Heading South
We’ve covered a lot of ground the past three days, traveling from Gilroy down to Paso Robles, and we’re not done yet. Today’s recap begins at Pacific Plug & Liner where a Havana Nights theme made for some fun and bright displays to showcase its newest varieties.
We then headed to Benary, where we ended Day 2. Benary took three different approaches to showcasing its lines. First was a fashion show, which turned new varieties into high fashion. Second was a museum, complete with pedestals and viewing benches. Third, Benary had Art in the Park, pairing plants with well-known art pieces with a twist.
Day 3 started in Salinas at American Takii where I couldn’t take my eyes off of the succulent displays from HMA Plants.
Up next was Sakata, which was celebrating a big birthday: 10 years on the market for SunPatiens.
At our final stop, Plug Connection’s displays caught my eye, showcasing Mighty Mato, Ketchup ‘N’ Fries and the newer Pixie grapes.
Check out all of these highlights and more below, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get even more great photos and videos — we’ve been having lots of fun with those.
Have you seen any retail ideas that have caught your eye? Let me know at [email protected]. If you missed a look at our first five stops, click here. And visit our sister publication GPN at www.gpnmag.com for new variety coverage.
Cheers,
Vignettes (Pacific Plug & Liner)
Pacific Plug & Liner created a half dozen separate vignettes that I couldn’t help but think would make for an easy shopping experience. They used bright colors with an individual focus such as hydrangea, echibeckia or, as seen above, hellebores.
Grasses (Pacific Plug & Liner)
We’ve been seeing a lot of grasses at California Spring Trials this year. This display showed that they can be interesting in containers, but they can also catch the eye as a standalone plant.
Surprising Strawberries (Pacific Plug & Liner)
Have you tasted the Hula Berry yet? This strawberry has its full retail launch this year and tastes just like pineapple. Well now Pacific Plug & Liner has Bubble Berry in the pipeline, a strawberry that tastes like bubblegum.
Art in the Park (Benary)
Benary paired its plants with a little something unexpected to create its Art in the Park section, meant to inspire with real-life applications. Here you’ll see an American Gothic-inspired painting that features the pansies showcased next to it.
Succulents (HMA Plants)
HMA Plants has been doing succulents for six years, and for their display they partnered with Succulent Gardens in Castroville, California, to create vertical succulent walls, succulent chandeliers and this succulent corner.
Impulse Buys (Sakata)
MasterTag and Summit Plastic Co. were on display at Sakata this year as well. Licensed through Sporticulture, garden centers can sell shoppers their favorite sports team with complementary plants like these from Sakata, especially great for fall with NFL and NCAA teams.
Fun Facts (Sakata)
Sakata confirmed that the first flower grown in space on the International Space Station by astronaut Scott Kelly was its zinnia. This has turned into a selling point because if it can grow in space it can surely grow in your customer’s yard, right?
Novelty (Plug Connection)
Now it’s easy to grow grapes at home with Pixie grapes, which are wine grapes that taste pretty good too. Display the plants in store with some bottles of wine, and it’s sure to be a conversation starter for the consumer who wants to try something new.
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