The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is an American multinational supplier of consumer lawn, garden, pest-control, and indoor-growing products. Headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, the company traces its origins to 1868, when Orlando M. Scott began selling seed to the American agricultural market. It later developed a homeowner-focused lawn-seed business and became one of the best-known names in residential turf care and gardening. The company operates through a portfolio that includes Scotts lawn products, Miracle-Gro plant nutrition and gardening products, Ortho pest-control products, and other brands and businesses serving home growers. In the United States, Scotts and Miracle-Gro are its most visible consumer brands, while Ortho supplies products for controlling insects, weeds, and other garden pests. The company has also distributed Roundup consumer herbicides in the United States and selected international markets under arrangements with Monsanto, now part of Bayer. Scotts expanded beyond conventional lawn and garden products through acquisitions and partnerships. Its historical transactions included horticultural-media companies, seed and plant-breeding businesses, European garden brands, lawn-service operations, and specialty gardening companies. In the 2010s, the company established Hawthorne Gardening Company as a platform for hydroponic equipment, lighting, nutrients, environmental controls, and other indoor-growing products. Hawthorne acquisitions included General Hydroponics, Vermicrop Organics, Sunlight Supply, Can-Filters, AeroGrow, and Luxx Lighting. The business also explored digitally connected irrigation and consumer-oriented subscription services. The company's history has included significant regulatory and environmental controversies. It pleaded guilty and paid criminal penalties relating to pesticide-treated bird seed sold from 2005 to 2008, and it separately resolved violations involving pesticide registration requirements. Scotts also faced regulatory action after genetically modified creeping bentgrass spread beyond experimental sites. In the United Kingdom, its peat extraction activities generated a prolonged dispute with conservation groups and public authorities over the protection of peatlands. Scotts Miracle-Gro remains primarily associated with consumer lawn and garden care, but its portfolio has changed over time through divestitures, acquisitions, licensing arrangements, and strategic repositioning. Its operations have included both branded products sold through retail channels and specialized businesses aimed at professional or indoor growers. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SMG.

Scotts Miracle-Gro began in 1868, when Orlando M. Scott established a seed business serving the United States agricultural market. During the early twentieth century, the company expanded into grass seed for household lawns. In 1924, it became the first company to ship grass seed directly to retail stores; before that change, its products were sold through mail order. By 1940, sales had reached one million dollars and the company employed 66 people. The business was incorporated as O.M. Scott & Sons Company in 1914. In 1971, the privately held company was acquired by ITT, a diversified international conglomerate. Scotts returned to independent ownership in 1986 through a leveraged buyout. It became publicly traded in 1992, offering shares at $19 per share. The company then pursued expansion through acquisitions, including Republic Tool & Manufacturing, Grace-Sierra Horticultural Products, and other horticultural businesses. In 1995, Scotts merged with Miracle-Gro Products, Inc., creating the foundation of the modern Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. The combination joined Scotts' strength in lawn products with Miracle-Gro's plant-food and gardening franchise. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the company acquired or developed a broad collection of horticultural and consumer brands, including Miracle Care, Levington, Substral, Smith & Hawken, Morning Song, and businesses associated with European garden products. It also obtained marketing and distribution rights for Monsanto's consumer Roundup products in several markets and acquired the Ortho lawn-and-garden business. Scotts expanded into service and technology businesses as well. Scotts Lawn Service developed from the acquisition of Emerald Green Lawn Service and was later combined with ServiceMaster's TruGreen operation. The company sold its interest in TruGreen in 2019. It acquired connected-irrigation company Blossom in 2016 and took a minority stake in Bonnie Plants the same year. The company sold its European and Australian operations and brands to Exponent Private Equity in 2017, reflecting a greater concentration on North America and selected strategic businesses. A major later strategy was the development of Hawthorne Gardening Company, which focused on hydroponics and indoor growing. Scotts acquired General Hydroponics and Vermicrop Organics in 2015, followed by Can-Filters, Sunlight Supply, AeroGrow, and Luxx Lighting in subsequent years. These transactions broadened the company from conventional lawn and garden retail into nutrients, hydroponic systems, air filtration, horticultural lighting, and automated indoor cultivation. The company also experimented with new consumer engagement models, including Lunarly, a plant and wellness subscription service developed with BuzzFeed in 2018. The company has faced environmental and regulatory criticism. Between 2005 and 2008, it sold millions of units of bird seed coated with pesticides that were hazardous to birds and fish. In 2012, Scotts pleaded guilty and paid criminal fines, while a separate settlement addressed additional pesticide-registration violations and environmental remediation. Its genetically modified grass research also resulted in a 2007 USDA fine after modified creeping bentgrass was found beyond test sites. In the United Kingdom, conservation organizations and public authorities opposed the company's peat extraction from protected or proposed protected bogs; the dispute ended with government compensation associated with the loss of extraction rights. Scotts Miracle-Gro continues to market consumer lawn and garden products through major retail channels, while maintaining specialized activities in indoor growing and horticultural technology. Its principal public-facing brands remain Scotts, Miracle-Gro, and Ortho.

1. 2020Acquired AeroGrow International

   The company acquired AeroGrow, a maker of indoor hydroponic growing systems.

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2. 2015Expanded into hydroponics

   Scotts acquired General Hydroponics and Vermicrop Organics and developed Hawthorne Gardening Company.

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3. 1995Merged with Miracle-Gro

   The merger with Miracle-Gro Products created the Scotts Miracle-Gro combination.

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4. 1992Initial public offering

   Scotts became a publicly traded company.

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5. 1986Returned to independent ownership

   Scotts became independent again through a leveraged buyout.

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6. 1971Acquired by ITT

   O.M. Scott & Sons was purchased by ITT.

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7. 1924Direct-to-store grass-seed distribution introduced

   Scotts became the first company to ship grass seed directly to retail stores rather than relying exclusively on mail order.

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8. 1914O.M. Scott & Sons incorporated

   The company was formally incorporated as O.M. Scott & Sons Company.

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9. 1868O.M. Scott seed business established

   Orlando M. Scott began selling seed to the American agricultural market, establishing the company's historical roots.

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A leading consumer lawn-and-garden company combining mass-market lawn care, plant nutrition, pest control, growing media, and specialized indoor-growing technologies.

• ScottsLawn care

  The Scotts brand covers residential lawn-care products such as grass seed, lawn fertilizer, weed control, and related turf-maintenance treatments. It is the company's principal consumer lawn brand and is sold primarily through retail channels.

• Miracle-GroPlant nutrition and gardening

  Miracle-Gro supplies plant foods, fertilizers, soils, and gardening products for indoor and outdoor growers. The brand is positioned around helping household gardeners grow ornamental plants, vegetables, flowers, and other cultivated plants.

• OrthoPest control

  Ortho provides consumer products for controlling insects, weeds, and other garden and household pests. Its portfolio extends Scotts Miracle-Gro beyond lawn nutrition into plant-protection and pest-management applications.

• Hawthorne Gardening CompanyIndoor growing2015

  Hawthorne is the company's specialized indoor-growing platform. Through acquisitions and associated brands, it has offered hydroponic nutrients, growing systems, horticultural lighting, ventilation, filtration, and environmental-control equipment for controlled cultivation.

• Roundup consumer productsHerbicides

  Scotts has marketed and distributed consumer Roundup herbicide products in the United States and selected international markets under agreements originally associated with Monsanto.

• 2018Lunarly

  United States

  Scotts collaborated with BuzzFeed and agency partners on a subscription service that combined houseplants, crystals, and wellness products organized around the lunar calendar. The initiative sought to attract younger consumers, particularly millennial women, to gardening.

  Outcome. The boxes reportedly sold out repeatedly and generated more than one million dollars in incremental sales by May 2019.

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• 2020Acquisition of AeroGrowM&A

  The company continued building its indoor-growing portfolio and sought consumer-facing hydroponic technology.

  What changed. Scotts acquired AeroGrow International, maker of indoor hydroponic growing systems.

  Aftermath. The transaction expanded Hawthorne's exposure to countertop and home indoor-growing products.

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• 2018Lunarly subscription launchProduct launch

  Scotts wanted to make gardening more relevant to younger consumers and experiment with direct-to-consumer products.

  What changed. The company launched Lunarly with BuzzFeed, offering plants and wellness-themed products through a lunar-calendar subscription concept.

  Aftermath. The service received mixed reviews but reportedly sold out repeatedly and produced incremental sales.

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• 2017Divestiture of European and Australian operationsStrategy

  Scotts reorganized its international portfolio and placed greater emphasis on North American consumer products and selected growth businesses.

  What changed. The company sold its European and Australian operations and brands to Exponent Private Equity.

  Aftermath. The divestiture reduced the company's direct international operating footprint.

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• 2015Creation of a hydroponics and indoor-growing platformStrategy

  The company identified controlled-environment cultivation and hydroponics as an expansion area beyond traditional lawn and garden retail.

  What changed. Scotts acquired General Hydroponics and Vermicrop Organics and organized the activities under Hawthorne Gardening Company.

  Aftermath. Hawthorne became a platform for additional acquisitions in lighting, filtration, hydroponic supply, and indoor growing systems.

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• 1995Combination with Miracle-GroM&A

  Scotts sought to combine its lawn-care franchise with Miracle-Gro's plant-food and gardening business.

  What changed. The companies merged to form the Scotts Miracle-Gro organization.

  Aftermath. The transaction created a broader consumer lawn-and-garden portfolio centered on the Scotts and Miracle-Gro brands.

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• 2012Pesticide-treated bird seed caseControversy

  Scotts pleaded guilty after selling bird seed treated with pesticides known to be dangerous to birds and fish. The products were sold from 2005 through 2008, despite internal warnings about the potential risks.

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• 2012FIFRA violations and environmental settlementControversy

  The company was fined and required to perform community service for criminal violations of federal pesticide law. It also agreed to additional penalties and environmental projects in a related settlement.

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• 2007Genetically modified grass escapeControversy

  The USDA fined Scotts after DNA from genetically modified creeping bentgrass was detected outside experimental plots, including in related and native grasses.

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• 2001United Kingdom peat-bog disputeControversy

  Scotts faced opposition from conservation groups and government bodies over peat extraction in northern England. Protected-area designations ultimately ended the company's ability to extract peat from the affected sites, with compensation paid by the UK government.

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• 2018Scotts launches Lunarly subscription service with BuzzFeed

  Scotts collaborated with BuzzFeed and advertising partners on a subscription box combining houseplants, crystals, and wellness-themed items organized around the lunar calendar.

  CampaignProduct launch
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1. Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
2. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company official website