Five Questions with Karl Eckert

How long have you been making hanging baskets?

We started in 2008 with the introduction of the 23-inch H₂O Labor Saver, which is our workhorse. We found a need for a heavy-duty pot with a large reservoir and a 10-year warranty for the cities we were growing for. It saved municipalities water and labor since workers went from watering daily to watering every two to three days.

Then, in 2009, we came out with the 16-inch Weekender for retail and light commercial use. This pot has also worked very well for homeowners.

In 2015, we came in with the 28-inch Wrap Around. With this pot, you can also wall mount. It has a water reservoir of 2.25 gallons on both sides and can go on any pole — round or square — from 3.5 to 8 inches in diameter.

How did you get into iron work?

Customers started asking for custom pieces for their needs, so we made them up and now offer them as our stock pieces. All of our iron works go around any pole — round or square — 3 to 8 inches. We also make custom pieces that can fit poles up to 12 inches in diameter.

How popular are the iron displays?

We have done quite a few for cities and garden centers. Going vertical really gets things noticed.

What kinds of smaller displays are you offering now?

We were able to create Mini Flower Towers for retail and commercial use. We say they’re “big enough for shock and awe, but small enough to fit on your front porch.”

The 3- and 4-foot Minis use the 28-inch Wrap Around for the base, with a 3- or 4-foot stem, and put a 16- or 23-inch pot on top.

They can be grown in and displayed very easily, yet come apart and can fit in an SUV.

Do you have any new products?

Yes, we have the new Mega Garden Tower that will take patio gardening to the next level. We have the 28-inch Wrap Around container for the base, and then have a 6-foot pole of either 4x4 or 3x3 aluminum.

Mounted on the pole are four 16-inch Weekenders staggered to get maximum light. Then a 16-inch Weekender sits on top. So you can have everbearing strawberries on the top, with hanging tomatoes in one pot, some peppers in another or whatever the family likes to eat.

The beautiful part is we can have a whole garden on the patio taking up only 3 feet square and feeding a family. It can also be used as a flower tower or mixed use with veggies and flowers.

For more information: h2olaborsaver.com