CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- F. Todd Lesseigne, Ph.D., loves plants so much he programs them into his GPS.
"There's 'Mom and Dad's house,' and then the next entry is a Louisiana iris that I saw on a trip. I don't want to miss it the next time I'm in that area," the garden guru said.
Lesseigne is the executive director of the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden in Kernersville, N.C. He spoke recently in Charleston, and while his background is horticulture, his vision is in sociology.
Lesseigne told the gathering of the West Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association they should put effort into wooing today's Generation Y -- the MTV/Internet/Millennial generation.
He called them digital natives. They've never known a time when there wasn't technology, and their brains are more comfortable with multitasking than are their elders'.
The garden expert said that the Baby Boomers have been a boon to the garden industry. They like to garden and they have been big spenders in garden centers across America for years now. Generation X, the 30- and 40-somethings, has not become a factor in the gardening industry.
"They are not as environmentally conscious as they are touted to be," Lesseigne said. "Generation Y cares about the environment because they've been hearing it all of their lives. They are sheltered, though, and they haven't gotten dirty. It will take a push to get them into the garden."
Lesseigne said he hopes Generation X will become gardeners once their children, Generation Y, leave the nest.
The Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, where Lesseigne works, started as a gift of land.
"We had an abandoned Dairy Queen and 5 1/2 acres of kudzu," Lesseigne said. "Our first perennial border was Tree of Heaven and Japanese honeysuckle," he said, laughing, referring to the invasive weeds that covered the site. "Now we have a real perennial border."
Chip Callaway designed the formal gardens. Callaway is a renowned garden designer in North Carolina.
The TV show "This Old House" changed the way gardeners (and homeowners in general) look at things.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- F. Todd Lesseigne, Ph.D., loves plants so much he programs them into his GPS.
"There's 'Mom and Dad's house,' and then the next entry is a Louisiana iris that I saw on a trip. I don't want to miss it the next time I'm in that area," the garden guru said.
Lesseigne is the executive director of the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden in Kernersville, N.C. He spoke recently in Charleston, and while his background is horticulture, his vision is in sociology.
Lesseigne told the gathering of the West Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association they should put effort into wooing today's Generation Y -- the MTV/Internet/Millennial generation.
He called them digital natives. They've never known a time when there wasn't technology, and their brains are more comfortable with multitasking than are their elders'.
The garden expert said that the Baby Boomers have been a boon to the garden industry. They like to garden and they have been big spenders in garden centers across America for years now. Generation X, the 30- and 40-somethings, has not become a factor in the gardening industry.
"They are not as environmentally conscious as they are touted to be," Lesseigne said. "Generation Y cares about the environment because they've been hearing it all of their lives. They are sheltered, though, and they haven't gotten dirty. It will take a push to get them into the garden."
Lesseigne said he hopes Generation X will become gardeners once their children, Generation Y, leave the nest.
The Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, where Lesseigne works, started as a gift of land.
"We had an abandoned Dairy Queen and 5 1/2 acres of kudzu," Lesseigne said. "Our first perennial border was Tree of Heaven and Japanese honeysuckle," he said, laughing, referring to the invasive weeds that covered the site. "Now we have a real perennial border."
Chip Callaway designed the formal gardens. Callaway is a renowned garden designer in North Carolina.
The TV show "This Old House" changed the way gardeners (and homeowners in general) look at things.
"Why is 'This Old House' from the 1980s so important today? For the first time, people got a more wholesale presentation of design geared to the masses. Why is that important? There's a foundation of design knowledge and an understanding that design is important," Lesseigne said.
"For example, have you bought a can opener lately? They aren't just the little metal things with the butterfly twister. They are designed! They are using design to sell can openers. We must use design to sell gardens and gardening."
Gardens need to change with the seasons. The new generation wants to be bombarded with information -- it's what they are used to. The garden must do that. They want to see change, to see different things all of the time.
Color is important, Lesseigne pointed out. "Often garden centers are selling you a color, not a plant -- it's not an impatien, but a pink plant!"
He suggested garden centers look at color for marketing. "Sell the garden as color. 'For your red garden,' on the sign -- get them to buy the package. There's a white garden at Sissinghurst, a blue garden at Lotusland in California. They are famous, and they've been around a long time." The concept is not new, but marketing it is.
While the new and unusual are important to garden centers, Lesseigne warns not to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
"It's not about plants being 'native'; it's about them being used! You can establish a regional identity and context to your yard and garden."
Garden cleanup
The Living AIDS Memorial Garden's annual spring cleanup will start at 10 a.m. May 15. Organizer Bruce Severino encourages anyone interested to bring gloves and tools. They will work until 4 p.m.
The beautiful garden, a bright spot on Charleston's East End, is at the corner of Washington Street East and Sidney Avenue.
Happy anniversary
Today (May 9) is our 23rd wedding anniversary, and I'm sure my husband will surprise me with something for the yard. I've received chainsaws, shovels, plants and bulbs. Wonder what he'll come up with this year? I'm hoping for mulch.
Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.
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