Over at Garden Rant, Elizabeth's say's, "In 2012, it would be nice if..." then lists some of her wishes for the new year. One wish is, "Independent Garden Centers Would Stop Whining  About The Box Stores." Agree or disagree, it's something those of us in the trade are aware of. What caught my eye today however was  the last comment after the post. Tara, a regular commenter at Rant say's, "Nothing green-eco-friendly about the annual industry. (Green houses, heating, cooling, petroleum made packaging, transportation, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizer, man-made soil, irrigation & etc)."  Interesting observation.

Are we as green as we think, and does the public think along those lines also?  Is there a contradiction with a  garden center that say's it's "green", all the while carrying annuals and other plants produced at large greenhouse operations, as Tara describes?  Is there a marketing opportunity for garden business that actively advertise that they don't carry these plants?  Interesting, and further evidence that the trade is fragmenting along different paths.