will nicely finish in a trade gallon container, while large plugs will fill a true 1-gallon container in the same time. 10-12 weeks of vernalization is recommended.

For more information, visit www.waltersgardens.com

Effective signage is one component of a strong marketing program — it just happens to target customers on your property. In that sense, it can be considered precision advertising, with the potential to directly increase sales and enhance customer satisfaction. Effective signage serves to communicate, direct, motivate and even beautify your retail garden center. It doesn’t have to be complicated. By following these five steps, you will be on your way to creating a set of guidelines and implementing a plan. More information can be found in the “Garden Center Signage Guide” at Szelekt.com.

1. Select standard formats

Essential to any signage program is the selection of standard graphic sizes and formats. For example, you may want to use 24x36 and 18x24 signs. Formats, such as banners or 1/4 inch sign board, are two possibilities. A system, where the structural choices have been predetermined, can be executed with a minimum of time, effort, and expense.

2. Select sign hardware

The outdoor retail environment is challenging, especially when it comes to signs and graphics. Choosing high-quality and versatile sign hardware will greatly increase the success of your program. Before selecting sign and graphic hardware, consider the style and versatility of the designs. Investing in quality hardware systems, such as those from Szelekt.com, will eliminate one of the potential failure points and simplify routine graphic media changes. At Szelekt Products, sign and graphic systems have been specifically designed for the unique requirements of the retail garden center.

3. Establish graphic standards

Just like a menu, graphic standards are a guide to each element of a sign or graphic display. Not only does this speed up the creation of new signs, but it helps to maintain a consistent and unified presentation. Customers will know where to look for information and what to expect.

4. Create the message

Creating the sign message doesn’t have to be difficult. Keeping It Simple works. A clear and straight forward message will always be understood.

5. Find a source for printed material

On the web and in almost every community, there will be quick sign outlets. Many sign companies or large chain office supply and printing stores offer sign and banner products. Ordering larger quantities can reduce the cost per square foot of sign material.

For more information, visit www.szelekt.com