Maria Gardens Center shares the strategic move behind its addition of Maria’s Plant Farm, the company’s new online houseplant and succulent shop.
The online store, formerly located at mariagardens.net, had updated to mariasplantfarm.com. At the same time, its two brick-and-mortar locations — one in Strongsville and one in North Royalton — are remaining under the original name, Maria Gardens Center.
Laura Robinson, head of marketing at Maria Gardens Center, explained that the website launch was a strategic move for the company.
“Because we were doing so much business, we felt that we needed to separate the website and the social media pages. Initially, it was just a one-page website, but we wanted a whole website devoted to selling houseplants, succulents and things like that online. So that's why we created Maria's Plant Farm,” she says.
The company realized that customers who order plants online do not frequent the garden center, so they seized the opportunity to pull in more web sales by developing an online houseplant shop.
As for the new name, it’s a nod to their roots: “We're a family-owned business and we have a growing facility located near us. It’s called “Maria's Plant Farm” because that’s an old name that we used to call our growing facility,” she says.
Another factor in creating a separate website is that most customers who buy from their online store are from out of state, Robinson says, as many orders come from California. While they haven’t experienced too many shipping issues, she notes that the company is always in contact with customers if delays arise.
“We have a pretty good system when it comes to packing and shipping. We use heat packs in the winter so the plants don't get damaged and we have braces for tall plants. And the packing team has a really good response from our customers,” she says.
So far, customers are responding positively, but the new website launch wasn’t without its hassles.
“We created a new website with the new domain, but we're having a little bit of trouble because I think some of our customers are a little bit confused,” Robinson says.
Currently (and before the launch), the company announced the new name on Maria Gardens Center’s social media channels, as well as the company newsletter. They also created new Facebook and Instagram accounts for Maria’s Plant Farm and are in the process of building up followers for each account.
“We've lost a little bit of business because we have customers who were just so used to going to our website and ordering from there, so we're trying our best to bring them back and really take off with this. We've been doing some giveaways to build our fanbase and everything,” Robinson says. “With an online store, your brand name is so important.”
While Maria Gardens Center attracts many customers across its many departments, Maria’s Plant Farm primarily targets the millennial demographic. “We have a lot of this group of people in their twenties and then we also have women in their fifties,” she says.
As for their POS systems, BigCommerce powers Maria’s Plant Farm, while Shopify powers the brick-and-mortar locations.
“We use Shopify because we only sell one thing online for our brick-and-mortar store, which is gift cards. Shopify has the styles that we like — from a marketing angle, it’s a little more creative and artsy,” she says. “We really like BigCommerce for our online store, it has more modern themes and we really like using it for all the products that we have on there. For online, it's just a better tracking system.”
The breeder received one blue and 12 red ribbons at the 2021 Society of American Florists’ (SAF) Outstanding Varieties Competition.
Announced via press release, Dümmen Orange received 13 ribbons, one blue and 12 red, for participating in this year’s Society of American Florists’ (SAF) Outstanding Varieties Competition which was recently held in conjunction with that organization’s 136th annual convention in Orlando, Florida. The 13 ribbons won are the most that Dümmen Orange has been rewarded with in a single SAF competition.
Skylie, the new white cushion innovation in the cut chrysanthemum category, earned a blue ribbon from the judges. Thanks to its outstanding performance in vase life and for its productivity, Skylie was the highest scoring entry submitted by Dümmen Orange.
Momentum+, a sunny yellow rose and 2021 red ribbon selection in the cut rose category, was Dümmen Orange’s most talked about display. Showing off a beautiful and strong yellow, this rose is perfect for growers and florists in all seasons. Joining Momentum+ in the red ribbon-winning cut rose category were the varieties Camaleon+, Swan+, Sweet Mama+ and Violet Hill+.
Additional Dümmen Orange red ribbon winners were Indira, Maddie, Mia and Veronica in the cut chrysanthemum category. Royal Damascus and Zeppelin each earned red ribbons in the cut carnation category for the global floricultural leader. In the cut dianthus category, the green Barberatus Fresh, thanks to its versatility for all bouquet types and higher level of productivity, was named a red ribbon winner.
Many different varieties grown by Dümmen Orange’s valued industry allies were submitted to the competition. This includes Colombian-based Don Eusebio, Flores Chipatá, Flores El Capiro, Flores Silvestres, GR Chia, La Gaitana Farms, and Turflor. Ecuadorian-based Rosaprima helped Dümmen Orange with event logistics and American-based distributor Jet Fresh Flowers sponsored plant material for the supplier exhibition as well.
Click here for the entire list of SAF Outstanding Varieties 2021.
For more information on Dümmen Orange, please visit na.dummenorange.com.
This year’s winning community is Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Announced via press release, the All-America Selections (AAS) has announced the 2021 winning community in their America In Bloom/All-America Selections Showcase Garden contest.
In early 2021, twenty AIB participating communities were offered the opportunity to plant an All-America Selections (AAS) Showcase Garden. The number of 20 gardens was chosen to celebrate America In Bloom’s 20th anniversary in 2021. Each community received a minimum of twelve zone-appropriate AAS Winner varieties at no cost to their communities.
The community’s gardens must be on public display with all plants labeled with variety names.
Once the gardens were planted, pictures and a verification/application form were provided to AAS to verify compliance. Communities were judged based on their pictures and application and the 2021 winning community was announced during the America In Bloom Symposium Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2021.
This year’s winner is Gloucester, Massachusetts.
The Generous Gardeners Club of Gloucester chose two waterfront locations to plant their AIB/AAS Showcase Gardens. Surrounding Gloucester’s Inner Harbor are popular parks for residents and visitors to enjoy the unique views that Gloucester’s location provides. One Showcase Garden was in the Keith Trefry Memorial Park where the yellow, orange and white AAS Winners were planted. The second garden was planted around the tennis courts at Stage Fort Park and this garden featured pink and purple AAS Winners.
“The AAS Board and our supporting breeders are so happy that we can continue to support and be involved with the America In Bloom program” states AAS President Scott Rusch of BloomStudios. “This promotional effort is yet another way that AAS can continue to reach new audiences with our marketing and public relations activities.”
The association has launched a national search for its new CEO, and interested candidates are encouraged to review the position and apply online at the FNGLA website.
After nearly 24 years at the helm of the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA), CEO Ben Bolusky plans to retire in June 2022, according to a press release issued by the association.
During his two decades leading the largest state nursery and landscape association in the nation, Bolusky has seen FNGLA grow as the industry has strengthened.
Bolusky brought the association through a name change in 2004 when the then-Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association added ‘Landscape’ to its famous moniker to telegraph the importance of landscape firms as part of the association.
Bolusky also served during a series of devastating hurricanes including Charley in 2004 which battered the entire state of Florida and destroyed many nurseries and greenhouses. In response, FNGLA went to Washington D.C. and secured hundreds of millions of dollars in federal assistance to help get nurseries back up and running. This set the precedent for nursery eligibility which continues today.
Another milestone achieved with Bolusky at the helm is the overhaul of the federal nursery crop insurance policy. It now grants substantially more flexibility to growers to select the level of crop insurance which makes the most sense for their business operation.
With Bolusky’s leadership, FNGLA established a committee to liaison with the Florida Department of Transportation to assist with its state road and highway landscape beautification policies and practices.
Also on Bolusky’s watch, FNGLA established its Landscape Irrigation Committee whose mission is to shape Florida public policies to maximize irrigation efficiencies and save Florida water.
FNGLA also in that time created a home for Florida’s citrus nurseries by establishing a division within the Association.
“What an incredible journey to lead FNGLA during these years of transformative industry growth,” Bolusky said. “It’s an absolute privilege to work for FNGLA’s members, so many truly dedicated FNGLA volunteer leaders and an exceptionally talented team of staff professionals.”
Prior to his work at FNGLA, Bolusky served for 12 years as Director of Government Affairs at the then-American Nursery & Landscape Association (now called AmericanHort) in Washington, D.C.
FNGLA Chief Operating Officer Linda Adams echoed Bolusky’s enormous impact on FNGLA. “Ben brought a wide range of expertise and experience to FNGLA when he arrived 23 years ago, all of which have moved the association forward on several important fronts.”
Adams continued, “Yet, working side by side with Ben, I believe the most important qualities Ben brought to FNGLA are his warmth, good humor and genuine regard for others. He set a positive spirit of community trust which fostered collaboration and respect, whether among FNGLA staff, FNGLA membership or wider industry circles. We’re going to miss Ben the CEO, but also Ben the person.”
Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association President Michael Joyner added Bolusky’s leadership and industry impact cannot be overstated. “It has been an honor to work alongside him over the years as he has helped to shape public policy — not only for his membership but all of Florida agriculture,” Joyner said. “An excellent servant leader and role model, Ben’s experience and dedication to this industry will certainly be missed.”
Bolusky will cap his work at the Association during FNGLA’s convention in June 2022.
FNGLA has launched a national search to hire a new CEO. Interested candidates are encouraged to review the position announcement and apply online at FNGLA’s website.
The Star Roses and Plants introduction took home the Plant of the Year award.
Flame Thrower Cercis from Star Roses and Plants has won Plant of The Year 2021 at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show, which took place Sept. 21-26.
“The Chelsea Flower Show is one of the world’s most prestigious horticultural events and we’re thrilled that Flame Thrower was recognized as the most exciting, innovative and diverse new plant of 2021,” says Bradd Yoder, president of Star Roses and Plants.
Sold as Eternal Flame in the United Kingdom and Europe, Flame Thrower Cercis (‘NC2016-2’) is a result of Dr. Denny Werner’s breeding and developed by the JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University. Werner is a JC Raulston Distinguished Professor of Horticultural Science and plant breeder at North Carolina State University. Flame Thrower was introduced through Star Roses and Plants in 2019.
Flame Thrower is a highly impressive redbud that turns heads with its bold foliage colors. Its stunning color display is persistent throughout the season, often showing hues of reds, oranges, yellows and greens all on a single branch. The intensity of colors changes throughout the seasons with reds and oranges more prominent in spring, followed by yellows and greens in summer.
The eye-catching display is a color breakthrough for the Cercis category. Not only will the foliage give you color throughout the season, but clusters of pink blooms are also produced in early spring for added garden appeal. This tree will grow to about 15-20’ and will perform best in zones 5-9.
To learn more about Flame Thrower Cercis and other Star Roses and Plants’ introductions, visit https://bit.ly/3dJIyNa. To learn more about the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, visit https://bit.ly/3ikcQZ3.
To learn more about Flame Thrower Cercis supply and availability, contact your Star Roses and Plants Territory Manager to place your order or visit the industry professionals page at https://bit.ly/39LUMT1.