 |
May 2010 Issue # 3
Our new 2010 - '11 catalog is coming along nicely. Watch for it at our usual launchpad, the OFA Short Course in Columbus, OH in July. We had hoped to be handing out the industry's first 3-D catalog, with pictures leaping right off the page at you. Sadly, the Avatar technology license proved prohibitively pricey. So if you know someone who needs 30,000 pairs of funny glasses, please raise your hand. We're ready to deal.
Here's a sneak preview of what you WILL find in the new book:
DOWN ON THE FARMS: North Meets South
Work continues apace on our new propagation and trialing greenhouses, thanks to contractor Russ Parris' fearless Frameworks crew.
New grower Barry Ballard is settling in nicely at our Pace farm when he's not catching waves. Everyone's nervous about the fate of our famous sugar-white sandy beaches, turquoise seas, and plentiful seabirds, as that destroyed oil well off Louisiana oozes on.
Pennsylvania:
We're working our way into a couple of the new perennials mentioned above, specifically Dianthus and Achillea, and the new grasses, such as Hakonechloa macra - the sturdy green form of the slow, touchy variegated ones that get all the press. Of course, we're doing those, too, but don't overlook the straight species.
 Hakonechloa macra
Breeders and sport finders world-wide are adding edgy new varieties at a dizzying pace, bless their idiosyncratic souls. Our new catalog will feature additions from Ball Hort, Blooms of Bressingham, Benary, Itsaul, PlantHaven, Plants Nouveau, Plant Select, Darrel Probst, Sunny Border, Syngenta, Terra Nova, and others. We are all richer for their efforts, which include the lovely and talented Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' and Phlox subulata 'Purple Beauty.'
We're really bummed about that 3D catalog. Of course, there IS a way to see our stuff in 3D, no funny specs required: Buy it. Grow it. Sell it. Repeat.
John Friel
Marketing Manager
|
|
|
|
A look at recent sales history indicates an interesting trend. More of you are choosing one of our best-sellers, Pennisetum xadvena 'Rubrum', purple fountain grass, in smaller sizes. Our biggest liners sell well, but we've shipped way more 72s and 128s than we did last year or the year before.
Moral: You CAN plant smaller liners and sell them as beautiful, full pots the same season. We'll continue to offer 21s and 38s for near-instant gratification when you need that quick fix - like now, for instance; good supplies of the big boys are on current availability -- but next season, think smaller for bigger profits. If you're nervous, try just a few. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
 | |
Tray bon!
Product Spotlight
This month's feature: a triple bill of Panicum virgatum varieties.
'Heavy Metal' isn't just for tats-and-piercings types. Its gunmetal-blue sheen and upright habit bring formal presence to the border. And you needn't be a Civil War buff to love the burgeoning burgundy blades of 'Shenandoah', which start green and ripen to rich wine red.
P. virgatum is an American species, but these two have Teutonic roots. Kurt Bluemel, European-born, Maryland-based, selected 'Heavy Metal'. Hans Simon of Germany developed 'Shenandoah', a redder seedling of the earlier 'Hänse Herms'. Ruby Ribbons ('RR1')represents a homegrown evolution option: Bred by Dr. Mark Brand, UConn, and introduced by Ball Hort, it's the child of 'Heavy Metal' and 'Hänse Herms', holding blue hue at the base while the rest turns rich wine red.
 Panicum v. 'Heavy Metal'
 Panicum v. 'Shenandoah'
 Panicum v. 'Ruby Ribbons' |
|
