Sara's Green Space

More on CO2....It's good for plants! Duh!

2008-07-08T10:32:00.001-04:00

This article is cracking me up. Headline: Higher CO2 levels may be good for plants. Really? No way!

The comments are even better. JWS said:

CO2 helps plants?!?!?! You mean these “jeenyuses” are just now figuring this out? Because I learned about photosynthesis in 3rd grade. What next? Do sunlight and water also make plants grow?

Gen Y Gardens!

2008-07-07T13:31:00.006-04:00

I love this post from the Blogging Nurseryman today on organics and Gen Y.

"Just like the hippies of yesterday, today's young people are actively involved in and not listening to 'the establishment.' Who is the establishment. US!"

We, as an industry, make the rules. And Trey says if we keep listening to the "experts" on how to market and what products to sell, we'll be lost. A good example he mentions is the myth that young people don't garden.

When I talked to Wolfgang Engelmann, the winner of this year's Medal of Excellence for Marketing, he told me how his research shows that young people today are embracing nature in ways that generations before them didn't. So why not market to them? They want your products! Don't give up on Gen Y!

Bell Nursery in the Wall Street Journal

2008-07-03T21:34:00.005-04:00

A story in the Wall Street Journal on the contract system at Bell Nursery and some of the growers in the system.

And interesting quote:

The Raleys still farm corn and hay and raise a few Angus cattle, but these days the flowers seem to hold the most promise for a regular payday.

Good to hear. The Raleys used to grow tobacco, but that's a crop that doesn't pay like it used to.

Feeling blue? Stifled? Here's a plant.

2008-06-12T17:13:00.003-04:00

The Trib's got it ... an article on how bosses buying plants makes for happy employees.

I'm a big fan of what Costa Farms is doing to promote plants as good for you -- its O2 For You campaign. And they have a Facebook group for the project. That's doubly good. They're contacting the right demographic with the right medium. Nice.

Automation Magic

2008-06-12T16:53:00.005-04:00

We are way in the middle of production of our July issue (it's HUGE), but I had to take a break and post this. I wrote a story for this issue on automation and was looking through some stock images we have to go along with it.

Stumbled across this short video I took of the packaging automation at Dummen in Germany. The breeding facilities in Europe are also the young plant growers, so they need to move product. I visited this facility more than a year ago, now, with the National Floriculture Forum. We were all hypnotized. Pretty cool.

First glimpse - Home Depot Eco Options plants

2008-05-14T08:32:00.005-04:00

I got my first glimpse at the EcoOptions plant products at Home Depot over the weekend. I arrived at about 11am, and the display was already an obvious favorite that day.

The branded Bonnie veggie and herb plants were offered in several sizes. The fiber pots were a little squishier than I'd expected, but I think it's a little bit easier for the consumer to see that they'll break down in compost.

The display was in the greenhouse, not in the outdoor parking lot plant fantasy land our local HD puts out each spring. I bet if it was outside, this display would have been completely empty.

Garlic - the Italian cure for thrips

2008-05-09T13:57:00.003-04:00

I love hearing the unique methods growers use to keep pests out of their greenhouses. I've heard quite a few times about brushing plants with plastic strips to retard growth, simulating being blown through the breeze in an open field. We saw this in practice at Elzinga & Hoeksema.

The latest thing I've heard is including garlic plants on your benches to repel thrips, being used by Shed Nursery in Mentone, Ala. I can't imagine hating the smell of garlic, but I guess it works. Even as I was looking for a photo of garlic, I came across this testimonial from a gardener on Flickr:

GARDEN TIP: The next time aphids are attacking your roses try spraying them with a mixture of crushed garlic and water...watch them drop.

Photo by Smitten on Flickr.

Urban Outfitters Terrain -- The Images

2008-05-09T09:41:00.003-04:00

Found these images of the new Urban Outfitters Terrain location on Flickr. Lots of great photography here -- outdoor and indoor photos. I have to admit, it's not exactly what I was expecting. What do you think?

Blogger of the week: Parks Brothers' Blog

2008-04-27T21:08:00.006-04:00

You can use a blog to communicate anything. Park Brothers Greenhouses of Van Buren, Arkansas, is using its blog to communicate availabilities to customers. Visit the site, at http://parksbros.wordpress.com and find photos of varieties.

Jason Parks tells me he started the blog last year but really started promoting it this spring. Retail customers, or anyone, can post comments on availabilities and variety selection. And we get to see how you can transport three pies during a flood.

Long time, no blog

2008-04-27T20:14:00.005-04:00

Here's what's up at Greenhouse Grower lately. Our May Top 100 Growers list is just about to hit mailboxes, we just finished up work on our Mid-May structures issue and now we're onto our June issue.

We have a new number one grower on the list this year -- Color Spot Nursery. The operation added almost 5 million square feet of greenhouse area in the last year. Stay tuned to your mailbox and to www.greenhousegrower.com to read more details on the largest greenhouses in the U.S.

The mid-May issue of Greenhouse Grower follows Buckley Growers Illinois and Elzinga & Hoeksema's new greenhouse projects, and a really nice article by Danny Takao on tips for planning a new structure.

Looking ahead now, in our June issue, we're looking for your tags. Send me your custom-made labels and/or tags and we'll include them in the magazine. E-mail me at satambascio@meistermedia.com. Thanks!

And finally, I'll be attending the Southeast Greenhouse Conference this year. I've never been to this show before, so I hope to see and learn a lot. See you there.

Blog of the week: Wal-Mart's Check Out

2008-04-06T15:42:00.005-04:00

Check Out is a blog written by Wal-Mart associates. Described as "dedicated to bringing you the latest in gadgets, green, gaming, and more," Check Out is divided by consumer category, including Lawn & Garden.

Blogger Marvin Deshommes is back for the spring, his latest post on hardgoods supply -- patio furniture and grills. We want to hear about what's up with live goods!We'll stay tuned to see what's up at the mass merchandiser.

Floriculture glossary for beginners - and veterans

2008-04-04T16:47:00.003-04:00

Came across this cool Web site today -- Plant Facts Glossary from Ohio State University. Looks like it contains entries across turf as well as floriculture.

The glossary is part of the broader Plant Facts site, a wiki knowledge bank that includes a Plant Growing Guide. Check out tips for growing in 13 genera.

What I learned in the April 2008 issue of Greenhouse Grower -- About Urban Outfitters' Terrain!

2008-03-31T13:08:00.008-04:00

- Carroll Brothers is serious about saving water. Richard Carroll is currently using Aquamats, and his ultimate goal is to build an underground reservoir for rainwater, but he hasn't figured out the finances yet. The method would save a huge chunk of water needed for his crops.

- Dr. George Elliott of the University of Connecticut attended the Leonardo Academy stakeholders meeting for a sustainability standard. He thought the most contentious subject in the talks was around genetically modified organisms, which the draft standard prohibits.

- Urban Outfitters new Terrain retail concept will target the female consumer in her 40s and 50s and will keep the best of Styer's, the garden center chain Terrain purchased as its first retail platform. Terrain is in talks with Styer's existing growers as suppliers.

- In our Variety Central section, check out my favorites argyranthmum 'Spring Bouquet' by Paul Ecke Ranch (pictured) and the great begonias 'Black Taffeta' and 'Madame Queen' by Terra Nova Nurseries.

- Keep up to date on the sustainable garden trials going on at the University of Georgia at www.uga.edu/ugatrial.

Spring has sprung at Lowe's

2008-03-11T11:47:00.005-04:00

There's something big going on over at Lowe's Web site. A new section called Welcome Back Spring takes the visitor to a fictional town called Sunnyville, where we meet neighbors who are all about outdoor living.

The Web animation begins with a sweeping look at flowers blooming, koi swimming and burgers sizzling on the grill.

Moe is the neighborhood guy obsessed with his lawn. Mike is the party animal, a bear who knows everything about patio furniture. And Iris is the local gardener. Each character shares tips about their area of expertise. Iris shares when and what to plant based on a planting Zone chart, as well as suggestions on gardening tools.

Even though this is the same information packaged in a slightly different way, I think this is so much more effective marketing than ad circulars. It's a story...and it's online. I can relate to these people and I feel like I'm hearing something from a friend. And a bear! A bear who knows everything about outdoor entertaining. If you make me laugh, I'm probably a customer for life.

Homewood does battle with drought

2008-03-03T09:25:00.005-05:00

On much of our trip to Raleigh, the one question we had for the growers and retailers we visited was “How is the drought affecting your business?” Homewood Nursery and Garden Center is helping out its retail customers by offering rain barrels and water by the jug to whoever wants it. A sign posted in the store says the grower/retailer is offering fewer plants this year, so it can share water from its wells with customers.

At retail, Homewood is pushing containers, baskets and window boxes to fight the drought. The business buys in much of the bedding plant flats it sells, while focusing on growing the cutting-edge plant material that would be hard to find from other growers.

The business sells 30,000 poinsettias a year and propagates poinsettias from stock plants. All the work pays off when those stock plants are sold in season for $50 a piece. It’s a size Homewood’s customers can’t get anywhere else.

Other new and exciting things going on at Homewood include an outdoor living furniture gallery and a Monrovia nursery boutique.

Asiatic lilies galore

2008-02-26T09:29:00.004-05:00

It’s looking like Holland at Sarah and Michael’s Farm. The operation’s niche crop is lilies. The bulbs (from Holland) are forced in crates, in a media of 100 percent coir from Sri Lanka. Coir has a great structure for lilies – strong fibers that keep air in the mix, helping to avoid pythium. The media is all reused after a steam sterilization.

The operation uses no pesticides or fungicides, but relies on good soil and a controlled environment. And it helps that flowers are harvested before buds open.

But more than all this, I like the attitude of the operation’s leadership. Co-owner Michael Turner shared two rules for those companies he deals with: you’ve gotta pay your bills and you’ve gotta be nice.

Nutritionally speaking

2008-02-26T09:26:00.006-05:00

John Dole and Brian Whipker showed off NC State’s Research greenhouses. The current research is on nutrient disorders, using automated sump pumps and controllers.

This experiment uses 60 percent less labor and the fertilizers used in the experiment were cut in half.

The media is a silica sand that is prewashed. This crop is gloxinia, but the same research has been done on poinsettias, gerberas, cyclamen and will include cineraria.

National Floriculture Forum - Good times

2008-02-26T09:14:00.007-05:00

There's always a lot to learn when touring with a group of professors. Thanks to this year's National Floriculture Forum in Raleigh, N.C., I am now aware I have a serious Moon Pie addiction.

I also learned that Tony Avent is a pretty cool guy. He’s president of Plant Delights, the mail order perennials breeder/grower. The company T-shirt says it all (see photo). Tony is a fun guy. His sense of humor shines through his catalog. The company's niche is unique plants – lots of trillium, especially. The grower’s gardens are situated around a house, so visitors during the company’s open house can see what the great varieties would look like at home.

Tony told us sales of agaves have skyrocketed with the drought going on in the Southeast. Plant Delights is keeping up with those consumer trends by digging up and replanting its garden beds at least every ten years.

There are some really cool plants to see here. Click here to check out photos.

Blogger of the week: Making Cents Of Green Industry Economics

2008-02-11T14:03:00.000-05:00

With the economy volatile as it is and the R word being whispered more than any of us would like, Charlie Hall at the Ellison Chair at Texas A&M wants to talk about how the economy is affecting the floriculture industry.

His new blog is called Making Cents Of Green Industry Economics. A few recent posts address the effect of the stimulus package being considered by Congress (“If checks are received by mid-to-late May or early June, there may be opportunity for such spending to occur in lawn and garden retail outlets.”) and recession resistance (“differentiation – that is, specializing by product, services offered, customer type, or geographic area.”)

To get in on the conversation, visit http://ellisonchair.blogspot.com/.

This week's varieties: Regal, heavenly and sunny

2008-02-10T15:39:00.000-05:00

Check out Terra Nova’s beautiful helleborus ‘Regal Ruffles’ mix. Shade and deer resistant, it is best in Zones 5 to 8. It finishes in 6-inch pots in eight to 10 weeks.

Intrinsic Perennial Gardens has announced the release of its polemonium ‘Heaven Scent.’ It features pretty blue fragrant flowers in April and May and a 18-24-inch tall plant. Full sun to part shade, well-drained soil, Zone 5.

From EuroAmerican Propagators, osteospermum ‘Sunny Sheila' features bright orange petals that fade to a deep red at the center. It flowers best in the cool dark night. Verbena ‘Babylon Purple' is the earliest winter bloomer in the series. A solid mound of purple flowers surrounds its lush foliage.

What I learned in the February 2008 issue of Greenhouse Grower

2008-02-08T15:01:00.000-05:00

Green Valley Growers’ Wayne Massey’s tattoos are of palm trees. That’s dedication to the industry.

Mercer Botanicals has a challenger in the coolest logo contest – Rocket Farms.

Growers can actually make money recycling greenhouse plastic. Some recyclers pay for shipping, too.

‘Goldalia Orange’ might be one of my favorite varieties. The bicolor is beautiful.

Since I love osteos, too, I should try Ecke’s ‘Crescendo Primrose.’ Allan Armitage says it stands up to summer heat.

Nice Broquet

2008-02-06T13:53:00.000-05:00

I was really into the man-friendly mixed containers the NFL Network used to gussy up its SuperBowl XLII set on Sunday (see video of it, and Plaxico Burress, here)

This probably caught my eye even more because I noticed these containers right after hearing about Banana Florist. The florist’s arrangements are lovely, but what sets the company apart from others is their attitude. Using humor that seriously reaches out to grab readers, I’m sure this new company will give others in its area a run for their money. C’mon try to beat this description of a foliage dish garden:

So, Pat from Accounting bailed you out of a jam. Naturally, you'd like to show your gratitude. Let's steer clear of red roses, unless you want a Disclosure Form from HR. (And lots of unexpected attention from Pat.) The Unmixed Signal safely conveys your appreciation for co-workers and other folks you know professionally.

And the Broquet is the solution for sending a man flowers. Quirky humor is definitely in. Even more than that, they incorporate links to pop culture Web sites like YouTube and Gawker, connecting themselves to the world young people inhabit.

Ask the professor: What’s new, Doc?

2008-01-29T13:46:00.000-05:00

Travel season has kicked into gear around here, and my first trip of the year will be to the National Floriculture Forum at NC State. It’s a great event where hort professors get together and talk about what’s new and exciting.

The theme of this year’s event is Reaching Out – and that includes reaching out to growers through trade magazines. I’ll be presenting along with a few other editors on what the trade press is looking for from professors. In the end, we’re looking for what you’re looking for, so here’s your chance.

You have the ear of university. What kind of information do you want to hear about from university research? Fertilizers, irrigation, pest management, lighting, growth regulation? Please leave me a note by clicking comment below. Anonymous comments welcome.

Photo by hyku on Flickr.

This week in varieties: Light-O-Day and darling Darla

2008-01-28T10:06:00.000-05:00

This is the beginning of my favorite time of year. We’re getting the details on some of the new varieites for 2008, and I’m sure you’re starting to see availabilities e-mails from breeders. Here are a few cool ones I’ve seen lately.

Light-O-Day hydrangea: A lacecap hydrangea with white variegation by Bailey Nurseries, Light-O-Day (left) is hardy to Zone 5.

ForemostCo has started full production of tissue culture liners of the Exotic Plant bromeliad program at its in Winter Garden, Fla., facility. Here’s a picture of the program’s guzmania Animosa.

Garden Design magazine’s annual “Way Hot” cover story in the March 2008 issue will feature Ball Horticultural Company’s Blazin’ Lime iresine (left), Radiance rudbeckia, Limon talinum, and catalpa ‘Purpurea.’

Syngenta Flowers is featuring its Darla diascias (right), which feature a mounding to semi-trailing growth habit. Six-inch pots finish in eight to nine weeks.

Where do the candidates stand on immigration?

2008-01-28T09:46:00.001-05:00

I just came across this article on where the presidential candidates stand on immigration. It is a difficult and complicated issue, but maybe one of these candidates will finally do something about immigration.

Based on this article and in a nutshell, Edwards, Obama, Clinton, Giuliani and McCain are for some type of guestworker program (with conditions) or even legalization. Huckabee, Paul and Romney are against legalization.