Griffon : Southern Patio® Brings Home and Garden Décor to Life with New Website

Industry-leading planter brand overhauls online presence to improve shopping experience and inspire design

CAMP HILL, Pa. (June 22, 2015) - The AMES Companies, Inc., a leading American manufacturer and global provider of lawn and garden products and jobsite tools, is pleased to launch a new website for one of its outdoor lifestyle brands: Southern Patio®. A well-known supplier of innovative planters on the cutting edge of home and garden décor trends, Southern Patio® has built an online destination at www.SouthernPatio.where gardeners can easily shop for planters and find inspiration for their personal planter projects and outdoor living spaces.

"We know that homeowners are more interested in outdoor design than ever. We wanted to create an online destination for our customers that is chock full of helpful tips and design inspiration," said Patrick Guillory of Southern Patio ®. "Container gardening can be complicated, and finding the right container for your plants, setting and style can be a challenge. Our new website simplifies the process and gets homeowners started on the path to finding a planter that fits their design and trend needs."

The Southern Patio ® website features easy-to-navigate filters that allow for a streamlined shopping experience. Customers can explore the full array of products - from indoor and outdoor planters to saucers and decorative accessories - by color, material, size and type. Each product on the site is tagged with an image key to quickly call out unique features such as frost resistance, UV coating and pre-drilled holes. Once a product is selected, customers can learn more details about the design and construction as well as available sizes and colors. A new "where to buy" button directs customers to their nearest brick-and-mortar store and online retailers.

The all-new Idea Center is an interactive hub that houses inspiration, advice and user-generated images of planter projects. Within the center, visitors can explore container gardening tips from gardening experts and seek planter project ideas with step-by-step directions for common container gardening practices. Visitors will also find a collaborative digital community where they can upload photos of their own planter projects or simply explore photos from other contributors. The Planter Selector tool helps overwhelmed gardeners narrow down their choices by selecting a preferred color, plant size and planter shape.

Slated to launch in late June, the Living Space Designer is a visualization tool that will allow visitors to upload photos of their patio and virtually drag and drop planters directly into the picture. The tool makes typical complexities such as sizing and furnishings simpler by scaling the planters so visitors can choose the right planters and plants that complement their space. Users can save their designs within the tool for future reference.

About Southern Patio ®

Since 1977, gardeners have turned to Southern Patio ® planters for innovative, beautiful planters. Over the past four decades, Southern Patio® has helped lead the industry through its evolution from simple, affordable poly pots to today's innovative materials and trend-setting designs. The company offers a full range of planters from basic poly planters to cutting-edge, lightweight materials that appear as natural finishes, to beautiful ceramic planters. That's why gardeners continue to trust Southern Patio® planters. For more information visit www.southernpatio.

About The AMES Companies, Inc.

The AMES Companies is a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation (NYSE: GFF) and is the leading, as well as the largest, manufacturer of lawn and garden tools in the U.S. The company is headquartered in Camp Hill, Pa., and manufactures and markets a wide variety of lawn and garden tools for homeowners, jobsite tools for professionals and outdoor lifestyle products. Brands include AMES®, True Temper®, Razor-Back® Professional Tools, Jackson® Professional Tools, Southern Patio®, UnionTools®, Dynamic Design®, Garant®, Westmix™, Kelso™, Cyclone® and Northcote™. Available at retailers around the world, The AMES Companies product offerings include long-handled tools, wheelbarrows, carts, hose reels, hoses, snow tools, hand tools, pruning tools, striking tools, planters and outdoor accessories. For more information visit www.us.ames.