Welcome to the first edition of Lawn & Garden Retailer’s “Consumer Talk.” This panel is made up of 10 participants of all ages, locations and gardening levels to do tasks and answer questions about their gardening experiences. We will feature just a few of them each month, and they will reveal their thoughts on different issues and experiences they have had with gardening or garden centers.
We hope this group will give you a better idea of what consumers are thinking, doing and experiencing in the field after they leave your garden center. This month, meet the 10 individuals who will be providing you with all sorts of valuable information for your business.
Without further ado, here is the first installment of Lawn & Garden Retailer’s “Consumer Talk.” If you have any questions for our panelists, feel free to E-mail Catherine Evans at cevans@sgcmail.com.
Amy, age 26
Location: Charlotte, N.C.
Occupation: Middle school teacher
Gardening level: Beginner
Background: I recently moved into a new house and have not gotten a chance to landscape but would like to. I grew up in a household with an avid gardening father, so I feel that I can do it. I just need a push and some extra time.
Lori, age 50
Location: Fargo, N.D.
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom
Gardening level: Intermediate
Background: I plant annual flowers in pots and flowerbeds around my home and add a few new perennials each year. I also grow fruits and vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and strawberries. I have tried growing herbs from seeds and starter plants, but the plants died.
Becky, age 48
Location: Dallas, Texas
Occupation: Account manager for a pharmaceutical company
Gardening level: Beginner
Background: I tend to plant flowers in March/April and go all out. However, by August, with the Texas heat, they are dead. I start the process over every spring.
Luis, age 74
Location: Rockford, Ill.
Occupation: Retired physician
Gardening Level: Advanced
Background: A lifelong gardener who has recently completed a Master Gardener training program, I volunteer at a local botanic garden. My own garden has benefited from my experience, and I have created areas of landscaped plantings while nurturing and maintaining the natural surrounding wild areas.
Claudia, age 60
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Occupation: Retired therapeutic recreation specialist
Gardening level: Intermediate
Background: I love looking for new, interesting plants, tools and decorations that would look great in our garden. Summers are the biggest gardening challenge in Florida. The weeds win, hands down, during July and August.
Paquita, age 55
Location: Redlands, Calif.
Occupation: Kindergarten teacher
Gardening level: Intermediate
Background: I have been very active in gardening, but time and energy are limited. My current great idea is to make two raised beds in my yard for vegetables and some ornamentals; my greatest problem is the heat of the summer.
Donna, age 45
Location: Bethesda, Md.
Occupation: Operations director
Gardening level: Intermediate
Background: I am not an expert, but I am famous for transplanting bushes, etc., or just tearing out plants that I don’t like and replacing them. Sometimes I plant things in the shade that should really be in the sun and vice versa, but I soon learn.
Shannon, age 37
Location: Scarsdale, N.Y.
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom
Gardening level: Beginner
Background: I would really like to garden more but do not have much time with small children. I tried last year, but the squirrels ate all of my bulbs, and I got pretty frustrated. I would like to try again, but it needs to be easy to plant and maintain.
Kelley, age 27
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Occupation: Aspiring writer
Gardening level: Beginner
Background: I live in an urban environment and would have to get window boxes and containers to garden in on my decks. However, I am most proud of nursing a kind of vine (not sure what type of plant) back to health and keeping it alive for the past three years.
Theresa, age 36
Location: Phoenix, Ariz.
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom
Gardening level: Beginner
Background: I just started gardening last year with my children in a small, 4x6-ft. area. I start gardening in the fall and noticed that everything seems to die around May.
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