The first edition of these standards was published in 1923, just over 100 years ago, by the former American Association of Nurserymen, one of the precursor organizations to AmericanHort. Every so often, these standards are updated and revised, with the last revision being published in 2014. Last month, the newest edition of these standards was approved and published by AmericanHort and their Horticultural Standards Committee. 

 

This manual is a wonderful tool for our industry. If you're not familiar with it, I would highly encourage you to thumb through it (I guess I should say click through it). If you do use the manual, make sure you have the most up-to-date copy. You can find the new manual HERE. 

Mark your calendars for 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, as the American Floral Endowments’ Grow Pro webinar series continues with quite possibly the greatest webinar ever announced: “Advancing Substrates: Status Updates, Peat Alternatives, & Substrate Stratification.”

 

I am, of course, kidding, but later this month I'll team up with substrates guru and my former Master’s adviser Brian Jackson of North Carolina State University to talk about all the latest substrate-related advancements. We'll share updates from both of our labs and provide insight on the future of substrate research activities—at least how we envision it. There's been quite a bit of activity in the substrate science world recently and our goal is to keep you up to date with just one hour of your time. What more could you ask for?

 

 

The webinar is sponsored by Profile Growing Solutions. Make sure you REGISTER in advance and mark your calendars, so you don’t miss out. 

It’s official! Just in time for Mother’s Day, Star Roses and Plants has announced that this Friday, May 9 is National Knock Out Rose Day. In fact, this will be the Friday just before Mother’s Day every year.

 

The decision to pursue a national day is part of the 25th anniversary of the Knock Out Rose. The National Day Calendar receives about 30,000 submissions annually and only about 20 are recognized—not great odds at all. 

 

 

If you're a retail outlet and want to get in on the excitement, you can check out the brand’s online storefront for promotional items. There are plenty of free point-of-purchase materials designed to promote the 25th anniversary. Star Roses and Plants has promotional items available to retailers to use for the entire spring, not just Friday. 

 

You might notice some exciting roadside advertising on your travels this spring. Proven Winners has kicked off a billboard campaign to promote gardening and planting. This campaign is expected to increase plant awareness and sales across garden retailers during peak planting season. 

 

 

These billboards will be organized across the U.S. and Canada, and are expected to generate more than 104 million impressions. These aren’t just your old-school plain billboards—each of the five designs were developed to optimize readability with digital eye-tracking technology. Talk about the future of advertising!

 

 

In Canada, digital billboards will be displayed in both English and French based on the market. These Canadian billboards will also feature the new Grown in Canada logo to showcase the Canadian greenhouse partners. 

 

You can learn more about the billboard campaign HERE. 

The U.S. has an incredibly diverse environment, which is one of the more beautiful aspects of the country. You can go from the swamps of the southeast to the mountains of the west, admiring the natural beauty of the land as it changes.

 

That environmental diversity also brings ever-changing plant pallets. This makes traveling even more fun for horticulturists, as we get to observe a different flora across the land. Unfortunately, that also means that we cannot always grow any plant we want—I can't even start to tell you how many people asked me about growing lilac trees while I was in extension services with LSU. It's just not going to happen. 

 

 

Luckily, we have amazing people working at amazing organizations who put together regional plant lists, so we don’t have to think about it. The Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association (CNGA) has done just that, with their new “Rocky Mountain Guide for Plants that Thrive.”

 

Just in time for spring planting (now I'm incredibly jealous—in Florida, we're already in full-blown summer), this is an all-in-one reference tool for anyone that's planting in the Rocky Mountain region. This comes with a comprehensive list of plant material with high-quality photographs and information for each plant. This new edition comes with other valuable resources, including info and stories from the region’s planting experts. You can order copies from the CNGA website. 

If you’re in eastern North Carolina this weekend, or even close by, make sure to stop by Juniper Level Botanic Gardens (JLBG) for the Spring Garden Party and Open House. This event is being hosted on three consecutive weekends for the first time ever, offering attendees a chance to stroll the lush gardens, shop for unique plants and enjoy all the bounties of spring. More than 3,000 blooming plant varieties will be on display, from peonies to irises to cacti, hostas and aroids. Plus, there will be 50 new varieties making their debut. 

 

 

In addition to last weekend (May 2 - 4), this event opens this coming weekend (May 9 - 11) and the following weekend (May 16 - 18), offering extreme schedule flexibility. Check out the JLBG website for more details.