With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, your favorite grower is probably busy at work in the greenhouse either planting crops or getting ready to ship crops or a combination of both—working his or her tail off, as usual, in other words.

Why not show them how much you appreciate them? And I’ve got two ways you can do that.

1. Enter them in the 2023 GrowerTalks/Ball Horticultural Company Young Grower Award. We’ve been recognizing bright young greenhouse talent since 2005, so the 2023 award is our 18th and we’re as excited about this year as we were that first one. It’s easy to do: just go to www.growertalks.com/YoungGrower and fill out the application (a hint: the more detail you can provide about all the good they do for your business and our industry, the better their shot at being a finalist).

From all the applications, us editors pick three finalists (a fun, but grueling, task) and those three get to: 1) Write a guest editorial on a topic of our choosing for the June issue of GrowerTalks; 2) attend Cultivate’23 as a guest of sponsor AmericanHort; and 3) attend an intimate dinner featuring the editors and some industry notables, including Anna Ball. After that, we head to AmericanHort’s Unplugged event to reveal the winner.

Ashleigh Munro and Quinten Henning, our 2022 Young Retailer and Young Grower Award winners.

What does that lucky grower get? A cover story in the September issue of GrowerTalks, along with the duty of helping judge the 2024 Young Grower Award!

(BTW, I suspect you know we also have the Green Profit/Garden Center Group Young Retailer Award, right? Sign up at http://www.greenprofit.com/youngretailer.)

Deadline is March 1, but don’t delay!

What’s the second way to show your grower some love? Read the next item to find out.

To get more RedBooks into more growers’ hands, AND to give fans of growers a way to show how much they are appreciated, we're offering a special Valentine’s Day discount on the Ball RedBook. Order by February 14 and you’ll get 14% off the regular price. That applies to Vol. 1, Vol. 2, the two-book set and even the Ball Culture Guide!

Just use promo code VAL23 at checkout.

Heck, it’s such a deal, you should get yourself one, too!

I know... you or your grower probably have a RedBook on the shelf. But I bet it’s the 17th edition from 2003. Or the 16th edition from 1998. Or an even older one from college. Sure, they’re still useful, pertinent books. But a lot has changed since then and the RedBook has kept up with the times, adding every hot crop, every important cultivar and series, and adding all the new technologies, including robotics—nearly 1,000 pages across two volumes of just about everything you need to know about greenhouse growing.

And as for the Ball Culture Guide: Did you know it was just mentioned in a recent Sunday New York Times as “a favorite resource” of Drew Schuyler, assistant head gardener at Untermyer Gardens Conservancy in Yonkers, New York? Yup!

Take advantage of this rare discount deal at www.ballbookshelf.com. The sale ends at midnight February 14.

Last time, when reporting “almost live” from IPM Essen in Essen, Germany, I didn’t have any attendance or exhibitor figures to share with you. The organizers have since been able to tally the crowd and release the data: “Over 40,000 trade visitors from more than 100 countries” to see 1,330 exhibiting companies from 46 nations. Big numbers!

However, not nearly as big as past IPMs. Going back to the last live event, in January 2020, right before the pandemic locked down the world, attendance was about 54,000, with 1,538 exhibitors. A big drop!

But I don’t believe that surprised organizers or attendees. Europe may not be in lockdown, but war, inflation and energy prices has the industry on tenterhooks, with the result being very conservative decisions about travel and expenditures. As I mentioned last week, the Danish growers have gone from an entire hall to a few large stands. Many large and noteworthy companies choose not to exhibit or scaled way back. And it was no surprise to see fewer attendees and exhibitors from Asia.

However, Oliver Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen, summed it up when he said, “The joy that IPM Essen could finally take place again could be felt in every hall and at every stand.” I concur!

The next IPM Essen—the 40th edition of the show—will be January 23 to 26, 2024.

Awards are a good way to determine the types of plants that are liable to be hot and desirable in a market. Two weeks ago, I shared some prize-winners from TPIE in Tampa; here are four from IPM’s Novelty Showcase:

In the category “Spring Flowering Plant”: Primula polyantha Pollyanna (Kientzler Young Plants).

In the category “Flowering Houseplant”: Anthurium andreanum Delicata (Anthura).

In the category “Green Houseplant”: Philodendron erubescens Pink Bikini (Natura Creative). 

In the category “Tub Plant”: Mangave Blazing Saddles (Walters Gardens). 

A special congratulations to breeder Hans Hansen and Walters Gardens for this honor, as I don't know how often a U.S.-bred variety gets an award at IPM!

It’s gratifying when my feeble mind puts two and two together and I notice a trend and then somebody else confirms my findings.

At IPM, after three days and 38,263 steps, I noticed that, in all the ceramic pot stands, green appeared to be the dominant color (behind the classic black, white and gray we see every year). I believe I mentioned that in the last Acres Online.

Many shades of green can be seen in this display.

Imagine my delight when, paging through my most recent Furniture Today magazine when I returned to my office, I spotted this headline:

“Green is the new gray,” Martin Waller, founder of U.K.-based design firm Andrew Martin told editor Cindy Hodnett. “The austerity of the gray/taupe age is over; it’s now the age of emerald, lime, forest, pistachio, jade and sage, in everything from wall colors and fabric to cushions, rugs and curtains.”

And also flower pots, based on what I saw at IPM.

Added another designer, “I believe that green is having a moment right now because of its inextricable and often subconscious association with nature.”

The story explained that consumers “continue to invest discretionary income into outdoor living spaces, as well as furniture and décor that brings the outside into the home via natural materials, organic shapes and nature-inspired palettes that include every shade of green.”

And finally, green “offers a visual nod that references stepping away from the computer, putting down the phone and enjoying the great outdoors.”

Perhaps Kermit would feel it’s a little easier being green after reading those accolades about the color.

As I do every year, I covered the Tropical Plant International Expo via video, seeking the Cool Product winners, booth winners and other random highlights and sightings.

This time, my old partner in crime Ellen Wells was at my side, providing color commentary and smart remarks as my stellar account manager Kim Brown wielded the video camera. Watch the whole thing on our YouTube channel HERE.

The Joesph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation (better known as The Shinoda Foundation) is pleased to announce the release of the scholarship application for awards for the 2023-24 academic year. The Foundation is dedicated to providing funding to community college and university students pursuing a career in the support of the floriculture and horticulture field.

Scholarship awards are available to students at community colleges and universities across the U.S. Awards generally range from $1,000 to $7,000. The details for applying are as follow:

- Applications can be accessed online at www.shinodascholarship.org

- Applications must include 2 letters of recommendation

- Deadline for application is April 25, 2023

- Awards will be made in May 2023 for the following academic year

Founded in 1964, The Shinoda Foundation has a long history of supporting the floral and horticultural industry by investing in students’ education to pursue a fulfilling and vibrant career in the industry.

I didn’t realize that long-time GrowerTalks contributor Dr. Ray Cloyd is one of many who's benefited from a Shinoda scholarship. Said Ray in a press release on the topic, “Shinoda Foundation Scholarships were instrumental in providing financial support during my years at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. These scholarships were an indication that my academic achievement and extracurricular activities related to ornamental horticulture were being rewarded. This was a motivating influence to perform well academically and maintain involvement in outside activities that would provide valuable horticultural experience … I felt extremely privileged to have received Shinoda Foundation Scholarships.”

Ever been curious exactly how a Dutch flower auction works? HERE is a good article from Thursd., the online floral enthusiast's magazine, on that very topic.

Photo: Royal FloraHolland

It’s written for someone who doesn’t know or understand the plant industry, so there are brief paragraphs on breeding and flower naming and growing, but once you get to the section, “What is an auction? Let’s explain it with a Coke” it gets into the meat of the topic.