Watch for Project: Green in 2008
Garden Center Magazine will publish a year-long series on sustainability in 2008, called Project: Green. Operating in an environmentally friendly way isn't always easy or straightforward. Garden retailers nationwide helped editor Carol Miller select 12 barriers to sustainable practices. Each month, experts will tackle a barrier, such as how to find recyclers willing to take horticultural pots or how to connect with customers. Click here to see all 12 topics.

Consumers foresee limited fall garden activity
Garden Writers Assoc. Foundation's 2007 Fall Gardening Trends Research Report shed some light on activities gardeners think are appropriate for fall. According to the report, 44% said pruning trees and shrubs was appropriate, 25% said planting trees and shrubs, 33% said seeding lawns and 30% indicated fall was a good time to plant bulbs. Almost 1 in 3 households reported that fall is a good time to fertilize annual and perennial flowers and 15% chose sowing flower seeds as a fall activity. Also, 29% said they believe gardening should stop at the first frost. Other findings: The number of households planning to do indoor gardening rose to 57%, representing 46.3 million households; the top reasons for indoor gardening are decoration (47%) and emotional enjoyment (43%); limited space is the major indoor gardening obstacle for 2007.

Pumpkin shortages plague some areas
The pumpkin market is patchy this year, USA Today reported. Several areas are experiencing shortages and good specimens are hard to come by. Retailers are encouraging customers to buy now before the best pumpkins are gone.

Expect hesitation this holiday season
Consumers will start their holiday shopping later than ever this year, and impulse buying will be down, according to a survey from market research company NPD Group. 41% of survey respondents said they don't anticipate starting their shopping until after Thanksgiving, 10% more than reported in last year's survey. Only 5% of consumers said they are planning to spend less this holiday. "Consumers have the same number of people on their gift lists, and they tell us they have pretty much the same budget every year," said NPD's chief industry expert Marshal Cohen.

Sluggish housing market cause for concern
The ongoing housing slump continues to be an economic concern. Analysts said it could be mid-2008 before the market rebounds.
• Shaky market. USA Today
• 25% sales drop. Tennessean.com
• Economy skirts recession. Bloomberg.com

National Mall gets organic makeover
SafeLawns.org recently completed a 2-week lawn renovation project on a portion of the Nat'l. Mall in Washington, D.C. The group plowed up an existing section of the lawn, added compost and other natural soil amendments and fertilizers then reseeded the area. SafeLawns.org representatives will continue an organic maintenance program on the area for the next 2 years. Nat'l. Park Service and U.S. EPA were partners in the project. The groups will evaluate the newly renovated section and 2 other plots: one maintained conventionally by the Nat'l. Park Service and another that has received standard organic treatment.

View from a blog
Recipe for the perfect fall festival. Open Register

Worth a visit
Garden Center Magazine editor Carol Miller says the more stores she visits, the more she's convinced that most retailers aren't very good bosses. Only on GreenBeam.com.