Hot ideas from summer tours

Hundreds of retailers hit the road this summer to tour stores on both coasts. American Nursery & Landscape Association’s Retail Roadshow visited garden centers along the Mid-Atlantic in June. Not long after, Garden Centers of America members toured venues in Oregon and Washington. Here’s a sample of some of the great ideas attendees came home with.

1. Gary’s Gardens in Severna Park, Md., makes a big statement with this giant sign visible from the busy road that runs in front of the property.

2. Cornell Farm in Portland, Ore., doesn’t have a huge birding & nature department – just a well merchandised one. The store’s management created a rustic-themed room inside the main retail area and stocked it with feeders, seed, houses and other nature-related products.

3. Customers can get acquainted with key staff members at Bucks Country Gardens in Doylestown, Pa., the minute they walk in the door. This display is located at the central welcome desk.

4. County Line Nursery in Harleysville, Pa., has merchandised its entire plant yard by color and use.

5. Shorty’s Garden & Home in Vancouver, Wash., uses a wood fence to serve as backdrop of several of its hard goods sections. The fence lends an “earthiness” to each setting and helps the merchandised materials pop.

6. Gasper Home & Garden Showplace in Richboro, Pa., went all-out to create curb appeal. This display of outdoor living staples is on the edge of the property, right by the driveway that leads to the parking area at the back of the store. 

 7. The Al’s Garden Center Woodburn, Ore., store draws attention to color in the plant yard with these colorful Asian-style lanterns.

8. Customers can easily get a taste of what’s new and what’s hot at Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, Md. “The Round,” a display located in the center of the plant yard, serves as a focal point and is home to irresistible impulse buys.

9. Tired of replacing faded and dog-eared handouts? Steal this idea from Stauffers of Kissel Hill in Lancaster, Pa. Thick plexiglas inserts serve as subject tabs and protect the papers behind them from wear and tear.

10. A display garden at Willey Farms in Townsend, Del., shows customers how they can easily make a raised bed even with a tight budget.

11. What’s a great way to spell out where your hoses are? How about spelling out where your hoses are, as Portland Nursery in Portland, Ore., does in this display.