Nursery Calendar
TPIE January 19-21, 2011
FNGLA's Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition takes place every January in Ft. Lauderdale at the Broward County Convention Center.
This is one of the biggest tropical plant trade shows in the United States, attracting buyers and sellers from all over the world. This year, attendees will be able to travel to Costa Farms to look at their bedding plant trials.
Contact Sabrina Wade at the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association for more information or check out their web site - www.fngla.org
Wintergreen Show again in Atlanta GA January 27-28, 2011
This up and coming show, organized by the Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA), moved from humble origins in Athens GA to the Atlanta area in 2010. In 2011, it will again be staged at the Gwinnett Civic Center in Duluth. This is an area with many affordable hotels and excellent restaurants, so consider making the trip to Georgia for an early peak at spring bloomers.
Although the thermometer may be hovering around freezing outside, the action will be hot inside with attractive exhibits and challenging educational programs presented by horticultural experts like Allan Armitage, Michael Dirr, John Ruter, and other University of Georgia professors. Keep an eye out for former football Coach Vince Dooley who has become an ardent plant enthusiast since auditing one of Dirr's classes.
Grandiflora exhibited in Athens for the first time in 2008, bringing lots of winter color like Dianthus, Achillea, Diascia, Nemesia and Shasta Daisies.
To learn more about this event, visit www.ggia.org
Gulf States Hort Expo January 20-21, 2011
Exciting regional Trade Show in Mobile AL and one of the first of the season. Great food at local restaurants, gambling just down the road in Biloxi MS, and Grandiflora will be there at the show with a unique display to kick off the trade show season. The Mobile show often coincides with Mardi Gras, and the city has nightly parades complete with marching bands, floats, and bead throwing.
The 2010 SNA Research Conference, formerly held in conjunction with SNA, was hosted last year by the Gulf States Horticultural Expo at the Mobile Outlaw Convention Center in Mobile, Al. This year, the same format will probably apply with presentations of papers beginning on Thursday before the trade show opens.
Pictured is Grandiflora's 2007 booth with a bowling theme, "Roll with Grandiflora".
More can be learned about the trade show and research conference at www.gshe.org
South Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association Trade Show February 3-5, 2011
One of the first shows of the year. Grandiflora will be there and you should be too. Room rates for hotels right on the beach are very inexpensive that time of year, and there are plenty of great restaurants and golf courses nearby.
Photo shows part of our 2005 SCHI booth with the theme "A New Idea is Born" to introduce our new name, Grandiflora.
For more info, go to www.scnla.com
Spring Garden Festival March 26-27, 2011
Over 200 exhibitors, music, food, seminars, children's activities, and plant auction with celebrity auctioneer Storm Roberts of WKTK - at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville FL, late in March.
Check out the new Children's Garden, Conservatory and recently re-worked Bog Garden. Watch out for alligators!
For more information about the festival, go to www.gardenfestival.org
To learn more about Kanapaha Botanical Garden, the second largest botanical garden in the state of Florida, visit www.kanapaha.org
Floriculture Field Day cancelled for 2010 - Moving to Orlando in 2011
The Perennial Field Day merged with the University of Florida Annual Trials seven years ago, and then the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) joined in a partnership with the University of Florida, Grandiflora and Ornamental Outlook Magazine to make this event even bigger and better.
In 2009, the University could not fund the trials due to budget cuts, but the seminars went on as planned. It was decided to move the event to Orlando and partner with Walt Disney World, Leu Gardens, Knox Nursery and other nurseries in the area to further expand this excellent horticultural program.
Look for a completely revamped format in 2011 with breeder trials at EPCOT, tours of growing operations as well as private and public gardens, and a full slate of excellent speakers.
Join us! Call or e-mail Grandiflora or FNGLA for more information. www.fngla.org
Southeast Color Connection June 17-18, 2010 - formerly known as the Southeast Greenhouse Conference
The Southeast Color Connection in Greenville SC is a trade show for Floriculture products and liners combined with an educational program for growers, landscapers and retailers. Greenville is a beautiful and friendly city with many fine restaurants.
Grandiflora has an exhibit there each year. At the 2003 show, our "Plantnik" booth (see photo with salesman Mark Gruver) got us lots of attention! Grandiflora has also won two "Best Mixed Container" contests at the SEGC.
More information about the trade show and educational seminars can be found at www.southeastcolorconnection.org
Perennial Plant Association 28th National Seminar July 18-24, 2010
The next PPA Symposium will take place in Portland Oregon, and we will be visiting Monrovia Nursery as well as Terra Nova.
Last year's 27th annual meeting was held in St. Louis MO and included trips to the Missouri Botanical Garden, fantastic retail nurseries, and some award-winning landscapes.
The hotel location near the downtown area allowed attendees to wander the streets of St. Louis and take in all the sights, sounds, and tastes of that great city. Other highlights included a visit to the zoo, a tour of the brewery, riding up the Arch to get a bird's-eye view of St. Louis, and a moonlight dinner cruise on the Mississippi River.
Contact the PPA for more info at www.perennialplant.org
The Landscape Show (formerly known as FNATS) September 23-25, 2010 in Orlando FL
The Landscape Show (FNATS) - a Trade show and educational seminar in Orlando FL - falls in September this coming year. This 3-day event is the biggest horticultural trade show in Florida each year.
In 2004, our Plantnik booth won best large exhibit! In 2006, our Painters booth also won best large exhibit. In 2008 we constructed a bowling alley complete with a wooden lane, balls and pins, and salesmen in Grandiflora bowling shirts. Since 2008 was an election year, we chose an election theme (see picture). Frank refused to dress as Obama, although Mark volunteered to come as Uncle Sam.
For more information, visit the FNGLA web site - www.fngla.org
IPPS - International Plant Producers Society Southern Region Meeting October 10-13, 2010
The IPPS will be meeting in Raleigh NC this October. Tony Avent is the site chairman, so expect some great daily tours that will include visits to the J.C. Raulston Arboretum, the Sarah Duke Gardens, and of course, Plant Delights Nursery.
Last year's program in Biloxi MS was a huge success, with the seminars at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino and tours each day to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama nurseries, research facilities, and botanical gardens.
Note the name change from Propagators to Producers as the association recognized that only 25% of its recent papers were on propagation and the rest were about every other aspect of production.
Next year's symposium will be held in Valdosta GA with trips to nurseries in the Cairo area as well as Tallahassee FL. Kay Phelps and Stewart Chandler will be site committee leaders.
For more information, visit the IPPS Southern Region of North America web site - www.ipps.org/SouthernNA/
Great Southern Tree Conference in Gainesville December 2010
The Great Southern Tree Conference is a cutting edge educational event centered around an outdoor demonstration area on the University of Florida campus. Developed through the joint efforts of the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association and the University of Florida, this conference brings in tree experts from around the country to teach about tree selection, landscape usage, production, establishment, marketing and management issues in the southern United States.
For more information, visit the FNGLA website - www.fngla.org