September/October 2019 - 15

DIRTY SECRETS
foliage and flowers for fall and winter! Please, I beg you
to try it and see what happens when you introduce the
idea that lime and teal can indeed look gorgeous for fall
and winter. Or that variegated and silver leaved plants
simply glow in the dark months of low light.
Also, be sure to help customers understand what
happens to certain foliage when cold hits them; they
often turn lovely shaded colors of bronze, purple and
reds that you might not ordinarily take note of if you're
overly focused on the flowers. One of the quotes I used
in the books I wrote is that " Flowers are fleeting, but
foliage is forever. " The flowers are simply the icing on
a really great cake, but if the cake itself is awful, then
who cares about the tasteless icing flowers?
4) Texture and fragrance are INCREDIBLE links in a
combo. These elements can be the bridge that helps tie
everything together to make that sale go from " nice " to
" Whoa! " quickly.
Lemon thyme is a lovely textural addition to brighten
up a pot, but then you can start talking about using
that thyme for a gin or vodka infusion and then you
open up an entirely new sales conversation that might
lead to Bloody Mary recipes.
Or teach the customer how to properly " caress " a
lemon cypress and that her given name is " Wilma " and
you've now opened up a friendly new game of " Well,
then what this one's name? "
I realize that I am spoiled to live in a mild winter
climate, though last winter's " Snowmageddon "
would tell you otherwise, but even the basic silver
sage in a fall container combo can spark an awesome
conversation about using it for the Thanksgiving turkey
or as a stuffing herb, which is bound to spark the
debate over who has the best stuffing recipe.
Evergreen ferns and even ivy can be special in
the right context - just look to show off unique
varieties if possible. Even then, I will fall back to
some of the more pedestrian ones to challenge
myself to make them " look special. "
5) Mix it up with a few " faux " additions and garden
Evergreen ferns and
even ivy can be special in
the right context - just
look to show off unique
varieties if possible.
art. No one will judge. In fact, they'll likely copy it! I
wrote earlier in the year about my growing distaste
from the overuse of the birch log centerpieces in
winter combos. I did it myself years ago and loved the
look back then. It was a great and unique idea years
ago; now it's so overused it's become an assembly
line unoriginal. I even had one person comment
snidely, " Well, then what are we supposed to use for
vertical height? " I had to snicker a bit because this
designer was just following others and not using her
creative design skills to come up with something fun,
interesting and different of her own choosing.
I've personally gone through the faux stems section of
garden centers and craft stores and come up with some
fun ideas. I painted cheap willow stems construction
cone orange; I even did them in an ombre look in candycorn
colors - and that was a huge hit! But, outdoor
safe stems of all kinds that will hold up in the weather
are options. Tinted cat tails, sparkly twig balls, burgundy
faux eucalyptus, faux grasses, even oversized bamboo
poles are dramatic - the options are endless.
The bottom line is that container design sales are all
about the personality you bring to them. Your unique
ideas lead to great relational sales opportunities which
lead to better sales.
Drop me an email and let me know what ideas your
IGC has come up with for fall and winter containers
that might be jaw-dropping ideas for your customers to
ponder when your competition is doing the same old
same old.
Christina Salwitz, the Personal Garden Coach, is a
container designer, public speaker, horticultural guidance
counselor, service provider for The Garden Center Group and
photojournalist based in Renton, Washington. She can be
reached at: personalgardencoach@comcast.net.
LGRMAG.COM | 15
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September/October 2019

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