July 2012 Issue #31
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A funny thing happened on my way home from working on our new catalog in Florida. Descending into Pensacola, the plane I was about to take suffered a bird strike on the left wing. Didn't hurt the plane; the bird did all the suffering. But we were delayed as they made sure the engines weren't goosed, causing a missed connection and a late arrival in PA. The funny part is, I never knew birds were union members.
DOWN ON THE FARMS
Florida
Having just returned from the Emerald Coast, I can report with confidence that our folks at HQ are pumped about three plants in the aforementioned new catalog. Stokesia 'Divinity', Muhlenbergia 'Fast Forward' and Panicum 'Hot Rod' mark ECG's first foray into the exciting arena of new plant introductions. These babies are all ours, products of our own breeding & selection program. True to its name, 'Fast Forward' was already flowering! That's unheard of. Pink muhly, blooming in June? Yep. True story.
Pennsylvania
Summer arrived right on cue in PA with an almost audible sizzle, like a brushback pitch that just misses your ear. We're geared up for summer trade shows (PPA, OFA, PANTS & FarWest) and still shipping liners - not like it's April, but in gratifying quantities. The month just past was our best June ever, thanks to our valued customers. Thank you!
RANDOM USELESS FACTS DEPARTMENT
Rhymes with Eden: Botanist Olaf Rudbeck, for whom Linnaeus named Rudbeckia, theorized that northern Sweden was Atlantis and/or the site of the biblical paradise. Which explains why meatballs and pickled herring feature so prominently in Genesis.
ANNA GRAHAM STRIKES ANGIA!
If you like your words scrambled, not over easy, puzzlemeistress Anna has new teasers for you. Untangle these gnarly skeins to spell the genus names of six items in our catalog, and we'll enter you in a drawing for a prize so cool, we don't even know what it is yet. Relax, Dads, it won't be an ugly tie. That was last month.
Mixed Perennials
I smell a chore
Revive mumps
Iron cave
Mixed Grasses
Helium banger
Music trap
Quiet muse
WHAT'S HOT
What's hot, you ask? Our new catalog, that's what! Hot off the presses just in time for the OFA Short Course, with over 100 new items! More perennials, more grasses, more pages, more pictures - but not more bucks: Over 400 prices are the same as last year's, and dozens are lower! You read that correctly: Many prices went down. Best of all, there are three hot new introductions by Emerald Coast Growers!
HORTISCOPE
Born in July, our staff astrologer said, you're a Cancer or a Leo - a crab, or a lion. Those were her only instructions before leaving on vacation. Frankly, we're skeptical. If you're reading this, you're probably human: Most cats and all crustaceans are illiterate. If you believe in this stuff, hang in there til next month when she's back from Atlantis.
TRAY BON!
Hosta Our selection of one of America's best-selling general gets better & better. We added 8 new ones this year, including the outstandingly different 'Praying Hands', bringing the total to 33 varieties. About 550 flats are ready right now -- almost 20,000 plants, in our generously-sized 36-count liner. Just call and say, "I'll take 'em all," and you've got it made in the shade.
EPILOGUE
As you read this, I'm aboard the Samuel Clemens with the Perennial Plant Association tribe, watching fireworks over Boston Harbor - and I arrived by train. Until next month, try to stay cool. May the birds in your life settle their contract disputes, remain on the job, and steer clear of the airports in your life.
