The Bailey Nurseries (Woodbury, MN) 2019 Summer Expo kicked off the morning of July 25, 2019, at the nursery's Nord Farm greenhouse facility.
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Display Garden Dinner
The evening prior to the event, Bailey hosted a VIP dinner in its Display Garden, shown here via aerial view.
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Endless Summer Shines On
Bailey's Endless Summer Hydrangea Collection - including the new for 2019 'Summer Crush' - has turned quite a few heads this year.
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Bailey Variety
Bailey has garnered quite a bit of attention for its Endless Summer line as well as its First Edition brand, but the company is also a prolific woody tree and shrub producer.
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What's New for 2020?
Bailey Nurseries Product Development Manager Debbie Lonnee presented information on all of Bailey's 2020 new varieties, where she shared that Endless Summer Summer Crush hydrangeas "really shows where the future of Bailey breeding is trending for the future ... shorter nodes and improved, compact varieties..."
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One of many new 2020 varieties
"Mighty Chocolate" Cherry Astilbe was one of 12 new varieties for 2020 that Bailey announced at the event.
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Customers check out what's on deck
Bailey's customer network of independent garden centers from throughout the country were on hand to preview the new varieties for 2020 and see what Bailey's been working on in 2019.
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Endless Summer Summer Crush
Attendees seemingly just couldn't get enough of the Endless Summer Summer Crush hydrangeas.
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Copper Ionization Technology
Bailey Nurseries' Jean Marc Versolato gave us a special tour of the nursery's three-year old water ionization system, which automatically injects copper ions into irrigation water via this Aqua-Hort system out of Denmark, which reduces the amount of chlorine in the water while also allowing Bailey to reduce its fungicide usage. The system also reportedly helps reduce the amount of algae growing in the propagation greenhouses.
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Custom Boiler for Sand Sterilization
Bailey grows young plants in greenhouse blocks of sand. To ensure the sand is free from disease pathogens, the company has invented its own custom, movable industrial boiler system that allows it to steam-sterilize its growing media prior to planting into it. The system reduces the amount of chemical sprays that Bailey has to use in its propagation greenhouses.
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Jumpstart Liners
Bailey also distributes its JumpStarts potted liners to other nurseries, breeders, and independent garden centers. Here Bailey Nursery's Dave Gross tells attendees that JumpStarts reportedly offer a longer, more flexible shipping window than bare root cuttings as they can be shipped dormant in April and maintained through July 1.
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Propagation Greenhouses Tour
Bailey propagates 6 million cuttings in sand annually at the Nord Farm in Woodbury, MN. Each greenhouse bay typically hosts 70,000 cuttings, according to Propagation Tour leader Dave Gross.
The group uses the annual event to preview its new variety offerings for the upcoming season as well as to educate its customer base on what Bailey has been working on for the previous 12 months.
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Check out the slideshow above to see a few snapshots of what we witnessed and learned about first-hand at the event.
015Bailey Nurseries 2019 Summer Expo Highlights New Varieties and Technology
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Matthew J. Grassi is a former Technology Editor for Greenhouse Grower and American Vegetable Grower, both Meister Media Worldwide brands. See all author stories here.
August 10, 2019 
