I wasn’t shocked by the news of the passing of garden center industry icon Ernest Wertheim—he had just celebrated his 100th birthday December 30 so was not exactly a spring chicken. Then again, he was so active for so long (designing gardens and garden centers since 1940!), and he kept showing up at events and expressing child-like enthusiasm (even when confined to a wheelchair pushed by a caretaker) that I almost expected him to go on to 150 or so.

But alas, I must share the sad news that Ernest passed away on Tuesday, August 4, after a life that the word “full” inadequately describes. Garden center consultant Ian Baldwin posted the news on Facebook thusly:

A sad day in The GC industry as we learn of the passing of Ernest Wertheim. His awe-inspiring early life in 1930s Germany created the resolve, passion, diligence and work ethic that we all knew in him. He was a visionary leader in an industry that needed his constant probing, challenging and downright “ornery” approach. I have always admired the way he asked questions to owners and managers that no one else would ask. R.I.P Ernest and thank you for your legacy and amazing changes you gave to this wonderful business!


Ernest and his caretaker with Jen Zurko at the GrowerTalks booth at Cultivate’17.

Few knew Ernest better than Jack Klemeyer, his long-time business partner at Wertheim, van der Ploeg, & Klemeyer, their architecture, landscape architecture and planning firm in San Francisco. I asked Jack for a few thoughts about his friend:

Ernest was always honest, sincere, forthright and caring, both for clients and for our employees; others’ interests always came first. We developed some wonderful friendships throughout the nursery industry, and they will always be cherished. He will be sorely missed by me and many others, and his many wonderful qualities will never be forgotten—it has been a great honor and privilege to have had him as a partner for these many years.

Ernest, Jack and their staff designed and consulted with some of the world’s premier garden centers, including Haskin’s, Bent’s and Barton Grange in the UK, Dinger’s in Germany, Lifestyle in South Africa, and Al’s, English Gardens, Alden Lane, Orchard Nursery, Pasquesi’s, Hicks and many more here at home. But his life and career went so far beyond that … the best way to learn more is to read his memoir “Chasing Spring,” which tells of his youth in Germany before the war, and his escape from the Holocaust and immigration to the U.S.

You can also learn a bit more about Ernest from THIS ARTICLE that Ellen Wells wrote in 2010 for Green Profit. Ellen’s story includes some tips she learned while touring garden centers with Ernest and Jack.

The Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) has made the reluctant decision to cancel The 2020 Landscape Show, scheduled for Sept. 17-19 in Orlando.

Said FNGLA in a statement, “Becoming increasingly concerned over the recent spikes in Florida’s coronavirus cases, it was determined FNGLA just could not assure the positive and rewarding experience our attendees and exhibitors have come to expect and enjoy each year at The Landscape Show. We knew a level of unease would get in the way of face-to-face business meetings, in-person networking and hands-on educational sessions and workshops.”

Up to that point, FNGLA was meeting weekly with the Orange County Convention Center to design and deliver a safe and responsible event in accordance with protocols and guidance from health officials and government authorities.

The next Landscape Show will be held in Orlando on Aug. 25-27, 2021.

Those who pre-registered for the show will be refunded automatically. FNGLA will soon send out more information to exhibitors and supporters on several meaningful ways to continue investing in FNGLA’s efforts, given the financial hardship on FNGLA in having to cancel The 2020 Landscape Show.

But there is some “welcome and upbeat news”: Plans are underway to offer online versions of the educational sessions and workshops that were to be held at The Landscape Show. Stay tuned for details about when and how to participate in these convenient webinar educational opportunities.

MANTS, scheduled for January 6-8, is the first show of 2021 to have to cancel its live event—and not just due to concern over the pandemic and restrictions on large gatherings, but also because their venue of choice—the Baltimore Convention Center—won’t be available. It’s currently set up as a State of Maryland field hospital and will be at least through the end of December. Breaking down the hospital and sanitizing the facility would not likely be accomplished in time for the show to take place.

As an alternative, MANTS organizers are working to provide an online platform where exhibitors and attendees can conduct business.

“We’ve exhausted all other alternative dates for an in-person show, and while we are disappointed that we can’t meet in person, we are committed to keeping commerce within our industry alive and healthy. MANTS’ continued support of our show sponsors, the State Nursery and Landscape Associations of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia is critical despite the pandemic,” said MANTS Executive Vice President Vanessa Finney in a statement.

No word yet on what that alternative online platform will look like, but they’ll be releasing more details in coming weeks.

I meant to mention this a couple weeks ago but got sidetracked: Right after posting the news that the California Spring Trials would be moving from spring to summer (June 23-27) and by default becoming the California Summer Trials, and publishing a list of the plant companies that had signed on to participate, I got word of a few more exhibitors that will be there:

- Sakata Seed America will be exhibiting at their headquarters in Salinas.

- The Israeli companies Cohen Nurseries, Hishtil Nurseries, Jaldety Nursery, Nir Nurseries and Kamel Plastic Pots will be exhibiting at Suncrest Nurseries in Watsonville.

Anyone else joining in that I haven’t yet mentioned? Let me know at beytes@growertalks.com.

This past week I spent a lot of time on Zoom in talks and panel discussions, first for BFG up in Minneapolis (where I was moderator) and then for Pleasant View Gardens in New Hampshire (where I was one of eight guest panelists). (And to think: I didn’t get a single frequent flier mile for my troubles!)

The problem with being part of a panel is that I find it hard to take notes while it’s happening. After it’s over, I have only a memory of what was said but no direct quotes. Thankfully, Zoom makes it easy to record the event so we can all relive it.



The PVG panel (above) included retailers Laura Zukas and Ken Araujo, YouTube garden influencers Laura and Aaron Leboutillier, Marshall Dirks from Proven Winners, and fellow magazine editors Jasmina Dolce, Kate Spirgen and Janeen Wright. Andy Huntington from Pleasant View moderated the discussion.

We gave our best opinions on how COVID has changed the industry … although I told Andy (who had called us “experts” in the intro) that we are not the experts—the experts are the growers and retailers who survived Spring 2020 (I of course meant us journalists and marketers on the panel; Linda and Ken were the experts!).

You can watch that interesting discussion HERE.

Again, thank you Zoom for making recording events so easy. Normally when I give a talk someplace, I have to say “You shoulda been there!” Now you can be.

I gave two for BFG: One called “Acres Online Live” and one on “New Varieties for 2021.” Click the link to watch/listen to either of them. The Acres Online talk addressed what everyone is asking: How do we plan for next season? I covered a lot of additional ground, too, including quantifying how good Spring 2020 was.

The new varieties talk covers highlights from our coverage of the California Spring Trials for GrowerTalks. (You might note a few obvious big intros missing from my talk; that’s because some products may not be available to BFG customers, and I was sensitive to that fact.)

Most interesting, however, was the retail panel I moderated featuring Jessie Jacobsen from Tonkadale Greenhouse in Minnesota, Rich Christakes from Alsip Home & Nursery in Indiana and Illinois, and Jerry Dill from Dill’s Greenhouse in Ohio. These three experts lived Spring 2020, and it was an honor to pick their brains about it. You can listen/watch HERE. There’s loads of good information about online selling, their expectations for fall and Christmas, and what sort of increases they’re planning for 2021, and why.

Was 2020’s successful spring a pandemic fluke, never to be repeated? Or can we carry some of gardening’s popularity over to next season and beyond? That’s something we’re all asking. Panelist Jessie Jacobsen from Tonkadale Greenhouse had the best answer I’ve heard to the question:

“I think we have the advantage right now, where there is this building demand from consumers because gardening—the trend—is happening outside of us, without us having to do much to bring them in … I think there’s going to be momentum—maybe not pandemic-like momentum—but I think the current climate is right for gardening, and I think it’s just going to continue to be new and exciting for that next generation of gardeners.”



Bingo! Jessie, I think you are spot-on. When consumers found themselves stuck at home with little to do and no place open to eat or drink or be entertained, they found their local garden center. We weren’t advertising “Pandemic: The perfect time to garden” or “Buy tomato plants at Bob’s Nursery so your family doesn’t starve.” Quite the contrary: We were hunkered down, wondering if there would even be a spring!

But consumers, in their infinite wisdom or through a genetic disposition toward biophilia, knew that plants and gardening were the antidotes to all the terrible things they were feeling. And we attracted 16 million to 20 million new gardeners or even more to the fold.

Now we have to hope they liked what they found. And I think many of them will. Think about it: the same thing happened to every one of us at a certain point in our lives, and we liked plants and gardening enough to make a career of it. Why wouldn't many of them get bit by the bug hard enough to at least continue on with a veggie garden, some houseplants and a spruced-up landscape?

UF/IFAS Extension has added a series of bilingual videos as part of its Greenhouse Training Online program. The latest videos on nursery best management practices are available in the UF IFAS Extension BMP playlist on the program’s YouTube channel.

The videos were developed by Tom Yeager from the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture department and translated to Spanish by Tatiana Sanchez, UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County commercial horticulture agent. The new videos explain several production practices in the Nursery BMP manual by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Topics include irrigation management, soil testing, and more.

These videos and related training on nutrient management are included in the upcoming UF/IFAS Extension course “Advanced Nutrient Management” in the Greenhouse Training Online program (hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training) starting August 31. Registration is now open for this and other grower training courses.

El servicio de Extension de UF/IFAS ha añadido una serie de videos bilingüe como parte de su programa de Entrenamiento de Invernaderos en Línea. Los nuevos videos de buenas prácticas de manejo (BMP, por sus siglas en ingles) para viveros están disponibles en la colección de video de BMP de UF/IFAS Extensión en el canal de YouTube del programa.

Los videos fueron desarrollados por Tom Yeager del departamento de Horticultura Ambiental de UF/IFAS, y traducidos al español por Tatiana Sanchez, agente de extensión en horticultura comercial en el condado de Alachua. Los nuevos videos explican varias prácticas  de producción recomendadas en el Manual de BPM para Viveros producido por el Departamento de Agricultura y Servicios al Consumidor de la Florida (FDACS, por sus siglas en ingles). Temas incluyen manejo del riego, análisis de suelos y mucho más.

Estos videos y entrenamiento relacionado con manejo de nutrientes se incluyen en el próximo curso de UF/IFAS Extensión “Manejo Avanzado de Nutrientes” del programa de Entrenamiento de Invernaderos en Línea (hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training) que comienza el 31 de agosto. Las inscripciones están abiertas para este y otros cursos de entrenamiento para productores.

Dümmen Orange and Yellowstone Forever, the official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park, have signed an agreement for joint branding of a new yellow petunia.

Named Yellowstone Forever, the new petunia was developed exclusively for the nonprofit by Dümmen Orange. Royalty revenues generated by sales of the ‘Yellowstone Forever’ petunia will be donated to Yellowstone Forever.

Yellowstone Forever is a certified 4-Star and Best in America Charity. The nonprofit partners with Yellowstone National Park to create opportunities for all people to experience, enhance, and preserve this historic American treasure forever. Yellowstone Forever’s mission of engagement and support through education and fundraising will ensure that Yellowstone remains vital and awe-inspiring for generations. Other Yellowstone Forever corporate partners include Anderson Windows & Doors, Canon U.S.A, Coca-Cola, Michelin North America and Zeiss.

An essential component of the co-branding initiative is a fresh new container design. It features a stylized geyser erupting from a mound of “Yellowstone Forever” petunias, with a backdrop of mountains.

Growers will be able to get cuttings for Yellowstone Forever starting Week 40. Consumers will be able to buy plants at Lowe’s and select Independent Garden Centers come spring of 2021.

Happy 30th to Emerald Coast Growers, which has released an updated version of their popular Resource Guide. The 2020-21 edition features more than three dozen new perennials along with a hand-picked selection of the “freshest” new ornamental grasses.“It’s our job to find and grow the best perennials and grasses, and help our customers find the best fit for their programs and customers,” says Cheri Markowitz, Sales Manager. “The resource guide represents our interpretation of where the market is heading.”

Those new grasses include a striking, early-flowering Sorghastrum called Golden Sunset and a famously drought-tolerant and low-maintenance genus, Lomandra, that hails from Australia and New Zealand, where aboriginal people used it for weaving.

The full catalog, available in a handy new digital flip format this year, fully integrates with Emerald Coast’s website and its searchable database, including current availability, descriptions, zones, culture, usage and more.

For more, visit www.ecgrowers.com.

From Hillermann Nursery & Florist’s Facebook page, this fun announcement about “Sneak Zucchini onto your Neighbor’s Porch Night," which is August 8:



And if you happen to have an overabundance of crookneck squash coming along, here’s something fun to do with them—“squashmingos”:

Although my wife makes a killer summer squash casserole that I call “squasheroni and cheese,” so I’d never waste a good squash making lawn art.