By all indications, 2016 will be the year of wow —not just in our industry, but likely across the nation as we bask in economic recovery. Increases in minimum wages and also in consumer spending were 2015’s hallmarks. With an up economy, people are happy and spending their cash — and this is good news.

Florida’s nursery and landscape industry is prospering. There’s a labor shortage for qualified trades workers, but we’ll take it and make the best of this good problem to have. And 2016 will undoubtedly see Florida’s $15.3 billion nursery and landscape industry grow — the real question is how much and how quickly. With outdoor living, healthy lifestyles and environmental-friendliness ingrained into the modern lifestyle, agriculture is taking center stage and we believe the industry’s growth will soar.

Ready-made containers, plants, and products such as lush dish gardens filled with unusual textures, are popular with millenials who are eager to entertain.Millennials have come into their own and are now 25 percent of the population in the U.S. They’re taking out mortgages and buying homes — lots of them. With a more earth-centric lifestyle, installing and maintaining attractive outdoor spaces is high on their list of must-haves. Plus, they’re eager to entertain and will pick up what our industry has become increasingly adept at providing — ready-made containers, plants and products such as lush dish gardens filled with unusual textures. As they set this scene and the sun sets on their parties, nightscapes utilizing the latest in technology lighting features help set the mood and feel.

Gardens with a cause will be in the spotlight as an extension of wellness gardening for those who suffer from ailments thought to be lessened by wholesome eating. Select consumers are getting very serious about their vegetable gardens and moving from “foodscaping” as a home vanity hobby, to larger-scale plots with yields to support more than just one family, or one group, or with harvests going to local food banks and charities. Many co-ops have surfaced pairing those with land to garden with those who want to garden —and the results would make anyone tingle with excitement.

Houseplants are always in fashion as consumers demand bringing the outdoors in. Growers have introduced improved varieties with specific focus — new color or texture, water-saving, improved pest resistance, and different growth patterns are some of the characteristics behind new releases.

We’re ready for 2016 and expecting a banner year celebrating the nation’s economic recovery showcasing tropical plants, foliage and products —all fresh from Florida.

Ready-made containers, plants, and products such as lush dish gardens filled with unusual textures, are popular with millenials who are eager to entertain.

Jennifer Nelis is director of public relations and marketing at the Florida Nursery Growers & Landscape Association. She can be reached at 800/375-3642 or [email protected].