Highlights from MANTS 2026

The Nursery Management team surveyed the massive Baltimore trade show. Here are our highlights.

By Matt McClellan, Editor

Published March 23, 2026 | Updated March 24, 2026

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More than 10,800 horticulture professionals converged on the Baltimore Convention Center in January for MANTS 2026.

The sold-out trade show floor featured more than 890 exhibiting companies, a slight decline from 923 in 2025. MANTS staff say this was due to larger booth footprints and expanded displays. There did seem to be more extra-large booths this year.

The attendee count was higher than 2025’s 10,460, perhaps due to the unseasonably warm weather. Temperature-wise, this was by far the nicest MANTS I’ve attended in my 13 years in the industry.

MANTS will return to the Baltimore Convention Center Jan. 13-15, 2027.

For more information, visit mants.com.

Buying and networking happen at MANTS. 84% of MANTS attendees authorize or influence their company’s purchasing decisions, according to show officials. The 2026 show also welcomed nearly 3,200 non-exhibiting buying companies.
matt mcclellan/Katie Mcdaniel

Several groups of young potential horticulturists roamed the aisles of MANTS as guests of Seed Your Future. They were learning about jobs in the green industry. Associate editor Katie McDaniel spoke with them at the GIE Media booth.

New for 2026 is Carex ‘Lunar Falls’, which stands out with luminous variegation. It’s at its best in part shade and its bright foliage certainly lightens up a shady area. Many white variegated plants burn in the sun, but Kip McConnell, business development director for PDSI, says the heat tolerance is excellent.

The Garden District Collection is a new plant brand from Michael Dirr, Jeff Beasley and Mark Griffith. The brand, currently being grown by Windmill Nursery, Tom Dodd Nursery and Stokeley Nursery, will have introductions in 11 different genera, but three specific varieties stood out. Abelia Cherry Creek has an initial lemon yellow flush with bright red foliage in the summer. It’s compact, attracts pollinators and will do well in Zones 6-9. Garnet Flame, a lorapetalum that keeps purple-black foliage all year, but boasts neon red blooms and a compact habit, stays 3 feet tall. Hardy in Zones 7 to 9. Last, Cascade Dream distylium (pictured) is a low-growing variety that will cascade over walls. Disease-resistant and heat-tolerant, it grows to 18 inches high and is hardy in Zones 7-9.

Star Roses and Plants presented the Martha Stewart rose, a 2026 introduction that will hit IGCs first. Meilland International bred this rose, which was originally introduced in Europe as Jean de la Fontaine. The home and garden icon was looking for a “legacy” rose to bear her name, a high petal count and a strong fragrance. It’s a hybrid tea rose that will grow to 3 feet high and wide. Official Martha Stewart point-of-purchase marketing materials are available for Star customers.

Another product that lit up attendees’ interest was Firefly petunia, the world’s first commercially available glow-in-the-dark plant. During the day, Firefly looks like a basic petunia. But in the dark, Firefly exudes luminescence. See the March 2023 issues of Garden Center and January 2025 issue of Greenhouse Management) for coverage of its journey to market.

Jared Babik, national project sales manager for Dramm, says if a grower improves water quality, they gain the added benefit of saving on labor costs. Think of all the times you send someone to change a clogged filter. Dramm’s new regenerative filter has a unique design that provides very fine filtration (1 to 3 microns) with zero backwash. These filters have high-capacity flow rates, allowing for better space utilization and potentially lower costs when compared to backwashing media filters.

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