As home gardening activity continues to grow during the pandemic, the February issue of Digger asks how independent garden centers are capitalizing on the moment. Retailers share how they’re following color trends, connecting with their customers in the store and online, as well as meeting homeowners’ other garden tool needs. Plus, researchers discuss testing ultraviolet reflectance on navitars and native plants to examine what bees see.  

In this issue

• Emerging with confidence: Mike Darcy shares his throughts about the coming spring season for garden centers.
• A green renewal: Color trend watchers say green is the “in” color for decoration, design and fashion, which has implications for garden retailers.
• More than just plants: Hard goods will help build retail sales, but it’s important to pay close attention to customer needs.
• Loyal legions: There’s no one single way to build customer loyalty and earn repeat business, but the effort pays off in the long run.

Columns

• It’s all about relationships: President’s Message by Josh Robinson
• Ag overtime should not pit owner versus worker: Director’s Desk by Jeff Stone

Growing Knowledge an ongoing series provided by Oregon State University in collaboration with the USDA and in partnership with OAN.

• A bee’s eye view: Testing for UV reflectance to gain insight into the benefits of nativars compared to native plants.

Please send your comments on the issue to editor Curt Kipp at [email protected].