Today is the official release of our 2015 Garden Trends Report:“Unearthing the Best Life."

“Unearthing the Best Life” identifies nine consumer trends that will shape the garden and outdoor living industry and resonate in the coming year.

The highly anticipated trends report, published annually since 2001, finds that gardening goes hand-in-hand with a healthy lifestyle.

Read on to find out the components that are fueling this sustainable lifestyle and contributing to eco-friendly gardens and outdoor spaces.

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

― Mark Twain

Have you heard that expression? (Actually coined by Nicolas Chamfort, it became attributed to Twain after his death.)

Origin aside, the quote refers to the act of ridding oneself of the most ghastly obstacle that is required first. By eating a ‘frog’ in the morning (i.e. doing the worst or hardest task first), you know that the rest of the day will be far better in comparison. 

This year-end checklist offers several suggestions to enable you to take control of your garden marketing and PR before 2014. 

Here are 6 actions to consider to jump-start your marketing in 2014.

The color experts at Pantone have announced the Color of the Year for 2014 --- Radiant Orchid. It's a color we love. How about you??

We've talked to countless small garden businesses and start-ups looking to attract new customers and get the word out about their product. Most are inventors, creative and driven, but marketing is not their background. They feel overwhelmed trying to promote a new product or service.  

We offer free 30 minute consultations to such companies and try to keep marketing simple and straightforward for them. We listen to their goals and challenges and break down a few key things they can do to jump start a start-up.

Today, we wanted to share those tips with you, in the hopes that you, too, will feel a little less overwhelmed and have success launching your new product.

We have a Thanksgiving tradition at Garden Media. Each Thanksgiving, we stop, think, and share our gratitude with each other and our clients.  

So before Black Friday madness kicks off, we'd like to spend a few minutes reflecting and being thankful for what we have. I asked my co-workers to share what they're thankful for this Thanksgiving.

From friends and family to the little things, discover what the Garden Media team is thankful for this year.

In 2012, customers spent $1.7 billion on Cyber Monday, and the forecast for this year predicts a whopping $2.27 billion. Next to Black Friday, it’s the biggest shopping day of the year. Many customers prefer shopping Cyber Monday deals because they get to enjoy the same bargains, but avoid the lines, the crowded parking lots, and the massive amounts of people.

Did your garden e-commerce business take a piece of that 1.7 billion dollar pie last year?

If not, it is important to get on the ball this year to make sure your marketing strategy has a Cyber Monday plan. Don’t miss this huge sales opportunity.

Here are seven tips to keep in mind for any garden e-commerce business planning their Cyber Monday strategy.