Pacific Plug & Liner
Pacific Plug & Liner is a wholesale producer of perennial plant liners based in Watsonville, California, selling exclusively through 17 North American broker partners to commercial growers and landscape professionals. It holds exclusive rights to branded programs (Frostkiss, Delgenius, Summerina) and licenses consumer brands (Sunset, Southern Living).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersWatsonville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Pacific Plug & Liner does
Pacific Plug & Liner (PP&L) is a wholesale producer of perennial plant liners — young plug plants grown in multi-cell trays — operating from a single 250,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art greenhouse facility in Watsonville, California. The company organizes its catalog around a 'Planthology' collection of nine perennial program groups (Grasses, Dianthus, Lavender, Cordyline, Hellebore, Echibeckia, Salvia, Echinacea, Delphinium) and holds exclusive production rights to branded programs including Hellebore Frostkiss, Delphinium Delgenius, and the interspecific Echibeckia Summerina, developed in partnership with breeder Exceptio and Bart Noordhuis. PP&L also licenses the consumer-recognized Sunset Plant Collection and Southern Living Plant Collection from Plant Development Services Inc. (PDSI). Greenhouse operations rely on Argus environmental controls, hydronic bottom heating, high-pressure fog, automated irrigation, and the PICAS inventory-tracking system; output is supported by the Liner-bility real-time availability tool showing 72 weeks of forward availability.
The company sells exclusively through a network of 17 broker partners across North America — including Ball Seed, Griffin Greenhouse Supplies, McHutchison/Vaughan's, Michell's, Star Roses and Plants, BFG Plant Connection, and PDSI — with no direct-to-grower sales channel. The ePicas Online Ordering System serves as the digital ordering layer, but all commercial transactions route through brokers. Tray sizes range from 162-cell down to a Fast-Track 32-cell format; pricing is quote-based and freight is F.O.B. Watsonville. End customers are commercial growers (primary) and landscape professionals (secondary), with a small headcount of 11–50 employees across sales, customer service, marketing, operations, growing, fulfillment, facilities, HR, and administration.
Revenue is generated through two streams: direct sales of liners across tray sizes and programs, and licensing/royalty-bearing branded plant collections and tag drop-shipping (MasterTag). PP&L is privately held, has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and is not venture- or PE-backed based on available evidence. Geographic operations cover the United States and Canada, though licensed Sunset and Southern Living branded programs are restricted in 13 southern U.S. states. The company claims a horticultural heritage spanning over a century, though firmographics place incorporation-related milestones at a more recent date.
Pacific Plug & Liner firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pacific Plug & Liner
- Legal name
- Pacific Plug & Liner
- Website
- https://ppandl.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pacific Plug & Liner is a wholesale producer of perennial plant liners based in Watsonville, California, selling exclusively through 17 North American broker partners to commercial growers and landscape professionals. It holds exclusive rights to branded programs (Frostkiss, Delgenius, Summerina) and licenses consumer brands (Sunset, Southern Living).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pacific Plug & Liner industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wholesale Perennial Nursery (Ornamental Plant Liners)
- NAICS
- Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Nursery and Tree Production (111421)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nursery Stock & Propagule Production (Cuttings, Rootstocks, Grafts) (AFAGAIAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Propagation & Seedling/Plug Production (Vegetable Transplants, Tissue-Culture Liners) (AFAGAHAG), Vegetative Propagation (Cuttings, Clonal Forestry, Tissue Culture) (AFAMADAE), Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers) (AFAGAHAM)
Keywords
Where Pacific Plug & Liner is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Watsonville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pacific Plug & Liner business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Perennial Liner and Plant Sales: PP&L generates revenue through the sale of perennial liners (young plants) across multiple tray sizes (162-cell, 128-cell, 72-cell, 50-cell, 32-cell Fast-Track) and programs. Products include Grasses, Dianthus, Lavender, Cordyline, Hellebore, Echibeckia, Salvia, Echinacea, and Delphinium. Minimum order requirements apply: 2 trays per variety for grow-to orders, 1 tray for availability orders.
- Branded Programs and Plant Collections: Revenue from exclusive branded plant programs including Hellebore Frostkiss, Delphinium Delgenius, Echibeckia Summerina, and licensed programs like Southern Living Plant Collection and Sunset Plant Collection. Tag sales through MasterTag drop-shipping program generate additional revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tray size pricing based on cell count and production lead times |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Planting Staff hourly positions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Irrigation Staff hourly positions |
| Subscription | Annual | Senior Human Resources Generalist salary |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Pacific Plug & Liner product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pacific Plug & Liner is a wholesale perennial liner producer that grows and sells young plug plants in multiple tray sizes (162-cell, 128-cell, 102-cell, 72-cell, 50-cell, and Fast-Track 32-cell) to commercial growers and landscape professionals across North America, distributed exclusively through a 17-partner broker network. Its product portfolio centers on the Planthology collection (Grasses, Dianthus, Lavender, Cordyline, Hellebore, Echibeckia, Salvia, Echinacea, Delphinium) and proprietary branded programs including Echibeckia Summerina, Hellebore Frostkiss, Delphinium Delgenius, and Hula Berry, produced in a 250,000 sq. ft. greenhouse facility in Watsonville, California.
Product overview
Pacific Plug & Liner is a horticultural company specializing in perennial liners — young plug plants grown in multi-cell trays — sold exclusively through a broker network across North America. The company's product portfolio is organized around its Planthology collection, a set of branded plant program groups (Grasses, Dianthus, Lavender, Cordyline, Hellebore, Echibeckia, Salvia, Echinacea, Delphinium) each with dedicated catalogs, availability trackers, and technical guides. Key branded programs include the exclusive Echibeckia Summerina interspecific hybrid, the Hellebore Frostkiss hybrid series, the Delphinium Delgenius super-hybrid series, and the Hula Berry program. PP&L also distributes the Sunset Plant Collection and Southern Living Plant Collection (via Plant Development Services), PlantHaven varieties, and specialty plants including succulents, hardy ferns, Hostas, Alstroemeria, and specialty Colocasia. Supporting offerings include Fast-Track Liners (larger 32-cell inputs for shortened grow times), the Liner-bility real-time availability tool, ePicas online ordering platform, and MasterTag drop-shipped plant tags. Tray sizes offered include 162-cell, 128-cell, 72-cell, 50-cell, 102-cell, and 32-cell Fast-Track.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Planthology: The company's core collection of perennial programs including Grasses, Dianthus, Lavender, Cordyline, Hellebore, Echibeckia, Salvia, Echinacea, and Delphinium.
- Liner-bility
- Fast-Track Liners
Products and services
- Planthology Programs Curated collection of perennial liner programs organized by plant genus (Grasses, Dianthus, Lavender, Cordyline, Hellebore, Echibeckia, Salvia, Echinacea, Delphinium), each with its own dedicated catalog, availability tracker, and technical guide for commercial growers and landscape professionals.
- Echibeckia Summerina Exclusive interspecific hybrid plant series crossing Rudbeckia and Echinacea, combining Rudbeckia's abundant flowering and fast growth with Echinacea's disease resistance and flower longevity (up to 10 weeks per flower). Marketed as 'The Most Interesting Plant in the World.'
- Hellebore Frostkiss Hybrid Hellebore series bred by Bart Noordhuis, blooming from late winter into spring, with improved garden performance over traditional Hellebores.
- Delphinium Delgenius Super-hybrid Delphinium series bred by Exceptio after 10+ years of breeding, featuring hardiness, heat tolerance, strong multi-branching stems, no vernalization requirement, semi-double reblooming flowers, and no PGRs needed.
- Hula Berry Branded berry plant program from Nourse Farms, distributed through Pacific Plug & Liner with a mandatory Gardener's XL Improved Tag.
- Sunset Plant Collection Consumer-branded plant collection by Plant Development Services (PDSI), distributed exclusively through licensed growers like PP&L, with mandatory Gardener's XL Improved Tags and restrictions in 12 U.S. states.
- Southern Living Plant Collection Consumer-branded plant collection by Plant Development Services (PDSI), distributed through Pacific Plug & Liner to non-licensed growers without pot or POP requirements.
- Fast-Track Liners 32-cell liner program offering larger input sizes that shorten grow times, enabling growers to plant directly into landscapes or larger pots with less effort.
- Liner-bility Online Availability Tool Real-time online availability and inventory tracking tool powered by PICAS software, allowing growers to browse 72 weeks of availability, enter orders, and track confirmations.
- ePicas Online Ordering System Online ordering platform enabling brokers and growers to browse availability, place orders, and track confirmations digitally.
- MasterTag Drop-Shipping Tag drop-shipping program through MasterTag providing plant identification tags for select varieties and programs; some tags are mandatory per breeder requirements, others optional.
- PlantHaven Items Portfolio of plant varieties distributed through PlantHaven International, available alongside PP&L's own branded programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Little to no reliance on plant growth regulators (PGRs) due to natural coastal climate
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Pacific Plug & Liner
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pacific Plug & Liner technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Pacific Plug & Liner partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
28 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ball SeedcoreMajor horticultural seed and plant broker headquartered in West Chicago, IL. Primary distribution channel partner for PP&L products.
- BFG Plant ConnectioncorePlant broker serving as a key distribution partner for PP&L liner products.
- Eason Horticulture ResourcescoreNational horticulture resource broker handling PP&L product distribution.
- Express Seed CompanycoreMajor broker partner distributing PP&L perennial liners.
- FleurizonminorCalifornia-based horticultural broker partner.
- FloraSource Ltd.minorWest coast broker partner serving California and surrounding regions.
- Griffin Greenhouse SuppliescoreMajor national greenhouse supply and plant broker handling PP&L product distribution.
- M&M PlantsminorCalifornia-based broker serving local growers.
- McHutchison / Vaughan'scoreMajor national broker distributing PP&L products across multiple regions.
- Messick Company LLCminorCalifornia-based broker partner.
- Michell'scoreMajor East Coast broker handling PP&L product distribution.
- Plant Development Services Inc. (PDSI)coreLicenses Southern Living Plant Collection and Sunset Plant Collection to PP&L. Partners on these branded plant collections that are trusted by consumers nationwide.
- PoppyStarts Inc.minorPacific Northwest broker partner.
- Raymond Perri Co.minorNew York-based broker partner.
- Star Roses and PlantscoreMajor East Coast broker distributing PP&L products.
- The Nursery Stock Market Inc.minorNational broker partner.
- Vis Seeds Company Inc.minorCalifornia-based seed and plant broker.
- ExceptiocoreBreeder partner for Delphinium Delgenius, Echibeckia Summerina, and Hellebore Frostkiss branded programs. PP&L holds exclusive rights to these proprietary plant varieties.
- Bart NoordhuiscoreExpert plant breeder specializing in Delphinium, Echibeckia, and Hellebore. Collaborates with PP&L on breeding and cultivation guidance for Frostkiss series.
- PlantHaven InternationalcoreCo-host of California Spring Trials at Santa Barbara Polo Club. PP&L showcases varieties including Royal Hawaiian Colocasia and other PlantHaven offerings.
- MasterTagminorDrop-shipping partner for plant tags. Tags are sold at 1:1 ratio with plant purchases and drop-shipped near liner delivery time.
- Nourse FarmsminorBreeder of Hula Berry program that PP&L produces and distributes.
- Peace Tree FarmsminorBreeder of Lavender Exceptional and Phenomenal programs that PP&L distributes.
- GreenfuseminorBreeder partner with MasterTag XL tag requirement.
- HilverdaFloristminorBreeder partner for Gerbera program with Universal XL tag requirement.
- Terra Nova NurseriesminorBreeder partner with Gardener's XL Improved Tag requirement.
- Chris HansenminorBreeder of Ajuga Fine-Feathered Friends Program distributed through PP&L.
- Royal Van ZantenminorBreeder of Alstroemeria Colorita program with Mid XL Locking Tag.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pacific Plug & Liner competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Proven Winners: Proven Winners is a major branded plant marketing cooperative that licenses genetics to wholesale growers and drives consumer demand at retail. It competes with PP&L's licensed programs (Southern Living, Sunset) for branded consumer mindshare and downstream grower preference.
Broad incumbents
- Syngenta Flowers: Syngenta Flowers is a major global horticultural breeder and producer offering seed-raised and vegetative annuals and perennials. It is comparable to PP&L as a wholesale plant producer with proprietary genetics, though operating at significantly larger scale and broader category breadth.
- Dümmen Orange: Dümmen Orange is one of the world's largest breeders and producers of ornamental plants, offering annuals, perennials, and potted plants globally. It competes with PP&L in branded perennial genetics at scale, with broader geographic reach and a larger product portfolio.
- Sakata Ornamentals: Sakata Ornamentals produces ornamental seed and young plants (plugs and liners) globally, with similar wholesale customer base to PP&L. It is comparable as a producer of starter plants sold to commercial growers, though its portfolio is more weighted to seed-raised annuals and perennials.
- Ball Horticultural Company: Ball Horticultural is a large, diversified horticultural company supplying seed, plants, and inputs across categories, with Ball Seed as a major PP&L broker partner. It competes through Darwin Perennials and broader horticulture offerings while also serving as a key distribution channel for PP&L.
Direct peers
- Darwin Perennials: Darwin Perennials is Ball Horticultural's perennial brand specializing in vegetative perennial liner production and breeding. It is one of PP&L's most direct competitors in the wholesale perennial liner market, particularly for branded genetics sold through the same broker channels.
- Green Leaf Plants: Green Leaf Plants is a wholesale perennial liner producer (a division of Aris Horticulture) that supplies starter plants to commercial growers across North America. It competes directly with PP&L for perennial liner customers, offers similar tray sizes, and serves the same broker-driven distribution model.
- Walters Gardens: Walters Gardens is one of the largest wholesale perennial producers in North America, supplying liners and bare-root perennials to growers and landscapers across the US. It is the most direct comparable to PP&L in terms of customer base (wholesale growers, landscape professionals) and product category (perennial liners and plugs).
Others
- Star Roses and Plants: Star Roses and Plants is both a PP&L broker partner and a competing wholesale plant brand/breeder. The relationship is dual: PP&L distributes through Star Roses while Star Roses also develops proprietary genetics that compete with PP&L's branded programs for retailer and grower attention.
- PlantHaven International: PlantHaven International is a plant brand management and licensing agency that partners with PP&L as a co-host of CAST and supplies genetics (e.g., Royal Hawaiian Colocasia) for distribution. It is comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant in branded horticulture marketing and licensing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pacific Plug & Liner social profiles
Digital presencePacific Plug & Liner financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pacific Plug & Liner leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Pacific Plug & Liner funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pacific Plug & Liner M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pacific Plug & Liner
What does Pacific Plug & Liner do?
Pacific Plug & Liner is a wholesale perennial liner producer that grows and sells young plug plants in multiple tray sizes (162-cell, 128-cell, 102-cell, 72-cell, 50-cell, and Fast-Track 32-cell) to commercial growers and landscape professionals across North America, distributed exclusively through a 17-partner broker network. Its product portfolio centers on the Planthology collection (Grasses, Dianthus, Lavender, Cordyline, Hellebore, Echibeckia, Salvia, Echinacea, Delphinium) and proprietary branded programs including Echibeckia Summerina, Hellebore Frostkiss, Delphinium Delgenius, and Hula Berry, produced in a 250,000 sq. ft. greenhouse facility in Watsonville, California.
Is Pacific Plug & Liner a public or private company?
Pacific Plug & Liner is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pacific Plug & Liner founded?
Pacific Plug & Liner was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pacific Plug & Liner based?
Pacific Plug & Liner is headquartered in Watsonville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pacific Plug & Liner make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Perennial Liner and Plant Sales are the primary driver. The others are branded Programs and Plant Collections.
Who are Pacific Plug & Liner's main competitors?
Proven Winners is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Syngenta Flowers, Dümmen Orange, Sakata Ornamentals and Ball Horticultural Company. Direct peers are Darwin Perennials, Green Leaf Plants and Walters Gardens. Others are Star Roses and Plants and PlantHaven International.
Does Pacific Plug & Liner have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pacific Plug & Liner.
What industry is Pacific Plug & Liner in?
Pacific Plug & Liner's product category is Wholesale Perennial Nursery (Ornamental Plant Liners). Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAIAO, Nursery Stock & Propagule Production (Cuttings, Rootstocks, Grafts), with a secondary code of AFAGAHAG, Propagation & Seedling/Plug Production (Vegetable Transplants, Tissue-Culture Liners). Its NAICS code is 1114 and its SIC code is 100.