Promotion on a stick: Display stakes

Over the past decade nurseries have become more serious about their plant tags. It’s a way to help their product stand out from the competition.

Only these tags didn’t truly stand out if they were hidden in plant foliage. Now growers are placing their colorful labels on the ends of display stakes, raising their visibility above the plant canopy.

Here’s a look at what several nurseries are doing with these tags-on-a-stick programs.

Shrubbe

Berry Family of Nurseries, headquartered in Tahlequah, Okla., introduced the Shrubbe line. In the words of the company, “Shrubbe plants are a unique collection of designer shrubs that add a sense of style to your landscape -- a certain flair. More blooms, striking colors and different shapes are just some of the features offered in this distinctive collection.”

The tags have a sophisticated appeal and almost a European design. They’re attached to black, 11-inch stakes that lock into corresponding pots printed with the Shrubbe logo.

The back of the label has extensive planting instructions in English and Spanish. Flipping open these large tags, consumers find descriptions of the shrub cultivar and a table showing hardiness, flower time, average size, light needs and water requirements (also in English and Spanish). There’s an additional 4 1/8-by-3 1/2-inch photo of the plant on the inside of the tag.

For more: Berry Family of Nurseries, (918) 456-7174; fax (918) 456-7152.

Celebrated Plants

Wagner Hort in Mount Pleasant, S.C., is a firm specializing in releasing new plants through a group of licensed growers. It has several plant collections it’s promoting, including one called Celebrated Plants -- a line of drought-tolerant groundcovers.

The tags tout the plants as more durable and more adaptable and that they require less work and less water. “Tough Plants” is stamped on the diamond-shaped, orange tags.

The backs of the labels, which are connected to green stakes, include a photo of the plant and detailed plant information. A Web site, www.celebratedplants.com, directs consumers to more information and details on Wagner Hort’s other collections.

For more: Wagner Hort, (843) 849-1272; info@wagnerhort.com.

Gardener’s Confidence Collection

McCorkle Nurseries in Dearing, Ga., is promoting its Gardener’s Confidence Collection with very large tags measuring 7 1/4 inches tall and 5 inches wide. But unfolded they reach 13 inches tall with a die-cut arch at the top. A trademarked tagline of the program is “A garden you can count on.”

The program is designed to show gardening doesn’t have to be a difficult or a time-consuming chore. The inside of the tag reads, “We are gardeners ourselves, and that’s why we understand that time in the garden should be spent enjoying the view and rejoicing in the growth, not struggling with a non-performer or spraying endlessly. If a plant doesn’t perform, it shouldn’t be on the market.”

Consumers are asked to visit www.gardenersconfidence.com for more information.

The back of the tag includes cultural needs and planting instructions. The inside of the tag also includes a detailed plant description, color photo and even a preview of plants that will be released through Gardener’s Confidence in 2008. The Glowing Horizons loropetalum tag tells consumers to watch for Little Rose Dawn and Carolina Moonlight loropetalums next year, and includes small photos of both.

For more: McCorkle Nurseries, (800) 572-2874; www.mccorklenurseries.com.

Plants That Work

Novalis’ Plants That Work program may win the prize for the tallest pot-locking display stakes. They measure a whopping 19 inches long.

The front of the tag features full-bleed photos of the plant varieties. The plant name is printed large so that it stands out.

The back of the tag has another, smaller photo and a detailed plant description. A series of icons explains the required sun exposure, spacing, average height and width, cold hardiness and water requirements.

Consumers are also asked to visit www.plantsthatwork.com.

For more: Novalis, (888) 845-1988; www.novalis.com.

Plants for Texas

Magnolia Gardens Nursery in Waller, Texas, has a new Plants for Texas program with the tagline “ Texas born, Texas tested for Texas gardens.” Plants in the program are specifically designed to thrive in the state’s difficult growing conditions.

The tags state the plants are “Tough as a Texas summer” and “available only at independent garden centers in Texas.”

The plant tags look like a wanted poster from the old West. They’re 5 inches high and 4 inches wide and feature four-color printing on the front and one-color printing on the back.

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For more: Magnolia Gardens Nursery, (800) 931-9555; www.magnoliagardensnursery.com.

- Todd Davis