Open Register

Simply Beautiful charity events draw more than 4,000 gardeners

Ball Horticultural Company recently partnered with two garden centers to host Simply Beautiful Container Contests to benefit local charities. The contest drew over 4,000 people to Tagawa Gardens, Centennial, Colo., and thousands more to Dickman Farms Garden Center, Auburn, N.Y., the last week in May. Participants competed to benefit local charities. Efforts in Denver supported the Ronald McDonald Houses and in Syracuse, a cerebral palsy foundation.

These initiatives were designed to not only provide a donation to these organizations, but also to build momentum and demand from gardeners. “We were pleased to see that so many new gardeners attended this event,” said Beth Zwinack from Tagawa Gardens. “All of the contestants had a great time – and it was great to see the younger folks ‘hold their own’ against some of the more seasoned pros!”

Each contestant was given a time limit to finish their ‘creation,’ which was then judged on style, color and creativity.

"The event was a tremendous success and exceeded our expectations. Local gardeners had fun creating wonderful container gardens while benefiting a charitable organization," said Dave Dickman of Dickman Farms. "It was a positive indicator that reinforces gardening is on the upswing."

--Sarah

Several items to pond-er

From the Groucho Marx “I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member” vault, here’s a heads-up: I’ll be speaking at Aquascape Inc.’s annual Pondemonium in Chicagoland next month.

Now, here’s why you really should attend water gardening’s most prestigious event: The 10-year anniversary celebration of Pondemonium, set for July 16-19 in St. Charles, Ill., will offer hands-on training sessions, workshops, keynote addresses and networking opportunities. Indeed, Pondemonium 2009 offers something for practically everyone, whether you’re a veteran water gardener or someone just getting started with water features.

In addition to the event itself, Aquascape Inc. also has scheduled its first-ever “Extreme Green Community Makeover.” On July 17-18, an entire neighborhood in Sugar Grove, Ill., will receive a green makeover from Aquascape contractors who will incorporate rainwater harvesting solutions, native plantings, pervious patios, LED landscape lighting and more.

Ed Beaulieu, chief sustainability officer for Aquascape, Inc., and his wife Ellen, initiated the Extreme Green Community Makeover in their neighborhood and received an overwhelming response.

“Neighborhoods created before the popularity of sustainable landscapes can be retrofitted to become environmentally friendly,” said Ed. “Outdoor conservation efforts need not be limited to new construction sites. Our vision is to create a template for contractors or homeowner associations to implement in greening communities across North America.”

For more information about the Extreme Green Community Makeover, log onto http://www.aquascapeinc.com/pondemonium/extreme-green-community-makeover. For additional information on Pondemonium in general, visit www.pondemonium.org.

For a preview of my speech, visit okihaven’tstartedwritingityet.com.

-- Yale

Deadline nears for GCA summer retail tour

The early-bird deadline for Garden Centers of America’s Summer Tour is Saturday, June 6. Participants will be visiting some of the top garden centers in Portland, Ore., June 28-July 1. Stops include Al’s Garden Center, Drakes 7 Dees and Cornell Farm. Registration fee is $550 for GCA members; $600 for nonmembers. Click here for complete details and registration forms.

-- Sarah

OFA Short Course offers robust lineup of garden center events

Retailers attending theOFA Short Course, July 11-14 in Columbus, Ohio, can pick and choose from a variety of activities geared toward garden centers.

OFA will once again host its popular garden center tour on July 11. Retailers will get the chance to visit Delhi Flower & Garden Center, Meadow View Growers, Siebenthaler’s Far Hills Garden Center and Berns Garden Center. The tour departs the Greater Columbus Convention Center at 7:30 a.m., and will return by 6 p.m. The pre-registration price for the tour is $105. The OFA and ANLA discount price is $80.

Throughout the four days of the Short Course, there will be many events for independent garden centers. The following key events will be open to all registered attendees:

• All-Industry Trade Show: More than 550 companies in 1,500 exhibit spaces will be showcasing the latest innovations in plant material, equipment, products and services.

• Keynote Address: Returning after a several-year absence, the keynote address is a must-attend event with Fred Kirschenmann of the Leopold Center for Sustainability speaking on “Future Challenges and Opportunities in our Food and Agriculture Enterprises.”

• See the Latest Trends: The New Product Showcase and New Varieties Display will highlight some of the best new introductions in plant material and hard goods, while Project: Green Industry Sustainability Showcase will provide suggestions on eco-friendly products.

• Merchandising ShowCase: The Retail Experience continues with a hands-on Merchandising ShowCase that includes more interactive displays with ideas attendees can take home and use right away.

-- Sarah

OFA Short Course among the nation’s largest trade shows

OFA Short Course trade show was once again named one of the 200 largest trade shows by the annual edition of the Tradeshow Week 200. With more than 152,000 net square feet of exhibit space, OFA Short Course moved up to #174 in the United States for 2008. The show was #185 the previous year. The show debuted in the list two years ago at #194. The 2009 trade show, July 12-14 in Columbus, Ohio, will have more than 1,500 spaces, and attendance is expected to be approximately 10,000. The OFA Short Course is contracted to be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio through 2013.

-- Sarah

Garden Center, know thyself!

It’s Mother’s Day week. It’s crazy and hopefully extra-busy at your store. I know what you’ll be thinking after the holiday weekend is behind you: “I gotta get away!” So here’s an idea: Register for American Nursery & Landscape Association’s Retail Roadshow, June 15-18. They’ll be touring some of the most fantastic garden centers in the Mid-Atlantic. Don’t wait too long. Early Bird registration ends Friday, May 15. I’ll see you there.

The folks at ANLA were kind enough to share this behind-the-scenes take on some of the destinations for this year’s tour. You can see the complete list of stops here. In the meantime, check out the “first impressions” related below.

-- Sarah

Last week ANLA’s staff hit the road with 2009 Retail Roadshow co-chairs Tom Hebel of Bucks Country Gardens and Gary Blondell of Gary’s Gardens to do a dry run of the tour. On the phone with Gary last night, he mentioned how important it is for a garden center to really know their market and their strengths – in other words, their brand.

We have all heard about Terrain at Styer’s at this point, and anyone who has been there has definitely been socked right between the eyeballs with solid, consistent branding. They reflect the Gen X + Y focus of their parent companies, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie with an eclectic mix of merchandise, a focus on the community and plenty of “green” products. You could be dropped, blindfolded, anywhere on that site and know immediately that you were at Terrain.

Gasper Home and Garden Showplace blew Gary away. A second division for a well-established landscape business, Gasper’s really reflects its landscape history. “There was stuff that the average garden center just can’t afford to do,” said Gary. He described the great artistry in the stonework featured on site, and the engineering of potting benches that were perfectly level despite being built up against a hill.

Gateway Garden Center is the garden center connected with Steve Castorani’s, North Creek Nurseries, and managed by Steve’s wife Peg. Gary described Gateway as a true plantsman’s nursery with a well organized, extensive collection of plants reflecting North Creek’s specialization in native plants. Gateway has reached out to a likely core-customer base by partnering with two local not-for-profit organizations. The Delaware Nature Society and the Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) both embrace native plants and habitat creation. Gateway offers a 10 percent member discount on plants throughout the season. They also host an annual Water Garden Tour and donate the proceeds to the DCH.

All three businesses have taken the advice of Ernest Wertheim, a sage for many in the garden center community. Last year Ernest shared, “Your business is unique to your market. Know your customers well and base your business on their specific needs and desires.”

GCA Summer Tour preview--take 2!

As we reported last week on Open Register, Garden Centers of America's Summer Tour will be visiting Portland, Ore., June 28-July 1. The Early Bird registration deadline, June 6, will be here before you know it! Forms and complete details can be found on the GCA Web site.

In the meantime, you can check out more photos from one of the tour stops: Red Ridge Farms in Dayton, Ore. Click here to view an album chock-full of images.

-- Sarah

Sneak peek of Garden Centers of America’s Summer Tour!

Summer retail tours are the highlight of my year. It’s an absolute privilege to spend three days touring stores with retailers, and getting insight on the ins and outs of the garden center business. If you’ve never been on a tour before, I highly recommend you go. I can guarantee the ideas you bring back will more than cover the cost of your trip.

This year, Garden Centers of America will be touring stores in the Portland, Ore., metro area, June 28-July 1. You can find all the registration details on GCA’s Web site. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic trip. The folks at GCA were kind enough to provide a visual sneak peek of two of the stops: Al’s Garden Center and Cornell Farm.

Like what you see? Want to see more? The Early Bird registration deadline for GCA’s tour is June 6.

-- Sarah

Just add water

While you pond-er the merits of increasing the number of water gardening products you plan to sell this spring, be sure to note these dates: July 16-19. That’s when Aquascape Inc. will celebrate 10 – count ‘em, 10 – years of Pondemonium, the company’s tribute to the water feature industry. This year’s best wet bet, to be held in St. Charles, Ill., will feature no less than:

• Hands-on rainwater harvesting using Aquascape’s new RainXchange System

• Sustainability seminars

• Hands-on Build-A-Pond days

• A special visit from NASCAR legend Richard Petty

• An International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society symposium

• A trade show

• A 10-year-anniversary dinner and customer awards presentation

• Select pond tours

• A press conference

Hundreds of retailers, contractors, distributors and vendors are expected to attend parts or the entirety of the event. You can find out more by clicking here.

-- Yale

ANLA announces new 2009 Management Clinic Scholarship Program

The American Nursery & Landscape Association has formed a new partnership with Bayer Advanced to sponsor 40 scholarships for the 2009 ANLA Management Clinic, Feb. 6-9 in Louisville, Ky.

Scholarship recipients will be selected based on geographic diversity, business size diversity, and a specific outlook/plan for making the most of business in spring 2009. Businesses must be primarily a retail garden center to qualify. Click here for an application and complete details of the program.

-- Sarah