Industry Leader Launches Sustainable Plant Program

One of the exciting new plant programs during 2008 came from Overdevest Nurseries, the founder of the Garden Splendor® brand of plants. The new program includes a line of sustainable plant products under the new Footprints™ brand name.

Footprints™ is considered to be among the first product lines in the industry to be fully sustainable. It is a new line of decorative, eco-friendly patio plants. The program is being made available to independent garden centers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast for spring 2009.

This program is truly sustainable, not just in part, but fully “green.” We give kudos to Ed Overdevest, founder of Footprints™, because the plant varieties are grown using sustainable practices such as compost made from renewable soil ingredients and recycled irrigation water. Best of all, the plants are potted in natural-component containers and labeled with tags that are biodegradable. Bamboo stakes are even used for the tags, rather than plastic. For online information, log onto www.footprintsplants.com or contact us here at Eberly Public Relations.

Meet Dan!

With 32 years of experience in the Horticulture Industry, Dan Heims researches, speaks, writes, and stands at the forefront of the horticulture industry as president of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc. Over the past 13 years, Terra Nova Nurseries has grown to become a world leader in plant breeding, introducing over 550 exciting new varieties to the global market, 498 of which include granted and pending patents in the United States, Europe and Japan. Heims has been an integral part of the company’s growth and success from its very beginning.


As an educator, Heims is known as a knowledgeable enthusiast in all things horticulture. He has spent years lecturing all over the world, including the United States, Japan, England, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Tasmania, Australia, and Canada. From breeding to growing, Heims teaches people about his experiences in the industry.


And, now, you may be able to visit Dan at one of his upcoming lectures around the United States. A few talks in 2009 include the following:


• 2009 Great Lakes Trade Exposition on “Containers and Small-space Gardening” on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
• The Summit County Master Gardeners of Ohio on “Containers and Small-space Gardening” on Saturday, Jan. 24, and Sunday, Jan. 25.
• Yard, Garden and Patio Show on “New Perennials from Around the World” on Friday, Feb. 27.
• 2009 American Begonia Society Convention: the West Palm Beach Branch on “California Dreamin’ (Plant Discoveries in California’s Hot Spots) on Thursday, April 30.


More about Terra Nova Nurseries:
Terra Nova Nurseries is a world leader in plant breeding and genetics which has introduced over 460 captivating, robust and innovative varieties of annuals and perennials for the landscape and garden to the marketplace. The Terra Nova Nurseries team produces dozens of hardy new selections each year through expert flower breeding and laboratory research. These varieties are then propagated through tissue culture in state-of-the-art labs to make large quantities of healthy plants available to home gardeners, independent garden centers, growers, and landscape professionals throughout the world.

~Leslie

STEPABLES Selects Independent Garden Center Contest Winners

Drum-roll please…

STEPABLES officially announced the names of three independent garden centers that received first place honors in respective plant display categories as part of the second annual “We’ve Got Sole” contest. The winners include Deneweth’s Garden Center, Heights Flowers and Natorp’s Mason Garden Store.

Deneweth’s Garden Center of Macomb, MI, won the first place prize for “Best Definitive Display.” As a result, a check for $5,000 was presented to the charity of their choice, Komen Detroit Race for the Cure, on Aug. 5, 2008. The display exemplified their imagination, showing eye-catching ways of presenting Good For Your Sole® point-of-purchase materials on traditional tables and other platforms. The winning display also integrated various landscape applications of STEPABLES plants throughout the designated area, including between pavers and on green roofs. In addition, the Deneweth’s Garden Center team was inspired by the contest to raise an extra $1,100 on their own for Komen Detroit Race for the Cure.

Heights Flowers of Peoria, IL, came in first for “Best Use of Space,” maximizing the use of designated floor and shelf space to boost sales. Heights Flowers prioritized information sharing in their design, providing a working computer within the display for customers to visit the STEPABLES Web site to utilize the online tools for selecting the right plants for their specific lawns and gardens.

Natorp’s Mason Garden Store in Mason, OH, triumphed in the category of “Best STEPscapes Display,” which utilized STEPABLES plants in a multi-tiered landscape application to show customers the many ways creeping perennials can be used as solution plants. The design showed customers how to plant between stepping stones, create a lush seating area, use creeping perennials in beds and borders, replace turf with a creative low-growing plant pattern, and build a rock garden featuring STEPABLES.

The “We’ve Got Sole” contest is offered annually to independent garden centers as a fun way to develop plant displays that can boost sales and brand recognition while simultaneously giving back to the communities in which they are located. Each winning store was awarded a STEPPY Award as well as gift cards for a company party. To see photos of these displays, information on the garden centers and chosen charities, and contest details, visit http://www.stepables.com/garden-center-contest.asp.

Congratulations to you all!!

~Leslie

STEPABLES® Launches New Media Marketing Campaign

Under A Foot Plant Company™ and its national plant brand of creeping perennials, STEPABLES®, announced today the launch of an innovative marketing campaign designed to utilize new media, such as an interactive Web site design, instructional videos and informative blogs, to build brand recognition among its growers, garden centers and consumers.

As an award-winning marketing leader in the horticulture industry, STEPABLES® has designed the Web site to serve as the core of the new media campaign. The site now includes:

• Hundreds of new images to show consumers and landscapers the most creative ways to use STEPABLES
• Multiple forums for open discussion about anything the site visitors would like to discuss
• Several instructional, how-to videos
• A new blog written by Frances Hopkins, founder and president of Under A Foot Plant Company™
• “Meet Fran” section that personalized the brand with a family behind the name
• New media center with all current press releases
• A help desk available to consumers, garden centers and landscapers
• Design center with printable garden layouts
• A STEPABLES® Fun Club to receive discounts on plants and merchandise

“I wanted to create a marketing campaign that reflected my enthusiasm for gardening and hopefully inspire those visiting the STEPABLES® site to try something new,” said Frances Hopkins, founder and president of Under A Foot Plant Company™. “I look forward to interacting more personally with anyone who visits www.stepables.com.”

Hopkins will be updating her blog regularly as a new medium for communicating upcoming STEPABLES® news and responding to commonly asked questions from homeowners and landscapers. The site also has a new guest blog where horticulturalists and experts are invited to offer advice and knowledge about their experiences with STEPABLES® plants.

Brief instructional videos are featured on the new STEPABLES® site for a quick look at how STEPABLES® can spruce up any landscape. In less than five minutes apiece, these four videos show imaginative possibilities with the STEPABLES® line such as learning the basics of container gardening, planting combination sensations with flower bulbs, creating accents with steps and benches, and replacing a lawn with these low-maintenance plants. Hopkins produced and starred in each of the videos to further personify the brand and educate her audience with these how-to STEPABLES® tips. Take a look at one of the videos, posted below, to see how you can plant STEPABLES® around benches or between steps.

Click on the links and video to see how this plant brand plans to remain at the forefront of marketing with the newest technologies in communication!

~Leslie

All Great Things Come in Threes

Exciting News from Ball Horticultural Company!

1. Ball Horticultural Company announces the launch of its completely redesigned Web site!

The new site is organized and easy to navigate with one convenient location for growers, retailers, landscapers and home gardeners to find out about plants, products and programs available from Ball.

Highlights of the new ballhort.com include a database where growers and retailers can list their businesses, a commonly asked questions page for all audience types, and a section for sustainable solutions from Ball. Also, site visitors can enjoy all the best features of the previous site including downloadable PDFs with plant culture information and lists of Ball Exclusives. Take a look!

2. Ball Horticultural Company and French firm Alliance 47 announce a joint venture to develop and commercialize new bio-packaging products for the horticulture industry.

Under a long-term agreement, Ball Horticultural Company has exclusive worldwide rights to technology that will apply to an extensive range of packaging products including pots, tags, point-of-purchase materials and more.

Ball Innovations will oversee the research and product development work related to the partnership. “Our goal is for Ball to continue to lead the industry in providing practical, sustainable solutions for greenhouse growers,” says Bill Doeckel, General Manager of Ball Innovations. “By working with Alliance 47 to greatly expand the range of sustainable packaging products, we hope to dramatically improve the sustainable options for our industry.”

Packaging products made from the new substrates will be commercially available to horticulture industry professionals in Europe and North America beginning in 2008.

3. In 2008, Wave® petunias will celebrate their 10th year on television with a national advertising campaign that is bigger, bolder and better than ever before!

A new commercial promoting Wave petunias in Pink Packaging will air more than 700 times on 25 national cable channels including HGTV and DIY as well as other lifestyle-oriented networks like E!, Lifetime, A&E, Food Network and more. The comprehensive marketing experience for Wave petunias will also include elements of print advertising, direct mail, events, online communications, viral marketing and public relations.

“This commercial is designed to get attention and appeal to newer, younger gardeners with an edgy, fun style,” says Diane Hund, Director of Marketing at Ball. “This year’s entire Wave marketing campaign is unlike anything our industry has ever seen. We’re fully committed to helping growers and retailers by marketing Wave petunias to consumers in fresh and creative ways, and the unique approach and broader reach of this year’s television advertising plan does just that.”

The theme of the commercial is “Accept the Gardener in You,” and will air March 31 through June 11 in the U.S. and Canada.For a behind-the-scenes look at the integrated Wave marketing plan, check out the Wave video posted on YouTube.

~Leslie

Dan Heims, president of Terra Nova Nurseries, to speak at Powell's Books in Portland, Ore. as part of "Get Gardening" series

Dan Heims, president of Terra Nova Nurseries in Canby, Ore., will be speaking at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing in Portland on March 18, 2008 as part of the "Get Gardening" series. Heims will speak about and present information on varieties of Heuchera and Heucherella featured in his recently published book, Heuchera and Heucherella, Coral Bells and Foamy Bells. In the book, published by Timber Press, Heims and co-author Grahame Ware provide background on wild species of Heuchera as well as details about how these plants have developed into the garden stars they are today. The book also features extensive plant listings of the choice selections and hybrids available commercially. It also includes practical chapters on garden care, propagation and design uses, all recommended by Heims and Ware.

"Get Gardening" is a joint effort by three local Portland businesses, Timber Press, Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, and Al's Garden Center, which have joined forces to bring garden enthusiasts an exciting program of monthly talks by some of the country's top garden writers. Each presentation is followed by discussion and snacks. There are various door prizes and giveaways as well as an opportunity to talk to the authors, like Heims, meet other gardeners, and swap gardening stories and photos. There is no cost to participate in "Get Gardening".

For more information on Dan Heims and the "Get Gardening" event at Powell's in Portland.

Information about purchasing Dan's Book, Heucheras and Heucherellas - Coral Bells and Foamy Bells

More about Terra Nova Nurseries:

Terra Nova Nurseries is a world leader in plant breeding and genetics which has introduced over 460 captivating, robust and innovative varieties of annuals and perennials for the landscape and garden to the marketplace. The Terra Nova Nurseries team produces dozens of hardy new selections each year through expert flower breeding and laboratory research. These varieties are then propagated through tissue culture in state-of-the-art labs to make large quantities of healthy plants available to home gardeners, independent garden centers, growers, and landscape professionals throughout the world.

- Sally

Novalis® Expands Network to Include New Growers of Annual Color, Perennials, Shrubs

Novalis® adds seven growers to consortium for production of Plants that Work® by Color™ line, while Bailey Nurseries joins the network for production of perennial and woody ornamental programs.

Moncks Corner, S.C., Feb. 10, 2008 – Novalis®, a professional horticulture trade consortium made up of significant annual, perennial and woody ornamental growers spanning the United States, officially announced today that it has added a number of new growers to its network, significantly increasing the reach and scope of its Plants that Work® plant brand.

In a broad expansion of the alliance-based network, seven growers have committed to production of bedding plant varieties as part of Novalis®’ Plants that Work® by Color™; in addition, one new grower will join nine existing ones in the production of perennials and woody ornamentals under the inclusive Plants that Work® brand.

The seven growers who recently signed-on with the consortium to grow varieties for Novalis®’ Plants that Work® by Color™ program include:

o Armstrong Growers

o Beds & Borders, Inc.

o Carolina Nurseries, Inc.

o Peace Tree Farms

o Sunbelt Greenhouses

o Tanasacre Nursery

o Wenke Greenhouses

Carolina Nurseries, one of the four founding members of the Novalis® consortium, and Armstrong Growers, an existing Novalis® network member, will continue to grow plant material for the Plants that Work® perennial and shrub-based programs but will now, additionally, grow color bedding plant varieties for the brand.

The Plants that Work® by Color™ program was brought into existence to provide independent retailers and professional landscapers with a fully comprehensive package of plant material and regional sourcing from a collective premium product supplier. The addition of the growers will lead to more abundant and diverse plant selections for creating and maintaining a range of landscapes in all parts of the country.

Furthermore, the Novalis® consortium has added Bailey Nurseries, one of the most preeminent growers in the country, to its network whereas the nursery will grow perennial and shrub selections that are part of Plants that Work®. This new addition extends the consortium’s promise of horticultural excellence and regional product availability for independent retailers, professional landscapers, municipalities, and others.

“This is an exciting time for the Novalis® network of growers and the independent garden centers that sell Plants that Work®,” said J. Guy, manager of Novalis®. “We wholeheartedly welcome the new growers who have joined the consortium and are honored to have them in the network. With the latest addition of Bailey Nurseries and the new Plants that Work® by Color™ program growers, Novalis® is moving into a new era of providing a truly all-encompassing brand of varieties for virtually anyone in need of premium plant material.”

More about Plants that Work® by Color™

The Plants that Work® by Color™ program is the most impressive expansion to date of the overall Plants that Work® line, bringing world-class genetics to gardeners in a rainbow of color and form. In spring of 2008, retailers and homeowners will have new and unique options for year-round color, with more than 150 varieties that make spectacular beds, borders and containers.

A major goal of the Plants that Work® by Color™ program is to provide independent garden centers with a new and unique manner of merchandising with plants organized and displayed by basic groups of color, presented with custom-designed packaging, signage and retail benching. The program is backed with a strategic, in- and out-of-store brand-marketing agenda.

“We knew that by growing and distributing Plants that Work® by Color™ regionally, we could ensure retail-ready delivery and optimum garden performance in particular areas,” said Tom Kegley, marketing director of Novalis®.

The Plants that Work® by Color™ offerings, along with hundreds of other robust and branded plants from the Novalis® network, are cultivated to accentuate outdoor living, provide solutions for novice and expert gardeners, and address consumer high-demand for new collections of unparalleled variety and quality in every region of the country.

- Sally

Horticultural Identification Products Hires West Coast Sales Representative

Thomasville, NC – February 1, 2008 – Horticultural Identification Products (HIP), a customized tag and labeling products company for the horticulture industry, announced today that it has hired Bob Nichols as the company’s West Coast sales representative.

With an extensive background in horticulture, green-goods sales and marketing, Nichols comes to HIP from Weeks Roses, where he served as a national sales manager and led a sales team of seven for the wholesale grower located in Upland, Calif.

In his new role, Nichols will bring 20 years of experience to managing all West Coast sales efforts for HIP. His responsibilities will include developing sales strategy, representing the company and its products at industry events and trade shows as well as interacting with major growers along the West Coast, from British Columbia to the Mexican border.

“I am thrilled to join the successful team at HIP and represent the company as well its superior horticulture marketing-solution products on the West Coast,” said Nichols. “The region is one that has always been and continues to be green-sensitive, and which has drawn considerable excitement and great interest in HIP’s products, particularly those created from environmentally sound materials.”

The hire is in keeping with HIP’s practice of employing horticultural specialists with innovative marketing and green-goods expertise. HIP utilizes these experts, who are versed in all aspects of horticultural marketing, production and independent retail needs and strategies, to service the company’s clientele and develop customized, top-quality merchandising solutions.

Nichols is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in horticulture, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he received a Master of Business Administration degree in marketing. Bob currently lives in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., one hour east of Los Angeles.

To learn more about HIP products please visit www.hiplables.com.