The nursery trade anxiously looks towards the younger generation. Our trades attempts to appeal to that younger demographic seem to fall on deaf ears. It seems the younger people either don't want to garden, or just want to grow edibles, herbs, and Herb. Where have all the ornamental gardeners gone?
Trying to entice this younger crowd towards gardening has the trade is a tizzy. The "Plant Something" campaign started by The Arizona Nursery Association of Nurseries is an example of how scared the trade is. They don't even care what you plant, as long as it's "something".
Author Doug Green has some thoughts on The Nursery trade's attempts to lure the younger crowd into the gardening world. He say's, "...forget trying to attract young people and forget all the jeezly angst around that topic. Work with interested people no matter their age."
The nursery trade will never return to its former day's when people gardened to fit in, and spent untold amounts of money to improve their "curb appeal". The demographics of a shrinking Baby Boomer customer base, and a younger generation much smaller in size are changing the trade. The younger generations are not only smaller in population, but don't seem to have the desire, or money to follow their elders interest in ornamental gardening.