On my home office bulletin board, I have a postcard that reads “Bad Girls Book Club — Where half the group doesn’t read the book, and the other half doesn’t even show up!” This card makes me smile, remembering the days when I was in a book group that met regularly, but not everyone read the book.

In addition to providing a structure for regular reading and discussion, book groups create community. Most of the members of one book club I belonged to were mothers of young children, and we met as much to support each other and get out of the house as we did to discuss books.

IGCs can use this same model to create loyal groups of customers who remain excited about plants. People who enjoy reading and discussing what they’ve read are usually curious, and that intellectual interest often extends to plants, helping to drive sales.

Pages & plants

Plan a series of Pages & Plants meetings, where a book is paired with an appropriate plant. The club might read “The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession,” for example, then discuss the book, hear a member of your staff discuss orchid care, and all go home with an orchid. Similarly, the discussion of Lisa See’s novel “Peony in Love” could be followed by a talk about how to grow this favorite flower, and attendees take home a Peonia plant.

Such groups can be scheduled to meet monthly, bi-monthly, or as you’re able to find time and meeting space at your IGC. Registrations that are taken and paid in advance work best for these meetings, and they should be priced to cover your time and the cost of the plants.

Pages & projects

Pairing a book with a planting activity is also appealing to customers as it combines the discussion with a make-and-take project. In 2019, a group of women gathered at the back of the Hyannis Country Garden greenhouse to talk about “The Language of Flowers,” and to plant up a container of flowering annuals. Regular book club members invited others to join them, and all paid $30 that covered the materials. We provided a list of the meaning of the annuals they could choose from, which included Begonias (beware, dark thoughts), blue Salvia (I think of you), Sweet William (gallantry), and Zinnias (thoughts of absent friends) among others.

The book group members brought their own refreshments and the afternoon was filled lively conversation and fun.

Keeping connected with virtual groups

Many IGCs won’t be have in-person gatherings due to the pandemic this winter, but a book group can easily be held in a Zoom meeting. Attendees can call the store to register with a credit card, providing an email address for the link to join the meeting. They would be invited to come into the store to pick up their plants or project materials. Smaller plant projects can even be done by each attendee at home in a virtual group “plant-along.”

Finding plant-related books

Our cover story this month looks quite a bit different now than what we had planned at the beginning of the year. Before the pandemic changed everything, Rockledge Garden was going to share different ways to stay relevant in the coming years. Instead, like garden centers everywhere, the IGC is finding all kinds of innovative ways to keep their garden center, their employees and their customers connected in the midst of the pandemic. Staying relevant has taken on a whole new meaning, and it’s more crucial than ever to find ways to continue being a part of your customers’ lives — now and in the years to come after COVID is gone.

Some events at Rockledge, like their live virtual classes, keep customers engaged online. Other in-person events, like their month-long Fall Festival, leverage the wide-open spaces of the IGC to let customers to explore and shop safely. And when hosting events like birthday parties, weddings and holiday functions, the garden center is staying part of the family experience.

The garden center is a great example of how to change with the times, keep up with the market and be so much more than a plant shop. It’s a family gathering place, a virtual classroom, a photo shoot location and more. In short, they’re using employee experience to create customer experiences.

It’s also a great way to differentiate from the big-box stores. You don’t see many people going to Home Depot or Lowe’s to celebrate Mother’s Day or stage a photo shoot. And while your customers may be able to find some of the plants they’re looking for online or in a different store, they’re not likely to find a virtual garden club meeting or answers to their questions about caring for a new orchid.

You can read all about what Rockledge Gardens is doing to stay connected during the pandemic on page 18. And with the holidays fast approaching, we’d love to hear what you’re doing at your garden center this year. Send us some photos or drop us a line to let us know how your IGC is bringing cheer to your customers.

PORTRAIT BY AMBER SMITH

This year has seen changes we wouldn’t expect to see in a lifetime. It seems the entire industry (along with the rest of the world) has been turned on its head, and after months of changing orders, shifting demands and even panic in some cases, I think it’s safe to say that everyone is sick of COVID.

Dr. Aisha Ahmad, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, recently put out some words of wisdom that I took to heart: “The 6-month mark in any sustained crisis is always difficult. We have all adjusted to the ‘new normal,’ but might now feel like we’re running out of steam.”

And after an entire season of adapting to the “new normal,” it’s difficult to know what normal was, much less what it is anymore.

But, as Ahmad says, we should not lose heart. Instead, she says we’re going into our next adaptation phase. That’s true for our day-to-day life, but it’s true for the green industry, as well. As winter approaches and we look forward to next spring, it will be another few months of adapting to yet another phase of change.

How are things changing for you and your garden center? How are you going to adapt to the new normal? The new customers and the steadfast customers shopping in new ways? As much as we might wish things would go back to the way they were, new ways of thinking about shopping are here to stay. And new opportunities are ripe for the picking.

It’s especially difficult to manage all of this in a time when there’s so much opportunity, yet also so many challenges in the industry. And in times of turbulence and change, we look to what’s familiar and what’s comforting.

We look to what we can grow and nurture. We look to what we can actually control in times of chaos. Your customers are looking for that, too. They’re looking to you to provide that houseplant they can care for in the winter months. They’re working from home and hoping to make their makeshift home office a little cheerier.

That’s the beauty of this industry. It provides people with the plants that make them happy. When I talk to growers, they always say that the greatest joy they get is from growing something that people can enjoy.

From what I’ve been hearing from friends in retail, garden centers, restaurants and otherwise, who are feeling the weight of the “new normal,” to put it bluntly, things are not alright. And that’s OK, for now.

But plants will always make people happy. And that’s a great “new normal” for the industry.

Gretchen rubin’s quote, “The days are long, but the years are short” is particularly apt when it comes to seasonal employment. While it may seem like you just hired last year’s team, the time to do it once again is quickly approaching.

One of the secrets to being profitable, and having fun in the process, is hiring the right team. Here are seven tips for finding great seasonal workers.

1. START EARLY

Just as the early bird gets the worm, the proactive leader gets to pick from the largest pool of qualified applicants. Advertising early and getting seasonal workers hired and trained enables you to be ahead of the game.

2. ASK FOR REFERRALS

While they may not think of anyone immediately, your employees, friends and family have vast networks of acquaintances. Tap into the “hidden applicant market” by asking them to let others know you are looking for seasonal help. It’s amazing how often someone knows someone, who knows someone, who is looking for a job. When referrals come through, reward those who referred them with a gift card or a long weekend. Sincere gratitude is a great motivating factor.

3. RECRUIT FAVORITE CUSTOMERS

Great customers love your products, and retirees, students and individuals who don’t want to work year-round can be great seasonal candidates. If they aren’t available or interested, tap into their network by asking for referrals.

4. PAY COMPETITIVE WAGES

While you may be tempted to skimp on seasonal workers, other companies won’t. It’s generally far more profitable to pay employees well and have them return than it is to have to recruit and retrain new ones. Additionally, remember to let prospects know if they will be eligible for any perks, discounts or bonuses.

5. INTERVIEW WELL

While you may need a warm body yesterday, failing to adequately assess employee suitability causes far more headaches than being short-staffed. Skillsets alone rarely indicate if someone is a good fit for the job. Ask questions, and when possible check references, to best gauge if a candidate possesses the right attitudes and behaviors to fit with your team.

You can catch a glimpse into absenteeism, reliability and fit by asking questions such as, “In the unlikely event you aren’t able to make it into work, what would you do?” “If you were frustrated with me, another employee or a customer, how would you handle it?” “What would previous employers and coworkers say about your ability to be a team player?” You’ll also want to know if there are any time or availability constraints that may affect their work schedule.

6. SUPERVISE SEASONAL EMPLOYEES LIKE EVERYONE ELSE

Set seasonal team members up for success by being clear about expectations, providing great training, and erroring on the side of over-communicating. Additionally, being proactive and addressing problems as they arise, and reinforcing what they are doing well enables each employee to be a better team member.

7. RECRUIT NEXT SEASON’S HELP THIS YEAR

The best employees are the ones you don’t have to recruit and retrain every year. Retain great seasonal help by treating each person as a valued team member who is irreplaceable. You’ll be first on their list for next year and anytime you have an unexpected need.

Just as well-tended seeds and plants yield large harvests, staying ahead of seasonal hiring garners great fruit. Making time to recruit and train reliable employees, and treating them as highly valued team members will set you, your business and your entire staff up for long term success.

The People IQ Expert®, Dr. Sherene McHenry, works with organizations who want to elevate their engagement, productivity and profitability. Learn more at sherenemchenry.com.