FROM THE BOARD 



"All That Is Old Is New" 



plus, as an added feature, "NHPGA Truck Talk' 



GEORGE TIMM 



All that is old is new". How 

 many times have heard that 

 phrase? If you have been reading 

 any recent trade magazine, you'll 

 know exactly what I'm getting to. 

 As most of us are either small-to- 

 mid-size growers or independent 

 garden centers, one way that we 

 compete with the "big box" stores 

 is by studying the latest trends. 



The hottest recent trend is nos- 

 talgia. Anything that baby-boomers 

 can recall from their childhood 

 memories that gives a "warm fuzzy 

 feeling" is hot! Take for example 

 some of the stars of the 1999 Auto 

 Show: Ford T-Bird, Chevrolet Im- 

 pala. Dodge Power Wagon, and 

 Charger. Recognize any of these 

 names? Lastly, who can say that 

 they haven't seen the new 

 Volkswagen Beetle? 



Baby boomers will flock to those 

 images that bring back what they 

 were used to when they were 

 growing up. According to a 1996 

 survey of why customers shop gar- 

 den centers, almost 30% said to 

 purchase annuals and almost an- 

 other 25% said to buy perennials. 

 Let's give 'em what they want! 



Hot perennial plants. With the 

 revival of the 60s, any daisy or 

 daisy-like flower is a sure bet. 

 Hey, how about a promotion with 

 a local Volkswagen dealer? Bring 

 in a few "Beetles", have employees 

 dress in 60s attire with beads, bell 

 bottoms, tie dye shirts, flowers in 

 their hair, etc. Play some good 

 classic 60s music and feature dai- 

 sies or other Peter Max-type 

 brightly colored flowers. You 

 might even contact a local radio 

 station to come in and do a re- 

 mote broadcast for the event. Oh 

 well, you never know what will 

 work unless you try. Back to the 



plants. Hollyhocks, very popular in 

 the 30s. Anemone windflower, in 

 pink white or lavender. Chrysan- 

 themum, 'Alaska', 'Snow Lady', or 

 the double form 'Aglaya'. Also in- 

 cluded here would be coneflowers 

 and black-eyed susan. Other nos- 

 talgic perennials could include 

 lavender, poppies, hosta, bee-balm, 

 daylilies, delphiniums, and peonies. 



Shrubs of yesterday. Hydrangea 

 paniculata 'Grandiflora'. I used to 

 tell my customers that this is one 

 of the ten plants that you jus 

 can't kill in New Hampshire 

 Some of the new forms such a; 

 'Pink Diamond' or the late-flower 

 ing 'Tardiva' would be good addi 

 tions. Hydrangea a. 'Annabelle, 

 with its large pure-white heads, i: 

 impressive. For those in warme; 

 areas of the state or, if your cus 

 tomers have summer homes on the 

 Cape, then Hydrangea m. 'Nikko 

 Blue' is a good choice. Kolkwitzia 

 amabilis, (beauty bush), often seen 

 planted alongside the front en- 

 trance and largely unnoticed until 

 it bursts into bloom in the spring. 

 Syringa vulgaris, (common lilac) — 

 it's our state flower. Enough said. 

 Roses, roses, roses! The shrub 

 types such as R. rugosa and its hy- 

 brids like 'Hansa', 'Magnifica', or 

 perhaps those of the Explorer se- 

 ries from Canada are much, much 

 hardier and more disease-resistant 

 than those hybrid-teas. 



Annuals. Aside from obvious 

 choices such as petunias, impa- 

 tiens, marigolds, and pansies, I 

 don't have much on old favorites. 

 However, here is where some of 

 the newest varieties are hot! First 

 would be the Proven Winners se- 

 ries and Wave petunias. Also, I've 

 heard that Profusion zinnias and 

 Sundial portulacas are in. 



Here are a few other plant 

 notes and random thoughts in no 

 particular order. Tough, hardy, or- 

 namental grasses. Tibouchina, with 

 large purple flowers and textured 

 foliage, is something new and dif- 

 ferent than bougainvillea or 

 mandevilla. Big! Plants! Some folks 

 want instant gratification or to 

 make that perfect statement and 

 are willing to pay . . . some don't 

 even want to know how much: 

 "Just make the area look nice". 

 Pest-free or, for some, deer-proof 

 are highly sought after features. 

 Herb-themed merchandise and 

 plants are also popular, not so 

 much for their culinary use as for 

 medicinal value. Planters and 

 mixed baskets. Fountains and wa- 

 ter gardening. Gazing balls with 

 decorative pedestals or bases. Wall 

 pockets, popular in the 40s. And . . . 

 how about a web site? 



"Truck Talk". 



This was taken directly from the 

 1/1/99 American Nurseryman. 

 Driving Laws Amended for Teen 

 Workers! The Teen Drive for Em- 

 ployment Act, which amends the 

 child-labor laws of the Fair Labor 

 Standards Act, was passed by Con- 

 gress and went into effect Oct. 31, 

 1998. 



According to a release from the 

 US Department of Labor (DOL), 

 the new law prohibits 16-year-olds 

 from driving on public roads while 

 working and increases on-the-job 

 driving time for 17-year-olds, but 

 with specific restrictions. Previ- 

 ously both 16- and 17-year-olds 

 were allowed to do occasional on- 

 the-job driving for such things as 

 running errands and making deliv- 

 eries. 



Under the act, 17-year-old em- 



FEBRLARY / MARCH 1999 



