Garden Center Magazine

05/29/2026

Red Ninja hosta won the Plant of the Year Award at the RHS - Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show 2026.

“Of all the plants, this is the one I would most want to add to a collection,” one judge said. Others praised its distinct color and overall appeal.

Touted as the world’s first truly red hosta, Red Ninja is available exclusively in the Bloomin' Easy Plants brand in North America through a licensing partnership with Concept Plants and Pioneer Gardens.

“The hype around Red Ninja is unlike anything we’ve experienced,” said Bloomin’ Easy President DeVonne Friesen. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring such a rare and remarkable introduction to Bloomin’ Easy brand partners across North America. And no, it’s not AI.”

Bred by Danish plant breeder Ninja Kramer, Red Ninja was developed as a full-plant mutation of Hosta ‘First Blush’.

Red Ninja availability in North America will be very limited for the first few years as supply catches up with global demand.

Read more about Red Ninja and the other winners and runner-ups at Chelsea here:

https://www.gardencentermag.com/news/red-ninja-plant-of-the-year-2026-chelsea-flower-show/

05/28/2026

Garden center owners and managers interact with so many people day to day, from employees and customers to loved ones in their personal lives.

Our Garden Center Conference & Expo keynote speaker, Dave Mitchell of the Leadership Difference, will explain the power of understanding people this August in Nashville.

Hear from Dave on what to expect in his session in this Session Sneak Peek:

"From a leadership perspective, it will help them enhance how they inspire high levels of performance from people, because different types of employees respond to different leadership styles and techniques...These are strengths that you can not just apply to leadership, but also to selling skills, to service skills. And even in your daily life with a spouse or with kids, relatives, friends."

Register for the conference at the link below and add Dave's keynote session to your show schedule!

https://www.gardencenterconference.com/

05/27/2026

With her company The Garden of Words, L.L.C., Katie Elzer-Peters helps green industry professionals manage email marketing, web development, web strategy and business development.

Katie, a 2026 Leading Woman of Horticulture, explains her horticultural career path, from public horticulture to running a horticultural marketing company, and why "find a way" is her guiding philosophy in our Q&A at the link below:

https://www.gardencentermag.com/article/leading-women-of-horticulture-katie-elzer-peters-the-garden-of-words/

05/26/2026

An online sales channel has the potential to introduce your IGC to new customers or make shopping more convenient for those you already serve.

But with all of the e-commerce options out in the world, how do you figure out where to start? Should you build an online store on your website, go through a third party or use the capabilities of your current POS system?

At the Garden Center Conference & Expo this August in Nashville, our "Getting E-Commerce Right" panelists will address how they found e-commerce success, including the platforms they chose, how and what they sell online, and the obstacles of digital storefronts and how they overcame them.

Our panelists are:
-Donovan C. Baltich, owner, Wellspring Gardens
-Michelle Castaneda, retail operations manager, Van Putte Gardens
-Megan Grimaldi, store manager and purchaser, Moore and Moore Garden Center

Register for the conference at the link below, and make sure you add "Getting E-Commerce Right" to your show schedule!

https://www.gardencenterconference.com/

05/22/2026

With more than 15 years of horticulture experience, Gladys Opiyo, director of sales for North American growers at Profile Growing Solutions - Horticulture, has hands-on experience growing both plants and customer relationships within the industry.

We talked with Gladys, a 2026 Leading Women of Horticulture, about how she got involved in horticulture, what mentorship looks like for her and her advice for young women looking to enter horticulture:

https://www.gardencentermag.com/article/leading-women-horticulture-gladys-opiyo-profile-growing-solutions/

05/21/2026

05/21/2026

Dümmen Orange, North America and Syngenta Flowers NA have signed an agreement to establish a strategic joint venture, the companies announced.

Customers will continue to work with their current contacts or supply arrangements, with enriched product offerings and more streamlined logistics to follow in the near future.

The combined entity, which will be named at a later date, aims to advance the ornamental horticulture industry, delivering sustainable value to employees, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders, the companies said.

Read more on this breaking news:

https://www.gardencentermag.com/news/dummen-orange-syngenta-flowers-merger-ornamental-plant-breeding-propagation/

05/20/2026

Gen Z is already shaping the floral marketplace, and the industry can’t afford to guess what motivates them.

The Floral Marketing Fund has completed a new nationwide study, Catering to Generation Z Consumers: Identifying Key Traits and Wellbeing Benefits in Floral Products, exploring how Gen Z consumers (ages 18–28) purchase flowers and plants, what influences their buying decisions, and how floral products connect to emotional wellbeing.

Find out what Gen Z wants from flowers at the link below 💐

(Graphic by Floral Marketing Fund)

https://www.gardencentermag.com/news/floral-marketing-fund-consumer-research-gen-z-flowers/

05/19/2026

Visual merchandising isn’t just about making your garden center look pretty.

It’s one of the most effective ways to increase units per transaction and overall sales.

In the Garden Center Conference & Expo session "Beyond Pretty: Visual Merchandising for Profitability," Rachel Reynolds, founder of Bird's Eye Visual Merchandising, will explain how to design displays that tell a story and naturally guide customers to make purchases.

Rachel studied retail science at the University of Houston and previously worked as the sole visual merchandiser at Houston garden center Buchanan's Native Plants.

At the conference this August in Nashville, Rachel will also cover proven techniques for pairing plants and products, creating inspiring moments, and helping customers envision your products in their lives.

Expect to walk away with a deeper understanding of merchandising strategies you can implement immediately in your garden center.

Register for the conference at the link below, and make sure you add Rachel's session to your show schedule!

https://www.gardencenterconference.com/

05/18/2026

In late February, Atlas Greenhouse acquired Stuppy Greenhouse, Inc.

In the latest episode of The Growth Industry podcast, available at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts, Mark Davis, vice president of strategic initiatives with Atlas Greenhouse, and Matt Stuppy, president of Stuppy Greenhouse, join host Matt McClellan to discuss the merger of the two major greenhouse manufacturers.

Listen to find out why this move made sense for both companies, what it means for growers that do business with them and how the partnership will work going forward:

https://www.gardencentermag.com/media/stuppy-atlas-greenhouse-acquisition-growth-industry-podcast-mark-davis-matt-stuppy/