Basket Review For Mother’s Day

We are starting to ramp up for Mother’s Day, and we’ve had an exceptionally fine year for our baskets. Hanging baskets are extremely popular for the Mother’s Day holiday, and they often lead to greater sales—customers come in for the basket and wind up outfitting their entire garden. As you can see, the effects of a well-stocked basket section ripple throughout the garden center.

Of course, it’s important to feature the popular baskets of the season because people expect them. For some extra pop and flash try adding a few baskets that stand out from the crowd. One way to stay a step ahead is to provide a bigger and better selection of colors and textures than what the chains offer.

We feel strongly that choice and diversity sells well in the basket market, so we’ve built a strong and competitive mix of material for early May and Mother’s Day. Here are ten types of baskets we are shipping right now to get you started:

New Guinea Impatiens in 10-inch baskets

The New Guinea is important because it is immune to downy mildew, making it a safe basket buy. It provides the classic impatiens look in a BIG way, with big flowers, big leaves, and big plants. We offer (9) different colors.

Vegetative Petunias in 10-inch and 12-inch baskets

Here’s a key fact: Vegetative Petunias perform exceptionally well and make a great petunia basket. They are more expensive than generic petunias, but they deliver the WOW factor that will make the sale. Petunias come in an incredible range of colors and textures, so we don’t recommend one color over another. Get some of everything—a fantastic mix with lots of choices has more impact.

Winged Begonias in 10-inch baskets

These are fancy décor Begonias, the ones that drape well around the basket. We’ve noticed that the Wings have surged in popularity these past few years—pick some up if you don’t already carry them. We offer (6) different kinds.

Begonia Reiger in 10-inch baskets

Another very fancy décor Begonia is the Reiger. It features soft rose-type blossoms in luscious colors. Plants bloom heavily and sell very fast because of their incredibly beautiful appearance. We carry (5) different colors, and some of them are already selling out.

Ivy Geraniums in 10-inch baskets

We’ve written about Ivy Geraniums before. We grow them out in two styles, the American style and the European style, and both are ready to ship. By far the best are the Calientes—be sure to get several of each color.

Calibrachoas in 10-inch baskets

One of our strongest crops, the Calibrachoa is similar to a petunia. Its smaller blossoms make for much heavier color coverage that you can see from a distance. This category benefits from a “Buffet of Wonders” presentation, so we offer (20) different colors and (6) kinds of mixes.

Combinations in 12-inch and 12-inch fiber baskets, plus 12-inch, 14-inch and 16-inch planters

Technically, planters are not baskets but we include them here because they are impressive Mother’s Day and spring décor pieces. We build our own recipes for both baskets and planters, so each one comes with a unique, strong personality. All in all, we have about (900) different combos to ship.

Boston Ferns in 10-inch baskets

Surprisingly, Boston Ferns sell well for the holiday. We assume that customers will prefer the more colorful choices as gifts, but what Bostons lack in color they make up for in texture. They are also very well behaved in brightly lit interiors and shady areas—don’t underestimate these quiet sales, either.

Portulacas in 10-inch baskets

If you need a petunia alternative, order the Portulaca basket. Also known as the Moss Rose, its thin succulent leaves create a distinctively different basket—the type that appeals to a person who likes to zig when others are zagging.

Hanging Tomatoes in 10-inch baskets

For the back deck, nothing beats some fresh tomatoes ready for a salad. Edibles are quickly moving into décor areas, and tomatoes make a very pretty and very practical hanging basket.

We have even more basket choices to offer, but this is a fairly comprehensive list to start. See our Availability page for the full list—it even allows you to filter to just the sizes or crops that you are interested in seeing.