Winter can be a profitable season for garden centres looking to boost sales in the houseplant department.

As people seek unique, meaningful gifts for various holidays, houseplants offer a versatile and sustainable choice.

Here are some tips for maximising sales in your houseplant department this winter:

 Highlight “Mini” Holidays Beyond Christmas

• New Year, New Plant: Merchandise plants with point-of-sale materials to encourage customers to buy easy-care plants as ‘fresh start’ gifts or for self-purchase – giving new life to the home once the Christmas decorations have been packed away. Focus on easy-care varieties such as Epipremnum, Dracaena or Succulents.

Dracaena 12cm Burley in Basket 

• Valentine’s Day: Curate romantic and heart-shaped plant collections, such as Anthuriums and Philodendrons. Orchids also work as a more traditional flowering gift at Valentine’s. 

Phalaenopsis 9cm Twin Stem Mixed in Hampshire Ceramic 

 Optimise with Cross Merchandising

• Garden Living: Merchandise plants outside of the houseplant area and encourage customers to buy houseplants for semi-covered garden spaces. Plants can be merchandised within garden furniture and lifestyle product displays, to demonstrate where durable plants can enhance the ambiance even in cooler months.

• Café: Use houseplants to dress tables in the café area to capture an audience that might otherwise miss the houseplant section. These should be labelled for sale or directing customers to the houseplant area.

 Offer Gifting Bundles

• “Winter Wellness”: Combine low-maintenance houseplants with self-care items, such as small candles, soaps, or books on indoor gardening.

• “For the Plant Lover”: Design packages for plant enthusiasts that include essentials like a plant care guide, watering accessories and decorative pots

• “Plant Parent Kits”: Offer beginner kits for new plant parents, complete with easy care plants, care guides and accessories.

 Focus on Visual Merchandising

• Seasonal Decor: Add subtle winter decor to plant displays, such as pinecones, fairy lights, and mini ornaments, to make plants more festive.

• Gift-Ready Sections: Have a “Grab & Go” area with plant-pot combinations and for those seeking quick, ready-to-gift items and appeal to last-minute Christmas shoppers.

• Inspirational POS: Provide care tips and placement ideas on plant tags and point of sale materials to inspire new customers and help buyers make informed decisions, contributing to customer success. 

By tapping into the gifting season, highlighting unique uses for plants, and making shopping convenient, garden centres can position themselves as the go-to destination for thoughtful, sustainable gifts all winter long.