With their rich array of colours, gorgeous flowers and wide varieties, pelargoniums offer many different display opportunities that creative retailers can use to stunning effect in store.
From cottage-dwelling families in the countryside to urban apartment dwellers with limited space, pelargoniums can be styled to in a way that suits the space they have available. Here the experts at Pelargonium for Europe look at six ways to present pelargoniums to attract different customers.
With their romantic ruffles and endlessly pretty blossom, pelargoniums are a natural favourite for country-loving cottage owners. Show these enthusiastic gardeners how natural terracotta planters placed on steps, outside doors or in strategic decorative positions will make their cottage look chocolate-box perfect in the height of summer.
Outdoor dining is a much-loved way to spend summer events for those with gardens, patios and balconies, so show them how amazing their al fresco tables will look with a little bit of help from our favourite flowering beauties. Or maybe they’ve got a picket fence that’s crying out for some floral decoration?
Tip: When sharing pictures to social media add #cottagecore #bloomcore and #folklorefloral #Pelargonsjuka tags to show how these flowers tap into the hottest trends. This consumer group is also likely to include a lot of keen cooks and bakers, so inspire them in cafes and restaurants with cakes or salads which include edible pelargoniums.
Not everyone has the luxury of a lawn but urban apartment dwellers also have the opportunity to beautify their living space with pelargoniums. Large standing planters can be tucked strategically into sheltered and sunny spots on a balcony or small pots used to decorate tables, whilst hanging baskets and narrow oblong planters can be kept inside a south-facing window, out of draughts.
Show these novice gardeners how to fill their pots with self-cleaning, trailing pelargoniums, which will help bring a joyful, sunny vibe to even the greyest of rooms. Make sure they understand about optimum feeding and watering, guiding them towards self-watering planters that will help their plants take care of themselves.
This will bring you multiple cross-merchandising opportunities of growing media, fertiliser, pots and plant accessories.
Tip: People who are first time plant parents will benefit greatly from a bit of care advice, as nothing will be more heartening than sad, droopy or dying flowers.
Those in favour of minimalist interiors might not immediately think of pelargoniums as the ideal decoration for their home, but these stunning single-colour flowers are perfect for bringing the outdoors indoors. These plants thrive just as well on kitchen windowsills, in living rooms and atop dining tables as they do in the garden or on balconies, providing retailers with a perfect opportunity to capture houseplant lovers as well as the traditional plant area shoppers.
Use modern premium planters in different sizes to display pure white or deep red pelargoniums with glossy foliage, setting them off to their best advantage and optimising sales of houseplants with inspirational displays.
A stylish pot placed in a modern kitchen or light-filled bathroom will bring it instantly to life and add a human touch which make living spaces into rooms rather than showrooms.
This also gives you a perfect opportunity to drive premium planter sales and plant care accessories such as misters and water cans. Modern houses with large windows lend themselves to sun-loving houseplants, bringing a luxurious Mediterranean feel to wide open spaces.
In order for customers to get a lot of pleasure from indoor geraniums, it is necessary that the plants are placed in really bright areas of the rooms. If geraniums are placed too darkly, the leaves will slowly become lighter and lighter and eventually turn yellow.
Tip: Get two bites of the cherry with plants and add-on sales. These consumers have aspirational lifestyles and want everything to be the best, so you can afford to show them your most luxurious planters and offer inspiration from glossy magazines which show them how to use plants to maximum effect in their homes.
Make the most of this year’s Pantone colour of the year – Viva Magenta – to show young, fashionable consumers how pelargoniums can help keep them on trend at home. Show them how bright, clashing colours (more pink!) and novelty pots will make fun interior features out of flowering plants.
These consumers also like to give things a personal touch and will be open to upcycling craft ideas with a sustainable edge. Why throw away old bottles, jars or containers when you can fill them up with flowers! Decorate party tables with gorgeous floral accents or make Instagrammable features for their friends to enjoy.
Tip: Pelargonium for Europe has a treasure trove of step-by-step DIY/Craft guides you can draw upon, so don’t be afraid to show them a few examples of what’s possible. Young people tend not to have a lot of money but they DO care a lot about the environment, so if they can combine their love of nature with ingenious recycling ideas it will keep them coming back for more.
It isn’t just pelargoniums that come into their own in summer, as coastal towns and cities throughout Europe come alive with tourists as the sun heats up.
There are endless floral-based merchandising opportunities for retailers – not only garden centres and florists, but also home interior shops, tourist and leisure destinations – and hospitality businesses.
Tip: Show your customers how they can replicate beautiful displays in their own home using our step-by-step craft guides that utilise products they can buy on your own shop floor or from upcycled materials.
If your customers are lucky enough to have a conservatory, Pelargoniums are definitely their friend, as the warm full-day sun will make for very happy plants. Garden centres often have conservatories of their own so you can devote one area especially to different pelargonium varieties that will draw the eye and instantly remind your customers of their own glass rooms.
Conservatories NEED plants and flowers to look their best and have enough room and light for plenty of pots and hanging baskets in different shapes and sizes.
Tip: Step shelves loaded up with white or pink pelargoniums will create a gorgeous cascading display that ensure your customer is the envy of their friends and neighbours. More is More!
