Heat up your inventory with these cool products

Photos courtesy of The Garden Center Group

Do you want to spice up your merchandise with something unique? Look no further! The Garden Center Group had its largest-ever group of garden retailers participate in the Cool Products Awards at TPIE in Tampa, Florida, in January. Just in time for spring, 14 companies received awards for 15 products. See the full list of winners at bit.ly/TPIECoolProducts

1. Mad About Mangave ‘Mission to Mars’ from Florida Tropiculture gets its name from its unique, intense red coloration on the leaves. The 2¾-inch wide, thick green leaves are heavily speckled with burgundy red, with spots that bleed into each other for an overall red appearance.

2. Florida Cactus not only offers an extensive line of both cacti and succulents, but the company also shared a creative visual message for retailers … Plants that Perform! They collected different old musical instruments and displayed combinations of their plants in and around the instruments with the message. Judges were impressed and took lots of photos to help them at their garden centers!

3. A unique form of snake plant resembling a whale fin, Sanseveria m. 'Whale Fin' Variegated from Aroid Greenhouses features a dramatic variegated stripe.

4. Imported from Brazil, these FLORIDIS planters and stands are made of polyethylene resin, making them super light and extremely tough and resistant. They have a wide variety of styles, sizes and colors to add a modern line of planters to your stores and projects. One smaller style (shown) has a unique stand which flips to offer two display heights.

5. Kazumi Garden, known for introducing the ancient Japanese art of kokedamas (meaning ball of moss), are not only offering a greater number of plant varieties in kokedamas but they also are providing ideas for properly displaying these works of art. While they only sell the kokedamas, the Kazumi team gave examples of both natural and ceramic bases for these plants.

6. Alocasia curpea ‘Red Secret’ from Northland Floral is a plant that, when you first see it, makes you wonder, ‘Is it real?’ This unusual Alocasia has a metallic look of copper. In its maturity, this variety has leaves up to 24 inches long. The metallic color is especially pronounced on juvenile leaves, and the back of the leaf is a deep purple.

7. When the judges walked by Pope's Plant Farm’s booth, they were instantly attracted to the wide assortment of succulent combination planters. From small to larger sizes and from natural-look containers to whimsical themes, there is so much to consider.

8. Pottery Pots USA introduced its new Bohemian Collection at TPIE 2022, which features natural bamboo exteriors and a concrete/fiberglass interior for both indoor and outdoor use. There is a variety of sizes and styles in this collection.

9.The Pottery Patch has attracted judges in previous years with its creative styles and this year was no different. The company’s collection of Head Planters in multiple styles was an instant selection for the judges who are convinced they will sell quickly.

10. Tradescantia minima ‘Pink Panther’ from Holt Nurseries is a real eye-catcher as it shows off its tricolor personality of light green, white and pink hues. As one judge said, “In the sunlight it almost appears pearlescent.”