In an effort to keep revenue in the black the garden center industry has been cultivating a crop of garden gadgets and Flowers 2.0, according to a SmartMoney article.
The article reported that garden spending usually tracks the housing market thus; it too has taken a tumble during the slump. Garden center revenue was down 5 percent last year.
To combat this downturn, plant sellers are promoting new and unusual plants. For gardeners, this translates into a 20 percent increase in price on brand-name plants. Retailers say trend-conscious consumers are willing to pay the price to maintain photo-shoot ready yards.
The industry is also looking to expand its market by creating technology that allows those without a green thumb to garden successfully. However, the article emphasized that genetically altered plants always hold the possibility for error.