June 2023 - 24

GREEN GOODS
and accepted by all those links in the chain. Nowadays, you
find Garvinea under its correct name and often with the
additional " garden gerbera " at the right spot in the garden
center - surrounded by other garden plants and perennials,
while the colorful seed-raised Gerbera jamesonii keeps its
place among the annuals and houseplants.
Huggett: Many of the social media platforms are very
good at illustrating a different perspective on how things can
be done in home improvement and how garden inputs can
be used. I think retailers and consumers are already inspired
and armed with an " I'll try that " attitude. We lose nothing by
inspiring people.
Onofrey: One way is to offer the bedding plants in a
fall color palette. Another is to mix them with plants the
consumer is used to seeing for fall in terms of foliage and
texture. This could be purple fountain grass or millet,
perennials like heuchera, or ornamental cabbage and kale.
We've been positioning Granvia as something to offer in
addition to mums in large planters that have a fall feel, like
whiskey barrels and bushel baskets. It could also be a thriller
in a fall combo.
Seguin: Springtime is petunia time. They thrive under
cooler conditions and the color range offered by traditional
petunias is bright and loud. They are also planted in gardens
and landscapes to provide impressive color displays in mass.
SuperCal offers many designer colors, featuring orange and
gold tones that are celebrated with the arrival of autumn.
In the fall, consumers are looking to renew their patio and
outdoor living spaces with ready-to-enjoy planters and fresh
new baskets. The emphasis is more on decorative accents to
rejuvenate and not " gardening " per se.
L&GR: Can you share some merchandising tips for
garden centers for three-season varieties?
Berkhout and Pennings: Inspire by example. Place bold,
flowering mixed containers filled with seasonal extenders
at the entrance and around your garden center, and of
course at the benches where the varieties are sold. Educate
within your shop - let your staff tell the stories and use
clear and simple signage. Point out the benefits and value
that your clients will get by buying three-season varieties.
Organize seasonal events, especially for fall plantings. Let
people yearn for an extended summer and the promise of a
new spring.
Calhoun: My best tips would be to get creative! Creative
ideas keep people coming back. And don't assume that your
customers know what to do; show them what the plants can
do. Here are a few ideas:
Always show a " specimen plant " in a decorative pot so
people can see what the plant can do. Mixed containers are
great for this and help to upsell other plants as well.
Plant some of your biggest and brightest season extenders
in a bed by your sign or along your building or driveway.
Label them clearly so customers know what to ask for. BIG
and Whopper begonias and rudbeckia 'Amarillo Gold' are
great choices for this.
Do you sponsor a local team? Plant some ornamental grasses
in old soccer balls and put them by the register - super cute
impulse sales for a coach or back-to-school teacher gift.
24 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | JUNE 2023
Suntory promotes Granvia bracteantha as a season extender
for fall, as seen here in a fall garden center display.
Hold in-store events (before it heats up too much)
to demonstrate taking care of plants in the heat -
deadheading; watering at the soil; when to water, etc. Point
out which plants will bloom until frost.
Host late-season events showing how to have fun with
your flowers. For ideas download our latest Do It BIG
Magazine or Be Inspired Magazine at www.benary.com/
service/downloads.
Huggett: Focusing on information, quality and
presentation are the big three. I think there is a big gap,
however, in reassuring the consumer on how they can
be successful with the live product the garden center
is promoting. Unlike buying a bouquet of flowers or a
poinsettia, which most consumers view as disposable,
shoulder products like ornamental pepper, succulents or a
foliage plant represent something entirely different in the
consumers' mind.
Onofrey: Signage that says enjoy until frost. Present
heat lovers as summer survivors. Cross merchandise with
fertilizer with a tip on how to keep plants blooming through
the summer. Keep the garden party going. " Bang for your
buck " messaging - for the price of a cup of coffee, you get
20 weeks of enjoyment.
Smith and Seguin: These items need to be merchandised
intentionally in a way that screams " Fall Plants. " Historically,
annuals shipped for fall have been displayed randomly
throughout the garden centers, and consumers think they
are leftover plants from summer. Merchandising them with
POP and displaying them together in bold displays will help
the consumer realize there are better options for fall.
In addition, offer more " ready-to-enjoy " packages likes
window boxes, patio planters and hanging baskets with
less focus on quart pots or jumbo packs. In most parts
of the country, fall is not the season for planting ground
beds, but rather the time to add decorative accent plants
for celebrating a return to outdoor living (after the heat of
summer has subsided). Many customers may wish to spruce
up their tired planters and baskets from summer, but others
will want a whole new fall look. The larger sizes will also help
deliver the vision as we create this new fall market.
http://www.benary.com/
June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2023
