Al’s Garden Center is a big store with dozens of endcaps in its plant department. The retailer’s merchandising team took three simple items — pallet wood, crates, and wood frames — and combined them in numerous ways. Each endcap had its own look, but was visually tied to its neighbors.

Portland has a number of impressive garden retailers who use creative approaches to solving display challenges. Here are a number of plant and product display fixtures we spied on last week’s tour.

Now is the time of year to sell your customers what they like, rather than what they need. According to industry consultant Ian Baldwin, one way to do this is to use silent selling techniques and devices that help validate a purchase.

Much of the South enjoyed highs of 60s and 70s throughout February. Trees and shrubs are blooming several weeks early. And it’s forcing garden retailers to make tough decisions about when to stock plants.

During the recent Tropical Plants Industry Exhibition (TPIE) in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, the Garden Center Group embarked on a search for the coolest new products for garden retailers. Here’s what they discovered.

Growers can ignore some shifts in retail. But when a transformation is underway, it’s time to pay attention.

Opening November 20, the Brookfield Ephemeral Boutique will offer an exclusive collection of grab-and-go bouquets featuring Dümmen Orange varieties and L’Olivier’s own signature arrangements.

An industry veteran with previous experience at Walters Gardens Benary Seed and C. Raker and Sons, DeGraaf grew up in an independent garden center and says she’s eager to return to her roots.

A week after announcing that IGC East would be moving from Baltimore to Philadelphia, organizers of the event have moved the location to the Valley Forge Casino Resort.

The revamped editorial and publishing team at Greenhouse Grower is preparing for the launch of two new products focusing on greenhouse technology and the grower-retailer audience.