The Horticultural Trades Association has joined forces with Hortipak to provide a new range of point of sale materials for each plant featured in the 2012 Plant of the Month calendar.

Hortipak says that by highlighting those groups of plants which are widely available and looking great each month will mean customers are more inspired towards sales. The aim of the campaign is to make it easier for gardeners to select plants which are widely available and flourishing at certain times of the year, as well as plan for future months.

HTA director of marketing and communications Andrew Maxted said: "Hortipak has come up with a cost-effective range of options to help members promote each month's plant selection through the year, including the addition of new banners and bench wrap.

"This gives garden centres and nurseries even more opportunities to highlight to customers the plants that are looking good in the plantarea and ready for planting in their gardens."

Primula has been named as the HTA's Plant of the Month for January. One of the first flowers of the year, their common name, primrose, derives from prima rosa, meaning 'first flower'. Fully hardy, they are a hugely popular autumn bedding and container plant. Cultivated varieties come in a wide range of colours with both single and double flowers. There are more than 500 species in the genus Primula, including auricula, cowslip and oxlip.

Camellia will feature as February's plant of choice, taking centre stage as one of the most popular plants for adding bright and vibrant colour when there is little else flowering in the garden.

The range of flower colours is vast, from light pinks to dark reds and stunning whites, with single, double and other flower forms available such as peony and anemone. Depending on the cultivar, the flowers can be enjoyed from November through to April. They grow particularly well in a container provided the container is placed out of the early morning sun in frosty weather.

HTA's David Gilchrist said: "Camellias grow well with other ericaceous plants such as Rhododendron, Pieris, and Enkianthu, deciduous and evergreen azaleas. An evergreen with handsome, glossy green leaves, camellias are woodland natives and so prefer a sheltered, shady position, ideally in a spot that avoids direct morning sun (if the flowers thaw out too quickly on a frosty morning they tend to turn brown). You can grow them in a more exposed position but you must keep them well watered."

The remaining 2012 Plant of the Month list is as follows:

March - Vinca
April - Lavender
May - Petunia
June - Roses
July - Dahlia
August - Phlox
September - Aster
October - Heuchera
November - Trees
Wecember - Winter Stem

The plants included within the Plant of the Month have been nominated and agreed by the HTA Ornamentals Committee and the HTA Retail Management Group to ensure the campaign meets the needs of both growers and retailers.