As small businesses shake off the cold weather sales slumps, and welcome sunnier temperatures, it’s time to consider capitalizing on the outdoor earning potential of patio furniture. Expanding your patio furniture offerings could drive profits and set your garden center apart from the big-box stores. We talked to three retail garden centers that are successful in selling outdoor furniture for their best-practice tips, along with the latest trends and display tricks.

Jessica Salisbury, CEO and creative director at Village Green Home & Garden in Rockford, Illinois, says that her IGC started selling patio furniture more than 30 years and hasn’t looked back since. In fact, patio furniture makes up 51% of Village Green’s business.

Kate Terrell, general manager of Wallace’s Garden Center in Bettendorf, Iowa, says Wallace’s has sold outdoor furniture for nearly 20 years, and it contributes to a decent chunk of profits.

“Last year I think it was probably 10-15% [of profits], which sounds low, but when you add in all those accessory pieces, it’s really a big part of our center and it’s a big part of our merchandising,” she says.

Similarly, AJ Petitti, president of Petitti Garden Centers in the Cleveland, Ohio, area shares that they have been selling patio furniture for more than 15 years, and about 10% of their sales come from this category.

Latest trends

Salisbury says the latest trends she’s noticed are that customers are drawn to neutral tones while accessories provide pops of color. “Pillows, rugs, pottery — that’s where they’re drawing in all of the color, but the base fabric on a lot of the furniture is still in that neutral tone,” she says.

Petitti also says that neural tones are popular with consumers. “Traditional pieces do really well, and accent pillows are still going really strong,” he says. “Cantilever umbrellas have really been picking up steam, too.”

Terrell notes that there is an uptick in sales from furniture made of recycled plastics. People like the fact that it’s made from post-consumer recyclables and, while it is expensive, the materials are durable and weather resistant. Terrell says they’ve experienced a resurgence in natural materials too, such as eucalyptus and teak.

“A lot of people lose their price resistance once they realize, ‘Oh my gosh, I can sit this on my deck and never move it again,’” Terrell says.

Traditionally, Wallace’s best-selling colors are neutral slate gray, chocolate or lighter neutral shades in between. However, a lot of people shy away from white because of the dirt, Terrell says. People with swimming pools tend to buy bright-colored pub set chairs to go around the pool and offering tropical colors like lime green or turquoise are a good way to cater to those people, she says.

Both Salisbury and Terrell agree that fire pits are huge sellers in the Midwest. They help extend the seasons because consumers use them earlier in the spring and later on in the fall.

“People are doing outdoor seating groups, whether it’s sofas, sectionals, chat groups,” Salisbury says. “It’s about cocktailing and conversations and having fun, and that’s usually done around a fire pit.”

Display tips

To ensure your patio furniture offerings are getting the right exposure, it’s crucial to show them off properly. Salisbury, Terrell and Petitti recommend carving out large areas of indoor floorspace specifically set aside for outdoor furniture.

“This is a category that we believe a lot more people should be involved in, but we think it’s definitely a category that people are doing wrong,” Salisbury says. “To make this a category a profitable one, you have to dedicate indoor space to it, rather than outdoor. A lot of people think, ‘Oh, let’s do this outside.’ And it’s not always the best case.”

IGC retailers should dedicate a lot of space to it if it’s a category they want to pursue, which means putting money towards this department. However, the return is worth it, according to these IGCs. Salisbury recommends that retailers focus on creating lifestyle displays so consumers can easily envision how it will look in their yards.

Petitti agrees. “Just bringing in two or three sets isn’t going to do anything for you. It takes some square footage, so you need some room to do the category and do it well,” he says.

At Wallace’s, they focus on what they have in stock, which provides the customer with immediacy. This also provides the customer with incentive to shop small instead of online, which can take weeks of waiting. “We do it differently than a lot of stores in that we sell floor models and we sell stock. We don’t like to special order,” Terrell says.

Price points

Offering outdoor furniture at an array of pricing can help with various budgets.

“We offer everything for every pocketbook. We offer an opening price point, which for us — for like a dining set — would be $1,000. And then our most expensive set is $15,000. That sweet spot is the middle price range, that $2,500 to $3,000 price,” Salisbury says.

For a long time, Terrell says they tried to stick in the middle price points, but had a hard time doing so.

“When we would kind of sacrifice quality for cheaper price points, we personally had a hard time selling it to people because there’s a lot of middle of the road out there in the market,” Terrell says.

She says their real wood or recycled plastic furniture tends to be on the high end of the price point, while their outdoor interiors tend to be middle-of-the-road. They also offer low price point options such as benches. At Petitti, they offer selections between $999 and $7,999, and try not to stray from those points.

Promotions

Events and sales are a good way to promote the category. At Village Green, Salisbury says they promote primarily through events. They host two grilling events, but their biggest promotional event is their spring kick-off sale, where customers can come in and customize all of their furniture.

“They get that at a discount, and that’s a one-time of year sale,” Salisbury says.

Petitti says that they find the most success through discounts, where they start the season at 25% off and then 40% off as the season progress.

“The way our market works, it’s promotionally driven, so we have to start off the season by promoting.” Petitti says.

If you’re thinking about selling this category, Salisbury and Terrell both recommend buying outdoor furniture at Casual Market Chicago, a furniture show in Illinois.

“It is the hub of where all the outdoor furniture comes from. And there are price categories in there for everybody’s budget, there’s opening price points and there is really, really high ticket,” Salisbury says.

To make the category work, Salisbury, Terrell and Petitti recommend going all-in. Dedication and commitment to the category is key to making it a profitable category. “Ambiance is an important part of selling the category, you’ve got to have it in the right place. If you’re going to get in the category, be serious about it,” Petitti says.

If your independent garden center has a landscape design department, you already know that outdoor living is hitting new heights. Interest in outdoor areas as extensions of indoor living spaces has gone from curiosity and hope to expectation and demand. When homeowners drop in on your designers, true outdoor living is likely part of their plan.

But, like everything in this industry, outdoor living is evolving as new homeowners join the ranks and existing homeowners enter new phases of life and outdoor style. And there’s no getting around geography. From plant selection and design to hardscapes and backyard uses, your climate has a lot to say about it all.

To help your IGC stay in step with the latest outdoor living trends, we spoke with four landscape design pros in four regions of the U.S. for the latest news in outdoor rooms and plantings in their zones.

Insights from the Northeast

For clients of Kline Brothers Landscaping in Manahawkin, New Jersey, life on the Jersey Shore revolves around outdoor space. Over the last five years, owner Josh Kline has an increasing emphasis on modern design. “Everything from hardscapes to plants is going for a more modern, contemporary look,” he says.

As part of that shift, Northeast consumers are seeking clean lines created with crisp hedge-like rows of grasses, hydrangeas or crepe myrtle. “Everything’s very linear now. That’s really changing the market. Everything five years ago was more free-form and more lush plantings,” he says.

Tropical transformations, complete with large palm trees, are also trending big in Kline’s region. Never mind that these plants aren’t winter hardy for the area. The Jersey Shore homeowners understand their tropical paradises need to be replanted every year.

Kline’s also seeing interest in native plantings increase among people with ocean front and bay front homes. “They’re going more for the native indigenous plants to the area, like rugosa roses, beach plums and cedar trees. That’s something we’re definitely doing more in our coastal area,” he says.

When it comes to Northeast lawns, the focus is on less grass and more decorative hardscapes. Clients are shying away from pavers, which wear over time. The tide is shifting toward materials like natural stone, travertine or porcelain tile. When clients use pavers, they’re often tumbled, rustic-looking options that tolerate wear and still look good.

Clients are using their outdoor space differently, too. “It used to be just a paver driveway or patio in the backyard. Now it’s the whole outdoor living scene: the swimming pool, the outdoor kitchen, the fire pit, the outdoor shower,” Kline says. Sports and game courts are also hot, from basketball and tennis courts to bocce ball to putting greens, with liner plantings framing it all.

“Our season is very short here. The weather is only good for four to five months for outdoor living, but people are spending a lot more time outside,” Kline says. “I always go and visit my clients afterwards to see if they’re using the space ... I show up and there’s 25 people in the backyard. They’re outside all the time, which is great.”

A Southeast outlook

For Brandon Granger, president of Granger Landscapes in Florence, South Carolina, outdoor living has taken a clear turn toward not just spending time outside but spending time with others. “In our residential projects, we’re seeing a big trend with outdoor spaces and patio areas where people are incorporating features like fire pits to add a much more social aspect to their backyards,” he says.

No single theme seems dominant in plant or hardscape materials or design in the area — other than low-maintenance landscapes, which Granger says everyone wants. Instead, clients are heavily influenced by the style of their homes, their neighborhoods and their lot sizes.

When it comes to plant selections, Granger’s clients want plants they’re familiar with through influential marketing efforts and consumer magazines. Encore azaleas are one popular example. “The things that people are aware of is what they want to see and are more likely to buy,” he says.

While design themes vary considerably, Granger says that doesn’t diminish the demand for personalization of outdoor living spaces, often enhances by hardscape product choices more than plants. Demand for concrete pavers has grown as product options have increased. “People like the uniqueness of this product that they can have different designs and different textures implemented in their patios,” he says. “Then there’s such a good selection of colors and textures that you can incorporate.”

For Granger’s Southeast customers, it comes back to usability. “Our clients are more interested in having the hardscaping and having a real outdoor space. It’s more of a usable area and not just a backyard with grass and bushes,” he says. “We try to tailor the designs based on their outdoor living needs.”

West Coast wisdom

Daly identifies the use of straight lines as a key trend. “Everybody used to want all these very organic lines in their backyard — stone patios and garden beds that were curvilinear and not rectilinear,” he says. But while curved lines are beautiful, Daly says straight lines cost less and are more usable in terms of plants, furniture and features. “Straight lines are definitely taking hold on the industry on both coasts,” he says.

The swing toward leaner, cleaner modern looks reflects a shift away from diverse gardens with four-season blooms. “This more modern outlook on landscaping is using less variety of plant species,” Daly says. Rather than 15 species, it might be five species or five cultivars of the same species. “Softer, more wispy plantings with grasses are a lot more popular because they’re lower maintenance, plus they can cover a lot more space,” he says.

While drought affects Californians more than Virginians, Daly sees less demand for lawn. “Usually it starts as a conversation of people wanting to do it for the earth, but when you get into the nuts and bolts, it comes down to people wanting to specifically spend less on water,” he says.

Similarly, permeability in hardscape surfaces is a leading concern. “What you’re seeing now is a movement away from natural stone,” Daly says. “People are starting to lean a little bit more toward manufactured paving products because they’re permeable and they let water through.” He adds that many California municipalities regulate the ratios of pervious to impervious hardscapes for the sole purpose of stormwater conservation.

Daly advocates for fewer outdoor features, such as kitchens, that duplicate indoor rooms nearby. He also urges clients to take a long-term view on outdoor living design. “Younger parents, say 35 to 45 years old, want to be the hotspot. They want to be that house where all the friends come over,” he says. He reminds parents that children are like plants: They grow and have different needs. “That climbing wall for your 14-year-old won’t look very attractive tomorrow,” he says.

A Rocky Mountain overview

As founder and president of Ivy Street Design, Wendy Booth works with a climate peers outside her region may envy. Her Denver, Colorado, home base offers outdoor living enthusiasts warm, dry, relatively bug-free backyards three seasons of the year. “We have a really nice climate for a lot of outdoor living,” she says. “People are adding the amenities and additional elements to make that outdoor space pleasant.”

Booth sees consumer preferences trending toward clean, modern lines in hardscapes, outdoor décor and design. Development of new hardscape materials that stand up to Colorado’s freeze-thaw cycles has expanded client choices from brick, concrete and stone to outdoor-hardy porcelain tiles.

“It’s just added a significantly more trendy-looking design material to our palette that really addresses more of the upper end of the market,” she says. These materials often accompany outdoor re-creations of multiple indoor spaces. Separate outdoor seating areas for couches, chairs and dining tables cohabitate with fire features, retractable shade structures, misters, built-in grills and outdoor TVs.

When it comes to plant preferences and selection, Booth notes a conundrum that she hopes garden centers and landscape designers can work together to solve through education, signage and other avenues.

Interest in linear, highly controlled landscapes continues to grow, yet clients often don’t realize the resources required to sustain that modern aesthetic — or reconcile desires for tight rows of Calamagrostis with pollinator and wildlife habitat.

“Horticulturally it’s such a mixed bag because everybody’s talking about pollinators and biodiversity and all these things which are super important, but then they want a modern look and a tree that doesn’t drop anything,” she says. “There’s this conflicted role of wanting to be environmental but not wanting the consequences of a more biodiverse yard.”

For plant-centric clients interested in native plantings and biodiversity, Booth and her team turn to local IGCs. “We really appreciate the role of garden centers in exposing plant-oriented clients to a wider range of horticulture options,” she says. “In trying to create more environmentally responsible landscapes, locally owned garden centers have an enormous role to play in it. They’re so important.”

As these perspectives from across the country suggest, the evolution of America’s outdoor living spaces will continue to roll. By staying in tune with trends in and out of your region, your IGC can help consumers create outdoor spaces where they can live, learn and grow.

The author is a freelance writer specializing in horticulture-related industries. Reach her at jolene@lovesgarden.com.

Garden retailers and judges nominated more than 60 products in this year’s Cool Product Awards at the Tropical Plant International Expo. Organized by The Garden Center Group, the Cool Product Awards includes 17 products from 15 companies. Here’s a quick look at the 2020 winners.

Zamioculcas varigated ZZ Plant

from Aroid Greenhouses

This selection of ZZ plant exhibited the largest amount of variegation the judges had seen. Aroid was awarded a second award for its sansaveria m. ‘Whale Fin’ Snake Plant in a mottled light/dark green andvariegated stripe.

Hanging rooster planter

from Birdplanter

The Rooster follows the original Parrot design, which was awarded last year. The combination of its bright, fun look and sturdy design was a hit with the retail judges.

Dracaena ‘Harvest Moon’

from Capri Farms

This newly patented selection of Dracaena has a very dramatic color effect with bright yellow foliage and thin green vertical bands. Availability for retailers will likely be spring 2021.

Aglaonema ‘SRA’

from Costa Farms

This Southeast Asian native is one of the reddest and most colorful aglaonema ever found. Its green highlights make the colors pop even more. Availability of this new selection will most likely be in 2021.

Codiaeum variegatum ‘Thai Dye’ Series Croton

from ForemostCo

This series features crazy shapes and colors and currently includes four different combinations: Twisted, Gnarly, To the Max and Tubular. They are scheduled for availability in 2021.

Schaueria calytricha ‘Yellow Dancer’ Golden Plume

from Island Tropical Foliage

This selection of Golden Plume features a glossy deep green foliage with a large number of soft yellow blooms.

Kokedamas

from Kazumi Garden

Judges were attracted to the creative color twine Kazumi Garden added to their Kokedamas.

Zamioculcas zamiifolia ‘Nova Star’ ZZ Plant

from Deroose Plants

This selection of ZZ plant features extremely dark green, almost black at times, foliage.

CARicature Collection

from Eve’s Garden

This new collection of mini gardens is a flashback to the ‘60s when a bug van, beetle and scooters were all the rage.

Alocasia odora ‘Variegata’

from Excelsa Gardens

This selection of Alocasia has extreme levels of variegation. The dark green and creamy yellow contrast produces an eye-catching color.

Cheers Mini Garden Wine Bottle

from Flori-Design

This specially designed multi- level wine bottle lifts off at the top half to allow for watering. Flori-Design’s lighted mini garden lantern was also a winner, featuring a battery-powered light in the top and a carry handle.

TrendSetter Collection

LiveTrends Design Group

From tie-dye to comic-based graphics these containers are host to a variety of plants.

Selaginella uncinata ‘Rainbow Peacock’ Fern

from Morning Dew Tropical Plants

Also known as rainbow moss, this plant’s delicate foliage shows a “peacock-like” blueish color when the light is at the right angles

Ficus lyrata Fiddle-Leaf Fig

from Railroad Nursery

This selection being grown by Railroad Nursery features one of the most upright habits the judges have seen. It has the typical leaf size and color but as you can see in this photo, leaves point upward and reportedly maintain a very upright stature.

Free-Form Artisan Collection

from The Urban Jungle

This new collection provides a soothing feeling with a combination of sizes, shapes and plant varieties, all in a hand-turned terracotta clay. During the awards presentation, The Urban Jungle shared their ideas for this collection as being one to help bring a sense of calmness at the end of a hectic day.

A quick search for “DIY weddings” proves how many brides are interested in creating lovely but inexpensive marriage ceremonies and receptions. Pinterest and Instagram are filled with ideas and naturally, many of those inspiring photos are connected with plants and gardens. Garden centers are clearly poised to profit from this trend with plants, products and services.

Pre-wedding consultations

Many brides and their families are planning to hold a wedding or rehearsal dinner in their backyard, and these folks start planning well in advance. Be sure that your IGC website lists consultation services for such events. Our customers need advice about adding plants that will be in bloom for the wedding, growing their own cutting flowers and dressing up their landscape in advance of the big day.

Some of these clients need to hear an experienced voice tell them that counting on perennial plants or shrubs to flower by a particular date can be risky. They need to know that weather conditions can substantially change flowering times, so planning for last minute additions of annuals might be a better plan. Once the wedding date is decided, you can share what annuals are likely to be available and make plans to order them for that period.

Customers also need ideas for air conditioning and utility screening, bar placement and ceremony seating orientation, so come prepared to talk through the entire event. For example, many of our clients aren’t aware of where the sun rises and sets in relation to their gardens, so it’s understandable that they haven’t considered this when it comes to the wedding or rehearsal dinner.

They need our experienced eyes to point out that for an evening wedding, it is not ideal for the guests or happy couple to be squinting into a setting sun.

Be prepared to discuss topics such as backgrounds for wedding photos, possible sources of unwanted noise and turning off lawn irrigation two or three days before the event. Write a plan-ahead checklist for DIY brides and their families and include your IGC’s list of services on that worksheet.

Make-and-take decorations

Living table arrangements are popular since they can be taken home and grown on as container gardens or houseplants. Be they low pots of succulents, bonsai trees, or bowls planted with flowering annuals, there is a planter style for every wedding reception.

Succulents are also popular for boutonnieres and bouquets, either alone or combined with flowers. Invite wedding parties to come and create their own with your instructions. They can also learn how to pot the plants and grow them on or after the big day.

Got pallets?

Most IGCs have stacks of pallets on hand, and these are currently popular for a variety of uses.

Search on Pinterest to see how pallets can be painted with a schedule of the wedding day’s events, used for holding table assignments, or even made into a rustic bar for pre-wedding beverages.

If you’ve got the resources, time and artistically talented employees, your IGC might offer to customize pallets with text or designs.

Pallets can be attached together with door hinges to create screening or signage for outdoor weddings. Since newer and stronger pallets will be useful in the future, have your staff separate the best ones for storage under cover.

Arches and chuppahs

IGC’s can offer arbors and arches for wedding rentals or supply the branches and poles for a couple to construct their own. Some IGCs keep take-apart structures made of bamboo poles or copper/PVC pipes on hand for outdoor weddings, and they will set these up onsite for a fee.

Renting plants

Most IGCs get calls about borrowing or renting plants, so it’s smart to have a policy about this well in advance of inquiries. Decide in advance what the fee per day will be. It’s prudent to ask for a credit card and ring up a suspended sale for the retail price of the plants; that can be processed should the plants not be returned or come back damaged.

Since plants often get injured while in transport, think about making your delivery and pickup a requirement when plants are loaned. Knowing what makes a saleable plant, your staff is much more likely to be careful with the stock when it’s in transit. Put all this in writing so that it can be handed to those who inquire about plant rentals or downloaded from your website.

Just as weddings are usually planned months in advance, IGCs too, should plan ahead about what they can offer for these events. Make a list of your services and pricing. When you assist in a wedding or rehearsal dinner, be sure to take photos of the plants, projects and planning that you’ve provided.

Post these pictures on your own website and social media pages. Make your IGC the go-to location for DIY wedding assistance.

C.L. Fornari is a speaker, writer and radio/podcast host who has worked at Hyannis Country Garden, an IGC on Cape Cod, for more than 20 years. She has her audiences convinced that C.L. stands for “Compost Lover.” Learn more at www.gardenlady.com