Market Buzz

Terra Nova partners with Blooms of Bressingham

CANBY, Ore. – Terra Nova Nurseries and Blooms of Bressingham have entered into a licensing agreement to breed, grow and co-brand five new plant varieties in the form of liners. The partnership incorporates five introductions intended to expand both companies’ product offerings to professional grower customers.

The relationship was formed based upon Blooms of Bressingham’s strategic objective to supply a diverse range of plant material to its customers, and Terra Nova Nurseries’s reputation for quality breeding and new introductions.

Included in the collaboration is a new collection called the Echinacea Supreme series, which features ‘Supreme Cantaloupe,’ ‘Supreme Elegance’ and ‘Supreme Flamingo.’ The licensing agreement also includes Heucherella ‘Cracked Ice’ and Heucherella ‘Buttered Rum.’

“Blooms of Bressingham brings a network of leading perennial young plant suppliers to the alliance. The advantage to grower customers will be an expanded production and distribution source of garden-worthy plants that will stand the test of time for both retailers and consumers,” said Christine Kelleher, marketing director for Blooms of Bressingham.

Terra Nova Nurseries will exclusively grow and sell the new varieties for the first year of the program. Blooms of Bressingham’s licensed propagators will build supply in anticipation of increased demand for year two. The agreement terms also include a plan to introduce and supply the varieties to growers in Europe and Japan during the second year.

Production of the varieties will lay a foundation to generate strong co-branded awareness for current and future plant material. As a result, new sales opportunities will be created for growers, and a more diverse inventory of varieties will become available to garden center retailers.

“We are excited about the partnership to bring superior plant genetics to market based upon both companies’ renowned brands. The new plants we have chosen are some of the strongest selections we have produced in years,” said Dave Doolittle, Terra Nova Nurseries’s director of marketing.

To learn more, visit www.terranovanurseries.com and www.bloomsofbressinghamplants.com.
 

Proven Winners selects coleus from University of Florida

Proven Winners selected ColorBlaze Alligator Tears, ColorBlaze Keystone Kopper (shown here) and ColorBlaze Marooned coleus from the University of Florida breeding program. Both Keystone Kopper and Marooned are new for 2013. All three coleus varieties can be grown in full sun or full shade, giving the gardener multiple décor opportunities. Coleus can be used as a filler or thriller in a combination planter, but it can suffer under cold night temperatures. The plant should be protected if temperatures dip into the 40’s, as this can cause leaf damage and stunt the growth of the plant.

Alligator Tears has won several awards, including Top Performer at the Oklahoma State University Botanical Gardens’ trials, Excellent at Disneyland and Good Performer from Mississippi University.

For more, visit www.provenwinners.com.
 

 
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe buys Hersonwood Gardens

Kingston, Wa. — Heronswood Gardens estate and nursery have been sold for an undisclosed amount to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, a Native American tribe with ancestral lands on the 15-acre property. The sale resulted from a sealed-bid auction conducted by Sheldon Good & Company and was done under the direction of the estate’s owner, W. Atlee Burpee & Co.

Heronswood Gardens encompasses a private complex of botanical gardens that has played a pivotal role in introducing the United States to thousands of exotic plants gathered from remote regions across the globe. It features over 10,000 plants derived from over 7,000 genera and species, many of which were collected during expeditions to Central America, South America, China, Nepal, South Africa and other exotic locales by Dan Hinkley, acclaimed horticulturalist and builder of the estate. It is comprised of six separate components, including three homes and three parcels of land.

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe has agreed to preserve the historic gardens and to use the facilities to educate their members, and the public, about native plants.

“Heronswood represents the pride and hard work of this community and we’re happy we’re able to play a role in its future,” said Jeromy Sullivan, chairman of Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. “We understand how passionate people are about Heronswood and, as a neighbor, we are committed to maintaining this local treasure. We look forward to gaining insight and expertise from the previous owners as well as working with the community to help shape Heronswood’s future.”

The sale, which Sheldon Good & Company did in conjunction with John L. Scott Real Estate, included all of Heronswood Nursery’s proprietary breeding lines, trademarks and direct-marketing assets such as its website and picture catalogues. Burpee will maintain exclusive rights to previous Heronswood varieties and collections.
 

Two top students selected for major GIE Media scholarships

CLEVELAND, OHIO – GIE Media has named the winners of its annual Young Leaders Scholarship.

Robin Cannon, a junior at Kent State University-Salem, and Judson LeCompte, a graduate student at Auburn University, will both receive $5,000 to continue their education this fall.

Cannon, who currently works as a horticulture intern at the Shaker Heights, Ohio, Country Club, has spent several years pursuing her degree and working to support her family. LeCompte, a first year graduate student at Auburn University, has worked as the manager of a garden center, where he was responsible for 15 employees and $12 million a year in sales, and led several student groups as an undergraduate.
 

New England Grows announces 2013 program

Boston, Mass. — This year’s New England Grows is scheduled for Feb. 6 through 8 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center with the theme ‘Frontline thinking. Intelligent solutions.’

More than 30 innovative seminars with field experts are planned on topics like permaculture, mature tree care, small space garden design, water management and data mining.

Early registration goes through January 15 and costs $49 for all three days.

For more, visit www.NewEnglandGrows.org.
 

Hortica Insurance celebrates 125-year anniversary

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Hortica Insurance & Employee Benefits, a niche specific mutual insurance company serving horticultural businesses across the U.S., is celebrating 125 years in business. Founded on June 1, 1887 and initially named “Florists’ Hail Association of America,” Hortica has evolved into a comprehensive insurance company that guides and provides solutions for retail florists, garden centers, nurseries, landscape contractors, greenhouse growers, wholesale floral distributors and interior plantscapers.

“Viewing customers as partners has contributed to our success over the past 125 years,” said Mona Haberer, Hortica president. “We enjoy lasting relationships with many of our insured – in fact 25 percent of our customers have been with us for over 25 years. We will continue to expand our specialized services to the green industry. Our goal is not to be the most profitable insurance company. Rather, our goal is to pass on a strong and secure company to the next generation of management and policyholders.”

Hortica celebrated their 125th anniversary with several events during the month of June at their corporate headquarters.

Pasquesi Home & Gardens opens new location

Lake Forest, Ill. – Pasquesi Home & Gardens has opened a new small-scale store at the historic east Lake Forest train station in Illinois for last-minute gifts and flowers. This is the garden center’s third location in addition to stores in Lake Bluff and Barrington.

Management decided to open the store after they were approached by the city of Lake Forest.

The small new store carries select plants and home and garden items like houseplants, orchids and home décor inside. The store also has snacks and beverages for bikers and commuters, dog treats, birdhouses, containers and more. “We have a little bit of every department,” said Lisa Pasquesi, marketing director.

Outside, around the train station, is an outdoor flower market with annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, pre-planted pots and planters.

“So far, we’ve been very pleased and everyone in the community has been very receptive,” Pasquesi said. “We’ve heard a lot of positive things.”

During the winter, the store will carry all kinds of Christmas items like ornaments and decorations inside, with Christmas trees, wreathes, spruce tip pots and other outdoor decorations.
 

 
Burpee tackles food deserts with food truck

Building on its mission to spread healthy living and home-grown garden success across the nation, Burpee Home Gardens has launched the Grow Anywhere Tour and Burpee food truck. With stops in 25 cities, the Grow Anywhere Tour food truck will give away 39,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and 13,000 vegetable plants to people living in food deserts.

Food deserts are areas that have no easy or close access to fresh fruits and vegetables in a geographic radius. Communities can donate and select the truck’s destinations via Burpee’s website and social media pages.

For more, visit www.facebook.com/Burpee-HomeGarden.
 

 
Knox Nursery receives Veriflora certification for sustainable growing

Orlando, Fla. — Knox Nursery, a young plant producer and finished annual grower, recently received Veriflora certification for its sustainable growing practices. The 150 million young plants and 6 million 4-inch annuals produced by the company each year are now all Veriflora certified.

“Knox Nursery is pleased to join the Veriflora program as a continuation of our commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Bruce Knox, president of Knox Nursery.  “We started down this path over eight years ago when we realized our industry needed a solution to the significant problem of what to do with empty plastic pots. There were simply no environmentally friendly options for disposal, so we switched the bulk of our landscape business to production in Ellepots, a Veriflora Approved Input Material paper pot that quickly breaks down when planted in the soil. The Ellepot provides our customers a plant with a healthier root system that results in faster growth after transplant. We were one of the first operators to incorporate Ellepots into our production.”

Since switching to the Ellepot, Knox has stopped 40 million plastic pots going into the landfills. The Ellepot has also increased landscape installation productivity. The nursery, located on a 25-acre site in Winter Garden, Fla., employs over 100 people.

Veriflora certification is conducted by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a global third-party certifier of environmental, sustainability and agricultural product quality claims. Certification requires growers to meet strict environmental practices addressing water resource conservation, energy efficiency, ecosystem protection, and integrated waste management, as well as fair labor practices that ensure a safe, equitable and healthy work environment.  In addition, Veriflora establishes industry-leading product quality requirements.

For more: www.veriflora.com orwww.knoxnursery.com