How Danish Garden Centers Are Revamping Their Plant Departments

Posted by Brian Sparks|August 31, 2015

Is your store’s indoor/potted plant in need of a makeover to boost sales? If so, it may not hurt to look overseas for inspiration.

While attending the International Garden Center Congress held in Denmark, Heidi Wollaeger, a floriculture educator at Michigan State University (MSU), observed that every garden center on the tour showcased many species of plants that had been trained, trellised or pruned into topiaries. Danish retailers are revamping nursery stock and houseplants by altering their growth habits to provide products with unusual or manicured shapes to pique the interest of consumers.

Check out this report , and some great photos, on the MSU Extension website detailing some of what Wollaeger observed, including:

• Outdoor plants and nursery stock: Pruning and manipulating the growth habit of outdoor nursery plants was extremely common in Danish garden centers. Retailers are creating elaborate designs with plants to add interest to container gardening.

• Houseplants: Houseplants are an important market for Danish retailers. According to an Ornamental Plants Market Study of the western European market from 1998, consumers in Denmark and Germany spent the most on potted plants in the European Union, an average of $40 per person per year.