Features Business Retail
Five Fast Tips: August 2013

With summer winding down, many garden centres are already turning their thoughts to 2014.

With summer winding down, many garden centres are already turning their thoughts to 2014. To help you figure out what customers will be clamouring for come spring, here’s a peek at five trends that are bound to be big after the snow melts away.

1. Black and white – Pairing up sleek black and stark white is one of the hottest looks for every room of the home. Incorporating outdoor décor and accessories in these shades is sure to make for some eye-catching displays, but why stop there? The plant world doesn’t have truly black flowers, but to get this look growing for spring, Garden Media Group suggests planting tulip varieties like Black Parrot, Queen of Night and Ronaldo, or a ranunculus such as Persian Buttercup.
2. Eye-popping purples –  Consumers are crazy for purple plants, whether they’re growing in the garden or cut for a wedding bouquet. In fact, four of the 10 plants on the United Kingdom’s Chelsea Flower Show shortlist for Plant of the Centenary were purple. The show, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, combed its archives and assembled a list of the 10 best plants that have appeared there. The list included Erysimum “Bowles’s Mauve,” Heuchera villosa “Palace Purple” and Steptocarpus “Harlequin Blue.” Geranium Rozanne “Gerwat” was crowned the winner by an online vote. Gardeners love its violet-blue flowers threaded with red streaks.
3. Fifty shades of green – This year was bound to be good for gardens: Pantone named Emerald its colour of the year. As consumers played with different shades of green in their gardens, many fell in love with the lush look of an all-green space. Forget flowers; for many green thumbs, 2014 will be all about foliage, shrubs and other leafy plants.
4. Think like a kid – From fairy gardens that let little green thumbs create their own tiny worlds to containers planted with bright, kid-friendly plants, items that appeal to children are poised to do big business. Remember to stock your store with all the tools your youngest customers need to dig into gardening.
5. Eat what you grow – As consumers get comfortable with growing their own food, many are pushing this trend further. Cuisine-themed pizza gardens planted with oregano, thyme, garlic, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes or taco gardens of cilantro, cumin, hot peppers and lettuce can make for a fun family project. Tea gardens are also taking off as gardeners grow herbs to add to their favourite brew.