Plant Development Services

What Plant Development Services does

Plant Development Services, Inc. (PDSI) is a privately held plant brand management and licensing company headquartered in Loxley, Alabama, founded in 1996 by Greg Smith of the third-generation family-owned Flowerwood Nursery, Inc. The company develops, evaluates, patents, and markets branded ornamental plant varieties, owning or licensing 200-300+ patented plant properties across five major consumer brands: Encore Azalea (the world's best-selling reblooming azalea), Southern Living Plant Collection, Sunset Plant Collection (launched 2012 in partnership with Sunset magazine), Better Boxwood (the first scientifically bred blight-resistant boxwood collection, debuted 2023), and Butterfly Candy (compact dwarf Buddleia, launched 2023). Its core technology centers on an in-house plant breeding program combined with an international network of breeder partners, a multi-year evaluation and trialing process (minimum one year for each candidate variety), and rigorous patent and trademark management providing 20-year patent protection and lifetime trademark protection.

Name

Plant Development Services

Legal name

Plant Development Services, Inc.

Website

https://plantdevelopment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plant Development Services is a privately held plant brand management and licensing company that develops, patents, and markets branded ornamental plant varieties through a nationwide network of licensed wholesale growers, serving retailers, landscape professionals, breeders, and home gardeners across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Horticultural Brand Management and Plant Licensing

NAICS

Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Forest Nurseries, Seed Orchards & Genetic Improvement (AFAMAAAD)

Keywords

• Plant brand management
• Ornamental plant licensing
• Wholesale grower network
• Plant breeder services
• Horticultural marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Loxley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Plant Licensing Royalties: PDSI licenses patented plant properties to a network of licensed wholesale growers. The company earns royalties from the propagation and sale of branded plant varieties under their patent and trademark protection.
2. Plant Breeder Services: Assists plant breeders with evaluation and trialing, patenting and trademarking, marketing and public relations, and selection of grower groups to bring new plants to market
3. Marketing and Advertising Services: Marketing programs and tools provided to growers and retailers, including merchandising materials, POP signage, and brand marketing support

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Plant Development Services (PDSI) is a plant brand management and licensing company that develops, patents, and licenses branded ornamental plant varieties to a nationwide network of wholesale growers. The company manages five core plant brands (Encore Azalea, Southern Living Plant Collection, Sunset Plant Collection, Better Boxwood, and Butterfly Candy), provides comprehensive breeder services including evaluation, trialing, patenting, and marketing support, and supplies growers with young plants, liners, merchandising tools, and POP signage.

Product overview

Plant Development Services is a plant brand management and licensing company operating as a multi-brand portfolio rather than a single unified product. The company manages five core plant brands: Encore® Azalea (world's best-selling reblooming azalea), Southern Living® Plant Collection (plants for Southern gardens), Sunset Plant Collection® (plants for Western gardeners), Better Boxwood® (blight-resistant boxwood), and Butterfly Candy™ (compact dwarf Buddleia). Supporting grower operations, the company offers young plants & liners, grower technical guides, and merchandising/POP materials. The business model centers on licensing patented plant properties to growers, with comprehensive breeder services including evaluation, patenting, marketing, and grower network management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Encore Azalea: World's best-selling reblooming azalea brand with multi-season blooming varieties.
• Southern Living Plant Collection
• Sunset Plant Collection
• Better Boxwood
• Butterfly Candy

Products and services

• Encore Azalea The world's best-selling reblooming azalea brand featuring 31+ varieties that bloom in spring, summer, and fall, with sun tolerance, low maintenance, and cold hardiness to USDA Zone 6. Licensed to wholesale growers for production and distribution to retailers.
• Southern Living Plant Collection A comprehensive plant collection in partnership with Southern Living magazine, featuring innovative plants selected for superior performance in Southern gardens with heat tolerance, pest resistance, and ornamental improvements. Licensed to growers for retail distribution.
• Sunset Plant Collection The first live plant collection focused exclusively on top-performing plants for Western gardeners, featuring low-maintenance, water-wise plants suited for Western landscapes. Licensed to growers and available through rewholesalers and retailers nationwide.
• Better Boxwood The first scientifically bred blight-resistant boxwood collection with four varieties (Skylight, Babylon Beauty, Heritage, Renaissance), developed through over two decades of European breeding led by Belgium grower Didier Hermans in cooperation with the Flemish Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research. Distributed through Boxwood Solutions Inc. joint venture with Everde Growers.
• Butterfly Candy Buddleia A collection of five compact dwarf butterfly bush varieties bred for small-space gardening and container growing, featuring 2-3ft mature height, water-wise habit, vibrant blooms, and pollinator-friendly attributes. Licensed to growers for retail distribution.
• Young Plants & Liners Young plant and liner supply service for licensed wholesale growers, providing the foundational plant material needed to propagate and produce finished plants for retail and landscape markets.
• Plant Breeder Services Comprehensive commercialization services for plant breeders including evaluation and trialing (minimum one year), patenting and trademarking, marketing and public relations, and selection and management of grower groups to bring new plant varieties to market.
• Merchandising, POP & Signage Marketing support materials including point-of-purchase displays, signage, containers, tags, and merchandising tools designed for licensed growers and retailers to effectively sell Plant Development Services branded plants at retail.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• OASIS Forage ProductsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2024Event partner for PDSI's Spring Garden Roadshow traveling events across the Southeast. OASIS Forage Designer led DIY bouquet and arrangement bar activities at the events.
• Garden Influencer PartnershipminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 October 2023PDSI partnered with leading garden influencer to unveil new era of digital education and inspiration. Partnership aimed at reaching younger gardening audiences through influencer content.
• Save Our Water and The Home DepotminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2023Sunset Plant Collection partnered with Save Our Water and The Home Depot to provide California residents with water conservation tips and educational materials.
• Everde GrowerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2021PDSI partnered with Everde Growers to introduce Better Boxwood through newly formed Boxwood Solutions Inc. partnership. Everde Growers provides production engine and nationwide reach for distribution of blight-resistant boxwood varieties. Everde Growers headquartered in Houston, TX with 14 farms totaling over 6,700 production acres across Texas, Florida, Oregon, and California.
• Tree Town USAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2020Initial partnership name for Better Boxwood introduction before transitioning to Everde Growers partnership. Tree Town USA partnership announced in Nursery Management October 2020 cover story.
• Didier Hermans (Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2020Belgium grower led over 20 years of Better Boxwood breeding and trials in cooperation with Flemish Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research. Key scientific partner in developing blight-resistant boxwood genetics.
• Flemish Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2020Research institution that cooperated with Belgium grower Didier Hermans on 20+ years of blight-resistant boxwood breeding. Led the genome project to identify and cross boxwood varieties for blight resistance.
• Skagit HorticulturecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 August 2017Partnership brings Sunset Western Garden Collection and Southern Living Plant Collection branded plants to broader market. Skagit Horticulture offers perennial and annual liners through extensive broker network, allowing non-licensed growers to participate in PDSI brand programs. Exclusive varieties include Salvia 'Killer Cranberry' and 'Little Kiss', Gaillardia 'Sunset Orange', EverColor Carex Series, and Festuca 'Beyond Blue'.
• Flowerwood Nursery, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996Parent company founded by Greg Smith; third-generation family-owned commercial wholesale nursery founded in 1938 in Mobile, Alabama. Flowerwood operates six nursery locations in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia totaling over 1,000 acres of production. PDSI was founded by Greg Smith of Flowerwood Nursery.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Proven Winners: Proven Winners is the largest plant brand licensing company in North America, operating a comparable model of patented genetics licensed through a national grower network with heavy consumer marketing (e.g., Supertunia, 'Limelight' hydrangea). Direct analog to PDSI's brand-and-licensing thesis across Encore Azalea and Southern Living.
• Star Roses & Plants (Conard-Pyle): Star Roses & Plants is a plant brand owner and licensor (Knock Out Roses, Drift Roses, Bushel and Berry) using a virtually identical license-to-grower model with branded marketing programs and patented genetics, competing head-to-head with PDSI for retail shelf and grower partnerships.
• Spring Meadow Nursery: Spring Meadow is the developer behind the Proven Winners ColorChoice shrubs line and a leading woody plant brand licensor. Comparable breeder-to-grower-to-retail pipeline and brand-driven propagation model.
• First Editions Plants: First Editions is a branded shrub line developed by Bailey Nurseries and licensed to growers - a direct competitor for branded landscape shrub shelf space and grower programs alongside Southern Living and Sunset Plant Collections.
• Garden Debut: Garden Debut is a plant brand collective that licenses branded shrubs and ornamentals (e.g., Vermillionaire, Blue Daze) through growers, mirroring PDSI's license-to-grower economics across a smaller brand portfolio.
• Greenleaf Nursery Company: Greenleaf Nursery and its Garden Splendor brand operate a licensed grower network for branded shrubs and ornamentals. Comparable regional brand-and-grower model with overlap in Encore Azalea and Southern Living.

Broad incumbents

• Bailey Nurseries (Endless Summer): Bailey is a large wholesale nursery that also owns and licenses flagship plant brands (Endless Summer hydrangeas, First Editions). Its Endless Summer hydrangea franchise competes for the same branded shrub consumer shelf space as Encore Azalea.
• Monrovia Nursery Company: Monrovia is a large, vertically integrated grower that also pursues branded plant development (Distinctly Better Plants) and competes in retail landscape-grade shrubs and perennials. Overlaps with PDSI on branded shrub distribution to independent garden centers.
• Ball Horticultural Company: Ball Horticultural owns major breeding companies (PanAmerican Seed, Darwin Perennials) and Wave petunias / Simply Salad branded offerings. Represents a much larger incumbent competitor in plant genetics, brand development, and global grower licensing.

Emerging players

• PlantHaven International: PlantHaven is a plant introducing and brand management agency that represents breeders (e.g., Dr. John Cho's Royal Hawaiian Waikiki colocasia which PDSI markets). Functions as a partner rather than direct competitor but operates in the same breeder commercialization space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plant Development Services