The Nice & Easy range was developed by the founders of Schram Plants Ltd., Flip & Marian Schram. The range entered the market for garden centres in 2005. The goal of the brand was to promote the beautiful variety of plants they had to offer, while also informing customers about these plants in a user-friendly way. The team also wanted customers to know they were a trusted Irish and Bord Bia quality assured brand, aiming for the highest quality possible.
The first range of Nice & Easy plants were exclusively alpines. With this, customers were introduced to the Nice & Easy man, Alfie, who appeared on the labels and became a mascot for the brand. In 2006, the range was extended to include kitchen, medicinal, and fragrant herbs, adding colour to the label range.
In 2007
In 2007, Nice & Easy rebranded the labels going for a simpler yet attractive look, while also saying goodbye to the Nice & Easy man. The brands labels became more informative to assist customers in selecting the perfect alpine or herb. Although the label was redesigned, the same colour scheme as seen above was adapted for alpines and kitchen, medicinal, and fragrant herbs. With this, after the success of both the Alpine and Herb range, in 2007 a Herbaceous plant range was introduced to the brand. The new herbaceous labels adapted a similar design to that of the alpines and herbs, however they were slightly longer. The designated colour for the herbaceous labels was red.
As Schram Plants Ltd was constantly growing and modernising, a complete nursery rebrand was implemented in 2011 with the introduction of a new logo, website and rebrand of the Nice & Easy range.
This saw the introduction of large hanging Nice & Easy labels for the herbaceous range and a new modernised and a more graphic label for the herbs and alpines. The brand also utilised a simplified colour scheme of green for alpines, purple for herbs and red for herbaceous plants. The new labels included a Bord Bia quality assured mark along with a 2D QR code which customers could scan with their phone and be brought to the plant profile on the Schram Plants website. This feature was later dropped as if alterations were made to the website the QR code would become obsolete.
In 2013 to 2014
In 2013 to 2014, the Nice & Easy brand partnered with gardening expert & TV presenter, Dermot O’Neil. A new range known as ‘The Dermot Recommends Range’ was developed. The range included a variety of alpines, herbs, and herbaceous perennials. The plants in this range were handpicked by Dermot, selecting those that would be best suited to the Irish weather and were considered as clever investments for any garden. Of course, some of his own favourites were included! Dermot was a beloved friend of the Schram Plants team and the Nice & Easy brand. May he Rest in Peace.
In 2018
In 2018 the brand decided to dedicate itself to becoming more environmentally friendly. All pots being used for the Nice and Easy range were made from black plastic, which is recyclable, but optical sensors can sometimes struggle to identify it on conveyor belts at recycling plants. With this in mind, the use of coloured pots which were made from 100% recycled materials was implemented, reducing the risk of these being disposed of improperly. Any black pots which remained on site were used where possible to avoid waste.
New labels were also developed, being made from 75% recycled materials. A new colour scheme for the labels was also implemented, wherein the labels of each variety corresponds with the colour of its pot. The variety of colours include pink, purple, orange, lime, and dark green. These labels also include a new ‘Plant Pollinator’ symbol, as pollinators have such an important role in gardening. The size of the alpine and herb labels was also reduced to scale of the smaller pots.
In 2021
Furthering its environmental consciousness, a new Nice & Easy Wild about Wildflowers range was introduced in 2021. This range is called wildflowers as it contains plants which are loved by all pollinators but are not typically referred to as wildflowers. The range give customers an insight on what plants they could put in their garden that could potentially attract/help pollinators.
The Nice & Easy range is constantly growing with additions of new varieties every year! It is a trusted range that puts quality above all. The brand has been reinventing itself to adhere to the needs of the consumer & the everchanging world. The team understands the garden is becoming a focal point for many people and hope that Nice & Easy plants inspire people to make it their own.
