TRICKS: A Place at the Table

Ellen C. Wells

Eating is a necessary activity in order to live, but to eat a meal at a table with plates and silverware is truly human, and truly humanizing. Anyone who camps regularly or even eats lunch at a desk knows that sitting down with a plate, fork and glass just feels good. Add to that the fact that so many memories are created around a shared meal—like the time Grandpa shot cider out of his nose at Thanksgiving!—and it’s no wonder that the simple act of setting a table makes one feel at home, even if you’re out on the town.

At least four vendors at the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, this past January showed off both plants and packaging by creating displays based on the dining experience. And all four did so in very different ways. But despite the differences, each can be recreated either inside a garden center or out in the nursery.



Harster Greenhouses
Grower Harster Greenhouses presented its menu of products as a real menu. The restaurant-style menus and the table displays offered up their wares in a scrumptious manner. 

Florida Cactus
Grower Florida Cactus set up a table in the style of an afternoon tea, with lots of succulent goodies to choose from. 



Temkin International
Another packaging company, Temkin International, created a bridal party table using the trendy farm-to-table theme.

KoenPack USA
Packaging company KoenPack USA presented its products with a long dinner-party table. GP