The future of the garden and gardening is malleable and not a given. As such the future of the garden center, garden shop, or whatever we wish to call it is open to a myriad of possibilities. The old order seems to be dying, and a new one has yet to emerge. I suggest there is no one “new order” to arise, but many, many choices available.

It’s this change that frightens us. Will everyone shop only at box stores and their kind? Is the future of gardening businesses just to get bigger and bigger? We hear that one way to be successful in this field is to serve food, or coffee along with our plant offerings. Some stores have found success doing this, while others have not. We are also told that to be successful in this new world we must have attendant business attached to our business. How can we possibly appeal to the new generation of gardeners is we don’t offer more and more choices when they arrive at our store? How can we not offer free Wi-Fi or QR codes to scan? Will everyone simply buy online, leaving the physical store behind?

It’s so difficult to predict the future of gardening, and the gardening related businesses. Everything is possible, and without a guidepost we feel lost and unsure how to proceed. When I started in the business the path “seemed” clearer. Now it would seem we have so many different paths that can be followed. Which is the correct one that will lead to our ability to stay in business and thrive? There is no lack of well meaning people, publications, and organizations ready to help. Who do we listen to?

It seems that with The Internet the amount of information increases daily. You get what you focus on, and with so much “information” coming your way, how can you focus? My suggestion is to limit how much information you digest on any given day. You might think you’ll miss something important if you don’t receive all that information. What if the “future of gardening” is published and you’re the last to find out? Someone else will reap the benefits, and leave you in the dust.

I suggest that you turn off much if not most of that noise. I have cancelled most of my subscriptions to well meaning newsletters, and publications. Not that someone else won’t enjoy them and reap benefits. I find for myself, focusing on a much smaller diet of “positive news” makes a huge difference. There is so much negativity all around that it might seem impossible, but it’s not. This includes The Internet, which can be one of the biggest time sucks there is. Interestingly, when I turned off 90% of “The News” I found that my “online time” shrunk to about 10% of what I had been spending with it before. My outlook has improved and I don’t feel lost or left out. Pick your “trusted resources”, and turn off the others. You’ll free up your mind to focus on what’s really important. You won’t miss a thing and you just might discover the proper path for you follow.