Michael Perry's “Future Plants” and Canada’s Urban Nature Store on trends, retail experience, and reliable supply chains

Michael Perry's “Future Plants” and Canada’s Urban Nature Store on trends, retail experience, and reliable supply chains

From The Underground by The Underground Pod

October 21, 2025 · 1h 9m · Season 5 · Episode 5

About this episode

The episode features discussions on plant promotion and retail strategies for engaging customers with nature.

This episode takes on a distinctly international feel: once again at Glee 2025, Phil and Kate sit down with two voices from opposite sides of the Atlantic who share a common mission: get more people excited about nature, and make it easier for retailers to serve them brilliantly. First up, Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek) explains why he now calls himself a plant promoter, what makes a plant “promotion-worthy,” and the nine trend pillars he’s been touring the halls with: from “Go green or go lean” to “Hedges & Wedges” (living mulch done right). He also spotlights curiosities from his Future Plants display: conifers with character, fragrance-forward bedding, and the odd show-stopping black dahlia. Then we switch gears to Paul Oliver, founder of The Urban Nature Store in Toronto, who shares a retailer’s view on category expansion and community: bird seed as the weekly staple, complemented by gifts, books, optics, kids’ kits, and in-store walks that turn shoppers into a social club. He unpacks why his team is diversifying away from US-centred supply in favour of partners with predictable landed costs, highlighting opportunities for UK and European brands that can ship reliably to…

People in this episode

Hosts: Phil, Kate

Guests: Michael Perry, Paul Oliver

Topics covered

  • plant promotion
  • retail experience
  • supply chains
  • urban nature
  • community engagement
  • sustainability

Keywords

  • Future Plants
  • plant trends
  • urban nature
  • retail
  • supply chain
  • sustainability
  • community

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Urban Nature Store, Gardenex

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