QR codes won't help here.

According to Lowe's Japanese Holly is a native plant. They don't tell you where it's native, but why should that matter? Studies show if you put "native" on the tag people will buy more. The tag also tells us it's "easy to grow, low maintenance, and will save you time and money."  What does "Plants that grow naturally in your environment" mean? Which plants grow "unnaturally" in my yard? What does "naturally" mean anyway?

What makes a native plant "easy to grow"?  I know many people who have tried to grow native plants only to fail. Just because its native doesn't mean it's easy to grow, or that it will save you money, or time. Giving Lowe's the benefit of the doubt, we can imagine some worker has simply put the wrong "native plant" tag on the Japanese Holly. I still don't understand why being a native plant makes it easier to grow?

Some in my trade will be excited to see the QR codes on the tags. We are told that you need QR codes on tags so people can scan them with their smart phones. Then the customer can be forwarded to the Lowe's website and more information on this native shrub. Maybe the QR code takes you to a real description of the plant and the disclaimer that it was all a joke. Of course the horticulturists at Lowe's know what they are talking about. "We wanted to see if you noticed."

This is the lowest form of horticulture. The mass merchants look at plants simply as commodities. Japanese Holly is a "rounded evergreen shrub" that may or may not be native. Somehow they grow naturally, unlike the other plants in your yard, which I assume are growing "unnaturally". They are according to the tag a "foundation" shrub, whatever that means. Most important they carry the "one year warranty", which is odd since they are suppose to be so "easy to grow".

SummerWinds Nursery and Target

Looks like Bay Area nursery chain "SummerWinds" is looking to occupy the now shuttered Target Garden Center locations. According to todaysgardencenter.com, "The first store, which opened in Albany, Calif., in early March, is on schedule to succeed." Sure beats being on schedule to fail.

SummerWinds is leasing the locations with the entrance into Target being closed. Target is the landlord leasing out the space to SummerWinds. "Target will still have a seasonal department that will carry gardening goods during certain times of the year. The primary overlap would be fertilizers and controls. SummerWinds is emphasizing its organic lines to avoid any overlap."

Here is where I think a mistake is being made on SummerWinds part. According to Leo Goria, who is heading up the Target project, "SummerWinds is using a different pricing strategy with this store than it does with its current stores, to the point that if the Target store turns into multiple stores, it will create a new division for SummerWinds. 'The profit margin for this store is just over 40 percent,' Goria says. 'The initial margin at a traditional location is more than 50 percent.' How does that play out in prices? A common perennial in a quart pot is normally $4.99 at a traditional location; at the Target store, it is $3.99.'"

Why the different pricing strategy? Are Target shoppers unable to afford the $1.00 more for a quality plant? Once you start to segregate your shoppers based on perceived ability to pay you have started down the rabbit hole of diminishing profits. It's almost like they are saying, "Target shoppers can't or won't afford plants unless they pay a 40% markup instead of a 50% markup?"

I like the idea of leasing the space out, but why price your stuff differently than your garden center stores? What happens when people walk in and ask that the same plant they saw at your SummerWinds Garden Shop be marked down like the same plant they saw at Target?

"BOTANICUS INTERACTICUS": Interactive Plant Technology

This is a research project from Disney where plants with electrodes placed in the soil turn the plant into a multi-touch interface that can operate computers and other electronic devices. Fascinating stuff.

"Botanicus Interacticus is a technology for designing highly expressive interactive plants, both living and artificial. The technology is driven by the rapid fusion of our computing and living spaces. Botanicus Interacticus an interaction platform that takes interaction from computing devices and places it anywhere in the physical environment. In particular we are targeting living plants.

Botanicus Interacticus has a number of unique properties. This instrumentation of plants is simple, non-invasive, and does not damage the plants. It requires only a single wire placed anywhere in the soil. The interaction with plants goes beyond simple touch and allows rich gestural interaction. Examples include: sliding fingers on the stem of the orchid, detecting touch and grasp location, tracking proximity, and estimating the amount of touch contact between user and a plant.

Botanicus Interacticus also deconstructs the electrical properties of plants and replicates them using electrical components. This allows the design of a broad variety of biologically inspired artificial plants that behave nearly the same as their biological counterparts. The same sensing technology is used with both living and artificial plants.

A broad range of applications are possible with Botanicus Interacticus technology: designing interactive responsive environments and new forms of living interaction devices as well as developing organic ambient and pervasive interfaces."

Botanicus Interacticus: Interactive plant technology.