A. 
B. 
C. 
D.
E. 
F. 
The National Lawn & Garden Show in Colorado Springs is a veritable mecca for gardening products. During Tuesday's activities, vendors and buyers spent the day discussing the merits of everything from gloves to rain barrels. There were literally hundreds of new and best-selling items on display, as the two groups used 10-minute appointments to determine if what the vendors were vending might become what the buyers were wanting to buy.
Among the items marketed was a vast collection of containers and related products, many new to the industry. Even some of the "oldies but goodies" had new twists. Today, we'll focus on six items in particular that garden center operators not at the show might like to carry.
A. House Beautiful Services Inc. is new to the U.S. gardening scene and is marketing a clever, decorative self-watering planter that comes in a variety of colors. This will be especially appealing to urban or patio gardeners who don't want to be tied to plant maintenance but would love to have beautiful plants.
B. The Aria Vertical EroScape from EvoOrganic is billed as "the next-generation vertical plant system." It has a guaranteed water-tight design that is easy to install, and it features 6-inch plant openings that accommodate direct planting or bio pots to create a beautiful vertical garden.
C. Vermont Post Planters can be attached to standard posts on decks, porches, balconies, fences, signs, mailboxes and the "proverbial other." They are available in dark green, white and terra cotta and in two sizes, 10 inches x 6 inches and 15 inches x 9 inches.
D. The Earthbox, a huge hit among gardeners, has taken a welcome evolutionary turn -- it features a rolling model that can be easily transported, even when full. This is another self-watering plant container that has proven to be ideal for tomatoes and other vegetables, as well as colorful flowers.
E. Not a container, per se, but a welcome addition to anyone who has had to try to water a Christmas tree container, the Water-Scope from TweezLight fits into the tree stand and extends to edge of the tree, where it serves not only as a user-friendly way to keep the tree watered, but it has a decorative "head" that looks like a tree ornament.
F. The Flip Flop Flower Pot allows your customer to arrange several containers in an eye-catching "flip flop" manner. They can show off a variety of flower arrangements with this setup, which is ideal for patios, porches and decks.
Check in again Thursday for another product-laden report as the NLGS continues from the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Colorado Springs. The next update will focus on birding and nature products.