An unapologetic plant geek shares advice and opinions on gardening, the contrived and the natural landscape, as well as occasional topics from the other side of the gate.

January 5, 2014

Old Habits

      Even though I have not worked retail for nearly a year and a half (and glad of it), I still like to visit garden centers. I have also not entirely made the the transition to Joe customer from someone who is comparing prices, making notes of display ideas to "borrow", looking at labels for sources, gauging customer/employee interaction or wondering about gross profit margins. This summer on the way back from Longwood I stopped at Terrain in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. I have read about this place in trade magazines and have seen some posts from other bloggers, so I knew not to expect anything ordinary. From the front entrance to the cashier's counter, every square foot of this place is über designed with a careful eye. Given that Terrain stores are one part of the Urban Outfitters empire, this attention to style should not be a surprise.

     Pulling in, this was the view from my parking spot. The tall red plant (giving me the finger or saying the customer was #1) was probably some type of Amaranthus (possibly 'Tower Red') and I think the blue plant was Agastache (possibly 'Blue Fortune').
Front Entrance - Amaranth and Agastache

     Still in the parking lot there was a living, or green wall on display. This one had some unusual choices in it, including some species of sumac. It was the first of many unusually displayed plants at Terrain.
Living Walls (1)

Living Walls (3)

Hanging Display

Display Shelf

     As you entered the outdoor area there was a display of Echinacea. I thought it was great marketing to have a handy chart right by all the plants showing the different cultivars, as it seems there are 2 or 3 new coneflowers coming out every week, and it is hard to keep them all straight.  
Echinacea Display (2)

Echinacea Display (1)

     I coveted this log planter...
Log Planter

    ... and this table planter.
Table with Succulent Planter

     In need of a private dinning spot for you and a select group of your friends? There were several spaces at Terrain that could be rented, and their café is a destination in itself, unfortunately I had already eaten.
Barn (1)

Barn (2)

Water Tank

     Inside, there were many very nice things for sale, most of which I was able live without. However, I did gravitate towards a display of martini shakers made from Mason jars (for the classy redneck in me), but when I saw the $48 price tag I backed away quickly so as not to break one.
Inside

     Medinilla magnifica is one of the lucky plants to have its own web site and had a place of honor near the cash register.
Medinilla magnifica (1)

Medinilla magnifica (2)

     Even the area where bags of soils and mulches were kept was classed up by some well done hanging planters.
Hanging Planters

     Looking down from the planters above, I nearly had apoplexy when I saw they were charging $18 for a bale of pine straw. Previously, I thought $8 was criminal, especially when there are people in my neighborhood who are kind enough to put in on the street for me in clear plastic bags. Perhaps it was some sort of rare artisanal pine straw, sustainably harvested and sold at fair trade prices.
The Price of Pine Straw

     I am not sure what I think of Terrain. It is certainly a beautiful place to wander, and I was awed by much of what I saw, and though it is true that plants are sold, to call Terrain a garden center would be somewhat misleading. It appears to be more of a lifestyle center where the restaurant and event rentals bring in as much money, if not more, than traditional garden related items. I would definitively recommend a stop, but personally, when I shop for plants I prefer a garden center run by people with Felcos strapped to their waists and worn, muddy boots on their feet.

33 comments:

  1. Ha! Every now and then it is so nice to visit a clean, immaculately maintained nursery where a gardener can just marvel at how pristine it all looks with no effort. This is a beautiful nursery. The coneflower display is quite impressive too. I always like to learn and appreciate nurseries that value knowledge for its customers. That amaranth sure does look like it is saying the customer is no 1. A pretty combination with the agastache. Happy New Year to you Les!

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    1. Happy new year to you as well Tina. I did indeed enjoy my time at Terrain, and I was glad to see it.

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  2. I always loved log planters, they are so beautiful. The one displayed here is no exception.
    I have an immense old pine in my garden. In mid winter I get the garden recycling bin filled x 3 when I remove the carpet of the needles it drops. Who knew I could go into business selling this stuff...

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    1. Chavliness, I have been eyeing some downed logs in our compost pile at work looking for good planter candidates.

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  3. What an awesome place (and I mean that in the most literal fashion, with emphasis on the 'awe'.) So much to absorb ... but nothing to buy at those prices.

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    1. Actually Connie, the plant prices were mostly in-line with other independent garden centers I have visited, and the plants were also of good size.

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  4. I enjoyed this. I've heard about Terrain but never been to one. Thanks for the preview. Up where I live, pine straw is not easy to come by. Having grown up in the south, I really like its look. Wish I could find a local source. But it won't be Terrain.

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    1. James, around here, people with pine straw can't seem to give it away, and those that don't have it want it. It is my favorite mulch, I like how it looks, it is easy to spread, and it is great in a perennial gardens. The only drawback is that it breaks down quickly.

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  5. Beautiful place to explore but too darn pricey and besides ... they have naughty plants out front !

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    1. Sybil, not all plants can be sweetness and light, that would be boring.

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  6. Some great photos! I've read a lot about Terrain and appreciate adding your voice to the mix. You also introduced me to a phrase I've never heard of before, Pine Straw. And at $18 a pale my brothers and I could have all financed our college education with the quantity of needles/straw we raked as kids.

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    1. Loree, most people here refer to it as pine straw, or pine needles, and like I told James, it is our mulch of choice. Where I am from on the Eastern Shore they are called pine shats. My aunt keeps a meticulous house and garden with not a leaf out of place. Her daughters thought she was particularly obsessive about keeping pine needles, or shats, off of her lawn. So years ago her daughters began calling her Shat-Woman, and the name stuck.

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  7. Thanks for all the free ideas you shared with us, including the prices of artisanal straw!
    Happy New Year!

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    1. Shenandoah, happy new year to you as well, and you are welcome for the tips, though they came from Terrain.

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  8. I am so glad you added Terrain to your Longwood visit! I live in Philadelphia (about 45 minutes away) and always do the same. The cafe is excellent (and very reasonably priced) - I encourage other visitors to come hungry.
    I also like to occasionally shop for plants at Terrain - I find that you get what you pay for. Unique plants that are healthy and vigorous growers. I have a small garden so can splurge on a few special finds! Also, I do think the garden staff knows their stuff (and can be found in muddy boots).
    Other items in the shop are hit or miss, I have some great pots that were reasonably priced, but the furniture all seems exorbitant. A beautiful space to visit, in any case.

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    1. Anonymous, thanks for letting me know about the restaurant. Although what I saw being served looked great, you can never judge by the eye. I am also glad you told me about their employees with muddy boats, I seemed to only encounter people not dressed for work with dirt. And I agree they had good plants..

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  9. Thanks for the realistic tour of Terrain. I follow their website and blog for the details and displays so it was great to see it from your view. Everything was so well done, especially that colorful wall of annuals.

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    1. Shirley, thanks for stopping by. If you ever get a chance to see one of their stores in person, you should definitely go.

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  10. Love the Echinacea display too - we lost our entire collection of Echinacea a few years ago with Isabel flooding, and I haven't had the heart (or the money) to rebuild it.

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    1. Garner, sorry about your collection. All we lost in Isabel was a crapemyrtle and power.

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  11. What a fabulous post. I'm wondering if I can create my own log planter. What a great idea!

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    1. Commonweeder, I plan on stealing that idea.

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  12. Medinilla magnifica is new to me and looks like a cool plant. Interesting place to visit for ideas! Thanks for the tour.

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  13. Outlaw, that flowers were very dramatic, and from what I have read last quite awhile, but I need another plant to bring in the house for winter like a hole in the head.

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  14. This looks like such a wonderful place. Sometimes it is great to run across a nursery that is more like a botanical garden. This looks like one of them and the table log planters are wonderful. Glad you enjoyed and shared!

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    1. Lee, thanks for dropping by, and yes it was a great place to run around.

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  15. I love the Amaranthus giving customers the finger. If this nursery was close by my house I would definitely hang out there a lot. I also love the log planter but it looks really heavy.

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    1. Jason, I think I am going to have to try the Amaranthus here. I know it grows, but I think in our heat it goes to seed rather quickly, so would need replacing for late summer and early fall.

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  16. Thanks for visiting Terrain and giving us the professional report. I think clearly lifestyle not plants is the true product based on what I've read and seen on their web site. My biggest problem with them (as well as Urban Outfillers and Anthropologie which they also own) is that the CEO gives lots of money to homophobic groups and general right wing causes. I am trying to not give him any of my money to use to support such hateful efforts. As a feminist the political is always personal! Hope the rant doesn't offend you. You can pull it if it does.

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    1. Linda, your comment did not offend me, it enlightened me and made me glad I did not part with any money there.

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  17. Les,
    Thank you for the tour of Terrain. I love visiting garden centers as well, usually those more centered around plants and not gifts and stationary. This center reminded me of some in the UK that have little cafes along with garden displays. They are a nice destination for folks who want to have a pleasant outing without parting with much cash.

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  18. I guess it is a way to attract more visitors, specifically people who are not gardeners. It looks like a unique place.

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  19. We have a place exactly like that here--even more so, actually--but it is the over priced do-dads that support the plant sales--as the plants do not provide sufficient profit to keep the doors open. All hail the well-heeled do-dad buyers, unaware they support the scruffy plant-nuts.

    I'm drooling a little over that Medinilla.

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