Garden Retailers Pick Their 15 Favorite Products From TPIE 2024
January 23, 2024 It was a super Tropical Plants International Expo 2024 for the garden retail industry. One of the Garden Center Group’s largest groups of garden retailers served as judges for the Cool Product Awards, all helping to find great plants and products. The group awarded 15 “Cool Product Awards.” Even if you were not at TPIE or were not able to be a part of this process, you can still benefit. Keep reading to learn more about this year’s winners.
Latania lontaroides Red Palm (Acosta Farms Nursery)
This caught the judges’ eyes with its bright-red color of the young leaf stems. This striking, slow-growing fan palm can reach a mature height up to 30 feet and maintains its red stems. www.acostafarms.com
Amazing Assortment with Multiple New Color Selections (Bullis Bromeliads)
When the retailers nominated Bullis Bromeliads, there were so many amazing colors and new selections, the consensus was to simply say… for “Multiple New Color Selections”. Here’s just two: Neo. Casablanca (bright yellow in center), and Neo. Dharma (bright red with green on far left) to draw you in their world. Visit their website to see all what’s new in the Bullis Bromeliads expansive selection. www.bullisbrom.com
Sus Tee Water Meters (Cabinotier Co.)
This new water meter establishes a new bar for how we monitor houseplants. Here’s a few important features: 1) No Batteries Needed; 2) The special wick turns blue when adequate water is available and white when it is dry; 3) wick can be change after six to nine months. It comes in three sizes for correct size pot. Retailers also discussed this being an important add-on sale for every important tropical plant, as the meter should stay in the pot as constant monitor. This is real innovation from the Japanese horticulture industry. https://us-store.sustee.jp
Nepenthes ‘Miranda’ (Deroose Plants, Inc.)
A number of retailers spotted and nominated this amazing variety of pitcher plants. It is a cultivar hybrid from N. maxima and N. northiana. Miranda is a carnivorous tropical that produces peculiar pale-green pitchers with red-brown speckles and an almost vertical mouth with dark reddish-brown. These pitchers can reach a height up to almost a foot. www.derooseplants.com
Ecoslider Greenhouses (Ecoslider USA)
This new series of easy-to-assemble double-wall polycarbonate greenhouses created quite a number of conversation ideas with retailers. With assembly in just a few hours instead of days with only a Phillips screwdriver and pliers, retailers discussed even using them in the garden center for added winter protection plus creating possible vignettes for private event seating area, all the while creating consumer interest. They also discussed what lighting inside would look like with the effects of the light dispersal through the double-wall polycarbonate sides. Ecoslider USA is shipping from a Miami, FL, location with manufacturing in Eastern Europe where winters are extreme. https://ecosliderusa.com
New Trial 5-pack (Flourish Plant)
Retailers first awarded Flourish the Cool Product Award at TPIE 2023 for its overall Organic Liquid Plant Food. This year they are introducing a convenient 5-pack trial size. This one small package contains five pre-measured tear-off packets. Simply mix one packet in 8 ounces of water, and plants flourish. www.flourishplant.com
UPCYCLE Metal Decorative Containers (Foliera)
While Foliera offers a full range of potted plants for all seasons, they were also showcasing the UPCYCLE line of metal pots in various colors with a real story of sustainability. UPCYCLE containers are made of recycled steel from automobiles in India. The combination of colors, sizes, and finishes along with the durability of steel made this a real hit to retailers. The reaction from dropping what appears to be a ceramic container from shoulder-high onto the floor with just a “clink” sound turned heads. The UPCYCLE story also captured hearts. http://www.foliera.com
Haunted Hallows Series (LiveTrends Design Group)
LiveTrends has never been short of creativity in its exclusively designed planted containers. This year their Haunted Hallow Series caught the retailers’ eyes. With a number of new additions, it now includes a number that our retailers recognized as whimsical offerings that smaller children would enjoy during the Halloween season. The Mummy features two eyes peeking out of actual rope-wrapping. Others include goofy monsters, funny pumpkins, and many more. https://livetrends.com/livetrends/
Contemporary Glass Containers with Terra Cotta Inserts (Longite Inc. – D’Vine Development)
Longite/D’Vine caught the retailers’ attention with these uniquely designed self-watering Terra Cotta Pots. Produced in a number of sizes as well as colors such as terra cotta, as well as white and black glaze, each make it so easy to slowly water your favorite plant. Larger sizes include a notch for easily adding water, while smaller sizes are just lifted out to fill. www.dvinedevelopment.com
The Bendable Moss Pole and New Clip-On Grow Light (Mossify)
The Mossify team has been on retailers’ radar for several years now, introducing a number of innovations for the consumer (and garden centers to provide them). This year at TPIE they introduced two new products. The first is an innovation of their original Bendable Moss Pole. This one has longer feet without the stone base, so it can be added to an existing planted container and also allows for removal when a taller one is needed without repotting. They are offering a 3-pack of this Bendable Moss Pole THIN. Next is their new Clip-On Grow Lights. They are plug-ins (110v), come in both black and white colors, includes extendable height adjustment, and feature a timer with several extended on-hour options. www.mossify.ca
Ecopots (New Pro Containers)
New Pro tells the recycle story with Ecopots, produced from recycled plastics and natural minerals to produce a very pleasing look. They come in a number of sizes, shapes, and colors. New Pro also wowed retailers by showing how scratches can easily be wiped off with a foam sanding pad. Having the look of real clay but durability of tough plastic makes Ecopots a great selection. www.newprocontainers.com
Philodendron ‘Fire Moon’ (R & D Nurseries, Inc.)
This year, R&D introduced retailers to its new ‘Fire Moon’ Philodendron. While retailers awarded “Red Moon’ a Cool Product Award in 2022, this selection seems to have even darker, more dramatic reds in contrast to the yellow and green leaves. This is certainly a rare selection to consider for rare plant collectors. www.rdnurseriesinc.com
Sun Parasol FiredUP Orange, Bluephoria, and Mauvelous! (Sunfire Nurseries)
Sunfire Nurseries and Suntory introduce three new Sun Parasol selections. FiredUp is a brand new series with a new flower form that is a flatter pinwheel shape. These Sun Parasols have an upright habit and narrow leaves. Sun Parasol Original XP adds the new Bluephoria with blue flower with pink buds, and the new Mauvelous with brush stroke color of mauve pink blooms. These three additions are sure to turn heads at your garden center. www.sunfirenurseries.com
Leaf-Shaped Plant Supports & Extendable Trellises (Treleaf)
The retailers at TPIE were drawn to these new creatively designed plant stakes and trellises. They are wooden with plastic-coated legs. The Extendable Trellis grows as your plant does. Multiple sizes and designs are available from this innovation-focused company, located in the Metro Atlanta area. Treleaf has also won a Retailers’ Choice Award at Farwest 2023, so tw0 different group of retail buyers are recognizing their exciting new designs. https://treleaf.shop
Compostable Pest Traps for Flying Plant Pests (We the Wild Company)
We the Wild is a previous Cool Products Award-winning firm for its unique plant care products. This year it introduced new Compostable Pest Traps (sticky trap). They are small enough to stick inside the rim of the pot so not visible to the eye. They also are made from compostable corn, not toxic plastic, so they can go straight in the compost once the pests have disappeared. One pack comes with 20 strips plus a decorative metal storage tin and a wooden stake giving you additional options for use. https://wethewild.us
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