Trends from the Mid Am Show

I spent two days last week attending the Mid Am Horticultural Trade Show at McCormick Place in Chicago. The show was much smaller than in prior years, and it was obvious that most vendors who focus on the garden center trade had left the show in favor of the Independent Garden Center (IGC) Show. So in terms of seeing hot new trends for the home gardener, there was not much new. But I did spend some time scrutinizing the offerings of the various plant vendors that were in attendance.

Heucheras (yes, I'm a sucker for Heucheras!) still are arriving in new colors. It makes me feel like a fashion writer to say this, but the trend for 2010 in Heucheras is pastel colors. Peach, pale strawberry and soft gold are the colors that were on display.

The other trend that really is picking up steam is succulents. Just about every plant vendor had some sort of succulent display. Here's my favorite:



This is a slightly grainy cell phone photo, but you get the idea: mini succulents arranged in a real bird's nest. Lots of people took photos of this one!

The mood among vendors and attendees was more positive than it had been last year. While no one was turning handsprings in the aisles, most people that I spoke with were cautiously optimistic.