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Eileen Nelson
UW-Madison Department of Horticulture
608-265-5283 |
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Two of the green industry organizations that support garden centers and greenhouse growers in Wisconsin and northern Illinois are the Garden Center Symposium and the Commercial Flower Growers of Wisconsin (CFGW). Both of these organizations are in the process of preparing their fall/winter educational events - see the information below. Please avail yourself of these opportunities to learn what's new in growing, marketing and business practices in the green industry. The mission of both of these organizations is to provide resources to help green industry businesses thrive! |
Field Days - Commercial Flower Growers
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| West Madison Trials  | August 5, 2010, West Madison Research Station
Confirmed Speakers:
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Fall Conference - Commercial Flower Growers |
| October 13, 2010, Denmark, WI, Floral Plant Growers
Confirmed Speakers:
Anna Ball, Ball Horticultural Company
Mike Gooder, Plant Peddler
Raymond Cloyd, Kansas State University
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Garden Center Symposium
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| January 26-27, 2011, Waukesha, WI
Why go to Chicago when you can get National Speakers at Regional Prices at the Garden Center Symposium in January!!!
Robert Hendrickson and Tom Shay - two of the headliners at the IGC are going to be at the Garden Center Symposium in January - where you will get a chance to talk directly to them, up close and personal, and it won't cost you a fortune. also of the Garden Center Group, and Ed Lyon Director of UW-Madison's Allen Centennial Gardens. Between those four we will cover all the bases: Marketing, The state of the industry, Strategic Planning Merchandising, Retailing, Plant Varieties that sell, and much more! Additionally - Changes Have been Made!
- ALL MEALS will be included in the cost of Registration!!!
- Wednesday night won't go until Midnight!
- The banquet is being replaced with "meet, greet, eat and auction"
- A Roundtable discussion where you can bring your burning questions to the experts is also on the docket
Mark Your Calendar! Watch for Symposium Registration Materials both at www.GardenCenterSymposium and through e-mail. |
Customer Turnoffs
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| Judy Sharpton in GreenProfit
In the April issue of Bon Appétit, the BA Foodist discusses customer
service pet peeves in the restaurant business, noting that the most
annoying practices often have little to do with the food. I was struck
by how similar the issues were to customer service complaints in the
horticulture industry, most having nothing to do with the plants.
Although independent garden centers invariably cite customer service and
product quality as their unique marketing positions, consumers continue
to complain about the lack of the very service garden centers brag
about. A look at what consumers perceive as customer service could focus
our attention.
Here are some of the restaurant pet peeves that can be transferred to our retail
environments.
No one to greet you as you arrive or say thank you as your leave.
Waiters who say the wrong thing.
Clearing the table before the meal is finished, or dirty tables going uncleared.
And just how do those relate to a garden center?
Read Judy's analogies. . . .
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Combo Plantings to Go
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| Source: Greenhouse Management  | The thinking is already done!
Selecta, Syngenta and Drummen each have mixed liners ready to go and grow.
Selecta - TrixiLiner - 17 mixes
Syngenta - Kwik Kombos - 17 combos
Dummen USA - Confetti Garden Liners - 20 combos
Use the picture to link to a description of each of the programs.
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Article Headline
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| UW-Extension/Madison Plant
Disease Diagnostic Clinic (PDDC) Update
Brian Hudelson, Ann Joy,
and Amanda Zimmerman, Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic
The PDDC receives samples of many plant samples from
around the state. The following diseases/disorders
have been identified at the PDDC between June 23 and July 6, 2010.
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PLANT/SAMPLE
TYPE
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DISEASE/DISORDER
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PATHOGEN
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COUNTY
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HERBACEOUS
ORNAMENTALS
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Goutweed
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Anthracnose
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Colletotrichum sp.
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Waukesha
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Sweet
Woodruff
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Anthracnose
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Colletotrichum sp.
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Columbia
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For
additional information on plant diseases and their control, visit the PDDC
website at pddc.wisc.edu.
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Plants and Profits from Garden Center Magazine |
| Source: Garden Center Magazine  |
Suggest Viburnum
when customers ask for . . .- A large specimen to anchor a perennial garden
- A shrub that attracts wildlife (birds find this plant's fruit
irresistible)
- A small-statured tree for an urban garden
- A plant that offers multiple seasons of interest
Display and marketing
possibilities
- Include Viburnum in a display of plants suitable for
creating a backyard-wildlife habitat
- Make Viburnum part of a "new home" landscape package
- Cross merchandise with clematis. Viburnum makes an
ideal natural trellis for this vine.
- Display photos of mature specimens taken in spring, summer and
fall to show the three-season interest Viburnum provides.
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Bailey Nursery Offering Summer Expos
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| Featuring tours, guest speakers, food and fun
July 15 - Charles City, Iowa
July 22 - St. Paul, Minnesota
August 5, Onarga, Illinois
Link here for Expo details.
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| 2010 Independent Garden Center Show |
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This year's Independent Garden Center Show, scheduled to run August 17-19 at downtown Chicago's stunning waterfront Navy Pier facility, will present more vendors and new products specifically targeted for the garden center market than any other show in the world.
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Summer Conference Mail Order Gardening Association
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|  August 16-18, 2010, Chicago
The Mailorder Gardening Association
(MGA) is the only nonprofit organization
serving gardening company catalogers
and online merchants, and companies
that work with them.
Founded in 1934, our membership has grown to include companies of all sizes that sell plants, seeds, bulbs, tools, greenhouses, fertilizer, irrigation products, magazines, and more.
Members meet twice annually to network, discuss industry trends, and learn practical techniques for growing their business.
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