Costa Farms’ trial gardens are a common stop for folks who attend TPIE. And while TPIE may be a virtual experience for 2021, you can still plan on visiting Costa’s trials in March. They’ll open the 2-acre Miami trial garden March 4-5 for brokers, growers and other hort personnel so you can get a glimpse of what’s new for 2022. 

Sure, it’s mainly ornamental bedding plant varieties (this year with genetics from the likes of Ball FloraPlant, Beekenkamp, Benary, Classic Caladiums, Danziger, Dümmen Orange, GreenFuse, Hem Genetics, HilverdaFlorist, Kientzler, PanAmerican Seed, PlantHaven, Proven Winners, Sakata, Selecta, Suntory, Syngenta, Takii, West Flowers and others). However, they typically have a display of tropicals and houseplants—and container and display ideas, for that matter—somewhere on the property.

Costa’s 2019 trials

Costa Farms will be limiting attendance for the Trial Gardens to 150 registrants, and they are tentatively planning a networking event for Thursday, March 4. If the situation changes and an in-person event is not feasible, they will host a virtual experience, and may do that regardless for folks who aren’t able to travel. We will keep you posted on that should it arise.

Like I said, you have to register first. You can do so HERE. Meanwhile, if you have questions about anything, do drop a note to John Sieg (jsieg@costafarms.com) or Chloe Richard (crichard@costafarms.com). 

We’re all bummed we can’t be at TPIE in person to leisurely stroll through the tropically inspired booths (and the tropical breezes). However, I think I mentioned a few weeks ago that the folks at LiveTrends were putting together a virtual trade show booth of their own. You’ll be able to “stroll” through the LiveTrends products (and the products of their brands Urban Jungle and Be You) just as you would at a trade show—except without having to leave your chair.

The LiveTrends Trade Show goes live this Wednesday, January 20, and runs through January 29. It’s billed as an immersive experience, and one you don’t have to figure out on your own. That’s because you will be personally “walked through” the products with an account representative. It’s just like being at a show, except without the sore feet.

To schedule your personalized walk-through, register for LiveTrends’ trade show HERE.  

I will have plenty of new houseplant/tropical plant varieties and new products for you once I scour the virtual TPIE offerings. But until then I am keeping my promise of one new plant or product highlight per issue by showing you stuff I kind of serendipitously find.

Here’s something I found while working on an upcoming Green Profit article about containers for edibles. Did you know that Smart Pots—those fabric, malleable pots that are popular among veggie gardeners—now has a line of pots suited to indoor houseplant use?

This line of Smart Pots are for 1- to 2-gal. pots, and what’s cool about them is they come is three eye-catching colors—Mandarin Orange, Berry Blue and Violet. While I love a sea of green or variegated foliage, these colors really do add a splash of something, a place for your eye to rest for a moment. And retailers, the Clip Strip lets you hang up to 12 Houseplant Smart Pots within your houseplant department, letting you easily raise your ticket.

Find out more about Smart Pots HERE.

I happened to see this new colocasia called Pharaoh’s Mask from Plants Nouveau posted online and was really amazed by it. Sure, the colors are pretty extraordinary and fun—bright green and purple. But its texture is what made me do a double take. The veins are literally bulging from the leaf. Not mere bumps! Bulges! Very cool. According to its description, the leaf edges curl under when they are mature, accentuating those bulging veins even more.

Strong stems support the leaves and create tight clumps of them standing up to 4 ft. tall. Whether in full sun or part shade, Pharaoh’s Mask is best in containers so it can be moved around to different parts of the garden. For those of you in Zones 7-9, try planting it en masse for some garden drama. It’ll even be happy planted next to a pond, but be sure the soil is well-draining.

In my last Tropical Topics I mentioned the results of a houseplant survey in which 55% of respondents admitted to talking to their houseplants. Talking to plants makes people feel good, and think it makes the plants feel good, too.

Along those same lines, many people think playing music to plants will make those plants happier and healthier. Fact? Who knows, really. But it was brought to my attention that the folks at Harster Greenhouses are making plant-growing Spotify playlists available to customers. To make the plants or the people happy? Both, I suppose.

Harster has developed branded websites for their Christmas cactus and pilea products. If you scroll down each page a bit you’ll see links to playlists: Christmas music for the cactus, and three different genres for the pilea depending on the mood—chill, nature and energetic.

Science? Old wives’ tales? Or just an excuse to turn on the tunes for the plant parents? Hey, if it makes you happy, go ahead and put those records on.