Marketplace News

DNA mapping reveals non-native ferns in plant trade
DNA testing of garden ferns sold at plant nurseries in North Carolina, Texas and California has found that plants marketed as American natives may actually be exotic species from other parts of the globe, ScienceDaily reported. The finding relied on a new technique called “DNA barcoding” that uses small snippets of DNA to distinguish between species, in much the same way that a supermarket scanner uses the black lines in a barcode to identify cans of soup or boxes of cereal. “Nomenclature mix-ups in the nursery industry are frequent in all plants, ferns included,” said the report’s co-author, Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, N.C.—a retail nursery that sells plants from all over the world. Most nurseries are run by growers and retailers, not taxonomists, Avent said. Ferns are difficult to monitor because they’re tricky to tell apart.

Tomato blight threatening Louisiana gardens
Last month, scientists at Louisiana State University AgCenter’s confirmed the presence of late blight on tomatoes in home gardens in four parishes. Symptoms include black lesions on stems and petioles, blackening of the fruit, and dark, dead areas on the foliage. “The disease is probably being introduced on infected transplants, so be sure to check tomato plants for symptoms before you buy them,” said LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Don Ferrin. Experts across the state are working to remedy this situation as quickly as they can, he said. Last year, late blight wiped out thousands of tomato plants in the Northeastern U.S. Late blight, Phytophthora infestans, is the fungus-like pathogen that causes lesions and eventual die-off in tomatoes, potatoes and other tomato-family plants. This disease can be highly contagious among susceptible plants, and gardeners need to take steps to identify the disease and prevent it from spreading.

National & state associations endorse swipe-fee reform amendment
In a letter addressed to all members of the U.S. Senate, 134 trade associations endorsed an amendment (S. Amdt. 3932) to the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010 sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) that will address excessive debit-card swipe fees. The amendment would allow merchants to offer discounts when customers use less expensive forms of payment. The amendment would also direct the Federal Reserve to issue regulations to ensure that swipe fees imposed on debit card transactions are “reasonable and proportional” to the cost incurred in processing the transaction. The letter was signed by 57 national associations and 77 state trade associations, including the American Nursery & Landscape Association.

Small businesses eligible for health insurance tax credit
As part of the national health care reform, small businesses can apply for tax credits on money spent this year on health insurance for their employees. Included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act approved by Congress last month and signed into law by President Obama, the credit is one of the first health care reform provisions to go into effect.

The credit, which takes effect this year, is designed to encourage small employers to offer health insurance coverage for the first time or maintain coverage they already have. “We want to make sure small employers across the nation realize that – effective this tax year – they may be eligible for a valuable new tax credit,” says IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “We urge every small employer to take advantage of this credit if they qualify.” More information is available at www.irs.gov.

Who's News?

New Positions
Laurie V. Sullivan to garden center perennial sales supervisor, Weston Nurseries, Hopkinton, Mass.

Wensheng (Vincent) Li to senior buyer, McConkey Co., Sumner, Va.

John Johnston to national sales manager for non-crop business, Valent Professional Products, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Business Changes
Ellison Chair in International Floriculture, College Station, Texas, has launched a new Web site, which incorporates the Making Cents of Green Industry Economics blog. The new site also features a multimedia section and business content. www.ellisonchair.tamu.edu

Honors
Mission Hills Nursery, San Diego, Calif., celebrated its 100th anniversary this spring.

Walters Gardens, Zeeland, Mich., was awarded first place for its consumer Web site, www.perennialresource.com, by the National Agri-Marketing Association.

Linder’s garden center in St. Paul, Minn., celebrated its 100th anniversary this spring.

Associations
Barbara Rosborough, Rosborough Partners, Libertyville, Ill., to president, Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show (Mid-Am), Wauconda, Ill.

Richard Clark, Clark Farms, Wakefield, R.I., to president; Robin Struck, D.R. Struck Landscape Nursery, Winthrop, Maine, to vice president/treasurer; Leslie van Berkum, Van Berkum Nursery, Deerfield, N.H., to past president; Peter House, East Haven Landscape Products, East Haven, Conn.; Ed Bemis, Bemis Farms Nursery, Spencer, Mass.; Carol Huntington, Huntington View Gardens, Loudon, N.H., to board of directors, New England Nursery Association.

Deaths
Theodore Cox, Cedar Grove Garden Center, Cedar Grove, N.J., died April 23, 2010.

Jack Stein, founder of the Stein Gardens & Gifts chain in Wisconsin, died April 25, 2010.

Calendar

June 2010
2, California Grown Show, Costa Mesa, Calif.; www.californiagrownshow.com
6-9, North American Horticulture Supply Association Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, N.M.; www.nahsa.com
15-17, National Lawn and Garden Show, Colorado Springs, Colo.; www.nlgshow.com
16-18, Southeast Color Connection, Greenville, S.C.; www.sgcts.org
17, MNLA Field Day, Davidsonville, Md.; (410) 823-8684
27-30, Garden Centers of America Summer Tour, Orlando, Fla.; www.gardencentersofamerica.org

July 2010
3-11, Adrian Blooms’ English Gardens Tour, England; (866) 642-7120

10-13, OFA Short Course, Columbus, Ohio; www.ofa.org
18-24, Perennial Plant Symposium, Portland, Ore.; www.perennialplant.org
19, Cornell Greenhouse IPM In-Depth, Ithaca, N.Y.; www.greenhouse.cornell.edu
20, Cornell University Floriculture Field Day, Ithaca, N.Y.; www.greenhouse.cornell.edu
24-27, Orlando Gift Show, Orlando, Fla.; www.orlandogiftshow.com
25-28, Philadelphia Gift Show, Oaks, Pa.; www.philadelphiagiftshow.com
30, Ball Seed Customer Day, West Chicago; www.ballcustomerday.com
31-Aug. 3, San Francisco International Gift Fair, San Francisco; www.sfigf.com

August 2010
2-13, Michigan Garden Plant Tour, various locations; www.planttour.hrt.msu.edu
4-6, All-America Selections Summer Meeting, Lisle, Il.; www.all-americaselections.org
5-7, Aquascape Pondemonium, St. Charles, Ill., www.pondemonium.org
7-11, American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tenn.; www.apsnet.org
17-19, Waterlily Festival and Symposium, San Angelo, Texas; www.iwgs.org
17-19, IGC Show, Chicago; www.igcshow.com
19, ISA Certified Arborist Examination, Round Rock, Texas; www.isa-arbor.com/certification/tests
19-22, Texas Nursery & Landscape Association Expo, San Antonio, Texas; www.txnla.org
21-24, Seattle Gift Show, Seattle, Wash.; www.seattlegiftshow.com
28-31, Fort Lauderdale Gift Show, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; www.ftlauderdalegiftshow.com