Garden centre signage
A garden centre is four different climates under one name. A sign that thrives in the cafe will not last a season among the hoses.
Sort your signs by zone.
Treating the whole site as "outdoors" wastes money on some signs and under-specifies others. Walk the site and sort every sign into one of these areas.
| Zone | What the sign faces | Usually works |
|---|---|---|
| Road and car park | All weather, all year, read from a moving car | 3mm Dibond for the permanent signs |
| Outdoor plant area | Rain, irrigation, mud and trolley knocks | Corex for a season, Dibond for fixed bay signs |
| Glasshouse | Strong light, heat and condensation | Sealed or laminated boards, kept clear of drips |
| Shop and cafe | Dry, close reading, frequent change | 5mm Foamex or paper posters |
The sign that vanishes in June
Here is a problem unique to this trade. A bay sign fixed at waist height in March is clear to see over young stock. By early summer, the plants have grown up around it. When you plan a sign's position, think about the bench at its fullest, not on the day you put the sign in. Fixing bay and aisle signs above the tallest stock, and reserving low signs for the bench edge, saves replacing them.
Read it from behind a trolley
Customers here move slowly, hands full, looking down at plants. Care and price information works best at bench edge, angled upwards, in short lines. Aisle names and category signs go overhead, and should read from a distance. Our letter height guide gives starting sizes.
A fixed layer and a seasonal layer
Trade in most centres climbs steeply in spring, and again before Christmas. Build for that.
- Fixed layer: site map, departments, toilets, cafe and trolley parks. Buy these once, in a material that lasts.
- Seasonal layer: bedding, compost offers, bulbs, trees and gift ideas. Use light boards and Corex, and expect to change them.
- Boundary banners: PVC on a roadside fence works well for a seasonal message. Check with your council first if a banner faces a road, as advertisement rules may apply.
Leave prices and dates off anything you hope to use again next year. A small panel or a line of cut vinyl can carry them.
Mounting prices for common sizes
| Board | A2 | A1 | 30in x 20in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corex | £6 | £10 | £8 |
| 5mm Foamex | £8 | £14 | £11 |
| 3mm Dibond | £18 | £24 | £20 |
Guide prices from our price list. They exclude VAT and delivery and assume print-ready artwork.
Signs that work outdoors.
Your questions.
Can Corex signs be pushed into the ground?
Corex is commonly used on stakes for short-term signs. Ask us what fixings suit your job, and tell us how exposed the location is, because wind is the main enemy.
What about signs inside a warm, wet glasshouse?
Choose a sealed or laminated board, and keep it away from direct drips. Edges are the weak spot, so tell us where the sign will sit.
Can you print plant care labels for every bench?
We print on boards and sheets in large format. For very small labels in big numbers, tell us what you need and we will say whether we are the right fit.