Why Shop At Independent Garden Centers
If you are reading this, chances are you already know why going to an independent garden center is such a wonderful experence. That said, I know how hard it is when you are at the grocery store or one of the big box stores and that plant is calling your name. Why not, it looks good and will save you a trip. I get it. The struggle is real when I am there looking for this or that and I see truck loads of plants arriving.
I read a report last week put out to garden center owners about the upcoming generation that only knows to buy from these places and when they hear, “shop local” they feel they are. The box store is in their neighborhood, or they were already at Walmart and that’s local.
It is when I hear these things I worry that more and more garden centers will fade away unless they find a way to reach out to these people. I found it so interesting, that since COVID we have so many new gardeners but they overwhelming are getting their plants and supplies from everywhere other than the garden center. They are using You Tube to get information which is great if they are finding sources that have the correct information. The the amount of misinformation out there is scary.
I know it was always a struggle for us at Behnke’s to get new customers to walk into our door. I felt that once they arrived it was our chance to WOW them and create an experience that would make them come back.
So why am I writing about this to you? I would love to hear back from you what makes you keep searching out Independent Garden Centers. What keeps you loyal to one or two of them? Just how tempting is it when you are looking at the selection of seeds at the grocery store to just get them there? And do you have any suggestions for the garden centers that are still around to get that new gardener to walk in their doors?
For me, I would say the temptation to pick up this or that is time. Time is such an important part of my life as I am sure it is for you. But I am trying to figure out what I can say to this new generation of gardeners to get them to shop at a garden center. How can the owners get out to them that the knowledge at a IGC is why people keep coming back?
How do we get people to join the many wonderful garden groups in our area and different plant societies? Or join their local Master Gardeners? Let me know your thoughts because I really do not want to see IGC’s go the way of the Mom and Pops Hardware Stores.
I always go to a garden center ,I miss yours terribly,
,I have a question for you
My water fountain needs to be checked ,where could I go for help?
Please tell me
Thank you Vkogut
Hi there!! I am so happy you still shop local!! As for the fountains, I really do not know anyone. Your best bet would be to check out other garden centers that sell fountains or check with a landscape company. Is there something wrong with it?
The numerous plant/flower societies could hold their events at the independent garden center. Behnke’s was so kind to host the National Capital Orchid Society orchid show. These events could help bring new people, who usually would not come to the garden center, to visit.
Hi Linus! How’s it going? I was thrilled that Homestead has been hosting the NCOS at their garden center. We enjoyed having you all at Behnke’s along with so many other groups. The Garden Parties in June were a hit, benefiting Brookside Gardens. Having various garden clubs and plant societies in one place was fantastic for customers to discover the perfect one to join. It’s indeed a great way to bring people to their local garden centers. And we had a few that held their member meetings once a month which is something else I thing IGC should look at.
We have all been fooled into thinking local locations of chains are local businesses while our money 2:1 or so is being systematically siphoned out of our communities and not supporting our schools, roads, and so on and costing us more in local taxes. We would need to visit our money in Atlanta (Home Depot), Bentonville AR (Walmart), Seattle (Amazon) and so on to ever see it again. Meanwhile any form of real knowledge and better products is evaporating from our communities and more and more we have to deal with automated phone bots and employees who really don’t know anything about what the dumbed down lower quality but brand named goods the chains are selling. Read about the Local Multiplier Effect at https://amiba.net/project/local-multiplier-effect/ and tell your kids, relatives, co-workers, associates, neighbors, friends, and even your frenemies what’s going on with their money. https://amiba.net/project/local-multiplier-effect/
Thank you, Sid, for sharing this link about where our money truly goes when shopping at box stores. I’m excited to hear from my readers about what they want in an IGC. What do they think IGCs need to do to attract new customers who have always shopped at grocery or box stores? How can we ensure that online information sites provide accurate information? I strongly believe in letting our young staff members guide us in understanding what their generation uses in terms of social media. Let them tell us what influences their buying decisions.
Last weekend I went to the Orchid Show at Homestead garden in Davidsonville. I bought two orchids and some pots. I use to go to Behnke’s when the NCOS held it there. I could always find a variety of orchids at Behnke’s no matter what time of year it was.
Hi Richard! I am so sorry I did not make it to Homestead this year. Family things came up but I really enjoy going to see my friends from the NCOS. So question, during the year when there is not a special event going on do you still go to local garden centers? If so, what are they doing that keeps you coming back?
I think it’s sort of like restaurants. Some folks eat at the chains, others seek out local restaurants to try different types of food and drink. Brewpubs and sushi bars and barbecue joints. Garden centers offer the same thing. The box stores in an area tend to all offer the same thing. Here in my town of around 300,000, we have perhaps ten garden centers. One specializes in outdoor living, woody plants, and Christmas decor. Another has a large greenhouse full of tropical plants and grows some unusual poinsettias. Two have vast selections of annuals and perennials, but not much in the way of trees and shrubs, and so on. Each one is unique and worth a trip, and none is more than a half an hour away from my home. Maybe the key is “try something new, branch out.”
so no full service garden centers in your area? If there was one that offered everything you are seeing at all the different ones and still within 30 mins from your house, would you tend to shop there? Or still go to all the others? What ideas do you think IGC need to have to bring in the generation that has never shopped anywhere but a box store? How do we make IGC the IT place to go like a Brewery? I know word of month helps but it seems to me that garden centers need to show up on social media as the expert. The place to find the best selection of plants but where folks can also get the knowledge from the staff.
I have a full service GC 5 minutes from my house. But the emphasis is outdoor living, Christmas to some extent, and woody plants–best selection of woody plants in the area. But…Annual and perennial selection is weak. I go there at least once a month in season. But for any depth in annuals and perennials I need to go about 25 minutes out of town; great annuals (at least double the display space we had at Behnke Beltsville) and perennials (not as good as Behnke Beltsville but very nice), a few woody plants, closed in the winter. Of course, I’m an old “plant guy,” not a new gardener. Social Media is important, if you can attract people to come in and not just look at your information, and of course it’s got to be accurate and up to date. And the “star” needs to be on the sales floor to work with people. So, I perceive that young people/families go to parks and public gardens because they are inexpensive or free; outdoors, so, part of nature; and a source of ideas of what you can do at home. I would try to form a sponsorship bond with public gardens by offering speakers, raffle prizes, plant donations, and so on, to try to get our names entwined in the minds of visitors. Then you have your social media tie ins: Like that? (photo) Get it here!
Hi Stephanie,
You raise an excellent point. More people need to know about the IGCs that have been in our communities for years. I think if more centers can host events or have an informational booth at a farmer’s market or community event, the love of these centers will grow. Also for those who can, a radio announcement or spot on the local news will also shed a spotlight on all that the IGCs have to offer. I truly miss going to Benhke’s, and thank you for keeping it alive virtually with your weekly posts.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your ideas. I was always a firm believer in hosting events at Behnke’s. I found having it benefit a local non profit like the Lions Club or Brookside Gardens helped bring in people that normaly would not have come to our garden center. About the time we closed, we were seeing many new younger families shopping.Most, when asked why they decided to come to Behnke’s said it was from a recommendation of a neighbor. Word of mouth has always been the best advertisment. We loved doing our raido spots those last few years but they sure where expensive.