Manage what you measure
Monitoring energy leads to savings. | 10
Thriving in the heat
It was a hot and sunny summer, but these plants kept their cool. | 22
Pepper weevil worries
IPM toolbox is hard-pressed to keep this pest in check. | 34
Trials
Pepper
BY MELHEM SAWAYA
BY JOHN FRIEL
BY GARY JONES
If there’s a single word to sum up industry leaders, current or emerging, it would be “passion.”
It’s there when you’re talking to them about their business or where they work. It’s there on the trade show floor as they describe new technologies or varieties. It’s there when they outline their latest research or innovations. It’s there during networking breaks at educational sessions.
This year’s Top 10 Under 40 award winners have a true passion for their work. The award winners were officially announced during The Gathering reception of the Canadian Greenhouse Conference last month. The awards program, now in its third year, is sponsored by Paul Boers Manufacturing and Prins Greenhouses and presented by Greenhouse Canada.
impression that employees are working for us, but rather with us,” said one award winner.
They bring out the best in others. “Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations,” said Peter Drucker, a U.S. management consultant widely regarded as a driving force behind modern management systems.
They inspire colleagues and business associates.
They’re innovators. “Learning and innovation go hand in hand,” said William Pollard, a U.S. researcher and author. “The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.”
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National Advertising Manager NASHELLE BARSKY nbarsky@annexweb.com 905.431.8892
Account Coordinator MARY BURNIE mburnie@annexweb.com 519.429.5175 888.599.2228
They’re entrepreneurs. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality,” said Warren Bennis, “an American scholar, organizational consultant and author, widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of leadership studies,” according to a Wikipedia posting.
Among this year’s Top 10 are those excelling in social media marketing, or mastering emerging new growing systems with which they are truly on the cutting edge, including successful year-round production. “I think it is necessary for a label to
“We know that the best is yet to come.”
Several of this year’s Top 10 Under 40 award recipients launched their own businesses, or are taking existing businesses to the next level.
They’re motivators. “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself,” said Jack Welch, a retired American business executive and author. “When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
Training staff to be the best they can be is another key trait of this year’s award winners.
“I never want to give the
have product available 12 months of the year, and the push is for locally grown product as well,” one winner explained.
And the winners enjoy what they do. “Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally,” said noted journalist British journalist David Frost.
To this year’s Top 10 Under 40 award winners, congratulations on what you have already accomplished in your careers. You’re an inspiration to all who work with you.
And we know that the best is yet to come.
Windset Farms is the first Canadian company to ship greenhouse bell peppers to Japan. The company’s Maestro Sweet Bell Peppers are being sold by Costco in Japan.
Many bodies were involved in the process including the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and other government bodies of Japan.
“As a current exporter of tomatoes to Japan, we are honoured and excited to have the opportunity to ship our fresh, greenhouse-grown peppers to our customers across the sea,” said John Newell, owner and COO of Windset Farms.
Windset Farms is a family-run business that has become one of the largest growers and marketers of greenhouse produce and recipient of the World’s Best Tomato Grower award.
From over 5,000 entries from 21 countries and five continents, Zing! Healthy Foods captured top honours with a Gold Award for its website (www. ZingHealthyfoods.com) and a Bronze Award for packaging with its exclusive Chef Sampler this year at the Summit Creative Awards (SCA).
With the website, Zing! wanted two basic things – something people would want to visit and one that’s updated
regularly.
“When we first set out to create a website, we felt it was necessary to achieve something unique, offbeat from our competitors, and not just an island of information amidst the sea of Internet pages,” said company vice-president of sales and marketing Jordan Kniaziew. “We had fun creating it and it shows in the final design.”
The site includes a visual history you navigate via a vintage
cruiser, which is currently ridden in and around the farm, along with the energizing health benefits its farm fresh food offers.
This website breaks convention and takes advantage of a live Instagram feed showcasing fun and witty social posts.
Their companion Bronze trophy was awarded in consumer packaging for their Amazing Chef Sampler. This convenient package
contains a unique mix of shepherd, bell and mini peppers, ranging visually from yellow, orange, red, brown and even purple peppers.
Zing! Healthy Foods is part of Orangeline Farms, a multiple award-winning boutique grower of specialty greenhouse grown peppers, strawberries and European runner beans. The first generation family-oriented business operates year-round in Leamington.
92%
people who researched a product on a mobile device made a purchase within a day.
Proportion of greenhouse tomato production in Quebec grown under plastic. (StatsCan)
37%
millennials are growing herbs indoors.
(Garden Media Group’s)
Canadian production of greenhouse tomatoes in 2014
280K tonnes
554 Ha
$507M
Farmgate value volumn volumn Exports
147K tonnes
28%
baby boomers are growing herbs indoors.
(Garden Media Group’s)
65%
millennials would attend a class or workshop at a store to enhance their growing skills.
(Garden Media Group’s)
B.C.’s share of Canadian greenhouse tomato production in 2014. (StatsCan)
Calibrachoa Cabaret®
Grow these calibrachoa side by side or all together! Ship all colours to retail at the same time, or plant any three colours together for a uniform mix. There are 15 incredible colours to grow. Cabaret’s uniformity makes it easy to grow and ship – it’s a musthave for your quart and basket programs. A true Real Series™ from Ball FloraPlant.
Height is 6-10" (15-25 cm), and the spread is 10-12" (25-30 cm) www.ballfloraplant.com
Dahlightful™ Georgia Peach Dahlia
A backdrop of dramatic deep green foliage makes the apricot yellow, semi-double flowers of this beauty look especially Dahlightful™! Strong stems, good disease resistance, and a season-long bloom time will make this new series of mediumsized dahlias popular with growers and gardeners alike. It’s 20-30" tall with a 20-24" spread. www. provenwinners.com
New varieties wanted
Breeders, this page is for you! Send in your new varieties throughout the year (75 to 100 words, with a high res image), to help us continually showcase the next market winners. These new varieties are then posted to our website within our “Marketplace” microsite, to provide even greater exposure to growers across Canada. Please send the writeups and photos to greenhouse@annexweb.com.
De Ruiter Pink Plum Tomato
De Ruiter’s DRK936 is a pink plum tomato with a strong crop, high production and pleasant savory taste. Average fruit weight is between 60-80 grams. www. deruiterseeds.com
‘SunStanding’
With tremendous impulse appeal at retail, Superbena® Sparkling Amethyst bears large clusters of amethyst purple flowers kissed with rosy purple centres. The flowers completely cover the canopy of dark green, powdery mildew resistant foliage
all summer without deadheading. This plant makes a perfect 4" Grande pot but becomes a vigorously spreading plant for the consumer as it matures. It is an excellent spiller in combination planters and hanging baskets. www.provenwinners.com
Confetti Garden® Hawaiian Kea
Comprised entirely of ‘Volcano’ Calibrachoa varieties, ‘Hawaiian Kea’ is a brand new, cheerful mix from Dümmen Orange. Handpicked ingredients showcase prominent shades of pink, orange and accenting cream atop compact, rounded plants that are perfect for containers, baskets or the landscape. Discover the brightest blends at ConfettiGarden. com.
‘SunStanding’ hybrid New Guinea impatiens (Photo left to right: White Cloud, Coral Aurora, Salmon) are a brand new introduction from Dümmen Orange for 2017. Sporting bright flowers over glossy green and bronze foliage, these New Guineas are both striking and sturdy, thriving in most garden conditions.
Uniquely sun loving, the ‘SunStanding’ series is naturally compact, requiring minimal PGR applications. With “Quick Turnaround” (QT) cuttings, 306 packs will be marketable within five to seven weeks with great flower power at retail and in the garden. Discover the difference at sunstandinganywhere.com.
From seed to table, higher quality with better
A better-quality product for the consumer. An integrated, innovative greenhouse solution for you. That’s what Syngenta provides through quality genetics and new variety innovations. Your customers, and their dinner tables, deserve nothing less than the very best.
To learn more about varieties from Syngenta, contact Plant Products at 519-326-9037 or info@plantproducts.com
Greenhouses provide vegetable and flower growers with the ability to control all the inputs needed to yield healthy, plentiful crops. In a greenhouse, growers can tailor the amount of light, CO2, moisture, heat and cold, and other variables in order to improve both the quality and quantity of their production. Maintaining this climate, and modifying it as needed, requires careful monitoring and stateof-the-art technology. What is often overlooked is the role energy plays in the growing process, and how that energy impacts overall profitability.
CosMic Plants is one of the growers doing it right. The Beamsville-based greenhouse, owned by
brothers Neil and Mike van Steekelenburg, grows orchids. Their plants are incredibly sensitive to ambient conditions and require constant monitoring to ensure the climate is perfect. Neil and Mike use their Hoogendoorn automation system to control the environment, gathering data on light input, temperature, moisture levels and more to ensure that everything is running as perfectly and efficiently as possible.
CosMic saw the value in applying this same efficient, perfectionist approach to how they manage their energy use, and engaged the expertise of Ancaster-based consulting company 360 Energy to ensure a comprehensive approach and optimal savings.
According to 360 Energy CEO David Arkell, “360 Energy collects and analyzes CosMic’s electricity and natural gas usage data to provide site-specific guidance on savings opportunities. We combine this
information with our knowledge of energy markets to achieve further savings through energy procurement, always keeping in mind that production, and the health of the plants, comes first.”
This meticulous tracking of energy data helps the greenhouse make better decisions on how and when to use energy. Applying this combination of tactics, a typical grower can expect to see a 15 to 25 per cent reduction in energy costs.
You can’t manage what you can’t measure and there are multiple types of data that should be captured to accurately understand how energy is used within a greenhouse.
The right data must be coupled with careful analysis and knowledge of how to interpret it to maximize energy savings without impacting yield. The data management support provided by 360 Energy provides this expertise, allowing growers to track and understand energy usage and energy billing and use the information gathered to make better, more informed energy decisions. Data such as monthly, weekly, daily and even hourly natural gas and electricity usage can be used to discover how efficiently equipment is working, providing a means to catch potentially costly abnormalities early.
Once all the necessary data is captured, a baseline can be established to evaluate ongoing performance and the effectiveness of changes to processes and equipment.
By comparing current performance to the baseline established, growers can see whether the changes implemented have had the desired effect on energy usage.
As the Canadian greenhouse industry expands and seeks to extend growing seasons with new lighting technology, attention to the cost and strategic usage of these technologies will become even more important to make cold-season production more profitable. As CosMic says, “360 Energy gives us comprehensive and independent advice. That allows us to be better risk managers and to become ever more efficient when it comes to the energy component in our operational cost of growing quality orchids.”
Written by James Williams and Jennifer Niece of 360 Energy. The company is one of North America’s leading energy services firms. To view a video on this project, follow this link: www.360energy.net/2016/10/hear-how-cosmic-plantsis-managing-energy-costs/
JOHN STANLEY | john@johnstanley.com.au
In my last article (October 2016) we focused on building sales by removing confusion. In this article I want to focus on the playground strategy in your business.
Consumer research indicates that the main reason consumers are shopping at lifestyle retail outlets, such as garden centres, is that they come for an experience. The product can be purchased online. One of the keys to building sales is to analyze how you build an experience.
In my DayMaker workshops, group members often disagree that one of the objectives should be happy customers. Part of any marketing plan
Zulauf Gartencenter (Switzerland) sets up a skating rink each year.
should aim at making consumers happier – if you do, I guarantee the average sale will increase.
This, then, is the importance of the playground policy. This is a strategy to use space to entertain your customers rather than a space from which you sell product to them. That space can be used in many ways. I recently visited a Swiss garden centre that had converted part of the plant area in winter into an ice skating rink. The plant area was a busy location for teenagers in a garden centre in November … something that is rarely seen.
In my view, the playground strategy should focus on your target market and enhancing what you already do. Many garden centres, for example, have set space aside for garden classes.
Workshops that have intrigued customers and attracted large crowds of gardeners include:
EAT YOUR WEEDS: Consumers are fascinated that many of the weeds in their garden
can be used in a salad, soup or garnish to a meal.
A workshop organized with a local chef who understands how to engage with the consumer and develop weed tastings in the garden centre will intrigue your customers. Plus, it is something that is difficult to learn from on the Internet, although it is possible.
Following on from the previous theme, more and more consumers are looking to grow their own food. The challenge is how do you prepare it for a meal. The Nurseryland garden centre group in Canada has developed a marketing campaign on “Grow Your Own XXXX.” They have focused on the end product rather than the plant. This especially appeals to millennial consumers who always start with the end in mind.
A garden centre can take this to the next level and the plant manager and a local chef could join forces and do workshops on the growing and food preparation.
FLOWER ARRANGING WITH VEGETABLES: One of our local florists developed a workshop where they did floral arrangements using vegetables and fruit. This proved to be highly successful as a workshop. They ran the workshops at farmer’s markets, but I can see no reason why this could not have been done in a garden centre.
SECRET GARDENS: We all love discovering something that nobody else in our circle has discovered. I have one client who starts a workshop in the plant area of the garden centre and then takes the group to private gardens of some of the customers. The day finishes back at the garden centre and shows the plants in the retail area that were on show in the gardens. The garden owners are thrilled to show off their gardens and the visitors are thrilled to see gardens they would not normally see, while the garden centre builds plant sales and loyalty.
All are winners: Brainstorm what can be done with space as a playground to enrich the customer experience and loyalty will build as well as sales.
John Stanley is a retail business coach, consultant, speaker and author. His expertise is in customer focused layout, merchandising, marketing and branding, and customer-focused selling and service. Visit his website at www.johnstanley.com.au.
As in the previous two years of this program, we could easily have had a “Top Dozen” or so award winners. The quality of candidates was quite impressive, and whittling the nominations down to 10 was most challenging.
BY DAVE HARRISON
They’re greenhouse vegetable growers, flower growers, specialty crop specialists or plant retailers, and they’re this year’s Top 10 Under 40 award winners. While they may have different crops or businesses, they all share the same passion for plants.
As in the previous two years of this program, we could easily have had a “Top Dozen” or so award winners. The quality of candidates was quite impressive, and whittling the nominations down to 10 was most challenging.
The winners were announced last month before a packed crowd at The Gathering reception of the Canadian Greenhouse Conference in Niagara Falls.
The Top 10 Under 40 program was again sponsored by Paul Boers Manufacturing and Prins Greenhouses. The program wouldn’t be possible without their support.
Without further adieu, here are this year’s award winners.
Brian Bain is a horticulturist and the founder/owner of Ecobain Gardens, an urban vertical hydroponic farm in Saskatoon.
Ecobain Gardens’ products are produced 365 days a year in a completely controlled environment. Among products are living basil, dill, cilantro and mint in a bare root form, alongside its cut certified organic microgreens.
retail herb products as well as two cut microgreen products. Ecobain currently has 11 full-time employees. It is preparing for expansion in 2017 to increase volumes, efficiencies and add three new products to its herb line.
There is considerable growth potential. The aspect of being a local producer in a market that almost always imports from great distances gives Ecobain a strong line into the market.
The biggest challenge has been logistics. The farm has four different stages of crops, and six cultivars growing at any given time. It harvests twice a week, and manages all seeding, transplanting (50,000 plants/month) and sales out of its single 6,000-sq.ft. facility.
Bain started the company in December 2012 in a 1,300-squarefoot warehouse in the north end of Saskatoon, growing hydroponic microgreens with two staff members. Sales took off quickly, and employment grew to five people in only a few months.
In April 2015, Ecobain moved into its new 6,000-sq.ft. location, and began expanding its product line to include living culinary herbs.
Its first crop of basil was successfully harvested in Week 21 in 2016, and over the last few months the company has been working with multiple new Canadian retail companies to list its four
“I feel food security is going to be one of our largest challenges for the human race over the next 100 years, and to think we are working hard everyday to help resolve this issue really motivates me and my team.
“I also really love the technology aspect as well,” Bain explains. “There are so many advancements being made in the field, and because of the nature of our farm, relationships with the IRAP/NRC, and the University of Saskatchewan, we are very tapped into these advancements.”
Julie Clancy grew up in the family business, but has only been working in it full-time for 19 years, including the past 15 years as its manager/purchaser. Belgian Nursery is a retail only garden centre, growing over an acre of annuals – including over 8,000 hanging baskets and planters. Belgian also grows garden mums, primula and a select assortment of perennials, vines and shrubs.
“Year-round we offer customers the warmth and joyfulness of tropical houseplants, cacti and herbs,” she explains. “In addition, we offer an array of garden products and gift items bringing us perfectly into the Christmas season. Poinsettia, artificial trees, ornaments and fresh greens keep us busy.”
She welcomes the challenges in managing the business. “My
responsibilities include, but are not limited to, purchasing for all aspects required for growing, as well as a wide assortment of perennials, shrubs and finished poinsettias. Human resources, managing staff, customer service and setting up displays are some of the other tasks.”
To keep up with trends, she relies on customer feedback during the spring, studies the catalogues, and talks to suppliers throughout the year. “And the best way is to trial plants in my own backyard at home and in the greenhouse.”
Remaining family owned is a big reason for its continued success. “We are all hands-on and work together to create a unique environment.”
What are the keys to training and motivating new employees to maintain high levels of customer service and crop quality, we asked. First and foremost, she says, you have to find the “right” people who are passionate about plants and customer service, and then you work with their strengths. She works hard to “keep the lines of communication open, which in turn creates engaged employees dedicated to quality plants and service.”
It’s an exciting and rewarding industry, she notes. “I love to see the overall process happen. The empty benches fill up over a few months and return to being empty in just a few weeks. One of my favourite things to see each spring is freshly germinated plants with their teeny, tiny baby heads getting their start on life!”
RYAN CRAMER, Big Marble Farms
Medicine Hat, Alberta Ryan Cramer grew up in the industry, and enjoyed helping out in the greenhouse as a youngster.
“It has been 11 years since I decided to start working at my
Dad’s farm, and seven years since we built the greenhouse that I co-own and operate.”
Big Marble Farms started out as County Fresh Farms in 2009 as a four-acre glass greenhouse with grow lights. It grew to 15 acres over the next four years and to 35 acres with a packing facility this year.
“All 35 acres have lights and we grow mostly cucumbers and mini-cucumbers and have recently added TOVs and beefsteak tomatoes.”
Every successful grower has a mentor or two to help in hurdling challenges. For Ryan, he’s enjoyed working closely with his dad, Albert, and his uncle, Rick Wagenaar, and the two of them have 50 years of combined experience in the industry. They are also his business partners at Big Marble Farms.
Cramer is a big believer in supplemental lighting, among other technologies.
“I think it is necessary for a label to have product available 12 months of the year, and the push is for locally grown product as well. My opinion on supplemental lighting is pretty clear, as 100 per cent of our operation has lights. I believe that supplemental lighting isn’t only for the winter months, but the shoulder months as well. We are able to grow a more consistent and premium product in the spring and fall in addition to the winter.”
The main reasons for the company’s success is the shared passion for the industry and their commitment to capitalize on opportunities to grow.
“Being a part of a business that is always growing is awesome,” he says. “Seeing the innovative potential in the industry makes the future very exciting. It’s always a sunny day at Big Marble Farms.”
Paul Doef helped out in the family greenhouse as a youngster, and has been working in it full-time since 2004.
Doef’s Greenhouses is a family run operation, and has long been regarded as one of the most progressive and innovative greenhouse operations in Alberta. It has five acres of lit cucumbers, four acres of mixed peppers (two lit, two traditional), two acres of lit tomatoes and a 300-square-metre lettuce pond.
“The key feature of our company is our year-round production,” Doef explains. “We supply local fresh produce to our wholesaler (Sunfresh Farms in Edmonton), our local marketing company (Pik-NPak Produce), and directly to customers at our farmers’ markets all year long.”
Most of the technological improvements have been geared to year-round production. “This comes with a lot of upfront costs, such as lights, energy curtains, buffer tanks, etc., and the operational costs are significant. As long as we have consumers who are looking to support their local farmers, we can continue to grow the food in the coldest and darkest time of the year.”
Continuing a family tradition set by his parents, Joe and Helen, Paul has served on the board of the Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association. He has been treasurer the past three years. He has also been the AGGA’s representative with many of the farm safety discussions over the past few years. “I decided to get involved because it is important to have contact with other growers in Alberta. It is good to create connections with other growers, and to get to know each other
on a personal level. As a company, we feel it is important to have representation at the AGGA. If there are issues that greenhouses across our province are dealing with, we are always interested.”
And, of course, being a family business brings with it many advantages. “My Dad (Joe), my brother (Eric), and my brother-in-law (Phil Visscher) all bring different skills to the management group. We smooth out each other’s weaknesses. Of course there are times when things get tense, but so far nothing we can not resolve over a beer or two.”
DEBBIE FOISY, Debs Greenhouse, Morinville, Alberta
What makes a great garden centre? It’s much more than great plants, says Debbie Foisy.
“You have to have great plants, but what you also need is great marketing. With very strategic marketing we created a destination garden centre.”
She has created a strong brand. “I think it’s terribly important that all social media, especially Facebook and e-newsletters, have to come from yourself, they need to have a large personal component so that somebody becomes the face of the company. And that person becomes the brand of the company and in our case that’s me. I need to be on the sales floor when customers walk in.”
She has been the driving force behind the Greenhouse Marketing Forum, which has grown from its Alberta roots into many other regions. The idea for the Forum was launched in 2012 during a presentation by industry consultant Bill McCurry at the Green Industry Show.
“It has evolved into the go-to place for industry folks. There has been a
tremendous amount of topics go through the forum, from selling used equipment to plant diagnostics.”
In 2013, she became president of the AGGA, the first president who was younger than the association itself.
That same year she won the Grower Of The Year award from the AGGA, and that was followed a year later with her selection as one of three finalists in the Dümmen Orange/Green Profit Young Retailer Of The Year awards program.
They recently moved the business from Wildwood, the town she grew up in (and knew everyone), to just outside of Edmonton.
She’s very confident in the business. “Recently someone asked me about the box store competition, as though it was a black cloud hanging over my head. My response was the opposite. They’ve got nothing on us, they can’t do what we do. I believe that we should quit worrying about them and focus on our place in the market.”
One of the industry’s fastest growing segments is green roofs, and one of that sector’s leading companies is Sedum Master Inc. Company president Greg Magda has been a grower of sedum vegetation for the green roof industry for the past 14 to 15 years.
Sedum Master Inc. is a grower of numerous sedum vegetation products for green roof projects, including ground covers and landscaping. Sedum Master has mats (regular/lightweight), sedum minimats, Sedum Master is now branching into retail sales. In the retail end of things, sedum has become more popular in the last few years as people are becoming
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more aware of how versatile it is and the various varieties, colours and sizes. “As the weather is becoming hotter,” says Magda, “we are seeing more drought conditions, so the demand for sedum is becoming much greater.”
Sedum Master Inc. was built on a foundation of three generations of farming, which allows for years of vast knowledge in agriculture and growth. “With this knowledge and having a company run by a younger generation as well,” says Magda, “Sedum Master was open to new ideas and fresh thinking on new creations with tests and trials, and with a go get’em attitude.”
This is not the first award for the company. It received a 2013 regional Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. That award recognized their hard work in the green roof industry along with their efforts in the green wall industry as a new creative option for people to grow vegetables and fruit (vertical farming).
What’s the most exciting part of his job? “The people,” he says. “It’s great getting to know the various people throughout the industry with every project and question. Many dear friends have been made throughout the years through Sedum Master and everyone has a different story and walks a different path.”
CATHY OULTON, Bloom Greenhouse & Garden Centre, Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia
Cathy Oulton has developed a popular garden centre in a region with several nearby big box competitors. When it comes to plant quality and service, said her award
nominator, Bloom Greenhouse & Garden Centre stands well above the crowd.
Oulton’s parents owned a wholesale nursery, so her passion for plants was rooted early. She has been working in the horticulture industry for 20 years.
“We started out just renting a yard to sell nursery stock and have grown to a greenhouse grower/retailer operation growing most of our own annuals and perennials,” Oulton explains.
Having big box stores nearby isn’t a major worry for her. “We are different from them in a lot of ways. We hire for people skills and plant knowledge and take every opportunity to educate our customers on how to garden successfully. Our location is a little out of the way so we know that our clients have sought out a different shopping experience by choosing to come to us. We strive to give them that.”
“Honestly, I love my job,” says Oulton. “Branding our company felt amazing. Putting up that sign by the road was an awesome feeling. This year we were able to put up two new growing houses and offer our own delivery service. I love to see our truck driving the roads with our logo on the side. It feels like a win every time.”
Social and web marketing is the way of the future,” she says. “We need to be present across all media forms for our customers to connect with our business. I think we all want to see the real people behind the businesses we deal with. Social media helps to make that connection.”
What keeps her energized throughout every day in the garden centre?
“I love connecting with people,” she
says. “Having new customers come in that had never been to Bloom before makes me feel great. It means that word is getting out about what we do. And that is huge.”
CHRISTIE POLLACK, Christie’s Gardens and Greenhouses, High Prairie, Alberta
Christie Pollack has been working for 16 years in the industry, beginning with part-time work as a teenager in a local greenhouse. That opportunity definitely spurred her career choice.
“I knew I wanted to work in the industry and there were no greenhouses in the area. To begin, we built a business plan researching in detail all the components and costs.”
She went to Olds College and completed a diploma in production horticulture.
She says there are at least four essential components of a great garden centre. Included are exceptional customer service, great quality plants, a great team to work with (“because they are the face of your business”), and community involvement.
She has no hesitation when asked the main reasons for the success of the garden centre? “My team, the amazing people within the horticulture community in Alberta, my local community, and my constant desire for learning new things.”
Her employees are dedicated. “One of the tools I use is finding out what each employee’s natural strengths are. This helps us to better manage our team and keep people happy. We also try to spend time explaining gardening tips to our team so they can pass the information on
to our customers.”
She’s already an industry leader in social media marketing, including an exceptional website. It’s all part of her game plan.
“I figured out in 2015 that our main demographic is 25- to 35-year-olds, and the thing that struck me the most was that people were telling me over and over that they couldn’t distinguish between the information that was usable for them and information that was for another area.”
And what are the highlights of her day?
“I love talking to my customers. I always say it’s important to listen to the questions they are asking. It’s free research! I take the most asked questions and transform them into a blog.”
Jennifer Sheardown, assistant grower at Waldan Greenhouses, has worked in the floriculture industry for about 12 years.
She handles much of the watering, including fertilizer and PGR application decisions. She trials new PGRs and combinations. She also maintains several of the records required for CFIA inspections.
Sheardown takes part in weekly meetings with consultants, sales reps and industry experts. She attends numerous workshops and conferences and takes notes to bring back for other growers unable to attend. She works as part of a team to design and implement research and development projects and is responsible for maintaining the records and measurements pertaining to them.
She also does insect scouting and maintains the banker plant/colemani sys-
tem, and has a good understanding of the complexities of biological insect control.
She has always been fascinated by plants, which “stems (no pun intended) from a love of biology, of all living things. Plants are just much easier to work with.”
She has had several mentors, including company owner Dan Newhouse; Finn Klochmann Hansen, who works for Jepsen Queen Kalanchoe (their supplier of cuttings), “who spent a week in Denmark showing me the ropes of how to grow kalanchoes and who comes to visit twice a year and tweak our techniques with new technologies and ideas”; and IPM consultant Mike Short, “who is always ready to talk insects and biocontrol.”
Waldan Gardens is a great company to work for. “It has always been on the cutting edge of new technology, always striving to find new and better and more efficient ways of doing things.”
And the most exciting part of her career? “I love new things, be it good or bad, such as a new cultivar, a new strain, or a new colour of flower.
“And I was introduced to a new PGR for the kalanchoe, which may work as a stimulant and help with the plants being too small in low light conditions. I’m looking forward to giving that one a try this winter!”
Andrea Westra grew up in the family cut flower business and has taken every opportunity to advance her managerial skills.
She has been working in the business full-time since 1998, and before that was often helping out during the summers
and after school. Greenhouse horticulture is definitely in her blood.
She is a driving force with the company biocontrol program, and has attended numerous workshops to keep updated on the latest threats and control measures. She also works closely with IPM specialists to fine-tune the company’s program.
When it comes to pests, you can’t let your guard down even for a minute.
“Mealybug, whitefly, thrips, spider mite, aphids and leafminer are the major pests we face,” she says.
“Mealybug is the biggest issue, though we’ve had some success using cryptolaemus and it seem to be getting better results every year.”
What are the main reasons for their success with biocontrols?
“Teamwork is the big one. It helps that co-workers know the “good” bugs from the “bad” bugs and inform me when they see them. It’s also important to work with a bio company that is willing to work alongside you. Scouting is very important since new spots pop up all the time and if you catch it early it makes a big difference.”
Chemical sprays are not working any more, and resistance is a constant issue, she explains. Biocontrols are also safer for everyone involved.
And what keeps her energized every day on the job? “I love learning new things about bugs. I find it very interesting about how biocontrols work.
“And I really like the people I work with since they make the job so enjoyable.”
This was a summer of sun, drought and sizzling temperatures. So which varieties held up under those demanding conditions with good performance throughout the season in trials located in the heart of southwestern Ontario?
BY MELHEM SAWAYA
This year featured a much warmer than usual summer, by far the hottest summer I have seen since we first hosted the Sawaya Garden Trials 16 years ago.
The continuously hot days and nights put the plants through new stress or benefit tests depending on the varieties. Some varieties, such as the lantanas, angelonias, portulacas and scaevola, did exceptionally well. However, others did not do so well. The annual hibiscus dropped their buds before they could open, while the dahlias did not have a chance and collapsed before the end of July.
As well, some misconceptions about some genera were cleared up.
For example, nemesia, diascia and osteospermum flowered throughout the season and some varieties were
better than other years. Even though they are considered cool weather crops, they can stand extreme heat if they are watered regularly.
Another surprise was the Cool Wave pansy series that flowered the whole summer. So for fall pansies in your combinations, Cool Waves are much better than the upright cultivars.
The hot weather and the lack of rain suited petunias very well. All varieties performed exceptionally well, with no sign of botrytis and loads of flowers. The geraniums also did well and for the same reason –no rain, no botrytis.
To benefit from trials, it’s important to apply what we’ve learned next season. It is time to put the horticulture industry on a progressive track
With heating costs becoming an issue yet again, growers cannot afford to not have this resource.
After reviewing the principles behind heat loss, Dr. Bartok discusses greenhouse siting, construction materials, insulation, fuels and heating, ventilation and cooling, space utilization, utilities, trucking costs, and management.
Appendices include an Energy Conservation Checklist, Heat Loss Calculations, Useful Conversions, and Selected Product Manufacturers and Distributors.
Tables and diagrams throughout.
that puts consumer success as its main priority.
Usually when we go to trial gardens we look for varieties that are good performers, which is great. But what is more effective is to look for the non-performers and eliminate them from your program to send a message to suppliers.
The main purpose of Sawaya Garden Trials is to see the varieties that perform best in our climate. In my assessment, calibrachoa production has increased over a thousand-fold, and not only in Ontario, but throughout other regions of Canada as well. This dramatic increase is due to its excellent garden performance, and the excellent show it puts on from early spring to late fall as long as we are able to fertilize it with every watering. The next genus I’ve seen to be increasing in popularity faster than the supply is the begonia boliviensis.
So why are gardeners not getting the full potential beauty out of their plants?
The answer is simple – we are not communicating effectively with the ultimate consumer.
Here are some of the same steps I have mentioned the last two years to increase our sales. Normally it takes five years to adopt a change, so here I am mentioning it again.
Only grow varieties that are proven to perform well in the garden.
Sell the plants in larger containers than you are used to. The rule-of-thumb is that if you have to apply growth regulators more than once to make the plant fit, then the container is most likely too small for the plant.
Always plant in a good potting media, and with no weird additives. Trying to prolong plant watering by 12 to 24 hours creates a false expectation for consumers.
Top-dressing the containers with slow-release fertilizer could be a setback for varieties that cannot take a heavy dose of fertilizer all at once and that will happen when we get high temperatures. All of the slow-release fertilizers I’m aware of are released based on temperature and especially if the plants are not getting water when they should.
Provide free liquid fertilizer as a bonus. Mix it in a 200-litre
barrel at about a thousand times concentration so the consumer can dilute it to end up with a fertilizer of about 150 ppm. If we don’t do anything else, we must sell simplified drip kits so the homeowner can water his plants effectively and regularly.
Get involved by promoting plants and their benefits.
Here are some highlights from our trials this summer. These varieties are not in any order of importance.
Remember if you have never grown any of these varieties but would like to, just grow a small percentage of your production to evaluate their success during production and also evaluate consumer appeal. With this information, you can then decide to increase production or drop them. If you decide to increase production of a new variety after trialling it for a season, make sure you take a good look at which variety you can drop.
With the popularity of calibrachoa, you can now choose from among a variety of colours, sizes and habits. Breeders are doing a good job of classifying the series according to its habit, which helps in matching container size to the variety. The many different types of flowers add to its popularity, including star-shaped bicolour flowers, varieties with a different colour around the rim of the flowers, varieties that change colour as they age, and those with double flowers.
Petunias were stunning this year due to the hot, dry weather. However, there are always some cultivars that outshine the others and here are a few.
Petunia hybrida ‘Picnic White Imp.’ (1) is pure white with nicely trailing medium-size flowers that recovered quickly whenever it rained. It was loaded with flowers the entire season and is great alone or in combinations.
Petunia Supertunia ‘Sangria Charm’ (2) is one in this nine-colour series that features loads of small flowers. Sangria is very vigorous, but at the same time flowers very early. This is the sign of a petunia with excellent performance. It is great in 4” pots or 14” containers, and in landscapes and combinations.
Petunia Tidal Wave ‘Silver’ and ‘Red Velour’ (3) are varieties in an old series that has garden performance that exceeds most petunias. Tidal Wave is vigorous with never-stop flowering that is not set back by rain and experiences no botrytis. Plant early in April to get a large container by – or before – the long May
weekend. Tidal Wave is also great in landscapes.
SuperCal ‘Salmon Glow’ (4) is one colour of many in the Petchoa series. It is an excellent garden performer that recovers from heavy rain in one hour or less and the flowers last a long time. No deadheading is needed because there is more than a flush of flowers formed before the second or third generations are spent. Petchoa is great in large baskets and in combination with other Petchoa colours or other cultivars or genera.
Petunia Supertunia Vista ‘Bubblegum’ and ‘Fuchsia’ (5) have been steady stars in our trials for the last five years. Vistas are excellent performers. They are vigorous, and require no deadheading. There is no downtime because of rain and they put on a show that is second to none.
Calibrachoa Chameleons (6) is an interesting new series. The name is very descriptive because the flowers change colour with age! Every Chameleon variety is a combination of colours that makes them a very unique series. They are excel-
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lent in hanging baskets, large containers combinations and landscapes.
‘MiniFamous Double Lemon Improved’ (7) is one of a double series that adds more show and value to the calibrachoa’s already excellent garden performance. I have seen some combinations with this variety that look exceptionally good. The different colours of the double MiniFamous series can make excellent combinations.
‘Smart Look Red’ (8) is an outstanding bright red celosia that performed exceptionally well in our garden trials. The Smart Look is very appealing, given the surge in popularity of vegetative celosias that are about 10 times the cost of seed varieties. It even performs better than many of the vegetative cuttings. It is great for landscapes and combinations.
Garvinea gerbera is very mildew resistant.
Dracula (9) is a unique Crestata celosia that performed well in our trials in full sun. No deadheading is required and it looked better with age. Abi (our trials technician) gave it the nickname Dracula Brain. She said it has a blood colour and looks like a brain. You cannot argue with her logic!
Celosia Spicata Kelos ‘Atomic Neon Pink’ (10) put on a show the whole summer in full sun and obviously thrives in hot weather. Try it in 4" pots, gallons or larger containers. It is a very different and solid performer.
‘Diamond Coral’ (11) is a perennial dianthus that took the heat very well and got better as September came along. Diamond would work well for early spring sales and through the whole spring season. It has great performance in cool weather and in the heat.
Interspecific Jolt ‘Cherry’ and ‘Pink’ (12) puts dianthus in a higher level than what dianthus is known for. This is a vigorous variety with great colour and a large head. It takes the heat very well. It needs growth regulators when produced in the winter months but make sure to use low rates because it is very responsive. Jolt is great in large containers and landscape gardens.
Sun Parasol ‘Pretty Pink’ (13) is a
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trailing mandevilla, and like many other mandevillas it has exceptional garden performance and truly loves the heat. Mandevillas are well known by consumers now who buy them whether they have colour or not because they know that they will have great flowers and will perform quite well.
Mandevilla Siesta ‘Frisia Flora’ (14) is an exceptionally vigorous mandevilla with semi-double and larger flowers. It is great in large containers or towers.
‘Sweet Memories’ (15) is one of many colours in this series. The main advantage of Garvinea gerbera is that it is very mildew resistant. As a matter of fact I cannot see any powdery mildew even as I am writing this article on the 20th of September and the plants are still growing new flowers. We know Garvineas are successful garden plants in pots or in beds as we trialled them in both.
Geranium Brocade ‘Fire Night’ (16) has a very distinctive dark zoning contrast on the green leaf edge with lots of single flowers. It is a good performer in large containers, landscapes or combinations.
Geranium Bullseye ‘Light Pink’ (17) has better garden performance than any of the other geranium I’ve seen recently, including the vegetative varieties. It has
the same zoning as the Brocades but more flowers and it can take the rain better. Bullseye geraniums are excellent in large containers and are knockouts in the landscape.
Impatiens New Guinea SunStanding ‘Coral Aurora’ (18) looks and performs a lot like Sunpatiens. With downy mildew continuing to be concern on walleriana impatiens, these hybrids are the standard for impatiens.
Sunpatiens Compact ‘Deep Rose Green Leaf’ (19) is the mother of the hybrid impatiens and has excellent performance in the shade and even better performance in the sun. This year the Sunpatiens took the heat very well throughout the summer. Sunpatiens is great in large containers, landscapes or combinations.
‘Beauvillia Salmon’ (20) is a trailing begonia that looks great in hanging baskets. It has lots of flowers and branches very well, which is characteristic of the Beauvillia series. Make sure to try some because it is getting a positive response from consumers and is fairly easy to grow. Remember, it is a tuberous begonia so long days are needed until March 21 at the earliest.
‘Unbelievable Miss Montreal’ (21) has large flowers, dense foliage with a
mounding habit, and exceptional garden performance in the sun or shade. Boliviensis begonia are newcomers into the bedding plant market. Their versatility and outstanding show will dominate many other genera.
Begonia ‘BIG Rose Green Leaf’ (22) is one colour in this series. BIG has outstanding garden performance and looks great from three feet or 30 feet away. The flowers are always on the top. It is continuously producing new flowers. BIG begonias are great in large containers, perfect centres for combinations, and offer the ultimate show in landscapes.
‘Nirvana Cascade Pink Splash’ (23), like all other vincas, thrived during this summer’s series of hot, dry and sunny days. ‘Pink Splash’ is a cascading variety that looked great the whole summer. It required no deadheading and the flowers lasted a long time. Its bicolour flowers attracted every visitor. Vinca in hanging baskets does not have to be sold in June only, but can be part of your mix in May.
‘Valiant Punch’ (24) is an upright plant that branches freely, which gives it the ability to grow more flowers. It is excellent in landscapes, and especially in sunny areas. Vinca is not only for southern climates, as our summers are way
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GIVE THEM BAITS THAT THEY WILL LIKE!
more hot and sunny enough for them!
Zinnia Elegans ‘Magellan Pink’ (25) is one colour in this series that had great show the whole summer. I took a picture every time I looked at the Magellan series because they jump at you and as they say, “take my picture, please!” Magellans are great in large containers and landscapes.
Verbena vegetative ‘Lascar Mango Orange’ (26) is very popular in combinations because of its colour and habit. ‘Mango Orange’ is powdery mildew resistant and has great long lasting flower power.
‘Endurascape Pink Bicolor’ (27) has a stunning flower colour that stands out either alone or in combinations. The vegetative Endurascape series is not like other verbenas because it is the variety that holds its flowers longer than most other verbenas. This is a breakthrough in verbena breeding. It makes Endurascape a viable plant in combinations without having the agony of deadheading it (even in the greenhouse!) like many of the other verbenas.
Confetti Garden Combo ‘Starry Night’ (28) was exceptional
in our trials. We had over 200 combination planters this summer, but ‘Starry Night’ stood out for maintaining its rounded look the whole summer. All of its components performed well all season, unlike some other combinations in which one cultivar begins to dominate beginning in mid-June.
Dragonwing and Mother Nature’s poplar combination (29) is my favourite combo. We planted the Dragonwing begonia in our tree structure and within weeks the poplar plant (at back) showed up to give height and an unplanned great look to this poplar combination, courtesy of Mother Nature!
The website version of this feature will have a few more varieties that caught my eye. Check it out at greenhousecanada.com.
This year’s trial pictures have been posted to my website at sawayagardentrials.ca. Questions or comments are always welcome at mel@focusgreenhousemanagement.com.
Melhem Sawaya of Focus Greenhouse Management is a consultant and research coordinator to the horticultural industry – mel@ focusgreenhousemanagement.com.
For over 30 years, Hillen Nurser y Inc. has remained dedicated and passionate about the nursery industr y. We invite you to visit our website with easy access to our complete up-to- date listings of hundreds of varieties, look ing good photo's and more
While fruit drop is generally the most obvious sign of infestation, this symptom typically indicates a serious level of infestation; at this point, prevention measures are useless.
BY DR. ISHTIAQ RAO
The pepper weevil (Anthoomus eugenii) [Figure 1] is recognized around the world as a serious pest that can have potentially catastrophic consequences for pepper growers. The pepper weevil is so named because its larvae develop only on pepper and eggplant crops, which are members of the Solanaceous plant family. While adult weevils do feed on other Solanaceous plants, specifically potatoes and tomatoes, there have been no reports of eggs laid on these species. Nightshades and burs act as important over-winter hosts.
We probably don’t need to tell you that pepper weevils cause substantial, measurable amounts of damage in their host plants. While fruit drop is generally the most obvious sign of infestation, this symptom typically indicates a serious level of
infestation; at this point, prevention measures are useless.
Adult pepper weevils feast on leaves and blossoms, and both adults and larvae bore into young fruit pods in order to feed on their seeds [Figure 2] Typically, infested fruit pods become discoloured and abort after withering at the stem and/or calyx [Figure 3]
In hot enough weather, pepper weevil generation time can be as short as two weeks. Even worse, the punctures they create in peppers open up dangerous holes that both plant and human pathogens can penetrate. As this invasion can result in illness, a pepper weevil infestation is a legitimate food safety issue.
Once the pepper weevil has laid its eggs in the pepper, there is no pesticide available that can knock down the population.
The unfortunate reality is that no known pesticide can provide complete control over pepper weevils. Because pepper weevil larvae are cozily protected inside the pepper, sprays and even systemic pesticides are largely ineffective. In many cases, adding pesticides can have detrimental effects on a biocontrol program, which has the unintended result of inviting more thrips outbreaks.
There are a number of known parasitoid species of the pepper weevil. We consider the egg of the pepper weevil the stage most ecologically susceptible to be parasitized; it is deposited close to the surface of the pepper fruit and therefore more accessible to parasitism than later stages, at which point the infestation is located deeper within the interior of the fruit.
Some potentially effective parasitoids include Triaspis eugenii and Urosigalphus species. The former, according to Eugenio Mariscal and his team, has high levels of parasitism (18-40 per cent). Unpublished data from Santiago Suchilquitongo, Oaxaca, indicates that the Urosigalphus species can parasitize almost 30 per cent of the population of the pepper weevil in insecticide-free experimental plots. Both species are solitary parasitoids that attack the egg of their pepper weevil host. The
parasitoid develops inside the pepper weevil egg, throughout its early instars, and emerges at the end of the last instar to completely consume the unfortunate host.
The parasitic wasp Catolaccus hunteri (Crawford) is the most abundant parasitoid attacking the pepper weevil in Florida. It parasitizes the third-instar pepper weevil with its eggs deposited on or near the host. The parasitic larvae develop externally; after two weeks, the adult parasitoid emerges. In addition, C. hunter and pepper weevil tend to occur in the same places, which is always an attribute of a good parasitoid. Entomological researchers Riley and Schuster (1992) report an underwhelming 26 per cent parasitism of pepper weevil larvae by Catolaccus hunteri.
The key to effective biocontrol is to employ synergy of multiple different egg-parasitoids and larval parasitoids. No individual parasitoid is enough to give acceptable levels of control.
The key to effective biocontrol is to employ synergy of multiple different egg and larval parasitoids. No individual parasitoid is potent enough to produce acceptable levels of control. Sadly, there is no commercial rearing of the aforementioned parasitoids, so these species are only available in the field. I highly recommend that government research institutions embark upon developing protocols to rearing these parasitoids on a massive scale.
There are some entomopathogenic fungal species that are known to infect pepper weevils. Microbial control could become a viable option that fits well into existing bio-control programs. Crop Defenders Ltd. is investigating microbial species that could prove to be game changers for pepper growers.
Pyrethrin is the most common botanical compound used to control pepper weevil. Critically, it is acceptable for use on organically certified produce. Pyrethrin is a compound derived from a chrysanthemum flower extract that affects the nervous system of insects. It causes multiple action potentials in the nerve cells by delaying the closing of an ion channel. It is one of the least poisonous insecticides to mammals and birds, but it is highly toxic to fish, tadpoles, aquatic invertebrates, and beneficial insects such as the honeybee.
Products based on azadirachtin, a botanical compound found in neem (Azadirachta indica), could be potential candidates for pepper weevil control in organic pepper and eggplant greenhouses. The PMRA should consider azadirachtin during its next Minor Use Pesticides Program (a meeting where growers, government, and manufacturers generate tools and technologies to address the greatest pest control needs).
According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the best management practices are as follows: Turn up the heat: Maintain greenhouse temperatures higher than 27 C for seven to 10 days after removing all plant matter.
Don’t dump where you eat: Leaving pepper debris (and other Solanaceous plants) around your greenhouse or field effectively invites the weevils to bunker in for the winter.
LEFT
Figure 5: The tiny hole seen here is evidence a pepper weevil egg was deposited.
As soon as the over-wintered weevils smell fresh peppers in your greenhouse, they will move back in.
For readers in Ontario, the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) has declared that all growers must send all greenhouse organic waste (including vines and culls) to the regional landfill. There, the waste can be buried greater than 30 cm deep to avoid any chance of the weevils emerging the following year. Weevils are great flyers, so be sure that the bins you use to transport the waste are covered.
Be a neat freak: Don’t let weeds or any plant debris sit on the ground in or around the greenhouse. Remove fallen peppers every day.
Stay alert: Pheromone traps can be a great early indicator of pepper weevil issues, so they should be hung as soon as the greenhouse is ready for plants. These traps attract females that can be identified and destroyed.
Act now: Have a game plan prepared, and make sure your staff knows it. If
anyone spots pepper weevils in the greenhouse, remove all peppers with egglaying spots and exit holes [Figures 4 and 5]. Put the peppers in airtight plastic bags and send them to the landfill.
Keep ’em separated: Studies from New Jersey show that imported peppers are the major cause for the massive spread of pepper weevils throughout North America. The highest risk occurs when packing and production facilities are too close to one another.
Rotate: The next crop following an infested pepper crop should not be Solanaceous (pepper, tomato, or eggplant) plant. The weevil can still survive on these crops. The best practice is to rotate to a different genus, such as cucumber.
Dr. Ishtiaq Rao is the business manager at Crop Defenders Ltd., www.cropdefenders.ca.
Consumers can’t get enough of ‘what’s new’ in the market. And they’re big on ‘multitasking’ plants.
BY JOHN FRIEL
It feels like just a few months since Greenhouse Canada last asked for a “trends” article, but it was actually two years. Time really doesn’t care whether you’re having fun.
Naturally, some things have changed; some, not – like our New! fixation. As Dr. Allan Armitage says, “New plants are the horse under our saddle. When it stops running, so do we.” Amen. Onward.
This category keeps getting juicier. Low-maintenance = high demand. Category leader Little Prince of Oregon devotes whole greenhouses to sempervivum, sedum and delosperma, and tender succulents like echeveria. They’re big on small pots, and offer solid trays of mixed sedum for landscape use.
Chris Hansen, who introduced Sunsparkler® sedum, is teasing the trade with semperv¬ivum ‘Gold Nugget,’ a hitherto-unseen colour. If the pictures are accurate, it’s solid gold for 2017.
‘Gold Nugget’ joins Chick Charms®, a collection-within-a-collection: 12 selections, sold as two groups of six varieties each, no individual orders.
Which brings us to another still-growing theme …
Series and collections are In. Terra Nova Nurseries offers six series of heuchera, nine of echinacea, three of kniphofia, two of heucherella, four of sedum, and more. Darrel Probst adds ‘Star Bright’ and ‘Starstruck’ to his excellent Li’l Bang Coreopsis; Darwin welcomes ‘Sky Blue’ and a white to their
Moody Blues Veronica line. ‘Peacock’ and ‘Postman’ flutter into the Butterfly™ series of echinacea from AB Cultivars, who enhance their Mariachi™ Helenium series and debut 7 Meadow Mama Echinacea. Bee-You™ is their line of compact, mildew-resistant Monarda with catchy names: ‘Bee-Free,’ ‘Bee-Lieve’ and ‘Bee-Merry.’ Don’t worry, ‘Bee-Happy’ is included. Monarda ushers in a theme not covered last time …
We’re all newly aware of our pollinators’ plight. Gardeners want plants that attract them, and not just pretty ones like Monarchs. This represents a sea change in attitudes. I’ve photographed flowers for decades, shooing away everything but butterflies. Now? I stalk bees, bloom to bloom, camera poised.
One Monarch must-have: Asclepias tuberosa, a native whose popularity will only increase as gardeners learn it’s 2017’s Perennial Plant of the Year. Other pollinator-favoured genera: agastache, baptisia, buddleia, coreopsis, echinacea (single-flowered types with prominent cones), monarda and salvia.
Indigenous plants are often invoked along with pollinators. That’s understandable, but slightly inaccurate. The most visible victims in America’s current pet hand-wringing cause are honeybees – European imports, unconcerned about their nectar’s nativity. Example: bees find sedum irresistible. Given the genus’ popularity, I’ll bet I’ve tasted “wildflower” sedum honey.
Some genera are so familiar, many don’t think of them as natives. Take phlox, especially P. paniculata. Despite Eurocentric monikers like ‘Franz Schubert,’ named in England for a German, every phlox worldwide has American roots.
A cool recent introduction is ‘Violet Pinwheels,’ hybridized from two obscure species by Dr. Jim Ault. Individually, P. bifida and P. kelseyi are nondescript. Together, they’re like Pittsburgh, where the ho-hum Allegheny and Monongahela rivers form the mighty Ohio. It’s longer-flowering than either parent, shorter-growing than P. subulata.
Increasingly, grasses are expected garden elements – and not just in sun.
Hakonechloa, Japanese forest grass, needs shade in much of America. SunFlare™, a cute new sport of ‘All Gold,’ sports burgundy-tipped blades.
Andropogon, big bluestem, is a drought-resistant native workhorse for damaged soils. Pretty varieties like ‘Blackhawks’ and ‘Rain Dance’ present new opportunities. Two new Muhlenbergia intros, ‘Fast Forward’ and Undaunted™, expand the range where this native can be enjoyed.
Reacting to invasiveness concerns, breeders are developing alternative infertile miscanthus varieties. Three are already available: ‘Scout,’ Bandwidth™, and My Fair Maiden™.
Festuca: This long-settled genus has grown. To ‘Elijah Blue’ and ‘Boulder Blue,’ add Beyond Blue from Holland and ‘Cool as Ice’ (tops in PA trials) from Intrinsic Perennial Gardens.
Carex looks, grows and sells like a grass, but it’s a sedge. By any name, it’s perfect for small-to-medium finished pots. Which brings us to …
Perennial lovers mourn that many hardy plants’ roots never taste real soil. They live and die in solitary, or combo, confinement in flowerpots.
Hardiness isn’t important to some designers seeking a certain look. Whether it comes from annuals, perennials or tropicals is irrelevant. When it stops working, it’s trashed and replaced.
Lloyd Traven of Peace Tree Farm tells of a young employee who scoffed at a plant Lloyd considered beautiful. “What else does it do?” the kid demanded. “Can I eat it, or smoke it? Does it help the environment?”
Millennials, whose attention, money and talents we all crave, think pretty much everything should multitask. Obvious example: the smartphone, a.k.a. Internet portal, gaming device, GPS, audio, video, and oh, yeah … telephone.
Point is, pretty isn’t enough. Let’s tell the rest of our products’ story: plants clean our air, cool our cities, save our rivers and forge vital links in our food chain. THAT’S what else it does.
John Friel is marketing manager for Emerald Coast Growers, one of North America’s largest liner producers. For more information on perennials, specialty plants or ornamental grasses, call 877-804-7277, e-mail sales@ ecgrowers.com or visit www.ecgrowers.com.
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When it comes to marketing, we’ve all seen those quirky tag lines or pub-quiz style snippets that pique our interest and make us look further behind a product. For example, do your customers know that …
• Perennial plants often have deep, extensive root systems that can hold soil to prevent erosion, capture dissolved nitrogen before it can contaminate ground and surface water, and outcompete weeds (reducing the need for herbicides).1
• The symbol for a perennial plant, based on Species Plantarum by Linnaeus, is also the astronomical symbol for the planet Jupiter. 1
• A notch in a tree will remain the same distance from the ground as the tree grows.2
• Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew Cannabis sativa (marijuana, of course) on their plantations.2
• The oldest living thing in existence is not a giant redwood, but a bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California, reputed to be some 4,600 years old.2
• Bamboo is the fastest-growing woody plant in the world; it can grow 35 inches in a single day.3 (Maybe this is partly why Giant Pandas are now off the “Endangered
these are the best pie apples!) and my personal favourite dessert apple, Egremont Russets. For this couple of weeks, Mary Anne and her husband Jim will be inundated with Brits picking up their orders. And they have other weeks hosting German ex-pats, Danes and Dutch families collecting their prized Gravensteins and Belle de Boskoops.
What makes us do this? Why do we all put in our order a year ahead of time, in eager anticipation of heading down to “Annie’s” each fall like kids waiting for Christmas? Well, of course, some of it is that we just like these apples! We’re familiar with each distinct flavour, skin colour, texture and juiciness.
But it’s more than that.
Each bite reminds us of the good parts of “home” (without the associated bad bits!). Each fruit connects us to a piece of our personal and national history. Every apple pie has a story to tell and jogs a happy memory. And the distinction of different varieties takes us back to a richer, more diverse seasonal kind of food and agriculture.
Go for those deep, emotional ties that we have for specific plants.
Species” list, yeah!)
• Iris means “rainbow” in Greek, and Iris was goddess of the rainbow in Greek mythology.3
• In France, May 1 is La Fete du Muguet, the festival of the Lily-of-the-Valley. The celebration includes giving bouquets of Lily-of-the-Valley to loved ones, wishing them health and happiness.1
Well, just now it’s that delicious time of year again. Delicious because I just got a call from Mary Anne at “Annie’s Orchard” who told me our apples are ready for pick-up. Not just any old apples, of course. These are (hopefully!) 15 pounds of Cox Orange Pippin fresh from the tree. I’m a Brit, and so look forward to this tangy-yet-oh-so-sweet taste of the home country with the Cox’s, firm-neverfloury Bramleys (sure to start a debate here, but
This got me thinking about other perennials. Each of Canada’s immigrant groups will have plants that remind them of “home,” even if home is several generations past. And, of course, Canada itself has a tremendously rich collection of indigenous, often unique, flora. I’m coming to appreciate the delights of blueberry (mainstream of course), salmon berries and haskaps.
Maybe we need to make more of this. Go for those deep, emotional ties that we have for specific plants, or types of plants, and re-connect our buying public to their childhood.
These emotions can be pretty powerful, presenting strong buying triggers. It’s not just the apple we’re buying.
And on that note, it’s time – time to head out to “Annie’s.” I can’t wait.
1 Wikipedia.
2 http://sophia.smith.edu/badseeds/plantfacts. html
3 Better Homes and Gardens at www.bhg.com
Gary Jones is co-chair of horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langley, B.C. He serves on several industry committees and welcomes comments at Gary.Jones@kpu.ca.
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