July 2019 - 54

Merchandising
Lavender
Lavender
It's a win-win - they get stunning small-space
accents to simply water and enjoy, and you reap the
benefits of multi-season sales.
Best of the Rest
I've learned many ways to re-position plants over
New for Spring 2020!
Bloomables™ is made up of
our best flowering roses and
woodies that are easy-to-grow
for the grower and the consumer.
These varieties will not
only look good at retail, they
will bloom all season and offer
high reward in the garden.
To order, contact your Star® Roses
and Plants Territory Manager.
www.BLOOMABLES.com
the years for promotion to the consumer media
- ways to re-think flowers as appealing products
beyond the garden wall. One of these tricks is to
group your flowers into trends. You've no-doubt seen
the explosion of social media and video, and how
savvy influencers have turned a how-to DIY project
into celebrity status. Look for " Instagrammable "
plants in your assortment and let them shine!
" Plants with a purpose " goes after the shopper
who is not your typical gardener. They may be
accessorizing their fashion-forward décor or
weekend outfits using colorful plants. They may
be sharing glow-up tips for sugar scrubs and face
masks using natural floral elements. They may even
be foodies shirt-tailing onto fun recipe videos to
show their followers how oh-so-easy living the good
life can be. Fill your store in the shoulder season
with edible flowers, lavender and highly scented
plants, project-type blooms for pressing or drying,
medicinal floral options for self-care and wellness ...
find their purpose and promote it.
And finally, don't forget the other way to amplify
your color portfolio when the weather turns cool:
Fandom-mania! From your local high school
colors to national sports teams, the fall season
is literally the kick-off to a fresh way to look at
garden color and show support for your regional
teams. Marigolds, zinnias, ornamental peppers and
other long-flowering landscape plants can help the
neighborhood root, root, root for the home team.
(And if they don't shop at your store, it's a shame!)
I hope some of these tips continue to inspire
you and your retail team to take advantage of new
plant breeding, and of all the existing resources
your suppliers are ready to share. With busy season
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
STAR® ROSES and PLANTS
Circle 142
Sunflower
almost over, take a moment to reflect on the last 12
months and evaluate your successes with any new
programs, plants and ideas you've implemented.
Some notes you should take along the way:
* Did I have the right plants at the right time?
* What did I sell out of and what did I dump?
* Did my vendors and suppliers perform up to par?
* What other trends can I get on board with to
capitalize even more next year?
The time you invest in your busy-season wrap-up is
just as important as planning, so involve your team
- brainstorm - and be sure to keep an open mind.
That's the quickest way to have the best outcome
and turn slow time into " solve " time.
Katie Rotella is the senior public relations and digital
manager for Ball Horticultural Company in West Chicago,
Illinois. She loves turning trends into garden solutions. Get
more store resources at www.ballseed.com.
http://www.BLOOMABLES.com http://www.ballseed.com
July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2019
