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ELSEWHERE IN THE 



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NEWS 



Toward a More Solid 

 Foundation 



New England Floriculture, Inc., a re- 

 gional corporation for the sole pur- 

 pose of running the New England 

 Greenhouse Conference and its re- 

 lated activities, has been incorpo- 

 rated in the state of Vermont by the 

 six state trade organizations respon- 

 sible for the event. Vermont was 

 chosen because of its relative lack 

 of expense and complexity. 



The main reason for incorporation 

 is that, without it, the New England 

 Greenhouse Conference has no legal 

 status — it does not legally exist. 

 And as it became larger and more 

 complex, this fact made it increas- 

 ingly difficult handle finances and to 

 get such things as a tax number or 

 liability insurance 



Outwardly, there are no changes. 

 The same format, with each state 

 hosting in turn, will remain. Only the 

 legal structure will change and this 

 will allow the event to continue to 

 grow in size and variety. 



The Cary Award 



(from the MNLA Nursery News, April, 

 1996) 



The Worcester County Horticultural 

 Society, in cooperation with the 

 Massachusetts Nursery and Land- 

 scape Association (MNLA) and other 

 organizations, is developing a pro- 

 gram to highlight woody plants es- 

 pecially appropriate to New En- 

 gland. 



The program is modeled after the 

 Gold Medal Plant Award run by the 

 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 

 Each year, beginning in 1997, a com- 

 mittee, made up of horticulturalists 

 from various New England nurseries, 

 botanical gardens, and universities, 

 will select plants that are proven 

 performers in New England gardens. 

 Plans are underway for promotional 

 materials such as special labels, 

 posters, and brochures. 



The criteria are simple. The 

 plant — tree, shrub, or vine — must be 

 hardy within at least two of the four 

 zones (Zones 3-6) present in New 

 England; it must be suitable for 

 home landscape use; it must be a 

 proven, exceptional, season-extend- 

 ing plant for New England; and it 

 must be available. 



The selection committee has cho- 

 sen the plants to be promoted in 

 1997. These are: Stewartia pseudo- 

 camellia, Fothergilla major, Chamaecyparis 

 nootkatensis 'Pendula,' Magnolia stellata 

 'Centennial,' and Enkiantftus campa- 

 nulatus 



Any person can nominate plants 

 to receive the award. For a nomina- 

 tion form and information about 

 promotional materials, contact: The 

 Cary Award: Distinctive Plants for 

 New England, Worcester County 

 Horticulture Society, PO Box 598, 

 Boylston, MA 01505-0598 or call 508- 

 869-61 n. 



Neur Products and 

 Services 



FLORISTS' INSURANCE 



A special insurance policy for florists 

 has been introduced by The 

 Hanover Insurance Company. Be- 

 sides providing basic property and 

 liability insurance, the policy offers 

 coverage for such things as material 

 in transit, growing plants inside the 

 florist shop, and losses due to re- 

 frigeration breakdown. Peak-season 

 coverage gives 25% extra protection 

 for money and securities during ten 

 major holidays. Greenhouses up to 

 2500 square feet are eligible 



For more, contact an indepen- 

 dent agency that represents 

 Hanover, or Sarah Whitney, Hanover 

 Insurance, 100 North Parkway, H260, 

 Worcester, MA 01605 (phone: 508- 

 855-4779). 



COIR INFORMATION 



Marysville, Ohio (April 16, 1996)— 

 The Scotts Company is offering free 



literature to inform growers about 

 ScottsCoir^^*, its soilless growing me- 

 dia containing coir pith, a byproduct 

 of processed coconut husks. 



Product guides are available for 

 using ScottsCoir^M with Redi-earth® 

 and with Metro-Mixes® 360, 700, 

 360, and 560. Information includes 

 ingredients, packaging, dry bulk 

 density, fertilizer systems, and prod- 

 uct uses. 



Coir is being promoted as both 

 similar to and superior to sphagnum 

 peat moss. For more, contact Rob 

 Seymour, R&D, The Scotts Company, 

 Mill Scottslawn Road, Marysville, 

 OH 43041 (513-644-0011) or jim Zab- 

 locki at 603-224-5583. 



Winners... 



(from Greenhouse Grower, May, 1996) 



The 1997 All-America Selections win- 

 ners include one bedding plant, two 

 flowers, and three vegetables. 



A Flower Award went to 'Prestige 

 Scarlet,' a "powerhouse that offers 

 more flowers and more flower color 

 than any other Celosia cristata culti- 

 var." It's easy to produce in 6-10 

 weeks as a young, green bedding 

 plant or as a flowering plant in a 

 six-inch or one-gallon container. 

 Bred by Sakata Seed, it offers heat 

 and drought tolerance. 



A Flower Award went to 'Gypsy,' 

 the first gypsophila to earn an AAS 

 award. An annual, it produces abun- 

 dant small 1/4" pink flowers that can 

 be either double or single. Its dwarf, 

 compact plants (10-14 inches) offer a 

 loose, airy "cottage-style" look that's 

 currently so popular. Bedding plant 

 growers can easily produce flowering 

 plants in small pots in 10-12 weeks. 

 'Gypsy' was bred by Daehnfeldt. 



A Bedding Plant Award went to 

 'Crystal White' zinnia for its earli- 

 ness and its ability to bloom on 

 compact (4-5") plants. Introduced by 

 American Takii, 'Crystal White' can 

 flower in packs in 60 days after sow- 



IDNE '♦'IDLY 1996 



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