Thousands of independent nurseries across the country grow exceptional unbranded stock. Yet it’s common knowledge that nationally recognized brands dominate the retail marketplace. We sat down with Taylor Feuerborn, inside sales and marketing specialist, for her insights into why branded plants matter.
Tuff Stuff Top Fun® (Hydrangea serrata)
How do branded pots help drive plant sales at garden centers?
In so many ways, branded plants successfully cross over from industry to consumers’ homes. This is mostly due to their distinctively colored pots—white for Proven Winners®, blue for Endless Summer® and purple for First Editions®, to name a few. Branded plants have recognition through consistency and repetition. When consumers browse plants at their local garden center, the bright pots trigger familiarity. They may have spotted them while browsing online, flipping through magazines or watching their favorite YouTube influencers. They instantly know it’s a plant they’ve seen before and can trust it for high quality.
Endless Summer® Bloomstruck® Reblooming Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
What unique characteristics—such as extended bloom time or exceptional disease resistance—make branded varieties highly desirable?
Nativars have been popular in the marketplace for several years now, and for good reason. Using plants native to North America, breeders selectively add or remove specific traits to make the plant more appealing to consumers. Whether it’s a tighter habit, vivid coloring or a lack of self-seeding, these tweaks give wild plants a real shot at finding a home in customer yards, bringing the familiar look and feel of nature right outside our windows.
Advancements in reblooming capabilities in many bigleaf hydrangeas, for example, along with earlier bloom times in select panicle hydrangeas, are huge wins that provide extended color and texture in the landscape. Other classics such as roses are now bred for far easier care than the plants our great-grandparents may have had in their gardens. Nostalgia is huge with consumers. Breeding breakthroughs from companies like Star® Roses and Plants mean we can enjoy great-grandma’s roses with far less maintenance.
Tiger Eyes® Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
How do testing and trial programs ensure long-term success in the landscape?
Branded plants are trialed for years at their own breeder facilities, as well as at sister locations across different USDA Hardiness Zones. Breeders expect to get a complete picture of what trials plants can endure and a lot of documentation goes into the process.
Sites are intentionally selected to be less than ideal. This is to test heat and cold hardiness, as well as the plant’s ability to respond in various soil conditions, light situations and weather inconsistencies. It also ensures that new genetics hold true and the plant won’t revert to old habits. Ultimately, all this trialing and testing guarantees that brands release strong, healthy plants that fill a genuine need in the marketplace, whether by improving on existing options or introducing fresh varieties.
Easy Bee-zy Knock Out® Rose
In what way does a plant brand give customers peace of mind?
Loyalty is a safety net for most consumers. A good analogy is technology—most people return to the same phone brand with each trade-in because they already know how the product works. Once a brand has the consumer’s buy-in, it earns respect that builds trust. Consumers continue purchasing apps and add-ons within the same operating system.
The same can be said for branded plants. Once a consumer decides on a variety and it performs reliably, trust follows. When a plant stays healthy and lives a long time, the plant brand is proven to be trustworthy.
Double Play® Candy Corn® Spirea (Spirea japonica)
Which branded varieties at Loma Vista Nursery are currently also thriving in Midwest gardens?
Classics are growing strong, like Endless Summer®, BloomStruck®—both are reblooming hydrangeas—and Tiger Eyes® Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac. Newer varieties like Double Play® Candy Corn® Spirea, North Pole® Arborvitae and Tuff Stuff Top Fun® Reblooming Mountain Hydrangea perform very well. Roses are always a hit, including the Knock Out® and Drift® series, which stay consistent in the landscape.
How does vibrant packaging and clear labeling make the selection process easier for consumers?
Clear signage gives the consumer a great starting point. People feel at ease when a package is recognizable and when the tagging and labeling are clear and informative. Each plant brand also offers online product pages, which provide even more help and information.
Apricot Drift® (Rosa ‘Meimirrote’)
What advantages do plant brands offer garden centers and landscape contractors?
Brand partnerships offer value. Proven Winners®, for example, offers professional certifications to retail and landscape professionals that help build product knowledge and sales confidence.
Strong consumer brand recognition gives landscape professionals an immediate edge when pitching clients. They can trust the trialing and testing inherent in the plants will provide long-term reliability and results. Consumers can feel confident in the brand’s attributes, be they low-maintenance, disease resistance or cold or heat tolerance.
North Pole® Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)
What is your favorite success story of a branded plant performing beautifully at Loma Vista Nursery?
Double Play® Candy Corn® Spirea has been an extremely popular plant since it was introduced and is one that I really enjoy.
About Loma Vista Nursery ‒ Midwest Wholesale Plant Grower
Celebrating 35 years in business in 2026, Loma Vista Nursery grows a variety of branded perennial plants, shrubs and trees for garden centers, landscape contractors and wholesale distributors.
Explore our website to meet our sales representatives, learn more about Loma Vista Nursery’s processes, plant varieties and business values. For help with orders or plant-related questions, please call (785) 229-7200 or send an email to sales@lomavistanursery.com. Our team of plant experts will be happy to answer questions and provide information about the reliable varieties we grow.
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