Asiatic lilies galore

It’s looking like Holland at Sarah and Michael’s Farm. The operation’s niche crop is lilies. The bulbs (from Holland) are forced in crates, in a media of 100 percent coir from Sri Lanka. Coir has a great structure for lilies – strong fibers that keep air in the mix, helping to avoid pythium. The media is all reused after a steam sterilization.

The operation uses no pesticides or fungicides, but relies on good soil and a controlled environment. And it helps that flowers are harvested before buds open.

But more than all this, I like the attitude of the operation’s leadership. Co-owner Michael Turner shared two rules for those companies he deals with: you’ve gotta pay your bills and you’ve gotta be nice.

Nutritionally speaking

John Dole and Brian Whipker showed off NC State’s Research greenhouses. The current research is on nutrient disorders, using automated sump pumps and controllers.

This experiment uses 60 percent less labor and the fertilizers used in the experiment were cut in half.

The media is a silica sand that is prewashed. This crop is gloxinia, but the same research has been done on poinsettias, gerberas, cyclamen and will include cineraria.

National Floriculture Forum - Good times

There's always a lot to learn when touring with a group of professors. Thanks to this year's National Floriculture Forum in Raleigh, N.C., I am now aware I have a serious Moon Pie addiction.

I also learned that Tony Avent is a pretty cool guy. He’s president of Plant Delights, the mail order perennials breeder/grower. The company T-shirt says it all (see photo). Tony is a fun guy. His sense of humor shines through his catalog. The company's niche is unique plants – lots of trillium, especially. The grower’s gardens are situated around a house, so visitors during the company’s open house can see what the great varieties would look like at home.

Tony told us sales of agaves have skyrocketed with the drought going on in the Southeast. Plant Delights is keeping up with those consumer trends by digging up and replanting its garden beds at least every ten years.

There are some really cool plants to see here. Click here to check out photos.

Blogger of the week: Making Cents Of Green Industry Economics

With the economy volatile as it is and the R word being whispered more than any of us would like, Charlie Hall at the Ellison Chair at Texas A&M wants to talk about how the economy is affecting the floriculture industry.

His new blog is called Making Cents Of Green Industry Economics. A few recent posts address the effect of the stimulus package being considered by Congress (“If checks are received by mid-to-late May or early June, there may be opportunity for such spending to occur in lawn and garden retail outlets.”) and recession resistance (“differentiation – that is, specializing by product, services offered, customer type, or geographic area.”)

To get in on the conversation, visit http://ellisonchair.blogspot.com/.

This week's varieties: Regal, heavenly and sunny

Check out Terra Nova’s beautiful helleborus ‘Regal Ruffles’ mix. Shade and deer resistant, it is best in Zones 5 to 8. It finishes in 6-inch pots in eight to 10 weeks.

Intrinsic Perennial Gardens has announced the release of its polemonium ‘Heaven Scent.’ It features pretty blue fragrant flowers in April and May and a 18-24-inch tall plant. Full sun to part shade, well-drained soil, Zone 5.


From EuroAmerican Propagators, osteospermum ‘Sunny Sheila' features bright orange petals that fade to a deep red at the center. It flowers best in the cool dark night. Verbena ‘Babylon Purple' is the earliest winter bloomer in the series. A solid mound of purple flowers surrounds its lush foliage.

What I learned in the February 2008 issue of Greenhouse Grower

Green Valley Growers’ Wayne Massey’s tattoos are of palm trees. That’s dedication to the industry.

Mercer Botanicals has a challenger in the coolest logo contest – Rocket Farms.

Growers can actually make money recycling greenhouse plastic. Some recyclers pay for shipping, too.

‘Goldalia Orange’ might be one of my favorite varieties. The bicolor is beautiful.

Since I love osteos, too, I should try Ecke’s ‘Crescendo Primrose.’ Allan Armitage says it stands up to summer heat.

Nice Broquet

I was really into the man-friendly mixed containers the NFL Network used to gussy up its SuperBowl XLII set on Sunday (see video of it, and Plaxico Burress, here)

This probably caught my eye even more because I noticed these containers right after hearing about Banana Florist. The florist’s arrangements are lovely, but what sets the company apart from others is their attitude. Using humor that seriously reaches out to grab readers, I’m sure this new company will give others in its area a run for their money. C’mon try to beat this description of a foliage dish garden:

So, Pat from Accounting bailed you out of a jam. Naturally, you'd like to show your gratitude. Let's steer clear of red roses, unless you want a Disclosure Form from HR. (And lots of unexpected attention from Pat.) The Unmixed Signal safely conveys your appreciation for co-workers and other folks you know professionally.

And the Broquet is the solution for sending a man flowers. Quirky humor is definitely in. Even more than that, they incorporate links to pop culture Web sites like YouTube and Gawker, connecting themselves to the world young people inhabit.