R & R in California

Expecting greenhouse benches full of vibrant annuals on my first trip to the annual pack trials last month, I wasn’t disappointed. Overwhelmed is a better description. The sheer volume of information was a lot to take in, and I’m still digesting it weeks later.

There were new plants — not as many as I thought there’d be, but still lots to see. It seems the breeders are listening, and understanding that the retail bench doesn’t need a brighter red geranium, if all it has to offer is enhanced colour. Each new plant offered something tangibly better than its predecessor.

It’s a bit of a generalization, but for the most part, the new plants that will be introduced to the gardening public in 2010 are either heat or drought tolerant, or have been bred to require fewer inputs during production — helping growers save money (requiring less heat, blooming under short days, etc.). Several breeders have also invested in genetics that produce vegetative-quality plants through seed — again, saving the growers money and allowing retailers to offer different price points. It was exciting to see the results of careful breeding and selection on display.

Each stop on the route offers something different, in addition to the display of new plants. Some breeders, such as Benary, produced its entire line of plants, so growers and retailers can compare different series of the same plant side by side. Some grew the same plants in different sizes, so growers could see how the plants shape up for the sales bench. Sakata offered transplant trials to illustrate how important timing is, as well as growth regulator trials that help growers determine what product and treatments are best for each species.

There’s lots for the retailer to take in as well. At the Proven Winners trials, I learned some encouraging facts from its consumer research. Polling 20,000 people in early 2009, they learned that 41 per cent say they will buy more plants this year than they did last year, and 52 per cent plan to purchase the same amount. People are staying home this year, getting back to cocooning, and enhancing their own living space. People are positive about gardening!

The online requests for PW’s Garden Ideas book increased 166 per cent this year, showing how hungry people are for information and garden decorating ideas. What’s more, the company’s research shows that half the people on the PW website looking for gardening information aren’t aware of the PW brand — they are just hungry for information and ideas. We need to make sure our stores are the first place they turn to for products and solutions.

The industry is stepping up the resources it offers to growers and retailers — and they’re yours for the asking. Goldsmith displayed signage that helps sell the makings for containers. The general identifiers are focal plant, filler plant and cascading plants that can be mixed and matched to suit the retailer’s inventory. The John Henry Company offered POP material for a variety of themed displays that have been shown to create an emotional response in women.

While we’re fortunate that our plants look great on the sales bench all by themselves, putting them together in striking colour combinations, and pairing them with props and signage, will call to the consumer and increase impulse sales. Our industry is being given the tools and resources to create sophisticated, appealing displays that will speak to our sophisticated customers.

Landscape Trades wishes everyone a prosperous spring and propitious weather.