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 devastation have made the relevance and importance of climate considerations clear. This reclaiming of urban spaces can be brought right down to the homeowner level, with calls for more plants and gardens, and less pavement and lawns. This is a perfect opportunity to sell more plants and have a positive impact on the environment.
Of eight trends highlighted in Dubow’s report, I would like to focus on three that stood out to me.
Lived-in gardens
What is a lived-in garden? It is a shift away from the pristine and new toward a more genuine, seasoned aesthetic. This sounds like the perfect habitat for a butterfly or wildflower garden — flowing shapes, colours and contours that are the perfect environment to host native wildlife. If chosen correctly, your customer's garden will be a full-season place where plants and animals abound. Present this concept to your customers and watch their beautiful gardens grow and thrive.
Living fences
I was thrilled when I saw this come up as a trend in the report. Having recently travelled to the Netherlands, I was so impressed with the skills and techniques of plant maintenance where traditional tree species are maintained in a two-dimensional way to provide screening and shade in the summer, while allowing sunlight to filter through in the winter. Such a great alternative to a cedar hedge. This also opens the doors to adding additional varieties to boost your garden diversity. A living fence can transform a simple border into a vibrant ecosystem.
Foraged garden
With winter urn creation being such a popular winter holiday activity, why not promote growing plants that can be a direct source of material for homeowners to create or enhance their own arrangements? I’m not advocating foraging from the wild or rural areas; however, a lot can be found in a home garden, such as red Dogwood branches or evergreen boughs. This activity also encourages bringing cut flowers to the indoors to enjoy throughout the growing season. Using foraged or self-grown plant materials allows our customers to be happy, engaged and involved in their gardens. It’s a great way to help people develop and grow their enthusiasm for active gardening.
The last potential trend I wanted to share is the use and promotion of ‘keystone’ plants in a garden. Keystone plants are native plants critical to the food web and necessary for many wildlife species to complete their life cycle. Without keystone plants in the landscape, butterflies, native bees and birds will not thrive. Ninety-six per cent of our terrestrial birds rely on insects supported by keystone plants.
Did you know that a single native oak tree will support up to 436 different species of caterpillars that feed on them? Native garden asters can support up to 100 different species as well. Think about the potential here. Many of our customers are interested in native plants and they want to include them in their personal gardens. Consider the potential of promoting these keystone or super power plants that will give the maximum exposure to inviting essential native pollinators and other beneficial wildlife.
I wish IGCs and landscape specialists a successful garden season in 2025. Keep a sharp eye out for what’s new and different, and don’t forget that when you add new products to your lineup, you should strategically drop the poorest performers from your listing as well. Managing an attractive, well-balanced selection of popular items is always important.
Art loved every minute of his 44-year garden centre career with Weall and Cullen and Sheridan Nurseries. In retirement, Art enjoys giving back to the profession with Landscape Ontario’s Garden Centre Sector Group and sharing his experience with Landscape Trades readers.