Maximizing mandevilla: English Gardens and Sun Parasol

Patio tropics is one of the fastest growing categories for English Gardens, which operates six garden center locations in the metro Detroit area. In addition to fragrant plants, like jasmine and gardenia, this category includes hibiscus, mandevilla and dipladenia. Mandevillas have been especially hot, drawing customers back to purchase year after year.

“Mandevilla is one of the few plants that gets better and better through the summer, as other plants look worse,” says Merchandising Manager Meg Gallagher, who focuses on indoor plants, pottery and tropicals. “We’re seeing a lot of demand every year. People are asking for it, calling the store, looking for it. They see the value — how long it lasts and stays in flower.”

English Gardens’ assortment spans all sizes and price points, from 6-inch pots to 10-inch pots, 10-inch hanging baskets and 14-inch trellises. Key colors include red, white and pink, plus the new Sun Parasol Original Sunbeam in yellow. New for 2024 will be Sun Parasol Giant Peach Sunrise with gorgeous multi-tonal peach blooms.

“We carry a lot of different forms and are looking to expand and offer as many colors as we can,” she says. “They’re all gorgeous, but the 14-inch trellis is magnificent. Some customers prefer the teepees, which provides the 360-degree view out in the open.”

Northern exposure

Most of the tropicals are grown in Florida and brought in while it’s still cold in Michigan. At the stores, the plants are merchandised outside, leaving them exposed to the elements. As a solution, English Gardens retrofitted hoop houses at its Plymouth location to be able to hold mandevillas in inventory.

“We added new irrigation, heaters and redid the floors. Now, we can bring the plants up the second or third week of April, water and maintain them and ship to the stores,” Gallagher says. “It was a great investment, primarily for mandevilla. Next year will be our third spring doing it.”

But the most important factor is contracting with the best growers to ensure the highest quality and reliable supply. “We can’t afford to bring in pests that could also cause us to lose our annuals and perennials,” she says. “It’s important to have great growers with controls in place and access to great breeders. We’re confident in the Sun Parasol line.”

Bang for the buck

In addition to being a profitable category, mandevillas deliver great value to the consumer.

“For five months, from May through October, you get continuous flowering and a plant that just gets better,” Gallagher says. “For people who are gone a lot during the summer or don’t want to make sure plants are watered if they go away for the weekend, you don’t have to worry. We could double our mandevilla sales if summer was two months longer!”