What’s trending in outdoor living
Outdoor living suppliers share what’s trending and tips on how garden centers can sell more of this essential product category.
Lawn & Garden Retailer: What are your best-selling outdoor living categories or product lines?
Michael Bodo, Echo Valley: Products revolving around outdoor entertaining and sustainability are among our fastest-growing categories. Whether that’s our EchoFlame tabletop fireplaces and torches, which take advantage of our certified safe, single use, 11-ounce biofuel cans, or any number of tabletop, hanging and staked solar accent lanterns and lights, anything that enhances the nighttime exteriorscape experience is very popular and in demand.
John Hanesworth, Big Grass Living: We are seeing strong spring ordering for our small planter collections, especially the new glaze colors of our glazed Elemental Collection planters. Our Thai producer for this line has developed some stunning new mineral colors for these planters. Working directly with our artisans provides us with the opportunity to develop new and singularly beautiful decor and planter designs.
All of our hanging planters, including our Terra Fina (terra cotta) and teakwood baskets have continued to be popular as they are well-suited to creating hanging displays with a variety of planters with smaller plants. They are ideal for bringing some green indoors during the winter months. Suitable for hanging displays in window boxes and other small areas, they are easily relocated outdoors during warmer months.
Ron Knutson, SPI Home: Garden décor — mostly with a function but also items that just look cute, like our Cardinal Couple Planter Holder or our Frog and Bamboo Leaf Pot Trellis.
Sue Pappas, West of the Wind: In our category — outdoor accessories/outdoor wall decor — strong, bold colors continue to be top sellers. Accessories are definitely becoming much more important in the outdoor market. We experienced quite an interest from newer customers at the Atlanta Market that felt outdoor wall décor was now a priority, whereas in the past, it may be more of secondary or afterthought to add to their stores.
Breland Schumacher, Border Concepts: Mad Mats, our 100%-recycled, fade-resistant and water-repellent outdoor mats, essential for setting the foundation in any outdoor space. Also, as always, beautiful outdoor planters for a variety of arrangements or mini gardens.
L&GR: What trends are you seeing in outdoor living for 2025?
Bodo: Accessories, accessories, accessories! Just about anyone who wanted to update or replace their existing patio furniture set, gas grill, pool, deck or patio did so during the pandemic. To enhance what they created they are continually looking to freshen things up by introducing new accessories to these spaces. This can be container plants, a gazebo, arbor or pergola; a sun shade, string lights, a firepit, solar lanterns, etc. — items that can be easily obtained, yet don’t break the bank.
Hanesworth: We are fortunate to have a retail operation in San Antonio, where we can directly experience customers’ comments and reactions to new products before we introduce the best ones to our wholesale offerings. At our retail store, we sell a large range of outdoor and indoor planters and décor products at all price points.
While we have noticed a slowdown in the purchase of larger, more expensive glazed planters out of season, we continually sell smaller planters and decor such as our Terra Accent Beads. These evoke the door beads of the 1960s and ‘70s, but with charming hand-formed clay beads and faces. They provide a bit of wonder to doorways, potted shrubs and window frames
Our Dang Bird plant stakes add humor to table tops, indoor planters and gardens with their individual personality and sly smiles. Both of these items, along with our small planters, are regularly purchased in multiples, increasing sales.
Knutson: Functional pieces, such as our Mermaid Lantern or Fishing Frog Birdbath.
Schumacher: More time outside! People are continuing to extend the spaces in which they live and using their outdoor areas for entertaining and everyday living. This means making those spaces feel as comfortable as their living rooms.
L&GR: How do you see sustainability/eco-friendly playing into outdoor living décor this year?
Bodo: Echo Valley was the first company to embrace the use of solar technology in outdoor décor and accessories nearly 25 years ago with the introduction of Sleeping Solar Fairy statuette. It mushroomed from there and remains a strong growth category for us. Thus, we’ve been on the leading edge of eco-friendly products longer than most companies have been in the industry.
On the sustainability front, we’ve moved away as much as we possibly can from using packaging materials that are harmful to the environment in favor of biodegradable alternatives. Nearly all of our products are made from organic, earthen materials such as glass, metal, ceramic, natural fiber or combinations thereof, as sustainability has been a primary driver in our product development decisions, although it’s not something we actively promote. Perhaps we should!
Hanesworth: Artisan and handmade are becoming increasingly popular with our customers. We recently showed our wholesale line at TPIE. Buyers were excited to find us for the first time or reconnect with Big Grass.
Consistent throughout our conversations with both younger generation buyers and veteran buyers the comments were similar: Consumers want more meaningful connection to their purchases. While they may be spending more cautiously, products that speak to them through evident high-quality is very important and motivates their purchases. Knowing that an actual person had hands in the design and production of even a small planter or personally chosen decor accessory made their purchases much more meaningful.
Knutson: There is, of course, a strong move to recyclables. We have been using recycled metals for three decades, though we do need to push this angle more forcefully to retailers and consumers.
Schumacher: Consumers are definitely taking note of products that use planet- (and people-) friendly materials and that includes outdoor décor. Not only do products affect the health of your body, but the health of your surroundings as well.
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