To view this e-mail as a Web page, go here.
     
   


Learn & Grow at the 2006 OFA Short Course, July 8-11 in Columbus, Ohio. Enjoy a 1,300-booth trade show, 120 sessions, and networking.

 
 
 

JUNE 6, 2006
Riddle me this...
What goes up and down at the same time, but doesn't move?
(Scroll down for the answer.)

Trends: Landscape art
Ooh, pretty! ... Having played "here" man for the better part of my married life (the lovely Mrs. Y finds what she wants for the yard, then tells me to place it "here"), I can confidently claim that there has never been a better time to tend to a garden. And that's whether you like plants or not. The options available in the decorative market are virtually limitless, with themes that run the gamut from stately (translation: expensive) to whimsical, from practical to cute, from the proverbial hither to the hypothetical yon. In fact, one newsletter/blog can't possibly do justice to what's out there, so we'll try this go-round simply to point you in a few worthwhile directions.

Get started by moving in Good Directions. Do not pass "Go." Do not collect $200. Actually, you'll likely collect much more if you carry these lines of weathervanes and lawn décor items. The company consistently introduces new products that tickle a variety of fancies; consequently, we give it/them a big green thumbs up. Ditto, the good goods from Achla Designs. Achla has made landscape art ... well, an art form, and you would be well served to become a patron. While we're on the subject of art, have you ever considered carrying literal landscape art at your store? Art Promote offers a wide range of paintings and drawings that focus on the landscape. This is a niche that is rarely scratched at the garden center, so you could become a pioneer by offering your customers a collection of breathtaking renderings of Ma Nature looking her best.

Certainly, there are thousands of other ways to stock your store than the three mentioned here. Hopefully, you've tried a few that have proven profitable. If so, let us know about them by clicking here to go to the blog. We wouldn't mind terribly if you also checked out the great stuff below. Really, we wouldn't.

Post a *COMMENT* on the blog

June by category
Only 207 shopping days until Christmas... This month, as you consider the virtues of selling heat-tolerant plants, you’ll also want to consider the great items found in the following categories, which appear in the June GCP&S ProductZONE.

 

Post a *COMMENT* on the blog

Puzzling pictures
Pick me, pick me... One of the pictures below is a puzzle that will unlock the mystery of the feminine psyche. (Yeah, like that could happen!). Actually, you simply need to choose the right photo and then piece the product together again. If you accomplish said feat, you’ll become the frontrunner in the '08 presidential election.

Post a *COMMENT* on the blog

Pick 'n Click
We have the supply; you provide the demand... If you’re searching for the latest garden/gift products, stop right here. These suppliers are geared to send you the info you need. Click the company for e-reader service.

Achla Designs
Allsop, Inc.
Alpine Corporation
Anamese Garden & Home
Aquascape Designs, Inc.
Aries Stone
Asian Ceramics
Atlantic Pottery
ATLAS Glove Consumer Products, a Div. of LFS, Inc.
Avila’s Garden Art
Bamboo Accents
Biedermann & Sons, Inc.
Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery
Braun Horticulture
Carruth Studio, Inc.
Collier Metal Specialties, Inc.
County Materials Corp.
Daniel’s Plant Food
Danove Corporation
Dekorra Products
Discount Pond Supplies, Inc.
Dorothy Biddle Service
Echo, Inc.
Ecological Laboratories, Inc.
Fabriscape
Featherock, Inc.
Gardenware
Good Directions
Growers Supply
Hines Pottery
Horticolor Canada, Inc.
Keystone Steel & Wire
Listo Products
  Melrose International
Messina Wildlife
Michael Gordon LTD
Novelty Manufacturing Co.
Palm Beach Wholesale Growers Association, Inc.
Par A Sol
Poly-Tex, Inc.
Pond Filtration, Inc.
Primitives by Kathy
Principle Plastics
Red Carpet Studios
Riverside Enterprises
Rubicon International
Savio Engineering, Inc.
Schrodt Designs
Sherman Nursery Company
Silcast, Inc.
So Cool Products, Inc.
Sonne-Gro
Southern Nursery Association (SNA 2006)
Spec Cast
Stoney Creek
Structural Plastics
Triformis Corporation
Walter E. Clark & Son
Water Quality Science International, Inc.
Waterscapes Aquatic Plant Nursery
Winston Company
 

Post a *COMMENT* on the blog

Oh, yeah, the riddle answer...
(Insert rim shot here)... The stairs



 
To SUBSCRIBE: http://www.greenbeam.com/email/email_form.html
To UNSUBSCRIBE: Reply to this e-mail here.

TO CONTACT EDITOR YALE YOUNGBLOOD: yyoungblood@branchsmith.com

Reach the desktop of thousands of garden center professionals twice a month through the e-ZONE, contact Joe Herrera, jherrera@branchsmith.com, Tiffany O'Kelley, tokelley@branchsmith.com or Lisa Troup, ltroup@branchsmith.com.

(c) 2006 Branch-Smith Publishing. Before publishing or redistributing this information, visit http://www.greenbeam.com/copyright.html