Mixed containers command higher prices

Container gardens are premium products and should be priced accordingly by growers and retailers, said Terri Starman, Texas AgriLife Research horticulturist. "Charge for the expertise, the time it took to grow them and design them and for the looks." Starman polled consumers about price, harmony of color and info. provided with container gardens. Her study appeared in the April 2008 issue of HortScience. She learned consumers will pay more for a mixed container when it comes with extensive care info. -- something growers need to provide and charge more for the service. Consumers also said they'd return to the garden center to replenish plants in a mixed container. This "filler material" could be another way to market plant material.