Find out the winners of the 2026 TPIE Cool Products Awards

From the TPIE Create stage deep in the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, The Garden Center Group Managing Director Danny Summers and Service Provider Tim Quebedeaux presented the show’s annual Cool Products Awards for 2026.

This year, among wild houseplants, the garden retailer judges of The Garden Center Group who chose the winners from the show floor also included a new pot, potting soil and a gadget to keep the green clean.

Here are the 15 winners, in alphabetical order by company:

Natural Soil Booster, Banana Bloom

All photos courtesy of The Garden Center Group

The origin of Banana Bloom starts in Nicaragua, where Banana Bloom founder Christopher Curzon started a banana farming operation to help support the local community. After falling in love with the banana plant, Curzon wondered what to do with the fibrous biomass from post-harvest plants. Some experimentation resulted in Banana Bloom, made from the trunks of banana trees. Billed as a sphagnum and coconut coir replacement, the company says the Natural Soil Booster can retain moisture and easily be rewetted after drying, requiring no additives to keep the moisture-retaining properties.

Dirt Bag, Coco Bag and Sphag Bag, BWH Plant Co

Visit BWH Plant Co's website, and you’ll see that the acronym stands for Better With Houseplants. But that hasn’t always been the case. A look at its award-winning Dirt Bag, Coco Bag and Sphag Bag houseplant soil and mix-ins reveals an Easter egg. On the side of the bright packaging is a little badge that reveals the company's original name: "Bros With Hoes." It’s all part of the branding and identity that made garden center owners gravitate to the product at this year’s TPIE.  

Blue Oil Fern (Microsorum thailandicum), Casa Flora

The Blue Oil Fern offers a bright blue shimmering hue on its spreading, sword-like leaves. It’s a striking plant — its unique color comes from microscopic leaf structures rather than pigment — but it's also an accidental success story. The Blue Oil Fern, which is native to the shaded understories of Southeast Asian rainforests, had been sitting in the Casa Flora greenhouse for years until someone wondered if it could be propagated and sold. The result is sure to be a desired addition to any plant lover’s home. 

Scindapsus Blue Albo, Costa Farms

A unique quality about Scindapsus Blue Albo from Costa Farms is that the tropical wonder can act as both a climber and a spiller. Early growth can be trained to vine high and mature to an almost tree-like habit. Then, new growth can be allowed to spill its lovely green leaves with their creamy variegation over the side of the pot. The end result is both thrills and spills for the indoor plant enthusiast. 

Scindapsus coriaceus Variegated, Costa Farms

Like its Blue Albo cousin, Scindapsus coriaceus can also climb or spill. Costa says that it’s a beginner-friendly plant that thrives in typical indoor conditions. It’s distinct from Costa’s other award-winning Scindapsus in that the variegation is a neon green that cuts through the contrasting dark green.  

Nepenthes Midnight, Deroose Plants

Deroose won a TPIE Cool Products Award in 2024 for a monster Nepenthes that the company claimed grew big enough in the wild that it could eat rats. It was truly an amazing pitcher plant. This year's offering, Nepenthes Midnight, is not as big, but it captured judges' attention as a nearly midnight black-hued carnivore. While Deroose Managing Director Paul Deroose admitted he doesn’t think it’s the most attractive plant, it is a goth gardener's dream and a perfect fit for Morticia Addams' greenhouse.

Michaelmoelleria Sapphire, Dewar Nurseries

While the Michaelmoelleria Sapphire is related to African violets, there’s not too much an African violet grower might recognize. The broad leaves are variegated with a mottled light green pattern, and the plant produces delicate tube-like purple flowers. It is a monotypic genus, meaning this is the only species in the genus, which was created in 2020 just for this plant. The plant was supplied by Altman Plants and will be available through Dewar.

Trellises, Propagation Design Vases and more, Floratrel

Floratrel is an offshoot of a lighting business focused on the craft market. As the company experimented with other ways to use its laser-cut bamboo products, it became clear that houseplant products would be a fine fit. The Floratrel trellises aren’t the most unique on the market, but options like propagation vases nestled in laser-cut frames bring a new idea to the market.

Leaf Sweep Plant Cleaning Tool, GOHA

The Leaf Sweep looks simple enough: essentially a pair of tongs that allows for cleaning of both side of a plant leaf simultaneously. But that simplicity hides additional complexity. Not only can it be operated with a single hand, the modular cleaning ends can be swiveled to clean broad leaves, one side can be removed for precision in tight spaces and the pads can be cleaned and switched between washable dry and wet versions. It’s a clever tool to keep plants shiny.  

Dude Garden Gnome, Henri Studio

Henri Studio’s whimsical garden gnomes now include a blissed-out beach bum with no detail spared. The behatted happy horticulturist is in a pair of shades and flashing a "hang loose" hand gesture as a crab attempts to tug on his swim shorts. He’s shirtless and in flip-flops, guaranteeing he won’t get service at the local convenience store. And in an attempt to keep him grounded in character, he even has what the makers call “a little back fat.”

Root Pruning Pots, Naked Root

The idea of air pruning has long been a staple in the nursery space. Now Naked Root brings the idea of air pruning to home plant growers. The root pruning pots leave plenty of room for air between the root ball and the pot walls, meaning that drainage will be optimal and the potential for overwatering and root rot can be a thing of the past.

Philodendron Fat Boy Variegated, Penang Nursery

This Philodendron martianum is known for its thick, swollen petioles (stems) and glossy, variegated leaves that grow in a rosette form. Each leaf is unique — splashed with shades of cream, lime and deep green, creating an almost marble-like pattern. It’s a relatively easy-to-care-for plant that can thrive indoors with the right conditions.

Teaspoon and Repotting Soil Pick and Soil Scoop, Sol Soils

After years in the chunky soil game with a variety of sphagnum-free potting soils for houseplants, the folks at Sol Soils have broken into the hard goods game with their first accessories. The scoop allows for perfectly measuring the company's uncommon soils, while a teaspoon and repotting soil pick combo keeps additive measuring precise while keeping mess to a minimum.

Sun Parasol FiredUp Magic Pink, Sun-Fire Nurseries

Long time Suntory Flowers partner Sun-Fire Nurseries has brought new colors to the Sun Parasol line. The first award-winner is FiredUp Magic Pink, which dazzles with tropical flamingo pink hues. The FiredUp series features a new flower form with a flatter pinwheel shape. The Dipladenia hybrid has an upright habit and narrow leaves.

Sun Parasol XP Maui Sunset, Sun-Fire Nurseries

Also from Suntory Flowers partner Sun-Fire Nurseries, Sun Parasol XP Maui Sunset shows tons of flowers that range from reds to oranges based on temperature, creating an almost bicolored sunset effect in a single plant.

Patrick Alan Coleman is editor of Garden Center magazine. Contact him at pcoleman@gie.net.