Bellan International's new rough-stone containers are both light and durable.

The new Stone Lite line of containers from Bellan International is made from stone powder mixed with resin and fiberglass. The result is an attractive rough stone finish on a very light container. Account manager Gary McColeman says the containers feature a drain plug, are waterproof on the inside and UV protected on the outside and can hold up in temperatures down to -4 F.

The containers come in five colors: Aged Black Sandstone, Beige Sandstone, Mocha Sandstone, Old Sandstone and LimeStone. They are created with a steel mold rather than injection molded making them a little more costly, but also much more durable. “Since the finish isn’t painted on, you won’t see problems with scratching or chipping,” he says.

St. Lynn's Press adds several new titles to its line of sustainable gardening books.

Organics, earth-friendly and sustainability are popular considerations with garden center customers that days, but merchandise goes beyond plants, pest control options and fertilizers. St. Lynn’s Press is filling that niche with a series of books perfect for customers looking for some greener reading material to go with their gardening.

“Good Bug, Bad Bug” has been a popular seller for St. Lynn’s, and publisher Paul Kelly has added two new books to the series this year, “Good Weed, Bad Weed” and “Good Mushroom, Bad Mushroom,” in addition to “Eat Your Roses,” which focuses on edible flowers. Also new is an updated version of “The Gardener’s Notebook,” including organic growing tips, grid pages for garden planning and blank ruled pages for a journal.

Kelly says the books are printed on recycled paper using soy ink.

The books retail for a suggested $17.95 and the journals retail for $14.95.

Tip Top Bio-Controls offers beneficial insects for the home garden and compost pile.

Tip Top Bio-Control has been offering biocontrols and supplies on the West Coast for more than 25 years, but is now bringing its retail containers of beneficial insects to garden centers across the country. Consumers can come to the garden center with a pest problem and go home with a carton of ladybugs or preying mantis egg cases to be released in their gardens. Cartons of red worms are also available to help with composting.

Ladybugs remain viable in refrigeration for up to two weeks. The preying mantis eggs will survive up to two months and red worms will last up to a week. Tip Top BioControl ships the predators nationwide by FedEx Second Day or Overnight, depending on the temperature.

Demand has driven a quick turnaround on a new line for this hot trend.

With some garden centers reporting as much as 60 percent of their hardline sales in fairy garden supplies, the trend is definitely on the upswing, and Austram is jumping in. The trellis and hanging basket supplier had been getting attention for its mini arbors from those in the fairy gardening craze, so now Austram is reaching out to that niche with miniature accessories such as miniature powder coated steel gazebos, arbors, obelisks, plant hangers, fencing and trellis work.

The line is featured in Austram's 2011-2012 catalog, which is available right now on the Austram website.

The expanded line helps generate more interest in vertical gardening.

The Woolly Pocket line is expanding, with an avocado green color pocket being added to the line in the next few weeks. The line now includes the natural camel (which will be replaced by the avocado green) and chocolate brown colors and aqua blue. Many gardeners feel that indoor plants are trickier than outdoor since you don't have rain and plenty of natural light to help make flowers a success in the garden. Woolly Pockets are easy to water and help plants breathe.

As for types of plants that do best, Woolly Pockets' Patty Hulme says pothos, philodendron and other lush tropical plants do very well, but she recommends that gardeners form relationships with their local garden centers and rely on them as a source for the best plants for different applications. Regions with good gardening bases but with litttle space to garden, like San Francisco and Philadelphia have been big customers of Woolly Pockets.

And the company wants to see what end users are up to. The Woolly Pockets blog features photos from recent customer projects.

The marketing campaign connects bulb gardening with consumer lifestyles.

The Dig. Drop. Done. campaign's Marcy.

Marcy represents the harried mother with lots of responsibilities and little time. Juliana is a young, urban fashionista without a yard and Evelyn is an empty nester with plenty of gardening experience.

Are you a Marcy, a Juliana or an Evelyn? The Dig. Drop. Done. marketing campaign hopes that consumers will relate to these three personalities, which have been created as part of the campaign to promote the North American flowering bulb market. The Dig.Drop.Done. marketing campaign will hit consumers this summer.

"Dig.Drop.Done signifies the need for simplicity in consumers' lives," says Henk Westerhof, chairman of Anthos, the Royal Trade Association for Nursery Stock and Flower Bulbs, headquartered in Hillegom, the Netherlands. "Expanding this market will require that we fit into their busy lives as they currently exist, not as we want them to be."

The campaign is sponsored by the Dig.Drop.Done Foundation (affiliates of Anthos), the International Flower Bulb Centre (promotional organization for Dutch flower bulb growers and traders), and Scheepvaart Commissie (Dutch export reserve fund).

The campaign also highlights how easy it is to garden with bulbs. "The misperception is that bulbs are difficult and time consuming, and that needs to be remedied," says Peter Mitchell, president and CEO of Woodbine, the Winston-Salem, N.C., brand revitalization agency that created the campaign.

For more details on the campaign and Marcy, Juliana and Evelyn, visit their YouTube channel or visit DigDropDone.com.
 

See all the new stuff we saw at Short Course.

More than 500 companies will be exhibiting on the OFA Short Course trade show floor. Take a look at the new products that caught our eye here.