Impatiens is a hard plant to replace. It does its job exceptionally well, with a robust blanket of color, reliable growth, affordable price, fun choice of colors and vigorous growth in the shade. Yes, other plants can be substituted, but they will possess only two or three of the Impatiens’ attributes at the most; nothing delivers the complete package like Impatiens.

This probably explains the strong demand we’ve seen this year. Last season, many gardeners’ Impatiens became infected with downy mildew. Although they might remember the problems they encountered, people are still more apt to focus on all the wonderful spring and summer color that Impatiens provide.

Now is the time for diversity on your retail bench. The whole world will be marching into your place, so this is your opportunity to show them what you can offer beyond the usual inventory. Yes, you carry the popular crops that everybody else carries, but what makes you special?

Diversity is important because it’s what breaks you out from the generic and the commodity. It’s the reason customers go to a garden center instead of a chain. However, you don’t need to delve deep—just widen the playing field. Populate your cart with a little of this and a little of that—something unique here and something unusual around the corner to keep the customer exploring.

It’s simple: when you order your standard material, include some trays and pots that wander off the well-worn path. Here’s what we are shipping this week that is interesting, different and distinctive:

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:

We are opening new lots almost daily now as we ramp up for Spring Rush. Let us give you a walking tour of the changes since last week, because so much has been happening: