Jul 24, 2012

The Rise of Fairy Gardening

It’s now been a full week since OFA Short Course. I hope those of you who attended are finally recovered and back to business as usual.

I know we say this every year – the attitude was great among exhibitors and attendees, and the mood was upbeat. But honestly, this year just seemed so much busier and more positive than years past. I feel like breeders, growers and retailers are all trying new things and aren’t as hesitant to try out something they would have otherwise seen as risky.

New trends are popping up throughout the industry, and growers are getting really excited. One trend that stood out in particular was fairy gardening. For the first time ever, Fairy Gardening Inc. set up a booth at Short Course and, from what I hear, the company welcomed tremendous reception from show attendees.

For those of you unfamiliar with Fairy Gardening Inc., the company just introduced a new line of Fairy Flowers. Plants in this line have been individually selected because they naturally stay small or can be trimmed to stay tiny. They thrive as outdoor plants in the height of growing season and as indoor plants the remainder of the year.

According to Emily Sorensen, co-owner of Fairy Gardening Inc., “There has a been a lot of interest in miniature plants. Our feeling was that we can be a one-stop shop. Growers can make one phone call and get one collection of plants that are well branded and well grown.”

One tip for growers new to fairy gardening: “It is very important to make sure you incorporate plants that mimic a real landscape. We have groundcovers that mimic grass, shrubs that imitate bushes, trailing plants and tree-like plants,” shared Sorensen.

If you’re thinking about adding these exciting new plants to your production, pre-finished Fairy Flowers are currently available exclusively through Michell’s. If you stopped at the Michell’s booth during Short Course, there’s no way you could miss the attention-grabbing Fairy Gardening display.

I spoke with Michell’s Regional Sales Representative Jim Devereux, and he was very surprised with the attention the program has received. “This was the busiest OFA Short Course we’ve had in a long time. We got many first-time customers, and many of our current customers will be adding Fairy Flowers to their programs.”

“It’s nice to have a cohesive program that is easy for everybody. And with the marketing behind it, it fills a void in the industry.”

What are your thoughts on fairy gardening? Will you be adding miniature plants to your production if you haven’t already? Shoot me an e-mail at jdolce@greatamericanpublish.com. I’d love to hear from you.

– Jasmina