Cha-ching! (4-4)

Chris Berg, director of marketing at EuroAmerican Propagators, has a simple litmus test for marketing plants -- one that probably should be applied by anyone who markets green goods.

"I recall a conversation I had with one of my mentors very early in my career," Berg said. "Walking through some plant trials with PanAmerican Seed breeder Blair Winner, he was showing me his latest creations, including some rather odd ones."

Blair asked Berg if he liked a particular plant. Berg said he did. Blair then asked Berg if he would buy it. After pausing a moment, Berg answered that he probably wouldn't.

"That was a pivotal conversation during which I realized that as a plant geek it's fun to grow some of the novelty plants in my own garden," Berg said. "However, it's my professional role to find fun plants that will have commercial acceptance by consumer, grower and retailer."

That "commercial acceptance" phrase ... You probably know it as "Cha-ching!"

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