ELSEWHERE 



THE NEWS 



Perennial Plant 

 Conference 



The University of Connecticut is 

 sponsoring a Perennial Plant Confer- 

 ence on March 5, 1997. This will be 

 held at the Bishop Center at the 

 University of Connecticut in Storrs. 



The all-day conference will ad- 

 dress a wide range of topics relating 

 to herbaceous perennial production 

 and use. Topics were chosen to ap- 

 peal to both greenhouse and outdoor 

 container producers as well as to 

 landscapers and retail distributors. 



Two concurrent sessions will be 

 offered. Pesticide recertification cred- 

 its will also be offered pending state 

 approval. A registration fee of $50 

 (check payable to the University of 

 Connecticut) is due by February 27. 



For information, please contact 

 Tim Abbey, the conference program 

 coordinator, at 860-345-4511. 



Showtime Everywhere 

 Portland, Maine 



Several last-minute changes — basi- 

 cally, name, date, and place — were 

 made and now it's official — the 

 Portland Flower Show ("Garden Art- 

 istry by the Sea") will be held on 

 March 13-16 at the Narrow Gauge 

 Train Museum on Fore Street in 

 Portland. Keith Citrine is the direc- 

 tor, Portland Yacht Services, the 

 producer. The date was changed to 

 accommodate the Maine Florist & 

 Growers Association, members of 

 which will be giving demonstrations 

 and auctioning arrangements (They 

 were unable. to do this over Easter 

 weekend); the new location — over 

 5,000 square feet of space — is 

 handicapped accessible. Tickets are 

 $8.50 (for senior citizens, they're 

 $5). There was some concern about 

 parking, but there will be shuttle 

 buses from major parking facili- 

 ties — or people "can ride the train 

 from Commercial Street down to the 

 shore." 



Train rides, shopping, muse- 

 ums — all are near-by. And there's 



the Gala Opening — formal attire, 

 music, hors-d'oeuvres — on the night 

 before. It sounds like a great mix. 

 For information, contact Edith Ellis 

 at 207-225-3998 or call the show 

 number: 207-775-4403. 



Burlington, Vermont 



"Coast to Coast" is the theme of the 

 Vermont Association of Professional 

 Horticultura lists (VAPH) -sponsored 

 Fourth Annual Vermont Flower Show 

 at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference 

 Center in Burlington on February 

 28-March 2. 



In the main hall, booths (32 ex- 

 hibitors) will ring the central land- 

 scape display; on the second floor, 

 a "Floral and Craft" area (19 crafts- 

 people will be displaying their work) 

 is set up for table exhibiting. The 

 second ballroom is being used for 

 the first time this year ("space-wise, 

 we're maxed-out") for lectures, dem- 

 onstrations, and floral competitions 



The emphasis has always been 

 on education. This year, 52 semi- 

 nars are being presented — 40 for 

 adults and— interestingly — twelve 

 for children. Non-profit organiza- 

 tions are also part of this education 

 effort, with 24 groups planning dis- 

 plays. A lot of information will be 

 available in a very beautiful setting. 



The coordinator is Tina Nyce, 

 RR2 Box 175, Underhill, VT 05489. 

 She can be reached at 802-899-4620. 



New Product 



Louisville, KY, lanuary 6 — "Enviro- 

 Derm Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an- 

 nounced today that it is introduc- 

 ing IvyBlock skin protectant to 

 members of the landscape industry. 

 Available without a prescription, 

 IvyBlock lotion is the first and only 

 poison ivy, poison oak, and poison 

 sumac skin protectant to receive 

 clearance from the US Food & Drug 

 Administration." 



A topical lotion that dries quickly, 

 IvyBlock "lays down an active barrier 

 on the skin with a special formula 

 that helps block skin contact with 



urushiol (yoo-ROO-shee-ol), thereby 

 serving to help protect against poison 

 ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac 

 rash." The lotion should be applied 

 15 minutes before possible contact 

 with the plants and reapplied every 

 four hours. The coating can be re- 

 moved with soap and water. It's 

 available in a four-ounce bottle; sug- 

 gested retail price is $9.95. 



The manufacturer's representa- 

 tive for this area is Seidman Associ- 

 ates, PO Box 85, Centerbrook, CT 

 06409 (1-800-821-5702). For more in- 

 formation, contact Beth Kramli at 

 Poppe Tyson Public Relations, 201 

 Littleton Road, Morris Plains, Nj 

 07950 (201-539-0300, ext. 226). 



And Also New 



{Greenhouse Grower, December, 1996) 

 The world's first red delphinium, "The 

 Red Princess," made its premiere at 

 the International Flower Trade Show 

 in Aalsmeer last month (November) in 

 The Netherlands. This new variety 

 from the nursery Bartels Stek exhibits 

 other breakthrough features such as a 

 two-week vase life and a high resis- 

 tance to mildew. 



The All-America 

 Selections 



There were six 1997 All-America Se- 

 lections — three vegetables and three 

 flowers. 



Celosia 'Prestige Scarlet' {Celosia 

 cristata) is described as a "multiflora" 

 that grows vigorously in hot humid 

 weather and most soil types, but 

 without staking or pruning. The 

 flowers are three-inch scarlet cocks- 

 combs; the foliage is bronze-green; 

 plant height is 12-17 inches; width, 

 12-20 inches — "a good plant for gar- 

 deners who want all-season color 

 with little work." 



Gypsophila 'Gypsy' {Gypsophila 

 muralis) is an unusual plant with 

 light airy texture — the narrow green 

 leaves are produced from the base 

 of the plant without a main upright 

 stem. Only 10-14 inches high and 



THE PLANTSMAN 



