  GrassSolutions™
An e-newsletter from Hoffman Nursery, Inc.
August 2010 |
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(and deep quantity discounts!)
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Follow
John Hoffman  @wegrowgoodgrass as he explores grasses and the green industry. For archived editions of GrassSolutions™ click here. |
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| In this Issue | Finding Great Grasses
The Pacific Northwest is a stunning backdrop for grasses. Take a quick tour with John Hoffman. In the News
Switchgrass improves water quality, American prairies get praise, and a splashy grass hits the papers
Big changes at Hoffman Nursery, along with two rain garden projects that turn functional into beautiful
Grass Forecast
It's time again to be cool. Season, that is. See what grasses will get you going.
Want to know about specials and discounts? How about grasses in the landscape? We tell you how.
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Want to be up on grasses and hear what's going on? Our Facebook page gives you news, facts, and ideas to help you make better grass choices. Photos, projects that use grasses, cultural & growing tips, and horticultural news all together in one place.
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Availability Emails
| Choose from weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly availability updates to stay current. Click here to indicate your preferences for email availability. Once you enter your address, you will be emailed a link that allows you update your profile and choose which mailing list you prefer. If you would like more immediate gratification, you can see current availability right here. |
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Finding Great Grasses: PPA 2010 in Portland, Oregon
|  The Pacific Northwest is a hotbed of horticulture, and the Perennial Plant Association (PPA) took advantage of this draw. Its Annual Symposium took place in Portland, Oregon, and there were plenty of great grasses to be found. John Hoffman, grass guy and current PPA President, captured some of the sites in this photo montage of PPA 2010 on our Facebook page. There are some mighty fine grasses to see. You don't have to be on Facebook to look, so come on in.
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In the News: Who's Talking Grass?
| This issue, we have a news grab bag, making for interesting reading...Pennisetum 'Fireworks' PP18504
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- In the why-we-love-switchgrass category, researchers in Iowa found that planting switchgrass can significantly lower the level of nitrates that wind up in waterways. Check out the Science Daily story here.
- Debbie Roberts, a professional landscape designer in Connecticut, talked with Hoffman Nursery and used some of our photos for an article on ornamental grasses in the August edition of Landscape & Hardscape Design Build magazine.
- Noel Kingsbury, a man who knows his plants, has a fun blog post on the great prairies of the Midwest. At home in England, he waxes poetic on these amazing habitats. Just don't offer him a cup of coffee.
- The brilliantly-colored Pennisetum 'Fireworks' PP18504 recently appeared in papers across the country via McClatchy News Service. Norman Winter writes about this showy fountain grass and its sensational color. A tender perennial for most of us, it's worth replanting each season. Read the story here.
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| The Latest at HNI | Big Changes for Hoffman NurseryHoffman Nursery Sales & Marketing Department
(L-R) Shannon Currey, Magan Agee, & Brendan Wein
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This fall one of our own will be moving. Jennifer Arenkiel, our Sales & Customer Service Manager, will leave for Texas with her family. With her departure, we are reorganizing and revamping. Learn what's happening and meet our staff in this story. Grassroots EducationThis has been the summer of rain gardens. We've been involved with two projects that focus on teaching students ecologically friendly landscape practices. Serpentine hardscape elements in the Syme Rain Garden at NC State University  | At NC State University, rainwater from a residence hall was carrying sediment - along with pollutants - down a brick
walkway and directly into the storm water system that connects to a newly restored creek. Bad news for water quality, but an opportunity to teach landscape architecture students how to address the problem. Asst. Professor Andrew Fox organized a student-designed and -installed project with fabulous results. Read more about this exciting project and see more photos on our Facebook page. Newly installed rain garden at middle school in Cary, North Carolina  | Another project focuses on rain gardens for local schools. As part of a EPA-funded grant, a multidisciplinary team is installing rain gardens in local schools. The projects bridge engineering and horticultural practices and provide learning opportunities for the students. Hoffman Nursery is working with Anne Spafford, Assoc. Professor of Horticultural Science at NC State University and author of Rain Gardening in the South, to provide grasses and sedges for the gardens. Anne's team has recently designed and will install two rain gardens later this
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Grass Forecast: Time to be Cool Again | A cool season favorite with steel blue color, Helichtotrichon sempervirens 'Sapphire'  | With the blistering heat that many of us have been experiencing, it's a relief to think cool. If you're planning ahead (and we know you are), you'll be thinking cool season grasses right now.
Why? Because cool season grasses have been dormant during most of the summer heat, and the upcoming cooler air and soil temperatures will awaken them. Cool season grasses look fantastic in the fall and into winter when they're actively growing. They have bright new foliage and healthy root systems--perfect for fall sales, potting up for spring, and landscape installation. In milder climates, they stay evergreen through winter, giving color and interest when not much else is happening.
Plan now to get them shipped in fall when they're vibrant and ready to go. To know your choices, try our Cool Season List. If you'd like learn more, Cool Season Basics gives you the overview. Our GrassSolutions™ Focus on Cool Season Grasses goes into more depth with planning and growing information.
Remember, now's the time to start thinking cool.
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| Comments & Features | Be in the Know on Specials and DiscountsYou probably know that we now offer periodic emails for current availability. It's an easy way to be reminded about great grasses. What you probably don't know is that we also have an email list just for Specials and Discounts. When savings come up, we can let you know about them. Follow this link and enter your email address to update your email preferences and subscribe to the Specials & Discounts list. Landscaping with GrassesWe are starting an email list that focuses on grasses in the landscape. If you're a landscape designer, architect, contractor, or just someone who is interested in learning more about selecting and planting grasses in the landscape, this will be a great resource for you. We'll share techniques, guidelines, news, and landscape-oriented specials on grasses. It's still in the works, but sign up now so you don't miss these special emails. Follow this link and enter your email address to update your email preferences and subscribe to the Grasses in the Landscape list. The Scoop on PPA and the International Equivalent (ISU)
John Hoffman has been busy this last month, with attending two conferences in faraway places.
- The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) Symposium in Portland, Oregon was a great time for the attendees. For John's snapshots, see our Finding Great Grasses feature above. For more photos, take a look at PPA's Facebook page. If you're not a member of PPA, now is a great time to sign up. You'll hear all the great news about the symposium, and you can begin to enjoy the perks of membership.
- John also attended the Congress of the Internationale Stauden-Union (ISU), which translates to the International Hardy Plant Union. He toured, toured, and toured, and he has the photos to show. He visited gardens with a strong sense of history and brilliant planting design. We hope to highlight the tour in our next issue of GrassSolutions™
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