Garden Center Conference & Expo

As part of the 2025 Garden Center Conference & Expo, we'll be touring some inspiring, nationally known Kansas City-area garden centers to see how they meet and exceed garden consumers’ demands and provide immersive experiences with spaces to learn, shop, dine and grow throughout the year. Over the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting the stops on our tour, which will be Aug. 5. Family Tree Nursery originated as Overland Park Garden Center in 1965 and has grown from a purchased bankrupt business to an ever-growing Kansas City-area company. That original location is now Family Tree Nursery’s Overland Park location. In 1981, Rieke Nursery was acquired and added as the business’ second storefront as its Shawnee location. In 1986, the Family Tree Nursery Wolcott Farm was added as a growing range in Kansas City, Kansas. In 1989, Bruening’s Garden Center in Liberty, Missouri, was purchased, becoming Family Tree Nursery’s Liberty location. In 2019, a new state-of-the-art growing facility in Kansas City, Kansas, was built and named Family Tree Nursery Donahoo Farm. We'll be visiting Family Tree Nursery's growing facility and its Shawnee location on our tour! You can add on the tour to your GCCE registration for just $99! (Anyone wishing to participate in the garden center tour must also be registered to attend the Garden Center Conference & Expo.) Space is limited, and the last Garden Center Conference & Expo tour SOLD OUT! Register here: https://lnkd.in/gduhvW9X #gardencenterconference2025 #gardencenterconference #gardencenter25 #letsgetgrowing

Over the next few months, we'll be highlighting the sessions you can attend at our Garden Center Conference & Expo Aug. 5-7 in Kansas City. We're thrilled to have Katie Dubow, president of Garden Media Group, presenting From Trend to Transaction: Capitalize on 2026 Garden Trends! In this interactive session, learn how to transform Garden Media Group's 2026 Garden Trends into concrete sales strategies. Katie will dissect three to four of the company’s key trends, provide actionable advice on product selection, irresistible visual merchandising tips, effective cross-merchandising ideas, and targeted marketing strategies. Whether you're aiming for a store refresh or simply want to stay ahead of the curve, this session will give you the insights you need to thrive in 2026. Register for GCCE 2025 today! https://lnkd.in/gHAfJVmG #gardencenterconference2025 #gardencenterconference #gardencenter25 #letsgetgrowing #gardentrends #gardentrends2026 #gmgtrends #gardeningtrends #gardencentertrends #gardentrendsreport

Hear from Coleen Ralls, who was working at Cheap Carl's during our last Garden Center Conference & Expo, on how the show helped her connect with new customers. "This show has been the best show I've been at for a very long time." Register to attend or get more information on exhibiting here: https://lnkd.in/g8AGrr2g #gardencenterconference2025 #gardencenterconference #gardencenter25 #letsgetgrowing

Are you ready for the 2025 Garden Center Conference & Expo Aug. 5-7 in Kansas City? Take a look at what you missed at our last show in Minneapolis, then register today! https://lnkd.in/gmKKZ9bC #gardencenterconference2025 #gardencenterconference #gardencenter25 #letsgetgrowing

As part of the 2025 Garden Center Conference & Expo, we'll be touring some inspiring, nationally known Kansas City-area garden centers to see how they meet and exceed garden consumers’ demands and provide immersive experiences with spaces to learn, shop, dine and grow throughout the year. Over the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting the stops on our tour, which will be Aug. 5. Colonial Gardens — #79 on the 2024 Top 100 Independent Garden Centers List — has been in operation since 1969 and was purchased in 2016 by CEO Tory Schwope, whose family owned business under the name Schwope Brothers Tree Farm when he was a child. Since Schwope’s purchase, Colonial Gardens has evolved from its origins as a humble nursery to a locally focused plant emporium, event space, café and agritourism destination, pulling in $6 million in revenue in 2024. You can add on the tour to your GCCE registration for just $99! (Anyone wishing to participate in the garden center tour must also be registered to attend the Garden Center Conference & Expo.) Space is limited, and the last Garden Center Conference & Expo tour SOLD OUT! Register here: https://lnkd.in/gduhvW9X #gardencenterconference2025 #gardencenterconference #gardencenter25 #letsgetgrowing

We're so excited to announce that Stephanie Stuckey, chair of Stuckey's, is the keynote speaker for the Garden Center Conference & Expo 2025! The company famous for its pecan log rolls was founded by Stephanie’s grandfather, W.S. Stuckey, Sr., as a pecan stand in Eastman, Georgia, in 1937 and grew to more than 350 stores across the country. The company was sold in 1964 but is now back in family hands and making a comeback. Stephanie's grandfather built Stuckey's into an empire — a roadside oasis that redefined America. How did he do it? What lessons can we learn from W.S. Stuckey that can be applied today? Stephanie finds wisdom in the past to define her future and how she runs Stuckey's, with lessons applicable to the independent garden center industry. Register here to hear Stephanie's keynote address: https://lnkd.in/g8AGrr2g #gardencenterconference2025 #gardencenterconference #gardencenter25 #letsgetgrowing

We are thrilled to announce that the Garden Center Conference & Expo is back this year and will be located in Kansas City, Missouri! Registration is open now! https://lnkd.in/guV9Nqsu #gardencenterconference2025 #gardencenterconference #gardencenter25 #letsgetgrowing