We spent four days in Columbus with one goal: find what’s actually working, from the sales floor to the soil and behind the counter and bring it back to our membership and ProGreen EXPO.
We joined tours, sat in sessions, hit the tradeshow floor with curious minds. The takeaway? Creativity is currency. Training is make-or-break. And the future of our industry depends on how well we connect, to customers, to staff and to the next generation.
Here’s a few things that stuck with us:
Retail Tours: Creating a Space People Want to Be In
At Baker’s Acres Greenhouse, success looks like a loyal following, a lively checkout line, and a calendar full of community-driven events. Their blend of creativity and intentional choices, from handmade signage and upbeat music to cold drinks (they have a liquor license) and food trucks, creates an environment where people want to stay, shop and come back.
Weekly plant bingo on Sundays has brought a noticeable bump in sales, while niche programs like “Heavy Metal Houseplants” and “Megamum” keep customers curious and engaged. They’ve embraced technology too, using web drops for Friday pickups and streamlining with the Palm Street app.
🧠 Takeaway: Thoughtful details and a welcoming atmosphere build lasting customer connections. Innovation doesn’t have to be flashy to make a big impact.
Groovy Plants Ranch might be the most joyfully branded garden center we’ve ever seen. Coneflowers and cones of actual ice cream (“Cones & Cones”) was the headline the day we were there but the real genius was in the details: Free, cold bottles of water, a stocked shelf of women’s products in the restroom, and branded umbrellas handed out the moment the rain hit. With a graphic designer on staff, their signage, swag and wayfinding was consistent and fun throughout. Lots of activities for the kids (hobbit house, crashed airplane, mining waterfall) meant a family-friendly atmosphere. Their staff was warm, the vibe was laid back and the identity? Rock solid.
🧠 Takeaway: Strong brands have strong followings. Also: we’ll be inviting Groovy’s Liz to speak at ProGreen, fingers crossed she’s available!
Drought-Tested Perennials: What Survived & Thrived
In a year when Dublin, Ohio (zone 6b) faced extreme heat and zero supplemental water, and the usual onslaught of salt ice melt, a lineup of resilient perennials stood tall.
Top performers:
- Agastache
- Allium
- Amsonia hubrichtii — ‘String Theory’, ‘Butterscotch’
- Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem) — ‘Red October’
- Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed, Orange Form)
- Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama) — ‘Blonde Ambition’, ‘Honeycomb’; Bouteloua curtipendula (Sideoats Grama)
- Calamintha nepeta
- Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass) — ‘Heavy Metal’, ‘Shenandoah’, ‘Northwind’, ‘Dust in the Wind’
- Rudbeckia maxima (Giant Coneflower)*
- Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem) — ‘Twilight Zone’, ‘Chameleon’, ‘Little Red Fox’, ‘Ha Ha Tonka’
- Sedum spp. — ‘Dazzleberry’, ‘Night Embers’, ‘Carl’, ‘Pillow Talk’
- Sesleria autumnalis (Autumn Moor Grass)
- Spigelia marilandica (Woodland Pinkroot) — ‘Little Redhead’, ‘Ragin’ Cajun’, ‘Apple Slices’
- Vernonia spp. (Ironweed) — ‘Iron Butterfly’, ‘Southern Cross’
In public spaces, even just a simple field drift of little bluestem beat the all-too-common alternative of mulch and boulders. Though they specialize in the mid-Atlantic region, they also recommended the Mt Cuba trials for research on natives. For more ideas on smart landscaping in tough zones, give the Shrubby Buddies podcast a listen.
🧠 Takeaway: Native doesn’t have to mean dull. In drought, resilience = beauty.
Other Smart Things We Heard
- Train Your Team to Water: All our members know that watering isn’t basic, it’s foundational. There’s a free bilingual video series on watering techniques at BackPocketGrower.org (click on “Irrigation”. Some companies now require formal certification in watering, which the IFAS extension now offers online.
- POS That Pays Off: VMX is earning serious loyalty among garden center retail stores (and loyalty programs are non-negotiable now). Cloud-based is the future. Live inventory is coming. And your POS should drive customer behavior, not just track it.
- Charlie Hall’s State of the Market: Supply, demand, labor, and economic headwinds, Charlie covered it all in the keynote. And he’ll be the keynote at CNGA’s Horticulture Leadership Retreat this fall! View his slide deck here.
Trend Forecasts: Inspiration That Sells
In a packed session on garden trends for 2026, we learned the strongest strategies blended purpose, playfulness, and pop-culture relevance to attract new audiences.
🧠 Takeaway: People connect with purpose—and plants with personality.
Try these tips:
- Curate collections with meaning: Think pet-friendly gardens, cozy gamer kits, or even a Minecraft flora box drop
- Partner with vendors to align around a shared mission (e.g. pollinator packs, local nonprofit tie-ins)
- Use storytelling to bring plants to life, whether that’s a Plantmoji personality quiz, a “Botanical Bento” subscription box, or simply marketing your inventory in a way that feels like a lifestyle
- Lean into cultural moments: Tie displays or social campaigns to concerts in the area, new movie releases, or niche interests
- Remember, the number one question still asked: Is this safe for my pets? Design around that.
- Kusumi colors are IN: Low saturation colors and grayish tints
Social Media & Gen Z: Connect or Be Forgotten
Between sessions on social media trends and retail insights from top young garden centers, one truth stood out: consistency and creativity win online. TikTok isn’t just a trend; it’s a tool. And if your brand isn’t showing up with video, clear messaging, and human faces, it’s already falling behind.
🧠 Takeaway: Gen Z doesn’t need more content—they need real connection.
Try this:
- Treat your algorithm like an audience: Be authentic, consistent and helpful
- Create “main character” moments – showcase your brand story in 5 fun, unique facts
- Invest in tools like CapCut or VideoLeap to polish your video content. A $20 mic can make your phone videos sound pro
- Train your staff on social soft skills: Eye contact, greetings, and explaining product benefits in a way that makes people feel confident
- Internally, prioritize culture: daily check-ins, clear expectations, and cross-generational mentorship matter more than ever
- From a customer service perspective, in a world racing toward automation, the garden center that stays personal, warm and REAL will stand out and be a welcome respite
- For inspiration, check out Family Tree Nursery on Instagram, Smith’s Gardentown on Tik Tok, and Groovy Plants Ranch on Tik Tok
Next-Gen Horticulture: It’s About Connection, Not Just Recruitment
The next generation isn’t short on interest. They’re short on connection points and confidence.
Students and interns want to feel like they belong, not just fill a labor gap. Their biggest fears? Messing up. Being judged. Getting in over their heads.
Here’s how to help them stick:
- Educators and intern hosts: Create soft skill touchpoints like group projects and tasks that encourage teamwork
- Level-set halfway through internships, not just at the end
- Show them how to learn, not just what to do
- Use mentors, peer connections and real-time feedback
- Market your internship like you’d market your store (they’re checking your socials and reviews, too)
🧠 Takeaway: The “Gen Z stare” isn’t indifference, it’s uncertainty. Practice builds confidence. Confidence builds loyalty.
Let’s also start the conversation earlier, which CNGA endeavors to do through the Plant Ahead Program! Think high school internships, mini certification tracks for students, even campus ambassador programs. And at ProGreen, we’re discussing greater student-centric programming to meet this moment.
What we saw in Columbus this year wasn’t just innovation, it was intention. From better plant selections to stronger staff training, every success story had one thing in common: People who care deeply about doing things well. We’re bringing that same energy to ProGreen this winter. Let’s keep the momentum going, together.
