30 Seconds = Beautiful Planters

Jennifer Polanz

This program might look familiar to those who were in the industry about a decade ago—the 30-Second Planter program from Proven Winners made its debut then, but might have been before its time. There were a couple of issues that prevented its success, also: it had a shallow pot that dried out much faster and consumers were supposed to remove the bottom of the pot, but they typically didn’t, said VP of Marketing Marshall Dirks.

Now, the program is being revived for 2025, driven by the growing popularity of easy container options, with the initial problems fixed and the program even more flexible for retailers. It’s designed to allow independents an easy planter option where consumers have three ways to use it. They can: drop the whole thing in a larger container, remove the plastic pot and plant it in a planter or hanging basket, or they can remove it from the pot and plant it in the ground. Whatever they do, they’re getting an easy finished product. Growers and retailers can order the pots and the component plants, and there’s no limit on what plants can be used for the program. That means you can do monoculture containers, mixed, monochromatic—whatever floats your boat.

The program is being offered by Four Star Greenhouse and Pleasant View Gardens for select garden centers as a pilot program in 2024. If it’s received favorably, it’ll get a full rollout with additional sizes and tag options (the tags are an area where they’re looking for more feedback—should it come with the individual plant tags or an overall container tag?). Stay tuned! GP