Upselling With New Products

Jennifer Polanz

Every retail garden store needs products that customers care about. That means they have to have a hook of some kind, whether they’re better for the environment or they’re going to help customers solve a problem or fill a need. From recent shows like Cultivate and the BFG Distributor Show, we found some new items you might consider for 2025.

Michael Carr Designs
The new Terrabetta line still has that old world look, but it’s made with a proprietary blend of clays that gives it more durability. The company says these containers offer up extreme weather resistance, and avoids flaking and cracking well below 32 degrees F. They’re able to fire them at a higher temperature to offer moisture resistance and long-lasting performance. It appeared that there are 15 pieces in the collection.

Michigan Peat Company
From the company behind the Baccto brand of products comes a new initiative to offer the Raised Garden Bed Soil in a newly designed pink bag that will also help raise money for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The soil features the all-natural ingredients of organic composted manure and organic earthworm castings, and is ideal for raised beds and all plant types. Michigan Peat will be donating a portion of the proceeds from each bag purchased to the AACR.

First Editions Shrubs & Trees
This one we saw at a couple of events, including Cultivate and Farwest. FlowerFull Smooth Hydrangea is a power bloomer, with strong, sturdy stems to hold them all up. It features two to three times more blooms than typical Hydrangea arborescens, and is disease resistant, making it low maintenance for the end consumer. It’s also great for smaller landscapes and commercial settings, topping out at between 3- and 4-ft. tall.

Deroma
I’ve seen irrigation products like this before, but AquaDO is a unique take on an ancient system of watering. You bury it near the plants you want to irrigate, with only the lip staying above ground. According to the accompanying sign, the AquaDO takes advantage of the porous nature of terracotta, allowing the water to slowly pass through to the soil and plants, providing up to 70% water savings. The saucer on top prevents evaporation and insects.

Nature’s Way
The new ecocycle family of products features post-industrial recycled plastic and are recyclable at the end of their lives, which is a nice selling point for the lineup. The materials means it’s rot resistant and there are lots of different options to choose from, including seed feeders, oriole feeders, suet holders and even birdhouses. The tags provide lots of details, too, including which birds you can attract. All told, Nature’s Way had 30 new products at the BFG show, so make sure you check out all their offerings.

Deer Park Ironworks
These metal trellis “buddies” are a great way to add more plants on top of, well, more plants. The company offers two sizes—square and rectangle—that can hook on to the trellis. The small is 8 in. x 6 in. x 8 in. and the large is 16 in. x 6 in. x 8 in. They’re black powder-coated steel and you can order an 8-pack for the smaller ones and a 4-pack for the larger one.

Pest Wizard
This is a very regional product right now (and hopefully stays that way for a bit), but if you have Spotted Lanternfly, then you may want to offer this Spotted Lanternfly Trap Kit (or use it in the garden center). The kit includes two 12-in. x 12-in. invisible sticky traps with two pheromone lures and four hangers. Orders come in a case of 10.

Womanswork
I’m always happy to support women-owned businesses and Womanswork is one of those. This year the company has new printed tools in its best-selling floral print. It’s a set of a trowel and hand rake that could make a great gift offering, as well as an impulse buy at the register. They also introduced a new yellow floral print for the popular bucket caddy product.

HUMANE
There’s been lots of interesting innovation on the houseplant side of the industry and these new capsules from Humane fall into that category. In an effort to make fertilizing easy and effective, they created these capsules that consumers drop into the water to dissolve. They debuted at BFG to a good reception from retail buyers and fit nicely into the larger plant food display.

Clever Goods
I’m not sure if these enamel designs with a copper base are new or just new to me, but I wanted to mention them because they were nice decor additions for outside and even inside. They’re hand-made in Cedar Springs, Michigan, and the colorful tops are created from torch-fired glass. They won’t fade in the sunlight and come in assorted colors. Along with flower designs, there are also hearts, fish, dragonflies and butterflies. Clever Goods is the brand and the parent company is
Annabelle Noel Designs. GP