Weekend Reading 2/16/24

Welcome to Garden Center magazine's Weekend Reading, a weekly round-up of consumer garden media stories meant to help IGCs focus marketing efforts, spark inspiration and start conversations with consumers.

This week: Finding hope in flowers after a stroke, gardens as an artistic metaphor, growing microgreens, a new TikTok trend and raised-bed gardening.

Hope Blooms: Stroke survivor builds blooming business in flower gardening, Magnolia Tribune

After a stroke that left her with multiple physical and mental symptoms, Mischelle Vining found a reignited passion for flower gardening.

How Gardens Became an Artistic Metaphor for Our Dystopian Times, Artnet

Precious Okoyomon, Shezad Dawood and Mat Collishaw are some of the artists exploring cultivated natural environments as part of their practices, Emily Steer writes.

For a winter gardening project with a gourmet touch, try growing microgreens, Associated Press

AP garden writer Jessica Damiano writes that microgreens have been popping up as garnishes at high-end restaurants, but they’re more than just a gourmet trick of the trade.

When People Say They're "Gardening" on TikTok, Here's What They Really Mean, Distractify

Distractify says that "gardening" is the latest slang term to pop up on TikTok — but it doesn't mean gardening in the traditional sense. If you see someone using the term (or a leaf emoji) in a setting where it doesn't seem to make much sense, the likeliest explanation is that they're using it as a way to talk about smoking marijuana in a way that doesn't get them kicked off of TikTok. Make sure your social media teams are aware!

Raised-bed gardening offers a different approach for backyard vegetable growers, Evansville Courier & Press

Andy Rideout explains the details of raised-bed gardening.

Enjoy your reading, have a great weekend and we'll see you next week!