Weekend Reading 10/6/23

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: The year of the Great Begonia Awakening, spooky season plants, sustainable garden awards, the rewilding gardens trend and getting paid to grow drought-tolerant plants in California.

On Gardening: 2023 is the year of the Great Begonia Awakening, The Daily Progress

"The Garden Guy" Norman Winter says 2023 is the year of the "Great Begonia Awakening," with options like Surefire Cherry Cordial, Solenia Apricot, Solenia Yellow, Double Delight Appleblossom and Double Delight Blush Rose (all from Proven Winners).

Halloween gardening: Experts suggest some spooky season plants, The Orange County Register

The Orange County Register asked experts for their picks on creepy but striking plants, since spooky-looking garden and house plants have become increasingly popular. More than 17,000 posts on Instagram include the hashtag #gothgarden (Garden Center magazine also featured goth gardens in our October issue), and plants such as the raven ZZ (aka Zamioculcas zamiifolia) and Alocasia Black Velvet are hot commodities in plant shops.

100 Local Growers Honored For Creating Sustainable Gardens: ‘They Make The City A Better Place To Live’, Block Club Chicago

More than 100 gardeners were honored by Chicago’s Excellence in Gardening Awards, with judges highlighting setups with sustainable gardening practices, like using native plants, conserving water and providing habitat for local creatures, as well as beauty, creativity and community engagement. 

Rewilding May Be the Most Low-Key Gardening Trend Out There — This Is All It Takes, Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens shares a guide to rewilding gardens, a garden trend that involves restoring an outdoor space to what it would look like as a natural ecosystem, promoting native plant growth and wildlife. The guide includes how to do it, the pros and cons, what to know about the wildlife it attracts and more.

Native plant gardens are reinvigorating Oakland wildlife — and residents, The Oaklandside

The Oaklandside reports that native plant nurseries are cropping up around the East Bay, with residents ripping out their lawns in favor of California native plants that are drought tolerant and an excellent water-saving landscape option. The East Bay Municipal Utility District will even pay people to start the process of converting their lawn.

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