Under a Foot Plant Company and Stepables, its national brand of creeping perennials, recently announced the three first-place winners of the second annual “We’ve Got Sole” contest: Deneweth’s Garden Center in Macomb, Mich.; Heights Flowers in Peoria, Ill.; and Natorp’s Mason Garden Store in Mason, Ohio.
“One of our primary goals for the contest was to encourage growers, retailers and consumers to ‘Step Forward and Give Back,’” said Stepables President and Founder Fran Hopkins. “These three garden centers really understood the meaning behind the contest and created displays I hope will inspire other retailers.”
Deneweth’s Garden Center won the first-place prize for “Best Definitive Display.” The display exemplified their imagination, showing eye-catching ways of presenting Good For Your Sole point-of-purchase materials on traditional tables and other platforms. The winning display also integrated various landscape applications of Stepables plants throughout the designated area, including between pavers and on green roofs. A check for $5,000 was presented to the center’s charity of choice, Komen Detroit Race for the Cure.
Heights Flowers came in first for “Best Use of Space,” maximizing the use of designated floor and shelf space to boost sales. Heights Flowers prioritized information sharing in their design, providing a working computer within the display for customers to visit the Stepables website, , and use the online tools for selecting the right plants for their specific lawns and gardens.
Natorp’s Mason Garden Store triumphed in the category of “Best STEPscapes Display,” which used Stepables plants in a multitiered landscape application to show customers the many ways creeping perennials can be used as solution plants. The design showed customers how to plant between stepping stones; create a lush seating area; use creeping perennials in beds and borders; replace turf with a creative, low-growing plant pattern; and build a rock garden featuring Stepables.
The “We’ve Got Sole” contest is offered annually to independent garden centers as a fun way to develop plant displays that can boost sales and brand recognition while giving back to the communities in which they are located. To see photos of the winning displays, information on the garden centers and chosen charities, and contest details, visit www.stepables.com/garden-center-contest.asp.
