It’s January 20, 2007 and I am here at the Broward County Convention Center in beautiful Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  The sun is shining, it is 80 degrees outside but in the Convention Center crowds of attendees are foregoing the sun and sand to walk the Show.   

They Know what’s important
Interiorscapers have always known that our products, the plants and planters we use, are continually changing and the one place to see what is current is at TPIE.  In addition, the opportunity to see our suppliers face to face is priceless. 

This Year

Would you believe there is a new blooming plant that is called The Bat?  The botanical name is Tacca chantrieri or "Black Bat Plant".  The foliage has the appearance of a Spath but is a different plant.

The "flower" is a very dark purple/black.  Very limited now.  It comes in both 6 inch and 10 inch.  The blooms lasts up to two months and with the proper conditions it can be made to rebloom again.

Use it for the striking blooms as part of your color program and not as a permanent plant.  Tremendous potential.  The source is Greendale Nurseries in Homestead.

My buddy Steve Foster of Foster Plants in Miami, took this photo as did my friend Lorna.  I’ll be getting a sample in a week or so and will test it "on the job" so to speak.  It is very, very exciting..

Good Friends
I think this is my 30th year at TPIE and ever year I look forward to seeing old friends.  Some "teams" split up with one going to TPIE, the other to the Holiday Decor Shows in Atlanta and Dallas.  Hard to choose but with Holiday making up so much of your interiorscape biz (10-20% for most companies), a visit at least every other year is a must. 

Who did I see?   Matt Gardner was in from CA as was Vicki Cate, Bill Lyon, Bill Meade (back at Gainey).  Linnaea taught, John Mini was there as was Chris and Leann Raimondi from New Jersey (he was just named Fire Chief of his town.)  Dick Ott and Art Cambell hosted an NIN get together, Shane Pliska was there as well.  Kathy  O’Donnell was beaming and showing photos of her new grandchild. 

Yep, we’re all a bit older, grandkids are replacing the kids we had, and several ‘scapers wanted to talk about "exit strategies".  Some have second generation already in the business.  Jerry Shipe of the Plant Place in Dallas was there with his son.  It was absolutely wonderful. 

The Newbies 
And there were plenty of new kids on the block.  Hungry for knowledge and so very happy to be a plantscaper.  Crazy but fascinating business this interiorscaping. 

You Gotta Have a Zebra
Picture a large herd of brown and black horses.  Its a sea of dark shapes.  Suddenly, in the midst of the herd you spot, could it be, a zebra.  Its white and black stripes stand out like a beacon. 

Well, in the world of interiorscaping, we, too, have "horses" and zebras". For us the zebra may be an exotic plant or an unusually shaped or colored decorative container while the horses are the usual, most often specified plants or the simple containers in standard colors and finishes. 

For example, think ‘Janet Craig" Dracena in a light tan Roundz cylinder container.  Definitely a workhorse, definitely.  Now visualize a bromeliad in a Euro style container.  A zebra-definitely a zebra. 

Use Zebras Sparingly
Too many zebras can result in sensory overload so the trick is to use them with caution.  Let the intended use of the space and the existing surroundings be your guide. 

For example, offices demand lots and lots of workhorses while hotels and residential projects call out for a higher proportion of zebras.  In other words, where there are lots of the same,–same desks, same chairs, same cubicles, think workhorses.  And, if there are oriental rugs, elaborate window treatments, exotic woods—-think zebras.

Explain As You Go Along
And while you are going through this mental process, don’t hesitate to share your design reasoning with your client.  Explain why a particular plant is , from the design aspect, a zebra and how very "special" zebras are.  They are tempermental but, oh, beautiful and worth the extra effort and, usually, the additional cost. Explain why one decorative container is  fabricated differently and even though both are approximately the same size, one is more costly than the other. 

Sometimes Its Best to Compromize
When the budget is a factor consider adding a "zebra" plant in a "workhorse" container.  In this case you are geting the most bang for the buck and by using a simple planter you are letting the unusual and eyecatching plant be the "star".  Example:  Gorgeous Red Bromeliad in a simple, classic Black cylinder planter.  Dy-no-mite.

Your Client Wants to Know
And speaking of price differences, often your client doesn’t understand why one 6 foot plant is twice the price of another 6 foot plant.  I always found that they are always thinking this question even though they don’t voice it.  Take the bull by the horns and explain that not all 6 foot Palms are created equal or, even, created the same way and that’s why there are price differences.  For example, the Kentia Palm (a zebra) is grown from seed and not a cutting and that it takes many years to reach a certain height while the Massangeana Cane plant (a workhorse) is grown from cane cuttings and only takes a few months to grow to 6 feet.  In short, you are educating the client and as they "get it", watch their eyes light up.  Now they understand why one plant costs more than another and they are excited and pleased ’cause, "Hey, Dude, we’re getting a zebra".

Yes, Virginia, there really is a residential market in some cities.  Think second homes, think very expensive.   There really are homeowners who wish to have breathtaking foliage in their homes and are willing to pay for this service.   Most of the time these homes are in warm climates, very cold skitype settings or in tourist draw areas.  Entry into this market is usually effected by doing model homes or working with residential interior designers or by word of mouth recommendations from existing residential clients.  However, because there is always more than one way to skin a cat, there are some other ways to get residential work that you might not have thought about.

• Gated Communities
   Often froups of homes function as a community under the aegis of homeowner’s association or property management firm.  Consider contacting these entities to see if you can become the officially approved interiorscape services firm for that community.  Maybe in return you can provide plants and/or service for their clubhouse or sales office at a reduced fee.  For that you are also given a list of homeowners and permission to contact them, or if this is not allowed, maybe they will let you come to one of the Homeowner Association meetings and make a presentation (15 minutes, bring photos, business cards, cookies and punch). Emphasize your design skills, expertise, and how security conscious you are.
• Time Share Properties
   Again, the Sales Office is the contact point.  See above for strategy.
• Existing Residential Clients as Referrals  
  If you are already doing work for residents in the area, ask if they will put a recommendation in writing and give you permission to mail a one page marketing piece to their neighbors.  Always check to see if this is permitted if there is an association.
• Think Outside the Box
   Don’t limit your services to just the inside.  Pools, patios, and front entrances are great locations for our brand of "instant gratification" using plants and containerized blooming.  Sometimes these are just for a couple of seasons, sometimes year round.  It all depends on climate but most of these are services that high end residential can utilize.
• Light ‘Em Up
   And don’t forget the Holidays.  Inside-gorgeous trees, wreaths and garland.  Outside-Holiday lighting.  In or Out , market your full range of products and services.

If I had a nickel for every time an interiorscaper has asked how to get their blooming florals to last longer and, still, how to maintain them less frequently, I’d be over the top rich!

I Saw the Need
So when I saw "Sippers", the reusable wick developed by Steve Reis of Leaftek, I was blown away.   I became the distributor for the product  through TOPsiders, Inc  Over the years, Sippers has become an interior plant care staple.

People Keep Telling Me
At Calscape, for example, I had Sippers out at my Booth and interior care specialists couldn’t keep their hands off of them.  Especially fun was hearing all the comments from satisfied long time users.  For instance, Tom Creedham of Tropical Computers  said that Sippers made his Blooming Program really profitable.  He loved them.

Interiorscape Tech Training Guru Loves Them Too 
Linnaea Newman  said ‘Don’t let another Holiday Season go by without using Sippers’.  Here’s an excerpt from her recent blog post.  

 "This dramatic flower only remains beautiful as long as it obtains adequate moisture–without drying out or sitting in water, both of which will lead to its early demise.  So, how does the smart plantscaper keep it looking fresh and vibrant without jeopardizing profits with twice weekly visits?  In a word, Sippers™!"

Interested in Learning More about Sippers
I’ll be happy to send you enough for two bloomers.  Just call or click here for online request.

It is Thanksgiving Weekend and everywhere you go you see signs of the Holiday Season.  Christmas lights are going up, Holiday music is on the radio, and everywhere there are red, white, and pink poinsettia, but mainly red.

For Some, Poinsettia Have Always been Part of the Holidays
Yes, the red poinsettia has been as much a part of Holiday as Turkey for Thanksgiving but it may surprise you to know that it wasn’t always.  Not until a very savvy horticulturist, Paul Ecke, Jr. by name, was determined to "put 2 poinsettia in everyone’s home" and, then, did so.

But Not for Others
If you were to travel to Australia you might find it a bit offsetting to see red poinsettia used at Shopping Mall and Office Lobby alike in the middle of June.  There, the poinsettia is just another blooming plant and has not much to do with Holiday. 

So How Did Paul Ecke, Jr. Achieve His Goal?
By taking advantage of the great new, must have, entertainment product that was a must in every American home in the 1960"s–the color television set.  Paul offerred national tv shows like the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and the Today Show, hundreds of live poinsettia for their sets.  They loved the idea and accepted his gift.  So it was that each year millions and millions of Americans switched on their televisions and for the days before Christmas had all these beautful, red, plants in front of them. 

"Gimme One of those Red Plants I Saw On the Today Show"
What the Public saw, the Public wanted.  They asked for "that pretty red plant" at their grocery, their florist, their garden center.  Within just a few years, the poinsettia had become the Holiday plant.

We Owe Paul Ecke, Jr. a Great Deal of Thanks
For most interiorscapers Poinsettia are a pain in the neck.  Easily damaged, finicky about water and temperature, by the end of the season we are happy bto pitch them.  But let us not forget, it is because of the Poinsettia that most interiorscapers got into the Holiday business in the first place.  Your client saw you bringing in the points and said, "Hey, by the way, can you bring me a wreath for the front door?"  And, so your Holiday Business was born. 

Paul Ecke, Jr.  Inducted Into the Hall of Fame in 2006
It is fitting that Paul Ecke, Jr. was inducted this year.  He was a visionary and we, interiorscapers, have a great deal to thank him for.  He was the man who put  two (2) Poinsettia into the home, and office, of every American.

For more about PaulEcke Jr. and the Ecke Ranch, log on to www.ecke.com.