Stat of the Week: 44% of growers plan to produce more container-grown perennials

We’ve crunched the data from our 2026 State of the Industry Report, and the results paint an interesting picture.

Sales are up, but profits are down for more growers than last year. It’s no surprise.

Businesses are being squeezed. Growing plants costs more than it used to, and with their customers facing the same economic challenges, growers may be worried that if they raise prices to make up for their increased costs, their customers won’t buy them (or will buy them cheaper somewhere else).

However, the demand is there. Not every nursery felt the squeeze in the same way. Some reported being more profitable in 2026. They figured out how to make lemonade.

Last year, 41% of growers who took our survey said they planned to grow more container trees than 2025. This year, that number dropped a bit, and the same thing happened to container-grown shrubs, from 47% to 36% increasing numbers. Even perennials experienced the drop, from 53% to 44%.

Chart designed by Art Director Katelyn Mullen

When asked, Does your nursery plan on producing more, the same or less of each of these crops in 2026 compared to 2025?, the highest percentages are in the “same” column. It’s no shock that with the economic challenges and uncertainty, most growers are playing it safe and not making any major production changes.

This year’s survey of nearly 200 of our most-engaged readers includes data on sales, profits, prices and more.

Read on for the data and our takeaways.