ARTOFGARDENING
Staying ahead of, and setting, trends
BY ART VANDEN ENDEN OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, our industry (indeed, the world as I know it) has experienced monumental changes. Changes are all around us in different parts of our businesses and lives. While I believe this is certainly true, it also feels like we are still early in the stages of change. For this article, let's focus on our horticultural industry specifically. Independent Garden Centres (IGCs) have always been in competition with big box retailers for the opportunity to serve local clients. Each year, big box retailers add new products to their shelves that had previously only been available in IGCs. Examples include: annuals, perennials and popular shrubs, soils, mulches and fertilizers. Consider the emerald cedar: it has become a loss leader for big box stores, to the point where it is very difficult for IGCs to compete. Seasonal merchandise is another crowded category, with popular items such as fall mums, pumpkins, porch pots, fresh Christmas trees and poinsettias being sold at low prices to draw in people to a one-stop shopping experience. Within a few years, big box stores always catch up to the newest trends that started at IGCs. We need to understand that this is part of a successful product life cycle. IGCs always need to be ahead of the curve and look to be part of, or ideally set, the newest trends. Our challenge and opportunity is to stay on the leading edge of change. Your store offerings should always include
a healthy mixture of new products. This is no easy feat and not all of your new products will be winners. However, we need to continue looking for ways to not only bring in cutting- edge products, but also to be better at marketing them to customers. Through digital marketing and social media posts, we have an opportunity to showcase how we are unique, relevant and can be counted on as leaders in innovation and new trends. It is important to have a strategy around finding, promoting and delivering new products and services before customers look elsewhere. I recently visited the Landscape Ontario Congress trade show in Toronto, Ont., where I attended a conference session titled: ‘2025 Garden Trends Report.’ It was presented by Katie Dubow from the Garden Media Group. Please look up the report through your preferred search engine, as it is available to read and download. While it is not specifically Canadian in content, it is still highly applicable to our customers’ interests and trends. The report is titled Nature’s Renaissance . To me, it’s a great title that illustrates where the major shift in our customers’ focus is heading. I also strongly believe this is much more than a trend. Trends come and go over a couple years, but shifts are generational and long lasting. Dubow highlights how urban spaces are being reclaimed and having more natural elements integrated into them. Extreme weather events and their
36 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
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