Costa Farms Season Premiere Highlights Importance of Consumer Education
March 22, 2022 I’m new to the horticulture world. I left a weekly newspaper to join Greenhouse Grower about two months ago. Until I started this job, I had no idea how much work breeders and growers put into their plants. After visiting the Costa Farms trial garden for Costa’s Season Premiere on March 10 in Miami, FL, I realized there is so much going on with plants that consumers don’t know about. Maybe they should.
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I think of myself as an average consumer, knowing little to nothing about what happens to the plants before they show up at the store. I pick the plants that I think look nice, pay whatever the cost is, and take them home without a second thought. Breeders, on the other hand, have been thinking about it for years. It takes eight to 10 years to develop and commercialize a new variety, and I just see it and buy it within 15 minutes.
Prior to a conversation with Costa’s Senior Brand Marketing Manager Justin Hancock, I did not know that breeders introduce new varieties to improve the performance of the plants. This includes vigor, leaf color, uniformity, drought tolerance, and pest resistance. If breeders and growers put so much effort into perfecting the plants for their consumers, why don’t the consumers know about it?
As a newcomer, I have noticed that consumer education is essential. There will always be different types of customers, ranging from those who are experts in horticulture to regular people looking for something to spruce up their home or garden with no knowledge of different plants and their habits. Plenty of people know that some plants are better in the sun while others thrive in the shade, but there are other details to point out.
For example, Sakata Ornamentals showed the new Celosia Flamma Series at Costa Farms. When it hits stores in 2023, it might interest consumers to know that the series is new. Some shoppers may enjoy being a trendsetter in their neighborhood. A representative from Dümmen Orange also talked about Intrinsa, an advanced breeding technology that takes an environmentally sustainable approach to create stronger, healthier plants with fewer chemicals and a longer life cycle. There may be many eco-friendly customers who take interest in this technology.
Syngenta Flowers introduced ‘Calliope Cascade Violet,’ an interspecific geranium created for hanging baskets. When shopping at a garden center or home improvement store, customers would be happy to know that there are different geraniums that work better for the ground versus in their hanging baskets. It eliminates a hassle gardeners face every year of which plant to choose for landscape growing versus container growing.
Breeders and growers are working tirelessly to offer the best plants possible to their customers. But the customers may not know about all their hard work. It is essential to find a way to communicate these details to the end user. They will surely appreciate the effort from breeders and growers, and it will help the consumer understand the true value of their plants. Some may squawk less or not at all about the price, knowing that these beautiful varieties take many years of research and development to produce.
Perhaps more signage at retailers would make a difference, or an informational brochure that is included in their purchase. Plant enthusiasts across the spectrum would value this type of information. By informing the consumers, they will understand the value that each breeder and grower brings to the table. Value proposition is important to the businesses, and repeat customers are the cheapest customers.
Please check out the slideshow above for highlights from Costa Farms’ Season Premiere.
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