November/December 2022 - 24

... continued from page 22
TRENDS
Growing and Selling
Houseplants
BY HEATHER MACHOVINA
The Plant Co. (TPC), a houseplant grower, has partnered
with Proven Winners to make unique houseplants more
available to consumers. With the 2022 launch of the
leafjoy collection, which includes over 100 varieties,
I reached out to the team at TPC to find out what's
happening with houseplants.
GPN: What are common questions you get asked when
discussing growing houseplants?
Laura Kline, director of growing: When speaking to
people about growing indoor foliage, the questions we most
encounter are similar between clients and growers. They
want to know the correct light levels, proper moisture,
required nutrients, and what type of pests or disease they
should be on the lookout for.
GPN: What are some issues that come up often when
growing houseplants?
Kline: The most common issue we encounter is
improper light levels. Too high will cause leaf spotting,
bleaching or burning of the leaves. Too low will result in
yellowing of leaves and leaf drop. The leafjoy categories
give the client a good start on where to locate the plants
for successful growing.
GPN: How do you overcome these growing problems?
Kline: We are very watchful of our plants so that we can
head off problems when they are small and easier to fix.
Problems are easier to fix when you catch them early. We
work with our partners to help solve any questions they have.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as reducing the amount
of irrigation or changing the amount of light being used.
Commercial growers are given more technical guidance.
We provide light level, moisture requirements, nutrient
needs and pH/EC recommendations. We pride ourselves on
providing healthy liners for the grower. Most of our plants
come to us as tissue culture to ensure a disease-free, clean
start. A quality liner is paramount in producing a quality
finished plant.
GPN: What market trends are you currently seeing?
Ben Wright, territory sales manager: It is important
to retailers that consumers succeed in their plant care
adventures. A consumer who successfully becomes a new
plant parent is likely to become a repeat customer. We
looked at the existing houseplant marketplace and noticed
that many plants were being sold without identification and
plant care tags. We created a leafjoy variety-specific tag that
includes a photo of each plant, variety name, where-to-use
information and easy-to-understand care information.
GPN: Any other steps you are taking to be sure
consumers will become repeat customers?
Wright: Our plants are grown with innovative practices
that result in a disease-, insect- and weed-free houseplant. We
are committed to growing leafjoy plants to a larger size and
quality specifications than traditional houseplant growers.
Leafjoy plants are leaf-shined prior to leaving the greenhouse,
so they arrive retail ready.
To expand the traditional consumer base, we created
the leafjoy H20 line of easy-to-care-for houseplants. These
hydroponic bottle gardens create strong impulse sales at
retail from novice to experienced houseplant enthusiasts.
They are virtually carefree, other than adding a little more
water about once per month, making them the ideal gift item.
24 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 GPNMAG.COM
The leafjoy line is classified into four
specific uses, each of which indicates the
plants' light and humidity preferences.
The Atrium Collection includes high light
plants for bright spaces, while the Cocoon
Collection is just the opposite, preferring
the lower light levels of interior rooms or
those with smaller windows. The SpaScene
Collection features plants for warm,
humid spaces. Space-saving compact and
vertical plants that don't shed their leaves
are reserved for desktops in the WorkLife
collection.
The plant labels for each collection
include color-coded icons that let a
consumer see at a glance where the plant
can be grown in their home. In many
cases, a leafjoy plant can be used in
multiple rooms, increasing the flexibility
and opportunities for both consumers and
retailers.
" Helping consumers be successful
with their houseplants will not only lead
to repeat purchases but also will help
them develop a higher level of trust and
confidence, " says Konsoer.
HYDROPONICS ARE HOT
" Young plant parents are especially keen
on watching plants grow, " writes Steinkopf.
" They like the feeling they get when they
see their plant sprout a new leaf or watch
a cutting make new roots in water. " There
is something to be said for the sense of
purpose one gets by nurturing something
and seeing it thrive as a result.
The art of growing plants in water -
hydroponics - provides a way to enjoy
not only the leaf canopy but also see a
plant develop in the clear glass vessel. It's
fulfilling to watch the roots grow and fill the
space over time.
Hydroponic leafjoy H2O houseplants
are a simple, innovative product that is
nearly carefree, other than adding water
Photo Credit:
Proven Winners
periodically. They can be grown just
about anywhere and make an excellent
gift or impulse item at retail. A miniature
bottle garden, called leafjoy H2O Mini, is
a completely enclosed glass vessel that's
perfect for people with pets or those
worried about spilling water near their
laptop on their work desk. The leafjoy H2O
Bowls allow people to grow houseplants
without the mess or need for soil. Both
products arrive to retailers pre-assembled
with variety-specific labels that include care
instructions attached.
PLANTS ARRIVE READY TO SELL
The Plant Co. is currently shipping retailready
leafjoy potted and H2O houseplants
directly to retailers across the U.S. These
are well-grown, healthy, virus-indexed
plants with a polished retail presentation.
Three finished container sizes of the potted
varieties are available with optional cache
pots. Given that a majority of consumers
tend to buy houseplants as gift items,
cache pots are highly recommended. Low
single-pallet minimums make these plants
affordable and accessible to IGCs.
The leafjoy collection is divided into
three retail product groups - Premium,
Boutique and Collector's Edition - to
accommodate a range of price points. The
Premium group contains plants grown to
exacting standards and accounts for nearly
75% of the overall program. Boutique
and Collector's Edition varieties are
available exclusively to IGCs and include
rarer plants, many of which are currently
trending, like philodendron 'Prismacolor
Pink Princess'.
Debbie Rempert is the senior marketing manager
for Proven Winners. Susan Martin is the head
copywriter and a content producer for Proven
Winners. Learn more at provenwinners.com/
leafjoy or sales@theplantcompany.com.
http://www.provenwinners.com/ http://www.GPNMAG.COM
November/December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2022
