After the busiest part of the spring season is over, I make a point to do some traveling to learn what’s going on in the rest of the horticultural world. Trying to stay on top of introductions, market trends and how growers and retailers are using plant material is a passion most of us share.
The best way to accomplish my goals is to visit as many botanical gardens, nurseries, garden centers and private gardens as possible. There is so much out there to learn about and so many ideas to borrow. These trips infuse me with new ideas and enthusiasm.
As you begin to make travel plans for trade shows and conferences during 2007, allocate additional time to visit nearby growers, retailers and botanical gardens. (It’s also one of the best ways that I have found to make new friends.)
As growers, we are all looking for the latest and greatest plants and combinations to refresh our ideas and get us and our customers excited. If a plant is perennial, it has added appeal. Likewise, if a plant is evergreen throughout the year, that’s an added bonus.
To our advantage, many plant introductions boast fabulously colorful, evergreen foliage that is easy to incorporate into combinations of all sizes. Conifers, dwarf ornamental grasses, evergreen sedges, heucheras and ivies all provide stable color and background to mixes for sun and shade throughout the year. Tropical plants have been a mainstay for container combinations for a while now, but the latest trend is to bring them indoors for decorating or, better yet, as houseplants.
Know your customers
The current container garden craze is made up of many kinds of plant consumers. Many are true gardeners looking for specific plants or collections. They are plant enthusiasts who know the material. They are mainly looking for that unusual single item that strikes their fancy. Whether it’s the newest introduction or a rare find, these avid gardeners scan the shelves for the perfect plant.
So, what are your customers looking for?
Jazz it up
Homeowners are paying more attention to their personal surroundings. They want to transform their yards into outdoor rooms. Others simply want to add color and beauty and watch plants grow. Some of these consumers are familiar with varieties and may even ask for their favorite plants, but their main focus is on what works and what looks good. They want porch pots for outside their front door and deck pots for their backyards with maybe some herbs and vegetables mixed in.
Commercial plantings
There are the large public and corporate installations looking for impact on a large scale. The showy combinations used in these locations will be seen and enjoyed by many people. In these high-profile areas, landscapers are able to design plantings much like botanical gardens, provided the budget is available. Many city centers boast really outstanding plant collections. Growers should look to offer creative, complementary combinations consisting of plants that endure, are strikingly beautiful and mature gracefully while maintaining the desired look.
Containers for collectors
Many shoppers go to more than one nursery or garden center. These consumers have established gardens and are looking for the finishing touches. They look for something that stands out; something they’ve never seen before.
True gardeners are also collectors and want to add the new, most sought-after items to their collections. Interesting evergreens and perennials are at the top of their lists.
Offer numerous small specimens in a variety of combination pot sizes to make it affordable for gardeners to buy more varieties. These consumers fit the plants into their collections and transplant them into larger containers or move them into the landscape as they mature. These container mixes can include some unusual items such as dwarf conifers, sedges and alpine-looking flowers.
Shaded areas
New dwarf caladiums are available for shaded areas. Imported Thai caladiums are 4-10 inches tall and have stunning colorful foliage.
University of
Florida introduced the
Florida caladium series, which includes Irish Lace and other lance-leaved varieties.
Mixed with mosses and perennial ferns like Japanese painted fern, these new caladiums fit perfectly into unusual containers. Concrete Tufa pots and carved rocks are wonderful tabletop containers. Many nurseries are producing smaller plants to accommodate this trend.
The private garden
Some home shoppers frequent antique shops and secondhand stores searching for yard art to complement their surroundings. Once they find that special piece of pottery or iron piece, they will look for the perfect plant to put in it. They may also bring in a special memento from a trip or possession that needs complementing. These small pieces can be really interesting. A plant can be added easily so that it lasts for a year or more without needing to be transplanted.
Cacti and succulents
Cacti and succulents are becoming increasingly popular. Their texture and colors can be combined in many ways. These durable ornamentals are catching on because many people find that they can go on vacation and when they return, these plants are still alive. There are varieties for shade as well as sun. These plants are particularly popular with people who don’t like to water much.
Nostalgic plants
Many plants popular in the 1970s are making a comeback as collectors’ items for shade-loving mixes and houseplants. Most people can remember a family member who introduced them to plants. Many of us have a hand-me-down or pass-along plant that we can attribute to our past.
My grandmother collected rex begonias of all kinds. I remember her overwintering them, lining the shelves of her utility or mud room. All of those plants were beautiful and each had outstanding veined foliage or strong individual color. They remind me of puzzle pieces that are a collage of jewel-toned colors that don’t quite fit together.
As designers, we can intertwine begonias and make them seamless by adding the fine-textured foliage of fescue and assorted perennial ferns.
Interesting shrubs like Sambucus racemosa ‘Sutherland Gold’ can be paired with Isolepis cernua (fiber optic grass) to make unusual combinations. The result is an arrangement that is appealing from all sides.
Plants for larger applications
Conifers are superior plants for containers and intensive plantings. The selection of foliage colors and textures makes it easy to put together fabulous designs. These can be enjoyed year-round and, when properly positioned, can also give the landscape a personal touch with an almost fairy-land appeal.
Flowering and foliage annuals used as focal points can make a real impact including sweet potato vine and bright-colored petunias.
An introduction that can be used in containers or the garden is Salvia splendens ‘Dancing Flame.’ One of the most exciting S. splendens varieties (like ‘Flare’ and the Salsa series). ‘Dancing Flame’ is disease resistant and boasts loud variegation of green and gold, topped with scarlet flowers.
The need for taller plants can be filled by cascading topiaries and ornamental grasses. Plumbago drapes gracefully, making an entrance more inviting. These multi-trunk specimens can be saved and used for many years.
Two of the most exciting introductions this year are pennisetums ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ from Athens Select and Allan Armitage at the
University of
Georgia.
‘Princess’ is thick and beefy and does not flop or bend in even strong windy areas. The blades are an inch wide and reach 3-4 feet tall in a season, with an upright vase shape. It is the perfect large specimen for combining with vigorous plants.
‘Prince’ grows taller yet not quite as full and takes on a look similar to a large phormium. As with all red pennisetums, these wonderful grasses turn more burgundy/red when in direct sun.
- Rita Randolph
Rita Randolph is co-owner of Randolph’s Greenhouses, 1690 Airways Blvd., Jackson, TN 38301; (731) 422-2768; fax (731) 988-9889; randolphs°charter.net; www.randolphsgreenhouses.com.
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