To MANTS For Plants

Yesterday, several of us from work drove up to Charm City for the day to attend the annual Mid Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS). This event is sponsored by the nursery and landscape associations of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and is one of largest regional shows under one roof. Here the nursery industry gathers to show its wares to garden centers, landscapers and each other. Although there were people selling pottery, garden accessories, power equipment, software and such; it is mainly a very plant centered show with close to 900 different vendors. It seemed that each of the spaces on the floor of the massive Baltimore Convention Center was full, but unfortunately there was more than plenty of room in the aisles and the people looking were outnumbered by the people selling. All the national heavy hitters were there like Monrovia, Jackson and Perkins, Proven Winners, Ball Horticulture and others, as well as many more regional players, and in addition to many small family owned businesses. I got to see a few new plant introductions, caught up with old acquaintances and picked up several hundred pounds of catalogs.

Usually shows like this are a good way to take the pulse of the industry and to see what may be any up and coming trends. The good news is that there will be no overall shortage of plants this year. Wholesale growers are sitting on mountains of inventory, and the of deals, special offers and price reductions were flying around the cavernous hall. Hopefully these savings will also show up in the garden centers. Many of the growers are taking excess inventory right from the pots to the compost piles and are starting fresh with new crops. There were also several booths advertising "going out of business" sales. Like many sectors of the economy, nurseries have been cutting costs and limiting spending wherever they can with the hopes that things are slowly getting better, but I think it will be a while before the happy dances can begin again.

Although there were many plant vendors at MANTS, I did not see too many new trees or shrubs. Some were showing a new Redbud with orange new growth maturing to chartreuse (I am glad the flowers will be gone when this one leafs out). The number of new hydrangeas is about to multiply again, particularly the re-bloomers. Abelia cultivars are also expanding, but to the point I can't tell the difference. Most of the new stuff seemed to be in the world of perennials, annuals and tropicals. The proliferation of Heucheras continues unabated and the breeding of Hellebores is producing more results. One trend I saw a lot of is the increased number of tender succulents and other exotics that are now being offered. Another big trend that I think is more ground-up, customer driven - is the new emphasis on edibles, and many formally strictly ornamental nurseries are now offering fruits and vegetables.

Calthea crocata

Coleus remain hot.

Assorted Heucheras

This nursery always displays their plants like pieces of art and always includes an enormous arrangement of cut branches from the plants they grow.

This company sells "vintage" plant material, some of which might come with a pedigree. The boxwoods on the back wall were easily 12' tall.

Candy Store Series Phlox

Kalanchoe 'Magic Bells'

Agave x humilis 'Hedgehog'

Aloe variegata

Back at work today, I spent the better part of the day sorting through all my catalogs to learn more about new discoveries, looking for deals, seeing what I think I can sell this spring and generally avoiding the bitter weather outside.

(If you would like to see more of what I saw at MANTS, you can visit a slideshow on my Flickr page. And as always, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have received no compensation for anything mentioned in this post, but I am always open for negotiation.)