TPIE 2026 Cool Product Awards announced
There were 53 plants and products nominated for the Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) Cool Product Awards presented by The Garden Center Group. Of the nominations, participating garden retailers voted for their top 15 products, highlighted below.
Banana Bloom Soil Amendment
Made from trunks of banana trees — an ag byproduct from one of the most commonly grown crops in the world, gardeners can mix in 10% to 20% Banana Bloom with soil. Unlike coconut coir, which requires heavy water use and chemical processing, Banana Bloom is made through a clean, low-impact method.
Soil Mixes
BWH Plant Co. (Bros With Hoes) created soil mix options with simple packaging to make success easy. Dirt Bag was created in-house to provide superior aeration and fast drainage. Crafted with a blend of charcoal, it supports water filtration — a game-changer for indoor plant health. Coco Bag is a potting mix that strikes a balance between effective moisture retention and ample aeration.
Fern ‘Blue Oil’
Fern ‘Blue Oil’ (Microsorum thailandicum) is a rare tropical plant with shimmering, iridescent blue leaves that catch the light with a metallic, almost holographic sheen. Native to the shaded understories of southeast Asian rainforests, its unique color comes from microscopic leaf structures rather than pigment.
Scindapsus ‘Blue Albo’
Scindapsus hederaceus ‘Blue Albo’ has dark green leaves with creamy to white variegation. This climber is reportedly easy to grow in the average home, making it an approachable, hard-to-find variety to add to your assortment.
Variegated Scindapsus ‘Coriaceus’
A trendy, hard-to-come-by climber, ‘Coriaceus’ features thick, dark green leaves variegated with neon green. It holds up well to indoor environments, making it beginner friendly and giving it a good retail shelf life.
Nepenthes ‘Midnight’
Our retailer judges were amazed with this near-black pitcher plant. ‘Midnight’ was one of the stars of Deroose Plants’ booth!
Michaelmoelleria ‘Sapphire’
This species is in the Gesneriad family, related to African violets. It is a monotypic genus meaning created in 2020 for just this plant. Featured blooms are a beautiful lavender purple. This plant was supplied by Altman Specialty Plants and will be available through Dewar Nurseries.
Bamboo Trellis
Floratrel exhibited many designs of indoor trellis and other plant accessories, all crafted from bamboo. Its inherent strength ensures that the trellises are long-lasting and sustainably made in Maryland.
Leaf Sweep
Leaf Sweep is a convertible leaf care tool that can clean and treat plants gently. It can be used with water or cleaning and treating solutions and features a hand strap and swivel washable brush heads.
Garden Gnome
The Dude garden gnome sports shades, a goatee, floral swim trunks and flip-flops. Hand made of cast stone and finished in a graystone paint wash, the gnome is made in the U.S.
Root Pruning Pots
Naked Root planters allow roots to breathe freely, avoiding water logging and suffocation to promote healthy root growth, resulting in strong and vibrant plants. The breathing planters use air root pruning to let plants’ roots expand naturally without circling. Made in the U.S.
Variegated Philodendron ‘Fat Boy’
Philodendron ‘Fat Boy’ (Philodendron martianum) is known for its thick, swollen petioles (stems) and glossy, variegated leaves that grow in a rosette form. Each leaf is unique, splashed with shades of cream, lime and deep green, creating an almost marble-like pattern. The relatively easy-to-care-for plant can thrive indoors with the right conditions.
Repotting Scoop and Soil Pick
The new 2-in-1 teaspoon and soil pick is for distributing Sol Soils’ Sol Biotics fertilizer into soil or in a watering can, as the products are applied in teaspoon increments. It’s also the perfect size to drop into a repurposed gallon water jug.
Dipladenia ‘Sun Parasol FiredUp Magic Pink’
FiredUp is a new series with a new flower form that is a flatter pinwheel shape. Magic Pink is one of the newest additions to this series and features color changing tones in coral pink and peach.
Mandevilla ‘Sun Parasol XP Maui Sunset’
Maui Sunset is part of the Sun Parasol XP line and has superior branching and flower power. Its extra-large coral-orange blooms have outstanding performance.
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