Looking Ahead: Production Strategies for the Future
For the past few months, we’ve been playing a mental tug of war, dividing our focus between ending the current season strong and planning for next year. Until recently, the former was putting up a strong fight. But as the days get cooler and more of the current season begins to slip behind us, 2025 has begun to give up slack and 2026 is winning the battle. A big part of our planning process revolves around production and, of course, much of this comes down to numbers. We compare spring sales against summer sales, analyze margins and risk, and consider trends and fluctuation in demand for each and every species and cultivar we have in production. But we also need to look at our production plan with a wider lens, to think big picture, and to be deliberate about which plants we choose to grow.
As we look ahead to 2026, there are a few key themes at the center of our production strategy. For one thing, when it comes to plant varieties, more isn’t always better. A common sentiment we hear from customers is the need to reduce the number of SKUs. Retailers have limited bench space and labor - they don’t want to carry every pink Salvia on the market, they want to carry the best one. Part of our job, as growers, is to be part of that conversation, to help determine which varieties are the best, and to ensure that we can produce them consistently all season long.
That being said, providing a diverse lineup of plant material is still important, not just when it comes to plant varieties, but also in terms of branded and non-branded plants. This is something we’re always working to improve as we try to find the right balance while maximizing limited production space. This looks different for perennials than it does for shrubs since there are so many more non-branded perennials available on the market, with new and interesting varieties introduced each year. Our perennial program has always skewed more heavily towards “black pot” varieties, while our shrub program has become significantly higher in its proportion of branded plants. When is the last time an exciting new non-branded shrub was introduced into the market? One reason we were so excited to add the First Editions® line of shrubs into production this year is that it allowed us to increase the diversity of our branded plant program.
Finally, when it comes to new varieties, we must be intentional about deciding which plants to add into production. I can attest that, when you’re at the receiving end of so much marketing from breeders and liner producers, it can be very tempting to try one of everything. But, at the end of the day, we need to explain to our customers why we’re bringing on that new Hydrangea paniculata variety, or another Nepeta with a clever cat pun in its name. Does it solve a problem, is it truly improved in terms of disease resistance or flowering, does it offer something new, or fill a gap in what is currently on the market? Because, these days, that’s what our customers expect from us, and it’s what we expect from the plant breeding industry.
