Southern Living-branded plants debut in 2008
Southern Living magazine and Plant Development Services Inc. (PDSI) have agreed to develop and market a plant collection in the U.S. and Canada under the Southern Living brand. Shrubs, trees, bedding plants, groundcovers, tropicals and ornamental grasses will be part of the collection, according to PDSI pres. Greg Smith. Plants will be available in spring 2008 through all retail channels. PDSI is recruiting growers and evaluating cultivars in preparation for the program launch.

Bordine plans upscale redevelopment
Bordine Nursery in Rochester Hills, Mich., submitted a proposal for an upscale shopping center on its 36-acre property, according to the Detroit News. The plan calls for a new nursery, market, movie theater, retail shops, restaurants, offices and apartments, the Rochester Eccentric reported. The new garden center will be built before existing buildings are demolished. Bordine Nursery co-pres. Corey Bordine told the Eccentric he is hoping for a 2009 opening. Buildings in the development will have a traditional look. A park, landscaped plazas and walking paths connecting the shopping center to new housing north of the property are part of the overall plan.

Bailey joins Billion Tree Campaign
Bailey Nurseries is urging the green industry to get involved in the Billion Tree Campaign. The campaign is an initiative by the United Nations Environment Programme to plant 1 billion trees in 2007 to fight deforestation and global warming. Bailey has pledged to plant 100,000 trees this spring. Trees will be donated to Minnesota school systems for children to plant.

Outdoor rooms spur spring spending
Consumers will be looking for more than plants when they revamp backyards this spring. Get some insight on what customers will be hunting for.
→ Outdoor room study. Weber-Stephen Products
→ Accessories, not plants. Florida Today
→ Gadgets will reign. The Courier News

Consumer spending to remain strong
Customer satisfaction with goods and services reached an all-time high in 4Q 2006, according to a report released last week by Univ. of Mich.'s American Consumer Satisfaction Index. The index reached 74.9 on a 100-point scale, up 2% from last year. "In view of these results it is not surprising that the consumer continues to lift the economy despite the housing slump," said Claes Fornell, dir. of Univ. of Mich.'s Nat'l. Quality Research Center, which compiles ACSI data. "The economy may not be coming in for a soft landing. With the confluence of a number of favorable factors, there may be no landing at all. Rising wages, little inflation and falling unemployment combined with higher customer satisfaction and strong consumer confidence suggest this trend in spending growth will continue to drive economic growth."

View from a blog
Fall is for planting … right? Open Register

Worth a visit
Retail consultant Robert Hendrickson offers a mix of tips and suggestions taken from street-level experiences working with garden centers. Only on GreenBeam.com.