Susan L. Morrison, who writes the Blue Planet Garden Blog out of Northern California, weighs in on the Gen Y gardening debate in a guest post on the outrageously popular garden blog, Garden Rant.

She makes some of the points first made here on Garden Variety and adds some new thoughts. Boomers consider gardening a hobby, she said. But this is what she has concluded about Gen Y from her garden design business: 

In contrast, Gen Y clients approach their gardens as an integral part of who they are.  They are eager to tell me how they want their gardens to support their lifestyles, whether that means space for organic edibles, a dog run where their pets can still be a part of the family, or a request for kid-friendly plants designed to appeal to toddlers. They understand that their little patch of earth is part of a much bigger environment, and they are respectful of that. Perfect roses aren’t the goal. Some want a garden to nurture while others just want to hang out in one.  Regardless, they all want to experience their gardens, not turn them into plant museums

Check it out. Lemme know what you think.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Gen Y
        

Garden Variety has been the spot for a lively debate between Boomer gardeners and Gen Y gardeners of late.

Now Fern Richardson, blogger at Life on the Balcony, has put out the call for Gen Yers and Gen Xers to take her gardening survey. When she gets 200 responders, she will publish the results.

Fern (yes, that is her real name) lives in an urban apartment in Southern California with her husband and four cats. She has a law degree and a design degree but doesn't do either!

Take Fern's survey, young gardeners. It is only 10 questions. Maybe we will all have a better idea of what we are talking about.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Gen Y
        

Here is yet another take on the Gen-Y gardening discussion. Take a look.

http://goorganicgardening.com/news/the-gen-y-gardener

Posted by Susan Reimer at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Gen Y
        

I kind of look at my nephew Bill as my Gen-Y model.

 Early 30s, married, owns his own home, private college educated, works in high-pressure state government job, hugely well-read, is the cook in the family, loves good wine and mircro-brews.

 But he hates even mowing his lawn.

He likes to hang out with friends, attend soccer games, play video on line with buddies, manage his fantasy football team, and drive his car, and maintain his blog.

 I am not sure what will get him into gardening.

It might be that George Ball, CEO of Burpee, is right when he talked to me about his Gen-Y clients. Young women and young mothers who are into vegetable gardening for healthy food and as something to share with their young children. Often from farm or gardening families.

Or it might be what a garden center owner said to me. "Everytime I sell a six-pack of annuals to a 20-something, I feel like I need to include a workshop."

That may sound offensive to the Gen-Yers out there, but when I helped my own 20-something family member collect what was needed for a small container garden, her first question was, "How do I know when to water."

Posted by Susan Reimer at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Gen Y
        

 Photo credit: Flickr/englishsnow

Gardening and newspapers have one thing in common.

How do we reach the next generation, the under-35-year-olds we need to survive into the future?

They hype about this group, Gen Y, is this:

• They aren't interested in gardening and outdoor life.
• They are too busy playing video games and hanging out together.
• And they lack the work ethic you need to sustain a garden.

Kelly Norris, a member of that generation and a member of a gardening family business, tried to convince a skeptical audience at the recent Garden Writers Association convention that not only is Gen Y ready to garden, gardening better get ready for Gen Y.

After all, there are 70 million people born betwen 1977 and 2000 -- more than the number of Baby Boomers -- and most of them are college age now. By 2014, they will be 47 percent of the workforce.

The gardening industry saw booms in perennial sales in 1982-85 and 1993-97. Baby Boomers were taking an interest in gardening in waves, and we can expect more such waves.

Norris makes the very good point that we shouldn't be trying to sell Gen Y on plants and pots. We should sell them on the joy of gardening. When they get it, they will buy the plants and pots.

"We need to spread the word about how great gardening is," he said. "We need to sell gardening, not products. We need to put value in what we do."

The other thing about Gen Y? This is a generation which likes mentors, and this gives us, the older generation of gardeners, a chance to introduce them to gardening.

This is how we sell it, he said.

• Growing your own food is cool!
• Gardening is a way to connect with people.
• It is hard to screw up a garden, and it is easy to fix.
• Appeal to their sense of competition -- do you have the best garden in the neighborhood?
• Gardening can add value to your home, which is your most important investment.
• And, get this, you are SAVING THE PLANET.

He was an enthusiastic speaker and he made a fascinating case, but I am not completely convinced we can get the next generation to repeat what we have done -- in gardening or anything else.

Most of us came into gardening later in life. We might have to wait a couple of decades before Gen Y, which has so many more demands on their lives, has time to do this.

But, hey, I am in the newspaper business. I have my own troubles.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Gen Y