Cheap Tricks: Spring’s Hot Colors? Try Black and Blue

Joli Hohenstein and Bill Calkins

Hotter Than Blue Blazes

Try Black and Blue
This month, we decided to go in a bit of a different direction with Cheap Tricks. Instead of hunting down garden
centers and other retailers with notable displays and merchandising tips, we wondered what breeders of some very colorful introductions had in mind for promoting their own creations.

Wondering how to sell the hot new blue orchid, Blue Mystique? A plethora of merchandising and marketing opportunities are coming right up, so take advantage! To help you make the most of Easter to Mother’s Day, we tapped the innovative team at orchid and bromeliad producer Silver Vase, who brought you Blue Mystique, for a few quick tips.

Wea

r Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Hearts aren’t just for Valentine’s Day. Feel the love with Orchid Hearts against a sassy backdrop. Spectacular in Blue Mystique and equally impactful in pinks, whites and lavenders. Sons, daughters and moms alike will stop and take note of these lovely displays.

Stack the Deck
Mahoney’s Garden Centers in Massachusetts took Blue Mystique to new levels with a vignette that combines a classy mosaic tile-topped wrought-iron bistro set with a sharp-tiered display. It puts the new blue orchid right in consumers’ crosshairs. A single focal point in a coordinating blue ceramic pot centerpiece completes the look. Even better, they designed this display in the round, so no matter how you look at it, you see blue! The key here is quantity, quality and creativity.

Bundles of Joy
Nothing says mothers like the stork! This great multi-functional display idea lets you celebrate new bundles of joy or help favorite sons and daughters reward their best moms.

Pop the POP
Want to really make eyes pop with your POP? Tightly group a collection of Blue Mystique blue orchids amongst more mainstream purples, whites and your assorted foliage plants. Here you see them at Calloway’s Nursery’s Southlake, Texas, location. The juxtaposition of those high-class elegant orchids on a plain natural wood bench really works. GP

The Magic of Blue Mystique
Silver Vase introduced its Blue Mystique blue orchid in January. The electric blue color gives phalaenopsis a totally new look. How do they do it? That’s closely guarded. It’s made with a patented process that infuses white orchids with a special medium. They will say the technique uses naturally derived elements and has been perfected after many years of research and testing, remaining environmentally conscious.

Silver Vase brought the U.S. year-round availability of phalaenopsis (previously only available for a tiny three-month window). Now they’re one of the first in the industry to incorporate QR codes on their plant tags to direct people to their website.

Dark-Petaled Drama

Black Velvet and other plantes noir are turning into garden must-haves.

Black Tie Affair
There’s drama in black flowers, so create endcaps promoting their mysterious and elegant nature. Mix containers of black and white for “tuxedo” combos, and sell white petunias, euphorbia, geraniums, cleome, pentas and more right along side them. Ideal for wedding accents or floral arrangements at refined events.

o Team!
So many local and professional sports teams use black in their team colors. Help your customers create the best-looking fan display on the block with colorful garden designs, team flags, garden accents and unusual containers, such as a modified helmet. Use signage to cheer for the home team, congratulate graduates, and spark overall customer fandemonium!

Everything Goes With Black
Remind your customers why they need to decorate with Black Velvet in all of their combos—it makes every color pop! One way to illustrate black as a fashionista is to invest in a mannequin. Accessorize her little black dress with jewelry, scarves and handbags, and then surround her with flowers of the same color. Dress her seasonally for long-term promotion. She can be one of your best sales associates!

Start Your Gardening Engines
Here’s one more merchandising tip. Plant up a creative bed using the black plants in a checkered black-and-white pattern. Use that display as a kick-off event highlight along the lines of “Rev your engines for spring gardening season!”

Say It With Signage
Ball is also offering free downloadable bench-level signage for the new Black Velvet Petunia—complete with interactive smart tags! They’re a great way to add mobile-based promotions or coupons to your garden center. For instructions, visit www.ballhort.com/blackvelvet.

Boo

!
Black Velvet thrives in cool temps and is perfect for fall promotions. This helps extend your selling window, and familiarizes your customers with their plant choices of the season. Halloween orange and black is a must-have combination. Cool season pansies, ripe pumpkins, holiday décor and more does the trick for a gardening treat. Don’t forget other spooky combos with greens, purples and ghostly whites for added inspiration.

Quick TIP
Don’t forget other spooky combos with greens, purples and ghostly whites for added inspiration. GP

Joli A. Hohenstein is marketing and PR specialist for Pen & Petal, Inc., a marketing, advertising and public relations agency for the green industry.

Bill Calkins is the IGC business manager for Ball Horticultural Company in West Chicago, Illinois.