They call it "the masterpiece of trade shows™", and it delivered. Several of our team spent the first week in January at MANTS in Baltimore, Maryland. Last year, more than 11,000 people attended the show, and this year felt bigger and busier.

Our marketing director, Shannon Currey, did an interview with Nursery Management magazine, which you can see online here. 

Read more about our time at MANTS.

After a fantastic time at MANTS, John Hoffman and Shannon Currey traveled to Columbus, Ohio for CENTS. We visited with landscape professionals, nursery and greenhouse folks, and horticulture students.

The education line up was extensive, and Marketing Director Shannon Currey gave a talk on grasses for green infrastructure. Our booth was part of a new "nursery tour" concept that exposed design professionals to nurseries. 

Find out more about our visit to CENTS.

We wrapped up a whirlwind of trade shows in January with Green & Growin' in Greensboro, North Carolina. This is our home show--it's always a fantastic time for us. The show was hopping, and the Hoffman Nursery booth stayed busy.

We visited with folks from Sarah P. Duke Gardens, the Museum of Life & Science in Durham, Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, Audubon North Carolina, Alamance Community College, and North Carolina State University. As always, we loved hearing about projects and seeing friends from across the region.

See photo highlights from Green & Growin'.

 

We found some interesting grass-related stories recently. A little of this, a little of that...

• Virginia has become a powerhouse (literally) for green fuel, which means money spent on fuel stays in state. They're doing it with grasses. Find out how it works.
• A Missouri farming couple restored habitat for wildlife, including a covey of quail, and controlled erosion. How? With a buffer zone of native grasses, of course. Read about their project.
• In California, Native Americans traditionally used Juncus, Muhlenbergia, and other native species to weave baskets. Many of these plants' habitats have disappeared, but tribal members are keeping the tradition alive. Learn more.

'Twilight Zone' stands out among Little Bluestems for its iridescent, silvery mauve color in midsummer. In Fall, the foliage merges into intense pastel tones with bright purple highlights. 

It has a full, columnar shape and the same tough constitution of other Little Bluestems. It thrives in poor, dry soils, making it a beautiful solution to difficult sites. Introduced by Walters Gardens.

It's an exciting time at Hoffman Nursery. We're expanding, and that means bringing more people onto our team.