TPIE January 23-25, 2013

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 again 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 25-26, 2013

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 2013, 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 17-18, 2013

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 SNA Research Conference, formerly held in conjunction with SNA, has been hosted for the last few years by the Gulf States Horticultural Expo at the Mobile Outlaw Convention Center in Mobile. This year, the same format will probably apply with presentations of papers beginning on Wednesday 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 6-8, 2013

One of the first shows of the year. Grandiflora will be there and you should be too. Room rates in Myrtle Beach for hotels right on the beach are very inexpensive that time of year, and there are plenty of great restaurants and golf courses nearby as well.

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

The next PPA Symposium will take place in Vancouver British Columbia, and attendees will be staying in a very fine hotel and enjoying trips to botanical gardens, nurseries, and private estates.

The 2011 annual meeting was held in Atlanta GA and included trips to Pikes Nursery, Saul Bros., Armitage's trial gardens at UGA, a cemetary (with plants to die for), several botanical gardens, and even Vince Dooley's private garden.

Contact the PPA for more info at www.perennialplant.org

The Landscape Show September 19-21, 2013 in Orlando FL

The Landscape Show - a Trade show and educational seminar in Orlando FL - falls near the end of September this coming year. This 3-day event is the biggest horticultural trade show for landscaping plants and products in Florida.

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 Propagators Society Southern Region Meeting November 2-6, 2013

The IPPS will be meeting in Athens GA next November. Besides the excellent talks that will be presented by internationally known speakers, there will be three days of touring regional wholesale nurseries, university trial sites, private estates and upscale garden centers.

2011's program in Valdosta GA was a huge success, with the highlight being a trip to the wholesale nurseries north of Tallahassee including Monrovia, Simpson's, Hackney's, Clinton, and May's.

For more information, visit the IPPS Southern Region of North America web site - www.ipps.org/SouthernNA/

Great Southern Tree Conference in Gainesville December 2013

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