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ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS 



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MNLA Donation 

 Helps Repair Tornado 

 Damage 



(from the MNLA Nursery News, 

 December, 1995) 



The Massachusetts Nursery and 

 Landscape Association donated 

 proceeds from their 1995 Summer 

 Meeting to the tornado-damaged 

 towns of Great Barrington and 

 Monterey. MLNA's donation of 

 $2,790 was presented on November 

 20 by |im McManus, MNLA presi- 

 dent, to Cheryl Raifstanger, presi- 

 dent of the Great Barrington Rotary 

 Club. 



The fist stage of replanting Great 

 Barrington and Monterey had al- 

 ready begun on November fourth. 

 The Great Barrington Rotary Club 

 and The Land Conservancy were 

 major organizers of the effort in 

 which, despite rain and mud, 100 

 volunteers planted more than 130 

 trees. Funds raised through dona- 

 tions paid for the trees, which the 

 Ward family, owners of Ward's Nurs- 

 ery, Great Barrington, obtained from 

 MNLA members. 



A second planting is planned for 

 spring, provided there are enough 

 donations during the winter. For in- 

 formation, contact Don Ward III at 

 413-528-9539. 



Expansions, 

 Contractions... 



Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Sup- 

 plies announces its relocation in 

 Maine to a new, specially con- 

 structed facility in Gray, at 50 West 

 Gray Road. The new 14,000 square 

 foot office and warehouse space 

 will have its grand opening from 10 

 am until 2 pm on February 22. For 

 details, call 207-657-5442. 



On January 15, doors were open 

 for customer pickup, truck deliver- 

 ies, and phone orders at Griffin's 

 sixth location, this one in Windsor, 

 New Jersey. Centrally located near 

 Hights-town at the Windsor Indus- 



TIPS FROM THE GRIFFIN GURU 



Calibrate 



As the sun climbs higher and the breeze becomes warmer, the crops 

 we are growing for spring need more room. That's handled simply by 

 opening one of the hoop houses and spacing out the crop. 



We must also remember to check out and CALIBRATE the thermostat to 

 be sure that it's telling the heater the proper information. Subject to dust 

 and dirt, moisture, and extreme summer heat, plus assorted bumps and 

 bangs, your thermostat could be giving an inaccurate reading 



And it goes without saying that you are now depending more and more 

 on your fertilizer injector to get the feed to the ever-expanding crops. This 

 unit should also be calibrated in order to be sure of its accuracy. This test 

 can be performed with a Totally Dissolved Solids/Conductivity Meter. 



Sometimes it's the smallest component that can cause the biggest 

 screw-up. 



trial Park, Main Street, Building 18, 

 Suite C, the phone number there is 

 609-371-0222. 



{from GrowerTalks, December. 1995) 

 Following a vote by its board of di- 

 rectors. The Garden Council offi- 

 cially disbanded on December 31. 

 The action comes in the wake of 

 the defeat of the Council's pro- 

 posed 'Plants for America' promo- 

 tion. While half of Garden Council 

 and Plants for America supporters 

 wanted the Council to continue, the 

 board was unable to find a clear- 

 cut mission to pursue (The Garden 

 Council was formed in the i980s 

 and created several marketing cam- 

 paigns, including 'Fall is for Plant- 

 ing') 



'Husker Red' 



The Perennial Plant Association 

 (PPA) is pleased to announce that 



its members have chosen Penslemon 

 digitalis 'Husker Red' as the 1996 Pe- 

 rennial Plant of the Year. 



Commonly known as Beard- 

 tongue, Penstenom is a large native 

 genus found over broad areas of 

 Canada and the northern United 

 States, particularly in drier regions. 

 P. digitalis is a white-flowered, red- 

 foliaged form that was selected and 

 introduced in 1983 by Dr. Dale 

 Lindgren, University of Nebraska. 

 When plants are well-established, 

 height averages about 30 inches 

 and, during July and August, as 

 many as 50 white flowers can be on 

 each of 20 or more open, airy 

 stalks; foliage — perhaps its most 

 valuable attribute — is a rich bronze- 

 red. 



For a fact sheet (propagation, 

 growing on, landscape uses) and 

 more information, contact the Pe- 

 rennial Plant Association, 3383 

 Schirtzinger Road, Milliard, Ohio 

 43026 at 614-771-8431. 



FEBRUARY ♦ MARCH 1996 



