Stoke the spring fires

It gets cold even in Texas. And during chilly weekends there’s nothing better than curling up with a good gardening catalog. Right now, I’ve got the latest catalogs from Plant Delights Nursery, Park Seed and Jackson & Perkins stacked on my desk at home. Maybe I’ll get around to them on Saturday…

And, like so many other gardeners, I’m dealing with a deluge of promotional e-mails from the mail order companies. They’re kind of annoying, but I still end up opening them. (Hey, I’m working. I’m doing trends research. Yeah. That’s it.)

I’m a sucker for full-color photos and dreamy plant descriptions. I make wish lists and complete order forms that I may or may not actually send in.

In the midst of these mail-order missives, I stumbled across a postcard from one of my favorite local garden centers.

Was it offering a sneak preview of the best new plants for spring? An overview of hot perennials for 2008? Nope. It was a friendly reminder that they offer free soil testing.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a valuable and useful service. (Which confirmed last year that my soil has enough clay to start a pottery factory.) But there’s nothing fun or exciting about soil testing. It’s certainly not a message that got me in the mood to buy. In fact, it dampened my enthusiasm. It got me thinking about all the soil amendments I need to bring my front flower beds up to par. Sigh.

I know retail reality hits hard this time of year. Most businesses are just trying to keep the lights on and key staff employed until spring rolls around. But here’s my point: If you’re going to invest money in early season marketing, make sure you do something inspirational.

Take a cue from the mail-order catalogs and create something that whets the appetite. Sure, you can mention the houseplants, soil testing and stuff that will bring in a trickle of customers now. Just do yourselves a favor and give people a reason to rush in right after the last frost date. You’ll be glad you did.

-- Sarah