March 2023 - 17

GREEN GOODS
plus it's fun! I started with an online community on
Instagram, San Diego Plant Friends, and also have a very
active Instagram account for Plant Vault (@Plant_Vault).
Additionally, I try to attend community plant events and
create a circle of like-minded people. "
She encourages retailers looking to build their
community to visit trade shows and speak with every
exhibitor there - even those you don't particularly see as
a fit for your business.
" I always have someone in the Rolodex who can do
something. A lot of those contacts were made by going to
these trade shows, shaking people's hands, giving out my
business card, and then also spending a couple of minutes
to ask them about themselves, making a connection. "
Best Sellers and Rising Stars
Plant Vault's consistent best sellers are the variegated
Musa ( " They even produce variegated bananas, " Heineman
says), monstera 'Thai Constellation', philodendron 'Pink
Princess', philodendron 'Ring of Fire' and philodendron
'Paraiso Verde'.
She says different variegations of the monstera
deliciosa, such as the Mint and Aurea, are continuing to
gain momentum and the " long-time favorites such as the
monstera 'Thai Constellation' and monstera 'Albo' continue
to be in high demand. "
Trendspotting at TPIE
Always a treasure trove of tropical plants, Heineman says
she saw a few notable trending tropicals at the Tropical
Plant International Expo (TPIE) in January. She said there
were lines of people around the anthurium 'Renaissance
Tricolor', which was voted by show attendees to be named
TPIE's Favorite New Flowering Plant; and philodendron
'Billietiae Variegated', which was voted TPIE's Favorite New
Foliage Plant, both from Aroid Greenhouses.
" We saw a lot of the variegated Burle Marx, which is one
of my personal favorite plants, and the variegated billietiae,
which won big honors at the Costa Farms booth.
" I was very surprised to not see any variegated Musa
because that is one of our top-selling plants. I was
really expecting to see everyone showing off their giant
variegated Musas, but they are extremely difficult to grow
and they are extremely scarce. "
On a more controversial - although still stunning - note
were the many dyed philodendron on the tradeshow floor.
" We posted the 'Blue Iced' philodendron on our
Instagram [at TPIE] and people went crazy. While it's a
'wow' factor, I would imagine that it's going to be a point of
contention, " she says. " Because if you remember back a few
years ago with the philodendrons 'Pink Congo' and 'Pink
Dark Lord' and everyone bought the plant and loved it, but
didn't realize that it was chemically induced. I think there's
going to be a big debate coming with chemically induced
plants. The average consumer just believes that this is the
way a plant grows - you never assume that a plant with
any other color would be chemically induced. "
Looking to the Future
The future is fashion for Heineman, when she'll " kick
Plant Vault into the next gear, doing plant fashion shows
Some of the rare and unique plants for sale at Plant Vault.
and hopefully creating a big hype, closing the road down
to hold the fashion show there. And I can use all of my
experience in fashion - I know how to organize fashion
shows, I know how to create the looks, I know how to do
all the components that are necessary to create an exciting
fashion show. And where we are in San Diego, people just
don't do that. So when it does happen, I think it's going to
be really exciting. "
She says she also intends to create a stronger network
within the gardening industry.
" I would love to get to meet all types of wholesalers
and retailers and customers and understand better what
everyone's looking for, figuring out ways that we can work
together. I would love for anyone to reach out to me if you
just want to chat about rare plants, or you meet someone
who's doing something new in the industry - I believe very
strongly in community and working together. "
In addition, Heineman says Plant Vault is moving into the
wholesale business. She says they've been approached by
plant wholesalers with customers looking for rare or unique
plants to offer to their retailers.
" Typically, they'll ask us, 'What plant do you think is going
to sell?', or they give us a budget and ask, 'What's the best
selling plant I can get at that price?' So, again, I'm using a lot
of trend forecasting.
" We see an amazing opportunity for garden retail centers
to differentiate their offerings with more rare plants, so they
can branch out beyond what a customer can find right down
the block. "
Plant Vault can be found online at www.plantvault.com.
Karli Heineman will be featured in a short film on PlantPop,
premiering on March 17. For more details, visit www.plantpop.
com. Heineman can be reached at karli@plantvault.com.
LGRMAG.COM | 17
http://www.plantvault.com http://www.plantpop http://www.LGRMAG.COM
March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2023
