The latest from our website and social media pages

Your Turn

Each month, we ask readers a different question about their retail operations, inviting them to answer via email or social media. You can send your answers to assistant editor Conner Howard at choward@gie.net.

THIS MONTH’S QUESTION:

“Do you offer food at your IGC in a café, restaurant or farm market? If so, how has your menu changed?”

Answers to this question will be published in the May 2017 issue of Garden Center.

Multimedia | Podcast

Plant Bracketology

Every March, passionate sports fans and casual observers alike come together to share their predictions for the NCAA college basketball championship series, building “brackets” based on their picks to win each matchup. For the past four years, Proven Winners and Spring Meadow Nursery have worked together to harness the March Madness spirit in a marketing strategy and plant tournament called “Shrub Madness.” Stacey Hirvela, horticulture marketing specialist at Spring Meadow Nursery, talked with the GIE Media Horticulture Group about the goals and ideas behind Shrub Madness, which pits shrub varieties against one another through online polling.
Listen here: bit.ly/2nxgW3P

What’s trending on Instagram

Sometimes, unplanned visits are the most gratifying. While traveling through San Franciso, Calif., Garden Center editor Michelle Simakis decided to stop by Sloat Garden Center’s Pierce Street location and admire the displays, which showed off Sloat’s selections of succulents, houseplants, containers and more.
Find it here: bit.ly/2ovdRPG

5 stories in brief

Top industry news from our website

1. Remembering “The Farmer”

The family of Bill “The Farmer” Meadows, founder of Meadows Farms Nurseries & Landscape, remembers him for his positivity and work ethic.
bit.ly/2mjwto2

2. Manager to owner

Mike Curran, long-time manager of Summerwinds Nursery’s sole Missouri location, is now the store’s owner.
bit.ly/2n1Ct5h

3. Visa cap reached

DREAMSTIME.COM

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service says it has reached the fiscal year’s legal limit for H-2B visas, just six weeks after reaching the cap for the first half of 2017.
bit.ly/2mJ0euP

4. EuroAmerican inventory sold

California-based wholesaler Altman Plants has purchased plant inventory from the property of EuroAmerican Propagators.
bit.ly/2lsZKrS

5. Costa Farms expands

Costa Farms has acquired fellow Florida grower Delray Plants, as part of a plan to grow Costa’s team and market share.
bit.ly/2mR69lM