Weekend Reading 9/27/24

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: A global plant black market, tips for the first frost, printable pollinator cards, virtual influencers and an exhibition on the gardening Beatle.

The Huntington Botanical Gardens has a plant theft problem. It’s a global issue, LAist

The Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino has a problem with plant thieves. But it's not just The Huntington where it's an issue; illegal plant harvesting in the wild is a serious issue around the world, with a global network of plants trafficked on the black market.

You can’t just bring plants inside and dump them into storage, Anchorage Daily News

Longtime ADN gardening columnist Jeff Lowenfels shares his tips for what to do with annual plants when a frost is predicted. (Good advice for those of us in the Lower 48 and Canada, too, not just Alaska.)

New resource on bees and butterflies available for your garden, MSU Extension

Michigan State University Extension has created printable information cards to highlight the behavior and feature of several common bees and butterflies for display in gardens. Take a look at the cards that are available and see if any would be good to provide for your customers (or display around your own IGC).

Virtual influencers gain traction, Retail Dive

Some brands and retailers are turning to virtual influencers — a.k.a. a fictional avatar — to sway consumers, according to Retail Dive.

A Beatle amid the bromeliads: Selby Gardens highlights George Harrison’s love of gardening, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, is celebrating George Harrison's love of gardening in its next exhibition series program.

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