Emily Mills
The trade show at Cultivate'23 was huge, at more than eight acres.
But a group of garden retailers acting as volunteer judges spent a full day scouring the floor for new products for The Garden Center Group's Retailers' Choice Awards.
About 70 items were nominated, with 15 winners selected. They were honored during an awards ceremony the following afternoon.
"As they saw new plants or new products that they would want to sell in their garden center, they would nominate them," The Garden Center Group Managing Director Danny Summers said of the judges, who voted on the 15 winners overnight.
Learn more about each of them (listed in alphabetical order by company) below.
Bailey Nurseries/First Editions: Hydrangea Eclipse
First Editions' newest addition is a hydrangea with dark purple, almost black foliage and cranberry red blooms, with the dark color staying all season, even after being cut back or when grown in warm climates where other hydrangeas start to go green.
It was bred in Athens, Georgia, but was trialed in Florida, Louisiana and up and down the East Coast — and it maintained its vibrant color no matter the location or climate (although it does need a little more shade in warmer climates). Eclipse will be available for retail in the spring of 2024.
Garden Center's sister magazine, Nursery Management, wrote an in-depth profile on the making of Eclipse. Read it here.
Ball Seed: Peppers From Heaven – Red Sweet Peppers
The judges said that the attractive mounding and trailing habit of these sweet peppers make them perfect for hanging baskets, with lots of fleshy fruit turning from green to glossy in color. The judges also said the compact plants bear fruit all season long with pollinators.
Biostok Foliage: Gen Z 2-inch plants
Biostok offers three new assortments of small 2-inch tropicals with a focus on the Gen Z consumer. The three different packages, with three different sizes and price points, are Beleaf, Becool and Bebold, which have different requirements. "Why settle for a full-grown plant when you can watch it grow from a baby?" the company says. "Our 2-inch plants are the perfect size for Gen Z plant parents who are dedicated to watching their plants grow and thrive.”
Bloomin' Easy: Cherry-Go-Round Hydrangea macrophylla
A Plants Nouveau introduction, Cherry-Go-Round is likely to be the deepest cherry-red color in a hydrangea, according to the judges. The company believes it's the first true red reblooming macrophylla hydrangea on the market. The color starts out bright red and ages to a darker red.
Bloomin’ Easy says the stats for this hydrangea are Zones 5-9; part sun with afternoon shade preferred; and 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.
Darwin Perennials: Echinacea Double Scoop Watermelon Deluxe
Double Scoop has four varieties — Watermelon, Strawberry, Orangeberry and Raspberry Deluxe — but Watermelon was the judges' favorite.
A Plants Nouveau introduction, this series has the branching, flower count and timing of the Sombrero Series but are more compact with better branching and a higher flower count than the typical double-flowered echinacea, the judges said.
Darwin Perennials: Centaurea ragusina Silver Swirl
Darwin took home a second award for its Centaurea ragusina Silver Swirl perennial, which has thick, tough foliage. The judges were surprised to see the plant in Darwin's perennials display, as similar plants would be considered annuals north of zone 8, but ‘Silver Swirl’ offers toughness in zones 6-9.
Dewar Nurseries: Edible Fruit Collection
Dewar’s Edible Fruit Plants come in highly decorative pots with both fruit image and information tags, the judges said. They include Banana, Blackberry, Blueberry, Fig, Grape, Guava, Kiwi, Mulberry, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Raspberry and Tea Plants (Camellia sinensis). According to the company, the self-pollinating plants will be available to harvest within 18 months of planting in the garden.
ForemostCo: Schefflera Cayman
Judges said that this new selection of schefflera looks nothing like a typical one and began calling it the “Edward Scissorhands” plant because of its extremely deep serrated leaves. ForemostCo is offering a competition to rename it and are accepting suggestions for a name through the end of the month. The person with the winning name will receive one of the plants. Email marketing@foremostco.com.
Trials are expected to start the beginning of next year and should be in the market for production in the second half of 2024.
Green Trade Horticulture: Colocasia Redemption
A Plants Nouveau introduction, Colocasia Redemption features rippled, shiny leaves that emerge green and quickly turn black with the help of the sun, the judges said. As the leaves mature, a neon-pink blotch forms, growing larger and radiating outward from the center of each leaf, with tight clumps maturing at 3 to 4 feet, the judges continued. Judges were also impressed with a “cousin” introduction, Colocasia Pharaohs Mask.
IC3D Printers: 3D-Printed Decorative Planters
Columbus-based IC3D specializes in 3D printing for manufacturing. Along with custom production for huge companies including Ford, NASA and the U.S. Air Force and Navy, the company is also creating 4-inch plant containers with a mesh drainage system and optional matching drip tray.
The size, shape, color and finish of the containers, which feature Recycled PETG, can be customized. The company, which handed out free planters during Cultivate, also said its Circular Polymer System creates a hybrid business model of sustainable growth and minimal environmental impact, with industrial and commercial polyester-based PETG waste combined with retired 3D printed prototypes and scrap.
Plant Development Services Inc.: Aspidistra elatior Tokyo Skies
A Plants Nouveau introduction and part of the Southern Living Plant Collection, this Cast-Iron Plant is an update to the traditional hard-to-kill houseplant and outdoor foliage plant (within growing zones 8-10) with attractive variegated foliage to brighten shady locations, judges said.
Predictive Nutrient Solutions: MySoil Test Kits
These soil test kits help consumers with identifying their soil nutrient condition and redirect for needed solutions back to the selling retail garden center and the products that center carries, the judges said, adding that that feature set it apart from other soil test kits. Retailers can add their company logo, select a report template and style and add their fertilizer and soil amendment product line, and customers will be referred back for in-store or e-commerce product purchases, creating add-on sales, the judges continued.
Star Roses and Plants: Garden Gems Amethyst Redbud
The judges said the new Garden Gems Amethyst Cercis has some of the deepest purple color in its heart-shaped leaves, which are reported to hold their color even in the hottest days of summer. Amethyst is a compact size (mature at 8 to 10 feet) and hardy in zones 5-9. Its cousin, Emerald Cercis (seen on the left in the photo above), is also being released in 2024.
The HC Companies: Low-Profile Tray
The judges noted that standard trays take up a ton of space, and filling pots in those trays is time-consuming, with a large amount of media falling outside the pots and into the trays themselves. These Low-Profile Trays take up much less space, using 30% less plastic than a traditional tray, with a stack of 50 trays taking up about the same amount of space as a stack of eight traditional trays.
The company said the design of the compact trays allows soil to easily fall through, with no soil getting trapped below the tray and reducing soil waste. The company also said that the trays are manufactured with recycled materials and made from polypropylene, which is widely accepted in municipal recycling programs, instead of polystyrene.
The company said the trays — the result of two years of development — are pre-assembled at HC Companies to save labor in pot to tray assembly and ergonomically designed for secure handling, allowing one person to carry up to four trays at a time. Pots are secured in the tray and remain upright and supported during transport, reducing mess and plant damage. And quick-release clips securely hold containers in place for growers, reducing the likelihood of plant damage during handling and transport, and release easily to remove pots for spacing or retail, the company added.
Pre-oriented tag slots (long or short edge) help speed the tagging process and are ideal for automated labeling systems. The trays also allow for maximum container visibility for branding.
We The Wild Plant Care: New Plant Care Assortment Kits
This is the second year in a row the judges recognized We The Wild with an award, with this year's award recognizing the company's three new assortments: Revive + Thrive Duo for houseplant vitality, Leaf Care Duo for lush leaves and Houseplant Essentials for total plant care.
Explore the August 2023 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
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