GROWS No More

Ellen C. Wells

An era has come to an end for industry folks in the Northeast. In early February, New England GROWS’ board of directors unanimously decided to end its annual trade show for the horticultural industry. Also disbanded was the New England GROWS organization. The announcement comes after 25 years of events and just about two months after the 2017 edition of the show held each year in Boston, Massachusetts.

GROWS President Michelle Harvey of Lakeview Nurseries said in a press release that it was the right decision at the right time.

“Changes both within and outside of the industry contributed to the decision to close GROWS, but this does not diminish the significant and positive contributions GROWS has made to the local green industry over the past 25 years.”

New England GROWS was founded in 1993 by New England Nursery Association, Massachusetts Arborists Association, Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association and Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals. Over that time, the organization sought to fulfill its mission to educate and support the region’s hort industry by contributing to educational grants, bringing world-class speakers to its events and attracting the best vendors and experts to its tradeshow floor.

For a good portion of its existence, the GROWS event took place in February when weather in New England can be unpredictable at best. A few poorly timed storms hit the event hard and the change of date to the first week after Thanksgiving may not have helped raise attendance or recoup revenue. GT