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Garden Centers of America announces directors for 2011
Garden Centers of America (www.gardencentersofamerica.org), a non-profit national trade association of independent garden centers, announced that four new directors have been elected to the board. Mark Bigej of Al’s Garden Center in Woodburn, Ore., joins the board as a new Garden Center Director to serve a three-year term. New Associate Member Directors are John Johnston, Commerce Corporation; Jeff Morey, The IGC Show, and Faith Savage, Syngenta. In addition, GCA officers have been elected for a second term. These include: President: David Williams of Williams Nursery, Westfield, N.J.; Vice President: Gino Pitera of Gertens, Inver Grove Heights, Minn.; Treasurer: Kris Shepard of Alsip Home and Nursery, Frankfort, Ill.; Past President: Jim Feeney of Feeney’s Nursery in Feasterville, Pa.
Mailorder Gardening Association changes name to Direct Gardening Association
The Mailorder Gardening Association (MGA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support, education and information to its member gardening companies, has changed its name to the Direct Gardening Association (DGA)(www.directgardeningassociation.com). “This name change better reflects the very specific segment of the gardening industry that we represent—selling direct to home consumers,” said Camille Cimino, executive director of the newly renamed organization. “Today’s consumer enjoys the convenience of being able to purchase gardening products online in addition to print catalogs, and our new name embraces this growing trend.” DGA sponsors an annual awards program called the Green Thumb Awards, which recognizes outstanding new garden products available in catalogs or online.
PlantHaven Berberis wins prestigious RHS Award
PlantHaven, (www.planthaven.com), headquartered in Santa Barbara, Calif., announced that two new Berberis varieties have received the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Eight new varieties total were given the Award of Garden Merit, including Berberis ‘Admiration’ and ‘Fireball’. ‘Admiration’ is a recent introduction by PlantHaven Shrub Program members and ‘Fireball’ is a future PlantHaven variety.
Ball Hort’s SoilWrap named No. 1 in Shelf Impact! Innovative Packaging Survey
Ball Horticultural Company’s (www.ballhort.com) SoilWrap plantable container was ranked No. 1 overall in a recent Innovative Packaging Survey completed by Summit Media Group publication “Shelf Impact!” and international brand and design consultancy, Dragon Rouge. The exclusive survey asked nearly 1,000 Shelf Impact! packaging professionals to evaluate 60 packages from across product categories. SoilWrap received the highest evaluation overall, outranking new product packaging from companies such as Clorox, Panasonic, Bausch & Lomb and Minute Maid. SoilWrap is a bio-based plantable and printable growing container developed by Greg Trabka, new product development manager for Ball Innovations. SoilWrap is also a winner of the 2010 Greener Package Award, which recognizes innovations in five categories that significantly reduce packaging’s environmental footprint.
Dutch study finds Wi-Fi networks are harmful to trees
From the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction department: PC World reported that Wi-Fi networks are making trees sick, including significant variations in growth, as well as bark bleeding and fissures. All deciduous trees in the Western world are affected, according to the study by Wageningen University. The city of Alphen aan den Rijn ordered the study five years ago after officials found unexplained abnormalities on trees that couldn't be ascribed to a virus or bacterial infection. In the Netherlands, about 70 percent of all trees in urban areas show the same symptoms, compared with only 10 percent five years ago. Trees in densely forested areas are hardly affected. Besides the electromagnetic fields created by mobile-phone networks and wireless local area networks (LANs), ultrafine particles emitted by cars and trucks also may be to blame. These particles are so small they are able to enter the organisms. The researchers urged that further studies were needed to confirm the current results and determine long-term effects of wireless radiation on trees.
Monrovia, Village Nurseries predict $1M sales for partnership
Village Nurseries and Monrovia expect their Growers Alliance Program, featuring Monrovia’s plants, will generate $1 million in total sales in 2011 to landscape contractors, designers and architects in California, Arizona and Nevada. The Growers Alliance Program was developed to meet the demand by landscape pros for larger sizes of Monrovia’s selections. Village Nurseries, a specialty grower for landscape professionals, is growing the plants using Monrovia’s specialized soil ingredients and in Monrovia-branded containers. Growers Alliance Program plants are sold exclusively by Village Nurseries to landscape professionals and are not available for retail sales.
Simply Beautiful Retail Report reveals vegetable, perennial garden trends
Last year, Ball Horticultural Co. worked with an outside research firm to dig deeper into two trend categories, veggies and perennials, to find out how consumers think about them and identify the best messages to use to attract customer attention and dollars. Bill Calkins, independent garden center business manager for Ball, shared some of the findings in a recent Simply Beautiful Retail Report. Among the insights included in the report…
Vegetables & herbs
- 40% of those surveyed started with vegetable and flower gardening at the same time.
- Vegetable garden locations are determined based on the amount of sun and convenient access, but are most often placed “out of sight.”
- More than half of all “vegetable gardens” are actually in containers.
Perennials
- Perennials provide spots of color, texture, shape and size to gardens.
- Males surveyed tended to like perennials due to “ease of use.”
- Perennials are considered a better investment than annuals.
- Perennials are for people who plan to stay put. They are a form of commitment.
- Consumers are drawn to perennials’ forgiving nature. It equates to less risk.
To learn more and sign up for Simply Beautiful’s Retail Report, visit www.ballhort.com/Retailers/IGCReport.aspx
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