STEPABLES Adds Canadian Grower
STEPABLES announced it has added Epic Plant Company to its alliance-based network, making it one of the largest plant providers in North America, according to STEPABLES. The new addition brings about more augmentation of production and distribution of the brand’s line of creeping perennials, making the plants now available at independent garden centers throughout the province of Ontario, Canada.
For additional information, visit www.stepables.com.
AARS Announces The AARS Region’s Choice Program
All-America Rose Selections (AARS) recently announced the AARS Region's Choice program to help garden centers and nurseries market and sell roses and help consumers choose the best roses for their gardens.
For the 2008 planting season, the first phase of the AARS Region’s Choice program will roll out in three markets: Northern California/Pacific Northwest, Southern California/Southwest and Mountain States. AARS picked approximately 10 rose varieties for each region based on their performance in that climate zone. In 2009, AARS will add roses to each region as well as add additional regions for the eastern United States.
As part of the program, AARS is also offering marketing support through customized in-store signage for garden centers. Made from weather-resistant materials, there are a variety of layout options. Signage will be available for order in late summer.
For more information, visit www.rose.org/regionschoice. You can also contact AARS at rose@rose.org or (415) 249-6776.
EuroAmerican Propagators’ Open House
EuroAmerican Propagators would like to invite all members of the horticulture industry to its annual Open House Days, Sept. 5-15, 2007, at the EuroAmerican Propagators facility in Bonsall, Calif.
This is an opportunity to see EuroAmerican’s newest plant introductions up close. There will also be a Gold Key Day on September 14 and a Proven Winners/Garden Compass Day on September 15.
For more information, visit www.pweuro.com.
Blog Shares Park Seed Stories
To help Park Seed and Wayside Gardens customers share gardening stories, the company is hosting a new blog (www.parkseedmemories.com).
The blog kicks off a year of preparations for Park Seed Company's 140th birthday in 2008.
You can also send your reminisces and images to ckuhl@parkseed.com.
Bailey Nurseries Launches New Program
The new Bailey Nurseries “Trees are Cool” program will offer educational tips and tools to help teach homeowners why trees are important and how they can benefit their lives.
The Trees are Cool marketing campaign will include the following:
- Educational tree tags and other point of purchase materials.
- A Web page allowing homeowners to pledge their tree planting activities.
- Ideas for how garden centers and communities can get involved in tree planting.
- A media relations program aimed at teaching homeowners the benefits of planting trees.
To kick off the Trees are Cool program, school children in Minnesota and Oregon will be planting more than 120,000 trees donated by the company.
Visit www.baileynurseries.com to pledge your tree planting activities and learn more about the Trees Are Cool program.
NRF Launches Interactive Web Site
The National Retail Federation (NRF) announced the launch of the newly designed www.nrf.com Web site. With the goal of maximizing the user experience as well as providing current and comprehensive retail industry information, NRF developed the new Web site with Michigan-based Spartan Internet Consulting.
NRF.com features full search functionality, allowing visitors to access a library of industry and consumer research, all NRF press releases and current news from Capitol Hill. In addition, community dashboards provide a more simplified navigation for visitors.
The Web site is a combination of two sites, NRF’s general Web site and its members-only Web site. Now NRF members are able to access special information through lockout icons rather than having to navigate a separate site. Furthermore, the new NRF.com features industry information and statistics on retail indicators for students.
Bayer Supports The National Arbor Day Foundation
Bayer Advanced, the consumer lawn and garden division of Bayer CropScience LP and part of the Bayer AG family, is aligned with the National Arbor Day Foundation (NADF) to restore national forests destroyed by insects.
The national initiative is called the Bayer Advanced/National Arbor Day Foundation Restore America’s Trees program. It’s the second year the two organizations have joined together in a reforestation program. Last year, Bayer Advanced donated 75,000 trees to the NADF for planting trees in national forests.
This year, Bayer Advanced is increasing its participation. It will donate to the NADF to replace trees and reforest areas devastated by insects up to 100,000 trees or one tree for each bottle of Bayer Advanced 12 Month Tree & Shrub Insect Control as well as new Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed Granules sold between April 2 and July 31, 2007.
For more information, visit www.bayeradvanced.com.
