Go with the flow

Fountains and ponds can be used in a wide variety of ways — not just as a product category, but as a method for enhancing the customer experience.

Photo courtesy of Ken Matthews Garden Center

Published August 15, 2017

There is power in the decorative appeal of fountains, ponds and water gardens. Gardeners admire them for their lifelike qualities, animation, soothing sounds and capacity to support wildlife. But the benefits of fountains don’t end at the cash register. Garden centers have learned to incorporate them into their sales areas to welcome, inspire and entertain customers.

One thing fountains do well in a store setting is drawing eyes. At Sneed’s Nursery & Garden Center in Richmond, Va., this fountain is used to attract attention to an elevated, paved plant display area, which helps cross-promote plants and hard goods.

Many garden centers also operate a landscaping department, and landscape expertise is prominent at Cross Creek Nursery & Landscaping in Richmond. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted with a large, moat-style pond that accents the nursery stock and flower beds on display.

While browsing at Ken Matthews Garden Center, shoppers are encouraged via signage (not pictured) to explore a raised fountain display “at their own risk.”

At McDonald Garden Center in Virginia Beach, fountains are interspersed with statuary and other hard goods to accompany plant displays.

ALL PHOTOS BY CONNER HOWARD

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