February 17, 2010

Trade Associations Professionalize the Hort Industry  
     A year ago we joined three state trade associations: the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association, Idaho Nursery & Landscape Association, and Montana Nursery & Landscape Association. We knew connecting with the good folks who purvey plants and knowledge to our readers was a good idea, but it has been better than that: friendship and camaraderie in a shared industry.

         Last January we exhibited at the MNLA in Missoula, on the university campus. It was nasty cold and windy outside, but inside the University Center meeting rooms, exhibit hall, and amphitheater, we listened to some great speakers, signed up some new retail outlets, sold a few subscriptions, and Nurseries new friends. Noted horticulturist Dan Heims, of Terra Nova gardens in Canby, Oregon, gave an intriguing slide presentation drawn from his world travels, titled “How Dry I Am,” in which he predicted nations warring over water within five to 10 years. Some of his tips: plants with similar needs should be planted together; pruning reduces transpiration; wax sprays help to keep moisture in.

         Another keynote speaker was Robert Doliboi, executive vice president of the American Nursery & Landscape Association, who offered a packed audience a unique perspective on the “green industry” and what terrific opportunities it has to prosper despite, and perhaps because of, the current challenges of economic recession and global warming controversy. He talked a lot about sustainability, defining it as: “The ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely.”

         Many attendees were familiar with Zone 4, even subscribers, and those who hadn’t seen an issue were impressed.

         We came away so excited that on returning home that we immediately bought a booth at the much larger CNGA’s annual ProGreen expo, held in the Denver Convention Center the second week of February. Unfortunately, we were pretty much tied to the booth and couldn’t sit it on any of the seminars and workshops covering a wide range of topics, from new plant varieties to green roofs, integrated pest management, and advice on how to run a business.

         We did get to spend some time with faculty and staff from Colorado State University, and are pleased to have Dr. Steven Newman onboard as a contributor. Steve is in the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Department, and a specialist in protective structures.

         CSU also is home to the wonderful Plant Select program, which tests plants for their suitability to the Rocky Mountain region, promotes and educates the public. On page 55 of our Spring issue (just got the first copy in my hands and it looks awesome!) is a description of Plant Select’s recommended plants for 2010.

         If there is one overriding impression we have of these trade associations it is this: by and large, growers and nurserymen and women are knowledgeable, professional, and a pretty friendly lot. Next year’s expos will brighten our winter.

—Dan Spurr