Breeder News

Photo © Dave | Adobe Stock Flowering annuals are the mainstay for many growers and landscapers in the industry. Yet, many of this year’s SOI survey participants are making a shift away from annuals. What accounts for your shift? You may have decided to grow more foliage and houseplants instead of annuals or are simply looking for new and better annuals to add to your production. But some of you may simply be searching for answers as to why your annuals just aren’t selling. Is it you? I’ll just hit the tough question right out of the gate. Many growers are resistant to changing their product selection — often for years and years. Let’s look at your offerings. Are they the same as last year? How about five years ago? A stale availability list could be behind that dent in annual bedding sales. Sure, there are staples that your customers need and want from you, that can be strong sellers year after year. But there are also items that might serve you best by being culled from the herd. Strategically chosen new plant offerings can help reengage customers and help them solve new challenges with their customers. Go big As I was thinking about other factors influencing consumer plant preferences, I had a realization about a noticeable consumer trend I see in my own marketplace. In my work with clients across the horticultural spectrum, there’s a funny pattern I’ve seen emerge with residential consumers — and it clearly runs along economic lines. “They don’t want pentas … or any other plant with clusters of small flowers. They only want big flowers.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this from the landscapers I consult for on high-end properties — or directly from my high-end residential clients. Wealthier property owners, at least in my market, don’t seem to like small-flowered plants — any of them. They only want big flowers and high-impact color. Do you know how hard it is to get through the summer in Texas with a good resilient annual color show without pentas, angelonia, firebush, […]

Source: www.greenhousemag.com