Early Gardening Sales Indicate 2021's Growing Season will be Even Stronger than Last

NORTON, Mass., April 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- While millions of new gardeners picked up their trowels due to the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the appreciation for tending green spaces doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Ferry-Morse, the largest home gardening seed packet company in the U.S., is reporting even higher online sales for the first quarter 2021 compared to the same period last year. While last year the growth of vegetable and fruit yielding seeds outpaced that of flower seeds, this year the trend has flipped and flower seed sales are growing at 10 times the pace of edibles, inclusive of vegetables, herbs and fruits. Top flower seed sellers are Sunflowers, Zinnias and Wildflowers.

"Our sales for 2021 indicate that last year's appreciation for gardening is holding strong into this season, but what's being planted is shifting again," said Rebecca Sears, Chief Gardening Guru for Green Garden Products, owner of Ferry-Morse. "Traditionally flower seeds have been about half of our total sales, but last year was a bit of an outlier as edible planting became the big trend and grew faster than flowers. This year, home is still our sanctuary and people want it to be beautiful and fragrant, so it's no surprise that flowers are once again in high demand. And with the red-hot real estate market, we're seeing planting flowers as a big part of DIY that can increase curb appeal and home value as well."

Stay Calm and Garden On
Beyond beautification, gardening creates a sense of pride with countless benefits to the body, mind and soul. In research conducted by the brand, the top reason new gardeners were motivated to pick up the hobby was for relaxation (52%).¹

Helping to keep things stress-free this year for new and expert gardeners, Ferry-Morse is making every aspect of gardening feel as fulfilling as the final result and making sure procrastinators can still reap the benefits. The newest addition to the Ferry-Morse product line, Plantlingstm, are live healthy baby plants delivered from the Ferry-Morse nursery directly to your door. With more than 60 varieties of herb, vegetable and flower Plantlings available, the ready-to-plant seedlings are an easy way to get the summer growing season started. For procrastinators or those who simply don't want to start their plants from seeds, the Plantlings are a popular option.

New this year, Ferry-Morse is offering additional container-friendly vegetable varieties like Snackabelle Red Peppers, Little Sicily Slicer Tomatoes, Cheyenne Peppers and Hybrid Yellow Cherry Tomatoes. For flowers, the top selling varieties include pollinator-favorite Butterfly Weed, Purple Coneflower Echinacea, and Sweet Potato Vines, all perfect gifts that will arrive in time for Mother's Day.

Ferry-Morse Plantlings are available for online purchase in packs of three or six and ship directly to front doors throughout North America through the end of May.

About Ferry-Morse
Founded in 1856, Ferry-Morse is one of the oldest operating seed companies in the United States and pioneered the practice of selling only fresh flower, herb, and vegetable seeds, packed for the current season. Along with our history comes a wealth of knowledge, innovations, and experience helping generations of gardeners. What has always been at the center of the Ferry Morse brand are quality and integrity, including a dedication to only Non-GMO seeds. Ferry-Morse is part of the Green Garden Products family of brands, the leading supplier of seed packets and seed starter products for flower and vegetable gardens in North America. ferrymorse.com

¹ This survey was conducted by Green Garden among a demographically representative sample of 3,000 U.S. adults who started to garden in 2020 for the first time or after a long pause. Fielding closed April 6, 2020.

SOURCE Ferry-Morse