Beyond the Poinsettia

While some growers are still finding steady success with their poinsettia crops, many others are turning to alternatives to correct sales slumps.

Demand for indoor plants is growing and customers want specimens that complement the look of their home and help them bring a bit of nature indoors. They also want multipurpose outdoor plants. Finished gift and table-top plants still offer a good opportunity to drive niche-season and impulse sales, but offering fresh new alternatives that meet customers changing indoor and outdoor plant needs may be the best way to recapture their holiday dollar. Here are a few finished potted plants that are trending and can be creatively marketed for holiday sales:
 

Succulents

Echeveria are impressive specimens bound to please any recipient. The large whorled leaves of echeveria give it the look of a giant rose bloom. Some echeveria varieties sport brightly colored foliage and even ruffled leaves. Echeveria gibbiflora ‘Red Ruffles’ is particularly suited to the holiday season, with red-edged ruffled leaves.The rosette grows to the size of a large cereal bowl, making it the perfect size for a table-top centerpiece. Plants can be kept indoors in a bright location as a houseplant, or set out on the patio in summer. Echeveria make water-wise landscape specimens in warmer climates. Plants send up foot-tall flower spikes in summer with red-orange flowers. Echeveria ‘Christmas’ is also quite suited to the season, with red-tipped leaves.

‘Christmas Carol’ aloe comes complete with a festive name and brightly colored foliage. The succulent leaves offer deep crimson spots edged in vibrant red. Red flower spikes are a festive bonus. This is a petite plant perfect for a more space-conscious gift giver. Plants can be kept as an indoor houseplant or set outdoors in zones 9-11.

For a shock of intense foliage color, consider Crassula capitella ‘Campfire.’ The succulent leaves offer up a fiery red color perfect for the holiday season. Plants grow to only about 6 inches tall which make it a handy, grab-and-go holiday gift plant. Again, this succulent makes an excellent houseplant in a bright location and a perfect patio table plant in summer.
 

Tropicals

Anthurium Smalltalk is a compact variety that produces masses of glossy red flowers through the year. White-blooming types have a more contemporary look and fit in more easily with any decor.

Guzmania bromeliads produce stunning bright red bracts perfect for the holiday season. Plants feature long, shiny leaves that radiate from a central point. Guzmania bromeliads tend to be taller and showier than some other types of bromeliad. Specimens can be kept as indoor plants or set outside as patio plants during summer months.
 

Edibles

Herb containers and fruiting pepper plants are always good choices.

Dwarf Citrus plants are not only beautiful but perfectly suited to patio containers. As consumer demand for unusual citrus plants is growing, dwarf citrus plants are a natural fit for holiday gifting. Dwarf citrus varieties are those that typically stay under 12-feet tall when planted out in the landscape, but can be kept much smaller in containers and patio planters.

For the urban gardener, or urban farmer, dwarf citrus are a good fit for small spaces. Some citrus varieties will bloom repeatedly through the year and some during the holiday season. ‘Improved Meyer’ lemon and Indonesian limes are particularly popular and well suited to an indoor environment. More unusual dwarf types such as yuzu, ‘Gold Nugget’ mandarin and calamondin (Philippine lime) will catch your customer’s fancy.
 

Perennials

An unusual yet seasonally appropriate blooming bulb is the star of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum thyrsoides. Plants produce aloe-like foliage topped with spikes of six-petaled white blooms. The small, white flowers resemble stars, hence the common name. There are several different species of the bulb available commercially, but the white flowering types best suit the holiday season. Star of Bethlehem has a clean and sophisticated look that is at home in both contemporary and traditionally styled homes.

Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, not only has a seasonally appropriate name, but also sports glossy evergreen foliage. Christmas ferns are easy to grow and have a neat growth habit. The dark green fronds grow up to 3 feet long.

Lenten rose, Helleborus spp., are tough, evergreen perennials that tolerate difficult growing conditions such as heavy soil and shade. Many consumers still aren’t familiar with this blooming beauty so there’s plenty of opportunity to keep pushing this plant trend.

By tapping into overall gardening and home decorating trends, you can make better choices about which plants to market for holiday sales.

All photos courtesy of Leslie F. Halleck