15 Grower-Retailer Favorite Products From TPIE 2023
January 24, 2023 It was a great year for grower-retailers at the 2023 Tropical Plant International Expo. The largest-ever group of garden retailers served as judges for this year’s Cool Product Awards, presented by The Garden Center Group. Judges awarded 14 companies awards for 15 cool products.
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Keep reading for a closer look at this year’s winners, and check out the slideshow above for a closer look!
Dieffenbachia ‘Crocodile’ (Aroid Greenhouses, Southwest Ranches, FL)
This unique form of Dieffenbachia from Aroid Greenhouses catches your attention with unique appearance in an upright stature, similar to that of palm. It has strong, variegated color and wonderful smooth leaves on the front side, but it’s the backs of the leaves that help name the selection with its scales on the center ridge along the underside of the leaf that are reptilian in texture.
Ceramic Succulents Wall Art (Chive, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
This collection could easily be called art pieces but at first glance, as you wonder if they’re real with just a super leaf shine on them. But a closer look reveals it is collections of beautiful ceramic succulents and flowers. Offered in several sizes and sold both individually or in gift sets, it is a very unique gift it for garden centers. Sarah Digout from Chive said the ceramic floral collection is a top seller at the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum in Seattle.
Vriesea 8322 Bromeliad (Deroose Plants, Inc., Apopka, FL)
This new selection of bromeliad from Deroose Plants has a very unique marbling in its leaves. The color combination is not a form of variegation, but is marbling and is very stable. The new plant is not yet named, and Deroose has a naming challenge asking for suggestions. The person providing the winning selected name will receive a gift plant. Send suggestions to [email protected] and be sure to mark the subject line: “Vriesea 8322 naming contest.”
Custom Grow Tags (Elburg-Smit, Qualitree)
These unique and creative plant labels are produced in Holland by Elburg-Smit and presented here in North America by Qualitree. Judges were impressed with the eye-catching messaging and designs of these plant tags, offering a silent sales approach for the plants.
New Organic Liquid Plant Food (Flourish Plant, Cedar Park, TX)
This new liquid concentrate plant food is 100% organic and comes in an eye-dropper bottle. Flourish Plant also offers small same packs for first-time users, and a limited-time gift pack that has the Flourish Concentrate along with a glass 8-ounce Flourish Dilution Vessel.
Hendriks Greenhouses Wraps and Tags
Hendriks Greenhouses is known for quality tropicals, but now its creative team has produced a number of plant sleeves, wraps, and tags to speak to the customer. The messages focus on happiness. One says “This plant will boost your mood” while several others borrow from Bloomingdale’s “Little Black Dress” to say “Little Green Plant, or Big Plant Plant.” Overall, judges loved this new addition to Hendricks’ plant offerings.
Multi-Color Combo of Bougainvillea in Hanging Baskets (O.F. Nelson & Family Nursery, Inc., Winter Garden FL)
It was quite easy to see why judges were drawn to this bright combination of Bougainvillea in a hanging basket. O.F. Nelson & Family Nursery wanted to create something really different and could help brighten any landscape or patio. They definitely succeeded.
Leafjoy H2O Mini Hydroponic Garden (Proven Winners – The Plant Company, Stuart’s Draft, VA)
While The Plant Company has been making waves as being a tropical plant producer in the Mid-Atlantic region, it is also doing so with creative packaging and tags. This new collection has a small rooted tropical plant nettled in a corked glass vase, and on the display the tagline is “Bring Nature Indoors.” Watch for several other new similar offerings coming soon.
Alocasia ‘Frydek Variegata’ (R & D Nurseries, Inc., Umatilla, FL)
This highly variegated form of Alocasia from R & D Nurseries is a show-stopper. While the specimen on display was a juvenile plant, details of a fully grown example hold its wonderful color variations throughout its large leaves.
Alocasia Jacklyn (R & D Nurseries, Inc.)
This form of Alocasia has very unique characteristics. Deep-green coloration is in contrast to the blackish veins, and overall leaf texture is rough and shinny. Some sources also refer to Alocasia ‘Jacklyn’ as Alocasia ‘Tandurusa’ but the Jacklyn name reported comes from the person who first found it in Indonesia.
New Organic Peatless Potting Soil (Rosy Soil, New York, NY)
Judges were attracted to this new line of Organic Peatless soils. In fact, Rosy Soil says it’s the first pitting soils made from captured CO2 that is peat, coco, and synthetic free. Rosy’s says it includes 30% biochar derived from pine wood to reduce soil density and increases soil aeration and features Mycorrhizae.
New Macramé Hanging Tillandsia (Russell’s Bromeliads, Clermont, FL)
Russell’s has long been known for quality Tillandsias, and it continues to also provide creative accessories to help display these unique plants. This year it showed its Macramé hangers in a multi-level display. Each are single hangers, but when hung together they create a way for the consumer to have more on display.
New Planters for Screen Room Railings (Screenplanter LLC, Boca Raton, FL)
There are a lot of screenrooms across much of the country and most have a mid-rail construction. Cristina Tortolini wanted to create an easy way to enjoy plants, so she designed Screenplanter. It comes in 2, 4, and 6-foot lengths as well as custom. It installs with no tools, and features easy clips that help support and hold planters. Planters lift off with Velcro and feature drain holes in the back. There’s also a corner unit.
New Potting Soil, Components, and Toppers (Sol Soils, Minneapolis, MN)
Sol Soils offers a hand-mixed product with the best ingredients to produce fast draining soils that help protect against root rot, the number one killer of indoor plants. They coined the phrase “Gritty” mix, a coarse growing medium made up largely of inorganic materials that closely mimic the natural environment that many popular plants like aroids, tropicals, cacti, succulents, or bonsai come from.
New EcoPots (United Nursery LLC, Homestead, FL)
United Nursery has a reputation for quality tropicals, and now they are also offering EcoPots to match. EcoPots are made in Belgium and are super lightweight but extremely strong. They feature neutral colors and come in a variety of both sizes and shapes. They have a drain hole plug to work inside or out. EcoPots are produced with 80% recycled plastic along with recycled natural stone that gives the pots their unique look.
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