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OFA: Travel Destination, Novalis Plants that Work

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Each year Novalis® Plants that Work® builds a destination display at OFA. In some inspired way, the network’s growers always feature their new product lines creatively with a mix of beauty and retail-ready ideas.

Novalis® did not disappoint again this year as they broke up the display into a village of Plants that Work® growers. Guests were able to oogle at all the new plant selections such as the very popular evergreen shrub, Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’, very prominently displayed in the Carolina Nurseries area; and the striking arrangement of Nooks & Crannies in the Imperial Nurseries alcove. My personal favorite was a large, compact gathering of Phlox Confetti Candy Store™ ‘Bubblegum Pink’ displayed in the Willoway area of the overall booth. It was the perfect set-up to show the kind of wow-factor this bright bloomer can have en masse.

The best part about the village set-up? Customers were excited to visit the booths that were most applicable to their specific regions. They were each able to see the best new selections that would thrive in their climate as well as speak to the contact most knowledgeable about their particular needs. It was simple, easy to understand… and quite perfect.

Another Novalis® crowd favorite this year was the announcement (and attractive displays in several of the growers’ booths) of Plants that Work® In the Kitchen™, a brand new program for early spring 2010. The existing herb program will be expanded to include products such as blueberries, raspberries, figs, and others. Veggies will also be added to the line to include popular varieties and heirloom plants like eggplant, beans, peppers, and tomatoes. A few of the displays even showed-off the retail packaging options for the new line, including convenient 6-pack trays for garden herbs, and larger containers for fruits and veggies.

 

*Novalis® perennial and woody ornamental growers include Armstrong Growers, Bailey Nurseries, Carolina Nurseries, Fisher Farms, Greenleaf Nursery Company, Hackney Nursery Company, Imperial Nurseries, The Conard-Pyle Company, Willoway Nurseries, and Windmill Nursery of LA. Novalis® color growers include Armstrong Growers, Beds & Borders, Carolina Nurseries, Peace Tree Farms, Sunbelt Greenhouses, and Wenke Greenhouses.

~ Leslie

A Winning Team

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Landscape and Irrigation magazine (in case you don’t know already!) is an excellent trade resource for everything professional landscaping – from industry news to pests to products to irrigation.

Recently, the editor featured the relationship between leading national grower, Novalis, and a professional landscape architecture company, The Hayter Firm. The two worked together in order to maximize budget and project efficiency while planning the landscape for the 2005 U.S. Open in Pinehurst, NC.

After two years of collaboration, an amazing line-up of plants from Novalis Plants that Work, and several creative solutions, it was agreed by event planners and attendees that the landscape was one of the best ever designed / installed for the U.S. Open.

Congrats to J. Guy, founder and manager for Novalis, and Robert Hayter, owner of the Hayter Firm, for their landscape and plant savvy that helped make this event a great success.

To learn more about these two companies, log onto… www.novalis.com / www.plantsthatwork.com and www.thehayterfirm.com.

Read the article HERE!!

~Leslie

Some Things I picked Up on at OFA 2008

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I feel so fortunate to be in a position where I am able to interface with so many of the “movers and shakers” in this industry. In spite of some of the national media’s coverage of economic forecasts—our industry is committed to move forward and is refreshingly optimistic.

Below are a few highlights of things that were shared with us and our own observations at OFA 2008:


  • Almost all of you with whom we spoke said that sales were forecasted to meet or exceed the numbers from the previous year.

  • It appears that the new trend of the “staycation” could certainly help the industry, as people reduce summer travel and stay home, thus increasing the nesting process, which creates a process of the consumer enhancing his / her surroundings by purchasing home and garden products.

  • J Guy, Manager and Founder of Novalis® Plants that Work® and Plants that Work by Color™ met with an economist form Wachovia Bank and he stated that “Oil is [estimated] expected to come down to $126 per barrel in the first quarter of 2009, therefore decreasing the price of gas which will allow the consumer to have some discretionary income to do things like gardening.”

~Jeff

Schmoozing with Raw Fish

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Some of my absolute favorite (yes, it deserves the bold!) hours during our trip to OFA were spent in an adorable little sushi restaurant named Haiku where Eberly PR hosted a media dinner for a few of our clients and some of our favorite members of the industry media!

I’m telling you; it’s hard to go wrong when you combine awesome people with delicious food and a few drinks. 🙂

What a blast! We were able to enjoy a lovely evening with industry leaders such as Dan Heims, Ken Brown and Dave Doolittle from Terra Nova Nurseries, Bob Lovejoy from Horticultural Identification Products (HIP), and Tom Kegley and Kim Cameron from Novalis Plants that Work / Plants that Work by Color.

Several of our trade media friends also attended such as Delilah Onofrey, Kevin Yanik and Sue Distaulo from Meister Media Worldwide, Ellen Wells and Jen White from Ball Publishing, Paige Worthy, Jasmina Radjevic and Darhiana Mateo from Scranton Gillette, and Meshele Conley from Garden Design!

What I learned at dinner:

  • We can all eat way, WAY too much food when we aren’t paying attention. I really don’t know where we fit it all.
  • Sue, Don, Jen, and Jasmina don’t like to wait for their dessert! They went straight for the Key-lime martinis.
  • Paige and Dan knew each other in a different life. Nothing else explains all the uncanny similarities!
  • We know how to close down a restaurant!

And, remember everyone – this is an annual event, so keep your calendars open for next year! For those clients and media members who did not join us, we hope you can make it next time.

~Leslie

Top Attention-grabbers…

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At OFA this year, Novalis announced two new and very cool 2009 exclusive plants that were supplied by network grower Bailey Nurseries.

Officially, the names of the plants are: Hydrangea paniculata ‘HYPMADI’ (PPAF) White Diamonds™ and Diervilla sessilifolia ‘LPDC Podaras’ (PPAF) Cool Splash™ Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle. – I call them, Gorgeous!

Bailey Nurseries joined the Novalis grower network in 2007. Since then, Linda Guy, director of new product development for Novalis and Jonathan Pedersen, brand and business development manager for Bailey Nurseries, have worked closely to facilitate the introduction of White Diamonds™ and Cool Splash™.

The plants will serve as two of the top exclusives for Novalis® Plants that Work® growers nationwide and will be available to local independent garden centers and professional landscape companies beginning spring 2009.

Developed by the Landscape Plant Development Center, Cool Splash is the first variegated bush honeysuckle and is a colonizing shrub ideal for mass plantings.

White Diamonds™ is a new hydrangea with glistening-white panicles showcasing in summer and fall. Smaller and more manageable than most hydrangea paniculatas, it boasts dark-green, leathery foliage that provides increased heat and drought tolerance.



The image is of Cool Splash…and I am sure it’ll make for a BIG Splash with IGCs and homeowners this spring.

Learn more about what’s coming in 2009 from Novalis Plants that Work and Plants that Work by Color at www.novalis.com / www.plantsthatwork.com.

~ Don

Novalis Announces NEW Plants that Work …at OFA 2008!

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And, wow, did they ever!

Novalis leaders, interns, sales staff members, marketing / admin managers, and network growers outdid themselves with one of the most beautiful exhibits at OFA Short Course this year! – Good job, Novalis.

It never ceases to amaze me how talented and passionate are the members of the grower consortium. They continue to cultivate gorgeous perennials, woody ornamentals, grasses, bamboos and annuals that are easy to love!


The plant palette they showcased in their booth at the show was diverse, colorful and insightful. The display maximized a winning expression of outdoor living at its best – from premium plant material in a variety of programs and selections to outdoor furniture and kitchen appliances.


Just some of the new exclusive Plants that Work highlights include the following:

  • Hydrangea paniculata ‘HYPMADI’ (PPAF) White Diamonds™
  • Diervilla sessilifolia ‘LPDC Podaras’ (PPAF) Cool Splash™ Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle.
  • Bletilla Ochracea ‘Chinese Butterfly’
  • Agave ‘Kissho Kan’
  • Thuja occidentalis ‘Fire Chief’™
  • Myrica cerifera ‘Arista’
  • Hydrangea ‘Mystical™ Opal’
  • Aloe Humilis ‘Hedgehog’
  • Phlox Candy Store™ Series

A few color beauties from Plants that Work by Color include:

  • Diascia Breezee™ ‘Appleblossom’
  • Diascia Breezee™ ‘Apricot’
  • Nemesia Bedazzle™ ‘Rose Quartz’
  • Nemesia Bedazzle™ ‘Topaz’
  • Nemesia Bedazzle™ ‘Citrine’
  • Nemesia Bedazzle™ ‘Sunstone’












Check out their site for information about these and many other programs and varieties: www.novalis.com / www.plantsthatwork.com

~ Don

Novalis® Expands Network to Include New Growers of Annual Color, Perennials, Shrubs

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Novalis® adds seven growers to consortium for production of Plants that Work® by Color™ line, while Bailey Nurseries joins the network for production of perennial and woody ornamental programs.

Moncks Corner, S.C., Feb. 10, 2008 – Novalis®, a professional horticulture trade consortium made up of significant annual, perennial and woody ornamental growers spanning the United States, officially announced today that it has added a number of new growers to its network, significantly increasing the reach and scope of its Plants that Work® plant brand.

In a broad expansion of the alliance-based network, seven growers have committed to production of bedding plant varieties as part of Novalis®’ Plants that Work® by Color™; in addition, one new grower will join nine existing ones in the production of perennials and woody ornamentals under the inclusive Plants that Work® brand.

The seven growers who recently signed-on with the consortium to grow varieties for Novalis®’ Plants that Work® by Color™ program include:

o Armstrong Growers

o Beds & Borders, Inc.

o Carolina Nurseries, Inc.

o Peace Tree Farms

o Sunbelt Greenhouses

o Tanasacre Nursery

o Wenke Greenhouses

Carolina Nurseries, one of the four founding members of the Novalis® consortium, and Armstrong Growers, an existing Novalis® network member, will continue to grow plant material for the Plants that Work® perennial and shrub-based programs but will now, additionally, grow color bedding plant varieties for the brand.

The Plants that Work® by Color™ program was brought into existence to provide independent retailers and professional landscapers with a fully comprehensive package of plant material and regional sourcing from a collective premium product supplier. The addition of the growers will lead to more abundant and diverse plant selections for creating and maintaining a range of landscapes in all parts of the country.

Furthermore, the Novalis® consortium has added Bailey Nurseries, one of the most preeminent growers in the country, to its network whereas the nursery will grow perennial and shrub selections that are part of Plants that Work®. This new addition extends the consortium’s promise of horticultural excellence and regional product availability for independent retailers, professional landscapers, municipalities, and others.

“This is an exciting time for the Novalis® network of growers and the independent garden centers that sell Plants that Work®,” said J. Guy, manager of Novalis®. “We wholeheartedly welcome the new growers who have joined the consortium and are honored to have them in the network. With the latest addition of Bailey Nurseries and the new Plants that Work® by Color™ program growers, Novalis® is moving into a new era of providing a truly all-encompassing brand of varieties for virtually anyone in need of premium plant material.”

More about Plants that Work® by Color™

The Plants that Work® by Color™ program is the most impressive expansion to date of the overall Plants that Work® line, bringing world-class genetics to gardeners in a rainbow of color and form. In spring of 2008, retailers and homeowners will have new and unique options for year-round color, with more than 150 varieties that make spectacular beds, borders and containers.

A major goal of the Plants that Work® by Color™ program is to provide independent garden centers with a new and unique manner of merchandising with plants organized and displayed by basic groups of color, presented with custom-designed packaging, signage and retail benching. The program is backed with a strategic, in- and out-of-store brand-marketing agenda.

“We knew that by growing and distributing Plants that Work® by Color™ regionally, we could ensure retail-ready delivery and optimum garden performance in particular areas,” said Tom Kegley, marketing director of Novalis®.

The Plants that Work® by Color™ offerings, along with hundreds of other robust and branded plants from the Novalis® network, are cultivated to accentuate outdoor living, provide solutions for novice and expert gardeners, and address consumer high-demand for new collections of unparalleled variety and quality in every region of the country.

– Sally

Novalis Recognized for Show Booth and Marketing Efforts at 2007 OFA

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Novalis, the national grower consortium responsible for the Plants that Work brand, was recently honored with two awards at this year’s OFA trade show in Columbus, OH.

Left: Delilah Onofrey, J. Guy, Novalis, Sara Tambascio, and Jim Frederick, Landmark Plastic. Novalis won the Medal of Excellence Marketer of the Year Award.

First, Novalis was recognized for its marketing efforts by receiving the Meister Media/ Greenhouse Grower Medal of Excellence for Marketing. The wonderful folks over at Meister provided a great evening and awards reception, including video presentations for all award nominees. The Medal of Excellence Awards are being called “the Oscars of the industry”. We certainly enjoyed it.

One the last day of the show, Novalis was awarded the “Best Booth” award by Branch-Smith Publishing. They were excited and honored for the recognition and encouragement from many within the industry. At the show, we heard comments like this from attendees and exhibitors alike:
 “It’s a tree house.”
 “You can’t call that a ‘booth’.”

“I went to bed in Ohio and woke up in Charleston.”


The Novalis booth at OFA.

– Sally