Standards Committee Members Selected
Leonardo Academy received an overwhelming amount of applications from individuals and organizations interested in serving on the standards committee for sustainable agriculture. Fifty-eight people were finally chosen among nearly 200 who applied to develop a final standard for American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approval – and eight of those selected have floriculture backgrounds.
Read more here.
View: Jerry Montgomery On Big Box Retailing
Marketing consultant Jerry Montgomery visited retailers this year during OFA Short Course in Columbus, Ohio. His mission: to determine what’s selling, who’s supplying and who understands retail marketing of plants the best among the three national retailers. Bell Nursery is clearly best, Montgomery found, and it has raised the bar higher for all growers serving big box stores. Read more here.
Nursery: Plant Loss A Result Of Wal-Mart Salt
Roemer Nursery in Madison Township, Ohio, has suffered significant plant loss over the last two years. Nursery officials say Wal-Mart’s snow-melting salt is the source, contaminating the water in its supply pond to the point where it’s unusable. Read more here.
Schaan, Courtright Head Up ANLA
Greg Schaan of Imperial Nurseries assumed the presidency of the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) and Tom Courtright of Orchard Nursery & Florist was elected president-elect of the board of directors at the association’s annual meeting in Columbus. Read more here.
Ones To Watch: Abe and Art Van Wingerden
As part of Greenhouse Grower's 25th anniversary celebration, we are profiling industry people we expect to shape the industry for the better over the next 25 years. Now in its fifth week, our Ones To Watch series continues with Abe and Art Van Wingerden, the brothers at the helm of Metrolina Greenhouses in Huntersville, N.C.
Read more here.
Breeders, growers and universities in Colorado and New Hampshire will host their annual open houses this week and next. Welby Gardens, Syngenta Flowers, Colorado State University, D.S. Cole Growers and Pleasant View Gardens are among those hosting in early August. Read more here.
Making Room For Herbs And Veggies
Are herbs and vegetables the way to go? If so, are growers selling themselves short on prices? One grower wrote us about her decision to move full speed ahead with herbs and veggies, and another wrote to share a success story on increasing prices with the two. Both growers, ironically, are located in Minnesota.
Read more here.
All Aboard For National Promotion
Is now the time for the turf and landscape and nursery and floriculture sectors to unite for national promotion? Green industry leaders gathered to brainstorm a few ideas last month at a summit Bailey Nurseries hosted, and a grower wrote us even more recently offering her thoughts on the need for a unified industry. Read more here.
Grower Tool: Common Mistakes With New Crops
The industry demands new and exciting varieties each year that sell and are easy for consumers to maintain. Sometimes, though, certain varieties require more attention from growers than others. Selecta First Class has identified some rather challenging varieties and common mistakes that lead to the downfall of those varieties. Read more here.
Terra Nova Nurseries has introduced more than 550 new varieties over the years, and it will add a few to that list for 2009. A select group of plants that was popular in previous seasons will also make a comeback next spring. Read more here.
Athens Select Reveals A Few New Varieties
Coleus ‘Gold Brocade,’ coleus ‘Mariposa’ and verbena ‘Homestead Carpet Red,’ tested and evaluated at the University of Georgia's trial gardens, will join Athens Select’s lineup of heat- and humidity-tolerant plants for 2009. Read more here.
The Culinary Couture Collection from Hort Couture will be even larger in 2009, expanding to include many exciting new plants while maintaining its unique form of presentation in collections like Thai Restaurant, Salsa in the City and A Zest for Garnish. Read more here.