Fall plantings

Every year we come back! Fall plantings are in autumn! But for the amateur gardener who no longer really has the required knowledge, planting is done when the weather is nice outside and when he is tempted by a flower or a beautiful plant. And these conditions are rarely found in autumn…

Fall plantings

Back in the day, a long time ago, at least 20 years ago, the trend was clearly towards fall plantings. Garden centers, nurseries and Sainte Catherine fairs here and there were full of bare root fruit trees and plug plants. We used to say, “On Saint Catherine’s Day, all wood takes root.” A 2020 Kantar survey even tells us that 85% of gardeners know the saying! It’s a safe bet!

But times have changed. This mastery of the subject has disappeared. Autumn plantings are akin to a technical gesture. And the technology remained on the dock. Today, gardening is a hobby that can be enjoyed in good weather, and with plants at the peak of their beauty! In autumn and winter, the season is not conducive to these two criteria, and attendance decreases at points of sale.

We also focused everything on the Christmas aisle, the pet store and the local area… We can’t be everywhere!

Of course, there are still addicts and professionals do what is necessary to make people want to plant. But it is clear that it is no longer euphoria.

Plug plants or bare roots?

Still according to this 2020 Kantar survey, ¼ of gardeners consider bare root plants to be “too technical” and that you need a nursery diploma to install them in the ground. If you follow social media a little more closely, watch the fall planting videos. When it comes to bare roots there are comments… Surprising!And more and more, among specialists, the section has disappeared or decreased drastically. Only the old-timers still resist… For the others, it’s too time-consuming, it’s messy and customers don’t understand the principle.The presentation of potted plants has become the standard and plug plants or bare roots are set to disappear.It’s another era. We have already lost the fruit stems and a good part of the ornamental trees along the way. It is simply an adaptation to small gardens that have become the norm and to the simplification undertaken to help limit customer constraints. The bare root does not have the weapons to fight.

Damage !

With bare root, however, there was a big advantage, and that was the price. Less heavy to transport, less marketing, easier to store… The price of a potted plant costs practically double compared to a bare root plant. In this period of restriction, these inexpensive plants would be a real plus to promote our nurseries and offer differentiating promotions. Unfortunately, you need suitable gauges, someone to make the holes and to explain this ancestral technique…We must make up our minds and gradually forget these possibilities.Too bad because trees are popular again. Even Elie Semoun or Anne Laure Bonnet promote plants with the #jagisjeplante site initiated by the Foundation for Nature and Man. No garden companies among their partners…There is a feeling in the air that communication about planting is beyond our market!Well, but let’s stay positive, in this story, the garden benefits from this free promotion. For the idea of ​​#jagisjeplante to develop, we must offer plants to those who want to plant them. And here we are concerned.

Maintain the budget!

In the latest Garden 2024 Consumer Guide which details the ins and outs of the future of plants, some questions from the survey in partnership with “Promesse de Fleurs” are significant.Despite the price increases, more than 57% want to maintain their planting budget and 10% want to increase it. There is therefore a real desire on the part of French gardeners to continue the development of their garden.For several years, and gradually, we have abandoned the nursery a little in autumn in favor of the flower market with ‘All Saints Day’, then followed by the Christmas department.But at a time when motivation is growing around plants, at a time when many companies are giving themselves a good conscience by planting trees here or on the other side of the world… Wouldn’t that be our role as gardeners to give this nursery a boost in autumn with even more significant offers? Original animations and promos could, one can dream, restart the machine?It’s possible, provided you put the necessary energy into it. Are we still motivated for such a challenge?

Roland Motte… Gardener!