The design and feel of Soul of the Party’s new line of macramé plant hangers and pots capture the beauty of nature. They look delicate, but are sturdy enough for everyday use. (Photo by Kathy Jentz)

Your gardens are starting to break from their dormancy, but all winter things were happening below the soil surface as roots grew, strengthened, and took in nutrients.
Your local garden centers, nurseries and landscape designers also spent their winters preparing for the busy growing season ahead by gathering new product ideas, inspiration and knowledge.
They spend the start of the year attending the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show this past January in Baltimore.
I attend each year as garden press and have the privilege of being able to get an early glimpse of what will be offered for sale this year.
Of course, the first things that catch my eye are living and green, so let me start with the new plants I investigated and can recommend.
Right at the show entrance was Star Roses and Plants (https://www.starrosesandplants.com/) with a big display of their new Petite Knock Out.
It is the first-ever, miniature Knock Out Rose. It grows to about 18 inches high.
They are perfect for container plantings as well as the front of the border.
Like the rest of the Knock Out Rose family they are easy-care, disease-resistant, and bloom for months and months.
The next plant that captured my attention was the Emerald Squeeze Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) developed by Shreckhise Nurseries in Grottoes, Va. (https://www.shreckhise.com/).
This Thuja is similar to ‘Emerald Green’, but is smaller and more compact. It will grow to a mature height of around 8 feet high and 4 feet wide.
This is a great evergreen plant for use in smaller gardens and narrow hedge spaces. It can also be used in a container planting.
I must’ve been hungry as the next plants to attract me were the Kitchen Minis from Ball Seed (https://www.ballseed.com/).
These adorable tomato and pepper plants are perfectly sized for snacking on and adding to salads plus pasta dishes.
The plants are in small pots designed to grow on a sunny countertop or windowsill. You may see them sold soon as a “living produce” item at your local grocery store.
They yield several weeks of harvests, then after they finish fruiting, they can then be composted.
If you get hooked on growing tomatoes by those Kitchen Minis and want to move up to full-sized plants, check out the C-Bites product by Thriving Design (https://thrivingdesign.com/).
Co-founders Jason and Morgan Rider showcases their new Monster Plant Support Kit that provides home gardeners and professional growers with the C-BITEs, stakes, and accessories needed to build bigger custom plant support structures than ever.
For those houseplant hobbyists, a new line of macramé hangers was offered by Soul of the Party (https://soul-of-the-party.com/).
The design and feel of these plant hangers and pots capture the beauty of nature. They look delicate, but are sturdy enough for everyday use.
My fast-paced walk up and down the trade show aisles screeched to a halt when I saw the display at the Designs for Greener Gardens booth.
They are a design and maintenance firm based in Annapolis, Md. (https://www.greenergardens.net/)
They were first-time exhibitors at the show this year and filled their booth with French antique troughs and other decorative elements.
Each item is unique and can lend an authentic, aged feeling to your garden. They said their next delivery will be this summer.
An interesting product I came across was Pearl Sand (https://www.threearrow.co/). This play sand is natural, non-toxic, sterilized oolitic Aragonite sand. It does not come from beaches but from offshore deposits near the Bahamas.
The soft texture is a pleasure to run through your hands. It can be used for kid’s play areas and volleyball courts, but is also great for plant terrariums and other craft use.
The Urbalive Worm Farm caught my eye on display in the booth of Alfresco Home (alfrescohome.com). This adorable green tub on legs is actually an indoor kit for composting kitchen bio waste with the help of red worms. It was created by renowned Czech-designer Jiří Pelcl.
It is compact and odor-free—making it a great resource to those who live in apartments/condos without access to outdoor composting space.
It could also be used in a classroom for teaching and in offices to cut down on food waste.

(Kathy Jentz is the Editor/Publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine and hosts the popular GardenDC Podcast. She can be reached at KathyJentz@gmail.com or www.washingtongardener.com.)