The Plantsman 



Elsewhere in the News, cont'd 



Perennial Plant of the Year 



The Perennial Plant Association has 

 named Dianthus gratianopolitanus 

 'Feuerhexe' (Firewitch) the 2006 

 Perennial Plant of the Year. 



Cheddar pink is the common name 

 of this excellent sun exposure 

 perennial. It is an evergreen selection 

 with bluish-gray, silvery foliage and 

 purplish-pink fragrant flowers in mid- 

 spring. Rebloom can occur in the 

 summer and into the fall. Firewitch is 

 hardy from zones 3 to 9. Mature mats 

 of this Cheddar pink have foliage 3 to 

 4 inches tall and 6 to 1 2 inches wide. 

 Flowers will reach 6 to 8 inches high. 

 This evergreen perennial performs best 

 in full sun in well-drained soils. 



This plant is a good choice as a border 

 edger, as a rock garden plant, or as a 

 ground cover on a sunny slope. After 

 flowering in late spring, the spent 

 flowers should be cut back to promote 

 rebloom later. The clove-like scent of 

 the low-growing ornamental makes it 

 the perfect choice for use in a border 

 near a walkway. 



The genus Dianthus is a member 

 of the Caryophyllaceae family 

 with species found native to the 

 Mediterranean, Balkan Peninsula, 

 and Asia Minor regions. The genus 

 contains, annuals, biennial, and 

 perennial species and includes 

 plants with the common names of 

 carnations, sweet Williams, and pinks. 

 The name Dianthus originates from 

 the Greek dios and anthos, the divine 

 flower, which refers to the flower of 

 a god, an indication of the esteem 

 in which the flower has always been 

 held. Cheddar pinks are named for 



Cheddar Gorge in southwest England, 



one of the locations where it grows 



wild. 



Credit Perennial Plant Association Feb. 



2006 



Cheddar Pink is a good choice 

 for border edger. 



July is "Smart Irrigation Month" 



The Irrigation Association has named 

 July "Smart Irrigation Month" to raise 

 awareness of the importance of using 

 irrigation efficiently. 



"The mission of the Irrigation 

 Association is to promote efficient and 

 effective irrigation worldwide," said 

 lA Executive Director Tom Kimmell. 

 "Smart Irrigation Month is a way for 

 the industry to highlight irrigation 

 equipment and practices that make 

 the most of our most precious 

 resource." 



"While the irrigation industry is 

 bringing increasingly efficient 

 technology to the marketplace, 

 irrigation consumers have an 

 important role in choosing efficient 

 technology and using it effectively," 

 Kimmell said. 



lA members in every segment of the 

 industry will be asked to display to the 

 Smart Irrigation Month logo and share 

 tips for efficient irrigation with their 

 customers in July while highlighting 

 products and services that promote 



efficient irrigation. 

 The Irrigation Association's Turf 

 and Landscape Irrigation Best 

 Management Practices recognize 

 that an efficient automatic irrigation 

 system requires quality parts and 

 design, accurate installation, 

 proper maintenance, and effective 

 management. 



American agriculture becomes more 

 efficient every year, with statistics 

 showing irrigated farms are moving 

 to more efficient modern irrigation 

 practices allowing growers to produce 

 more on less land with less water. 

 Credit: Beth Casteel, Irrigation 

 Association, 2/22/2006 



SAP PR Fund Turns 5 



This year marks the five-year 

 anniversary of an industry-wide 

 voluntary promotion effort that 

 has generated valuable publicity 

 about the unique benefits of flowers 

 and plants and the expertise of 

 professional florists. 



Nearly 2,000 retail florists, 

 wholesalers, suppliers, growers and 

 importers are contributing to the 

 Society of American Florists (SAF) 

 Fund for Nationwide Public Relations. 

 Thanks to their contributions, the 

 SAF PR Fund has conducted five 

 consumer research projects and six 

 ongoing public-relations campaigns, 

 generating more than 579 million 

 consumer impressions (the number 

 of times consumers are exposed to tfie 

 floral message) with 47 placements 

 in national magazines as well as 

 TV, radio, newspapers and online 

 coverage in 136 markets nationwide. 

 The ad value of this coverage is $10.9 

 million. 



April/May 2006 



