| Get Connected! |
 |
|
|
| The Calendar Shouts to the Balcony:
To Garden . . . Or Not to Garden! |
|
By AIB President Marvin Miller, Ball Horticultural Company
 To garden . . . or not to garden, aye, that is the question! Each spring, as the weather warms in most of the country, garden retailers pray for beautiful blue skies, plenty of sunshine, and warm but mild temperatures for the critical spring gardening weekends. A very slight but gentle breeze might also help. Outside of California, Hawaii, and, perhaps, parts of South Florida, the critical spring gardening period usually revolves around six weekends at most, three of which are usually peak. If the weather is great during these six weekends, the retailers enjoy good sales. If the weather is lousy, the retailers struggle. In those far southern climes, the season is much more prolonged, but the verdict remains quite consistent: issues like the economy may play a role in retailers' fortunes, but the weather rules.
Read more |
|
Empowering the Next Generation - A Judge's Perspective |
|
|
By AIB Judge Diane Clasen  The Ingersoll Youth Center (Ingersoll, Ontario) has a "Youth Council" which plans, creates, and maintains gardens around town for senior citizens and others in need.
The Youth Council has empowered young people and given them an opportunity to productively make decisions that make a difference. Since the Ingersoll "Youth Council" began, the amount of crime and vandalism in the community has diminished.
Actually, you could say horticulture "begins in the bassinet" in Ingersoll. The Parkside Day Care Center has a garden that was planted and is maintained by toddlers. The city's water truck stops by daily to fill watering cans so the children can water their garden. The toddlers gleefully decorate their garden by making signs, painting rocks, creating garden "art," and providing food for the birds. |
|
Ocala's Test Garden |
|
|
By Evelyn Alemani, AIB Judge and Board Member
 Maybe you saw a photo of a new kind of flower in a garden magazine but you weren't sure if it would do well for you. Residents of Ocala, Florida have a wonderful resource - Bob Dumond's demonstration garden at the Central Florida Community College is a beautiful, bright spot on the campus.
Here, horticulture students plant many new and unique varieties in a colorful and beautiful test garden. The garden helps students learn to identify plants and how to care for them. It also offers Ocala residents the opportunity to see various ways to put those plants to work at home. |
| AIB Symposium and Awards Program |
|
 It's "Homecoming" for this year's 7th Annual America in Bloom Symposium and Awards Program, October 2-4. Celebrate in AIB's hometown of Columbus, Ohio, where you'll be treated to small-town hospitality and big-city culture.
Sessions and learning tours will provide easy-to-implement take-home ideas that relate to the eight AIB criteria (floral displays, landscaped areas, turf and groundcover areas, urban forestry, environmental awareness, tidiness, heritage preservation, and community involvement).
Begin planting pride in your community by attending this year's symposium!
|
| Have a Story to Share? |
|
We would love to hear from you! Tell us about AIB activities in your community, or let us know about a community you have visited that should get involved with AIB. E-mail your story to Laura Kunkle, LKunkle@ofa.org. | |
|
May 19, 2008
