Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Name

Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Legal name

Minnesota Horticultural Society

Website

https://northerngardener.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1866

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Horticultural Education and Gardening Publications

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Garden Bed Design, Layout & Planting Plans (HSAIAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seasonal Color & Flower Rotation (Spring/Fall Plantings) (HSAIAFAE), Plant Replacement, Transplanting & Garden Refresh Services (HSAIAFAG), Container Gardening Design, Planting & Maintenance (HSAIAFAN)

Keywords

• Horticultural society
• Gardening education
• Gardening magazine
• Membership programs
• Community gardens

Headquarters

HQ city

Roseville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual and monthly membership subscriptions providing exclusive content, classes, and discounts to members in Zones 3, 4, and 5.
2. Magazine Subscriptions: Quarterly Northern Gardener magazine available by subscription ($7.99 per issue) and on newsstands across seven Upper Midwest states.
3. Merchandise Sales: T-shirts, totes, stickers, and yard signs sold through online store. Free shipping on orders $75+.
4. Affiliate Commissions: Earns revenue through Bookshop.org and Amazon associate links for qualifying book and product purchases.
5. Travel Tours: Joint expeditions with Garden and Nature Tours to gardens worldwide. Each participant's registration includes a donation to MHS.
6. Advertising & Sponsorships: Revenue from advertisers in the magazine, website sponsorships, and community outreach sponsors including Endless Summer Hydrangeas, Dakota Prairie Composting, and Plaisted Companies.
7. Donations: Tax-deductible donations supporting community programs including Garden-in-a-Box, Minnesota Green, and Pollinator Paks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Minnesota State Horticultural Society publishes the quarterly Northern Gardener magazine and operates a membership-based nonprofit that delivers horticultural education, community programs (Garden-in-a-Box, Minnesota Green, Pollinator Paks), classes and webinars, annual events, travel tours, and branded merchandise to cold-climate gardeners in USDA Zones 3, 4, and 5.

Product overview

The Minnesota State Horticultural Society operates primarily as a membership-based nonprofit horticultural organization, not a software product company. Its core product portfolio centers on the award-winning Northern Gardener Magazine (a quarterly print and digital publication serving nearly 10,000 members in USDA Zones 3-5), complemented by educational programs including Northern Gardener School and Classes & Webinars. The society provides community outreach through Garden-in-a-Box (supporting community gardens), Minnesota Green, and Pollinator Paks. Additional offerings include The Tool Shed (a digital resource hub), the Plant Journal, Travel Tours (partnered expeditions with Garden and Nature Tours), and a Speaker Roster. The society's digital presence includes a bimonthly Garden Journal E-newsletter (25,000+ subscribers), membership program with discount partners, and an online merchandise store. No AI or machine learning products are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Northern Gardener Magazine: The flagship award-winning publication of the society, delivered four times yearly to members and available on newsstands in seven states across the Upper Midwest.
• Garden-in-a-Box
• Minnesota Green
• Pollinator Paks™
• Northern Gardener School
• The Tool Shed

Products and services

• Northern Gardener Magazine The award-winning flagship quarterly print and digital publication of the society, distributed to nearly 10,000 member homes and on newsstands across seven Upper Midwest states. Features seasonal issues with growing tips, featured gardens, pest and disease management, and plant recommendations written for gardeners in USDA Hardiness Zones 3, 4, and 5.
• Membership Program Annual membership subscription providing access to exclusive content, classes, discounts, the bimonthly Garden Journal e-newsletter, and discounts at local garden centers and nurseries. Gift memberships available starting at $30.
• Garden-in-a-Box Community outreach program providing seeds, plants, and training to help transform vacant lots into community gardens and support youth garden programs for schools and underserved communities.
• Minnesota Green Community gardening program building connection and cultivating communities through gardening education, resources, and food production support for northern climates.
• Pollinator Paks Trademarked community outreach program providing pollinator-friendly plant kits and resources to support pollinators in northern gardens.
• Northern Gardener School Educational program offering classes and webinars for northern gardeners covering horticultural topics including food gardening, home gardening, indoor gardening, and sustainable practices.
• Classes & Webinars Live and recorded educational sessions covering food gardening, home gardening, indoor gardening, and sustainable gardening practices for northern gardeners.
• Travel Tours Joint expeditions with Garden and Nature Tours featuring acclaimed lecturer C. Colston Burrell to destinations including Costa Rica, Northern England, and San Francisco. Each participant registration includes a donation supporting MHS.
• Online Store & Merchandise Online shop offering Northern Gardener branded merchandise including t-shirts, totes, stickers, and yard signs. Free shipping on orders of $75 or more.
• Garden Journal E-newsletter Bimonthly email newsletter packed with cold-climate gardening tips, trends, and upcoming events, sent to over 25,000 subscribers.
• Plant Journal Free digital house plant care guide created in partnership with gardening expert Shayla Owodunni of The Plant Penthouse, providing indoor plant care inspiration and resources.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Garden and Nature TourscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint travel expeditions to world gardens with acclaimed lecturer, garden designer and author C. Colston Burrell. Each tour participant's registration includes a generous donation to MHS. Tours include Costa Rica (Feb 2027), Northern England (June 2027), and San Francisco (Sept 2027).
• Bookshop.orgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate bookstore partnership. MHS earns commission on qualifying book purchases through their Bookshop.org storefront, with revenue supporting the mission.
• AmazonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAssociate partnership through Amazon storefront. MHS earns money from qualifying purchases that supports organizational mission.
• Home DepotminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlastic plant pot recycling partnership. Home Depot accepts plastic pots through partnership with East Jordan Plastics. Partnership supports sustainable gardening practices.
• Lowe'sminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlastic pot and tray recycling partnership. Lowe's accepts plastic pots and trays for reuse. Partnership supports sustainable gardening practices.
• Endless Summer HydrangeasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity outreach program sponsor supporting MHS outreach programs.
• Dakota Prairie CompostingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity outreach program sponsor advertising in Northern Gardener and supporting MHS outreach initiatives.
• Plaisted CompaniesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity outreach program sponsor supporting MHS outreach programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Seed Savers Exchange: Nonprofit focused on heirloom seed preservation, with membership, publications, and educational outreach. Comparable as a mission-driven horticultural nonprofit that monetizes through membership, sales, and donations, though concentrated on seed/preservation rather than gardening practice.
• Wild Ones: National nonprofit focused on native plants and natural landscaping, with local chapters, publications, and educational programs. Directly comparable to MHS's Pollinator Paks and sustainable gardening segments, though with a more ecologically focused mission.
• Perennial Plant Association: Trade association for perennial horticulture professionals with publications, events, and educational programs. A specialized horticulture membership organization that overlaps with MHS's perennial gardening content but serves industry professionals rather than home gardeners.

Direct peers

• American Horticultural Society: National nonprofit horticultural society that publishes The American Gardener magazine and runs member programs. Directly comparable to MHS as a membership-based horticultural education organization, though serving a broader national rather than regional cold-climate audience.
• Garden Club of America: National nonprofit with regional clubs, lectures, garden tours, and horticulture-focused publications. Comparable to MHS in its member-education and tour-program approach, though more oriented toward horticultural design and competitive shows.
• National Garden Clubs, Inc. US-based federation of garden clubs with member education, publications, and community grants programs. Operates a similar nonprofit membership and educational programming model to MHS, though structured as a federation of local clubs rather than a single regional society.

Broad incumbents

• Arbor Day Foundation: Large national nonprofit that combines membership, publications, tree-planting programs, and education. Comparable as a scaled nonprofit membership organization in the broader horticulture/trees space, with similar diversified revenue from dues, donations, and merchandise.
• Royal Horticultural Society: The largest and most established horticultural society globally, with membership, publications (The Garden magazine), and garden shows. While UK-based and much larger, it is the gold-standard reference point for what a scaled horticultural society business model looks like.

Regional players

• Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Major Minnesota-based public garden and horticultural research/education facility. A regional peer operating in the same geography and audience as MHS, with overlapping educational programming and event presence, though structured as a university-affiliated garden rather than a membership society.

Others

• Master Gardeners (Extension Programs): University-extension volunteer programs providing horticultural education in local communities. MHS explicitly references Master Gardener partnerships, and the two organizations are deeply complementary — both educate gardeners but Master Gardeners are free and university-affiliated.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_cM8ERAf3JNFDqMvgzUrqQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/mnhort
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minnesota-state-horticultural-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/mnhort
• Pinterestpinterest.com/mnhort

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Minnesota State Horticultural Society