January events provide a strong start to 2024
By Abby McGarry and Teresa McPherson
Trade show season kicked off with unprecedented attendee numbers and a multitude of product launches at MANTS, TPIE and Atlanta Market.
Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS)
The 2024 trade show season started with the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) in Baltimore. This year it brought together over 11,200 attendees, including exhibitors. A sold-out trade show floor featured 920 exhibitors spread across 1,532 booths showcasing plants, nursery stock, heavy- and light-duty equipment, and industry innovations.
Proven Winners and Walters Gardens announced they plan to launch ART & SOL mangave, a Modern Plant Collection, this year. The Manfreda x Agave hybrids are the result of extensive breeding at Walters Gardens. The top six varieties from this program are now included in the Proven Winners brand, with more introductions expected soon.
Katie Tamony, chief marketing officer and trend spotter at Monrovia, said hellebores are No. 1 when it comes to social media posts. The plant breeder had several varieties of hellebore on display, as well as plants on their “New and Trending for 2024” list. Hydrangea ‘Seaside Serenade Glacier Bay’ made the list, with its dark, sturdy upright stems and contrasting bright white blooms.The Plant Co.’s booth was stocked with houseplants — over 100 varieties are now available from the company, said Ben Wright, national account manager. Retail-ready hanging baskets, beakers and bowls are among the top sellers, as well as the leafjoy H2O Minis contained in glass jars.
Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE)
TPIE returned to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for its 51st installment from Jan. 17-29, at a renovated Broward County Convention Center with 25% more exhibition space and 380 companies. Preliminary numbers from the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association said 15,000 people from 46 states and 40 countries were in attendance, which created a lot of energy on the show floor.
Upcycle decorative containers from Foliera garnered quite the crowds. These planters are crafted from recycled car metal, making them an eco-friendly line that is much lighter than it appears. Trendy colors are used in both matte and shiny finishes that are rust and frost resistant.Suntory Flowers won big at the show with both TPIE Favorite New Flowering Plant Awards and Garden Center Group Cool Product Awards for the Bluephoria and Mauveleous varieties of its Sun Parasol Original XP and the unique new ‘Sun Parasol Fired Up Orange’ , a slender, upright, “thriller” type.LiveTrends Design’s three core brands — LiveTrends, Urban Jungle and BeYou — continued to expand with BeYou focused on personal plant items for self expression, including these options for Valentine’s Day and Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead).Chive added new colors and designs to its line of ceramic succulents and flowers sold both individually and as gift sets, while also adding new Mr. Misters in five modern and contemporary colors for houseplant enthusiasts.
Atlanta Market
The winter markets are always hot spots for garden centers to find garden and outdoor living items, along with related gifts. Atlanta Market from Jan. 16-22 at AmericasMart offered just that with 65 new, expanded and relocated showrooms and more than 6,000 product lines, according to ANDMORE. The Gardens, however, went from two floors to one with plans to reimagine the spaces in the coming months.
Punch Studio debuted lines with nods to the garden, including Vintage Floral, with everything from journals and notepads to cards and storage boxes, and Kelly Green’s nature-inspired line that is printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink.Accent Decor said it aimed to create artful versions of the functional pieces customers requested with its new collection, including more pots with drainage holes and self-watering planters. Embroidered pillows made a great complementary gift for plant parents.Karma displayed its new Love Bug collection with on-trend options for indoors and out, including melamine plates, succulent pots and whimsical plant markers.We the Wild, at both Atlanta Market and TPIE, launched compostable pest traps (great for fungus gnats), a gardening apron and a leaf care kit specifically targeted for Mother’s Day sales.
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