PHOTO COURTESY PLANTS NOUVEAU

Years ago, when wholesale nurseries made catalogs and websites, they thought they were talking to people like them, in other words, people who know a lot about plants. Today, anyone can access an online catalog or website to get information about plants. Why is that a big deal? I’ m here to tell you.

Only 20 percent of Americans know a lot about plants. Which means 80 percent know little or nothing. Anyone born after 1963 and before 2000( a. k. a. Gen X and Millennials) was most likely not taught to garden by their parents, because both parents worked. This was the first generation with two working parents and prepared foods because people had no time for anything extra— especially cooking and gardening.

We need to be able to sell plants to these folks if we want them to garden. How can we entice them to buy something with copy that few consumers will understand?

Following is an example of website copy written for quite possibly the most famous horticultural introduction in the world. Is this enticing consumers?

FOR THE 20 PERCENT Rose‘ Radrazz’ Knockout PP # 11836 CBPR # 0993 My comments in parenthesis

The original member of the Knock Out family. This shrub rose set a new standard in disease resistance with little to no maintenance required.( disease resistance?) The bloom cycle( what the?) produces rich cherry red / hot pink blooms that will continue until the first hard frost( and a first hard frost is?). Black spot resistant, drought tolerant and self-cleaning( wait, it cleans? cleans what?), this rose suits every garden and every lifestyle.( finally … something we can understand)

Here’ s my criticism – and trust me, we are ALL guilty of this. First, it has way too much lingo.

• We need to be talking directly to people who don’ t garden, but might want to, not to ourselves.

• Second, say what you mean. Brag about the plant, if it warrants bragging, and please describe everything to the lowest denominator. We need to be talking to everyone, not the 20 percent who understand.

Disclaimer: I worked for Star Roses and Plants when Knock Out ® was introduced and the copy I wrote back then and the copy they use now is great, but still full of jargon. I pointed this out to Steve Hutton, president of Star Roses and Plants when I asked his permission to use Knock Out as the example. He told me to tell you he cringed and then promptly fainted.

FOR THE 80 PERCENT

Marketers and writers make this mistake every day. Why aren’ t we telling people how amazing the plants are, and what they can do for the person who buys them? Why not make this rose sound like the easiest plant in the world to grow, because seriously, it could be. Why not say this?

If you have never gardened before, this is the plant for you!

Plant it, water it really well every two days for the first month, then once a week for the rest of the first summer, after that, watch it grow! This is one of the easiest plants to grow and it will give you months and months of beautiful pinkish-red flowers. In fall, the leaves will turn deep purple and then fall off after a few frosts. Next spring, when the forsythia bloom( if you don’ t know what a forsythia is, Google it and you will find out), take some sharp pruners and cut the plant’ s branches back between 12- to 18-inches tall. Follow this diagram to make sure

you remove any stems that are crossing.( Insert rose pruning diagram here.)

That’ s all you have to do and this plant will come back year after year and flower from early summer until fall. It’ s THAT easy!

MASS COMMUNICATION Okay, so maybe I went a little too far, but I’ m trying to prove a point. Ask yourself, was it really too far or is this what people need to be successful? We send newly adopted pets home with a litany of instructions, but we send most plants home with a 1- by 3-inch plastic tag that says next to nothing.

If we write copy for the 100 percent instead of the 20 percent, we can sell more plants to people who know a lot. We can also start selling plants to people who know little to nothing. We can get people excited about gardening again, and teach them how to be successful, so they buy even more plants. And hopefully, we are teaching today’ s consumers so they can teach someone else.

If we write this way, people will want to buy the plant, and they will have success. Isn’ t that the point?

GWA member Angela Treadwell-Palmer is founder and co-owner of Plants Nouveau.

PHOTO COURTESY ANGELA TREADWELL-PALMER

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