Home Depot introduces Eco Options
Last week, Home Depot launched its Eco Options program, a classification and labeling system allowing customers to identify products that have less impact on the environment. More than 2,500 products have been designated Eco Options, including organic plant food and vegetables in biodegradable pots. Ron Jarvis, Home Depot v.p. of environmental innovation, told USA Today that customers aren't clamoring for green products. "But it's the right time to educate consumers that their shopping habits can have an impact and that they can make a difference without going out of their way," he said.

Late-winter blast chilled plant sales
Unseasonably cold weather that gripped parts of the nation earlier this month exacted a toll on growers, retailers and their customers.
• Million dollar crop loss. Wilmington Morning Star
• Nature's cruel joke. The Independent
• Chilled expectations. The Durham News
• Gardeners fret. Tulsa World
• Toll on trees. The Tennesseean

Home-grown veggies are en vogue in U.K.
Brits' distaste for industrially produced foods is prompting an increase in vegetable gardening, The Guardian reported. The report cites figures from Horticultural Trades Assoc. showing a 31% increase in sales of vegetable seeds and a corresponding 32% decline in sales of flower seeds. Suttons, a mail-order gardening company, is seeing a similar trend. The company expects a 30% increase in sales of vegetable seeds this year.

Boston Gift Show launches outdoor division
Boston Gift Show will introduce its Outdoor Living division Sept. 15-18. About 65 exhibitors will participate in the inaugural show. Buyers can choose from bird feeders, garden tools, planters, furniture, fountains and other merchandise. "Outdoor living is one of the fastest-growing product categories in the gift industry, and we're excited to present a new division that will serve the needs of these retailers," said show manager Tony Orlando.

Garden Center names Innovator finalist
Congratulations to Bucks Country Gardens, Doylestown, Pa., a finalist for the 2007 Garden Center Magazine Innovator Award, sponsored by Garden Market Expo. The management team at Bucks has succeeded in categories that elude other retailers, such as garden furniture. In years where weather dampened sales of its regional peers, Bucks' sales saw more than healthy growth. Look for the Innovator winner in the May issue of Garden Center Magazine.

View from a blog
Plant Virginia's state tree as a tribute. Open Register

Worth a visit
Retail consultant Robert Hendrickson encourages garden center owners to look at their store from the customer's point of view. Only on GreenBeam.com.