National Garden Clubs hit Buffalo; 800-year-old cedar poached; Ancient horticultural history

Greetings! It’s that time of the week again…Thanks for reading.

Noticed when I stopped at Rochester’s Garden Factory the other day that they have a little snack bar. This is such a great idea—I realize I’m repeating myself from last week but—shoppers will RELAX and stay longer if they can buy a bottle of water or even a granola bar for a a hungry kid.
Green Profit is particularly interesting this month. One example is this Katie Elzer-Peters “Cheap Tricks” article on merchandising, but there’s a lot. Have a look if you have time.
Perhaps this particular composting technology is not quite ready for the Big Show. Smell on NYS Thruway is from Jersey?
From the New York Botanical Garden: Morning Eye Candy: Triple Samara: The fruit of the Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, usually has two wings. What to make of this tri-winged one then?

Sarah Price, 32 years old, is one of the star designers at London’s Chelsea Flower Show. Check out her garden this year, and here’s an interview from May’s Garden Design.
Via @jgeveritt: Minneapolis ad agency gives mailboxes and fire hydrants giant plant tags. When I retweeted, one area landscaper immediately shot back, “This is perfect for new landscape design installation signs. I just e-mailed my graphic designer.” Great! We aim to please…

Cornell launches a new major in environmental science and sustainability.
Via the Buffalo News: “The gardening scene in Western New York is blossoming even bigger this [last] week with more than 960 registered garden club members and guests turning out for the National Garden Clubs Inc.’s 83rd annual convention at the Adam’s Mark.” Almost 1000 gardeners visiting Buffalo—that’s awesome. Good reporting too.
On Vancouver Island, an 800-year-old tree is cut down by poachers. Authorities speculate they wanted the tree for cedar shakes.
Via @BatesNursery: Ancient plant-fungal partnerships reveal how the world became green (from ScienceDaily.com) and How the First Plant Came to Be, from Scientific American.
Games. Well, I’ll admit to being a BIG Angry Birds fan, but I’m just not sure about these garden-y games. GardenQuest, a Facebook-based game, hasn’t even launched yet and has 84 THOUSAND fans. How does one even GET 84 thousand fans? It boggles the mind.
Seen these around? One of our local hort heavy-hitting hotshots is an investor. 😉