Q&A With Hort Couture’s Jim Monroe on design and color for 2008:

How did you come up with Hort Couture’s design/color scheme?

We wanted to have a sophisticated “boutique” perception to our brand. Couture quality was the essence of what we wanted to create. The Fleur de lis is an iconic symbol of sophistication and our name was derived from the French term Haute Couture.The idea for the black was to create a truly rich, sophisticated backdrop for the marketing pieces. Photos look great on black.

You will see lots of other colors being interjected into our marketing with a new program that you will see for 2009. Other major plant brands have used white and very neutral colors in their pots, tags, etc. Our industry is the world’s source for color development. We need to take advantage of what flowers and plants offer our industry!

Where do you look to determine what the hot colors/styles are going to be?

Fashion industry, home interior design industries, print and TV ads , etc. New York, Atlanta and High Point are where these trends show up long before they make it to the garden industry.  We are trying to close that gap and grow right with the trends we see there.  We look very closely at lots of different magazines for ideas.  Fabric and textile companies, young “up and coming” fashion designers and print layout concepts are things we enjoy looking to for inspiration. Jennifer is a magazine, internet boutique “junkie.” We are more in tune with these trends than other brands.

What are your predictions for hot colors in 2008?

Monochromatic palettes with bright accents are everywhere in home décor.

Greens and dark browns are very hot for 2008. Our industry should be leaders not followers in color trends. Hort Couture hopes to be someone that people look to for color trends outside of our industry.

We are sending lots of information to magazines like Martha Stewart Living, Town and Country, Veranda, etc about our company.  When they see a color like the leaves of Musa ‘Siam Ruby’ or Caladium rubicundrum ‘BiColor’, they get excited. We hope to see this transcend into great national press, ideas and opportunities for our company and our industry.