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Eileen Nelson
UW-Madison Department of Horticulture
608-265-5283 |
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Dr. Robert (Bob) Tomesh, long time UW-Extension faculty, involved with the Master Gardener Volunteer program passed away on Saturday, November 12, 2011. Additional details can be found at the Gunderson Funeral Home Website. |
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The 2012 Garden Center Symposium will be held on January 11-12 at the Country Springs Hotel in Waukesha.
For 47 years the board of the Garden Center Symposium has done their best to provide garden center retailers throughout Wisconsin and Illinois access to some of the best minds the industry has to offer. This year is no exception. The program will be highlighted by Ian Baldwin of Garden Center University, Bob Negen of Whiz Bang Marketing and Chris Beytes of Ball Horticulture. (check out their "live" invitations on the website).
In addition to hearing about marketing tactics, latest trends, and merchandizing techniques, the Symposium offers an opportunity to learn from colleagues throughout the area. One of the program highlights is always the Garden Center Profile where one area business let's it all hang out! This year, The Flower Factory of Oregon, Wisconsin, will be our featured business.
On top of all that, there is a trade show, auction, fun and food.
Whether you are new to the business, or have been around for awhile, there is always something to be learned. The Garden Center Symposium is a good place to start.
Registration can be done on-line or via traditional paper and pencil. Just make sure you attend!
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| ChaChing | | |
Garden Center magazine runs a regular column that highlights innovative ideas garden centers are using to bring new or keep old customers. Browse the business news category at GardenCenterMagazine.com |
| Focus Groups |
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The Connecticut Nursery and Landscape Association is conducting focus groups this fall to find out how consumers feel about plants. CNLA plans to convene four group sessions in a specially-selected, representative sample of consumers throughout the state, using a professional market-research firm.
The firm will extract what consumers really feel about the quality of plants, the state's retail stores, service, price points and reasons why they don't buy plants, among others.
Although focused on Connecticut-grown plants, the research will uncover consumer attitudes toward nurseries, garden centers, greenhouses and landscapers.
The first results will be revealed at the Winter Symposium, Jan. 4-5 in Manchester, Conn.
The focus group was funded by a $35,000 specialty crop block grant from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and the USDA. |
| Verbenas | | |
Efficient production of bedding plants requires information on how temperature, photoperiod, and daily light integral (DLI) influence crop timing and flowering characteristics. During the past several years at Michigan State University (MSU), we have performed experiments with seed-propagated annuals to quantify how temperature and DLI influence flowering time and plant quality.
For information on applying this information to the growing of Verbenas, link here. |
| Terra Nova and New Technology | | |
Terra Nova Nurseries has launched a new technology program, including social media channels, informative videos, QR codes and a smartphone application. The company's goal is to create a multi-channel system for communicating with growers, retailers and consumers, as well as engaging with diverse online communities.
A series of social networking channels was developed to evoke online collaboration with other industry professionals and consumers. Each was created to share evolving information with Terra Nova's diverse audiences.
The new social media channels can be accessed via icon links on the bottom of each website page at TerraNovaNurseries.com.
*Their You Tube Channel looks particularly interesting. |
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Something to Think About | | |
Bert Swanson, President of Swanson's Nursery Consulting and President of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association has been on a campaign for a long time to convince people that "Plants Are Not Ornaments". Rather, they are essential and necessary.
His argument is worth considering. Is this one of the reasons our industry is not doing as well as we would like? What kind of public relations campaign will get the message across? Where do you fall on this issue?
Check out his latest article here. |
| Get on the Map | | |
Slowly, garden centers and retail greenhouses are adding their names and information to the Wisconsin Retail Garden Center Map.
Make sure to include your information. Use the form on the "Get On The Map" tab on the website to submit your business details. |
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