Plantasia & PLANT WNY Landscape Awards; Crazy Moss Lady; More

Hey there! Been a couple of weeks. Miss me?

This is a good little story about Renee Shepherd, but it sent me down a rabbit hole (so you don’t have to!). I like Renee’s seeds and they are very popular around here, but I kept remembering her old, equally popular company Shepherd’s Garden Seeds and wondering how she could have started up what basically was the same company after having sold it. Wasn’t there a non-compete? A little googling jogged my memory: Shepherd’s was bought out by White Flower Farm years ago, who then shut it down. No problemo.

A Cornell study says school gardens grow kids’ physical activity levels.
This is a multi-faceted story: A NYC garden center, located underneath some train tracks, was destroyed in an explosion that killed several people, but two men working there were saved…by a chicken. Here’s a follow-up, from Today’s Garden Center.

PLANT WNY’s Plantasia show was a huge success. There were many beautiful displays and quite a few awards. Congrats to the winners! I had a great time mingling with the NCCC students, and then visiting the school the next day for a NYSNLA board meeting. Here’s the People’s Choice award winner, Chevalier Outdoor Living & Buffalo Tree House. Nice!

ALSO, PLANT WNY’s landscape awards were awarded at preview night! I don’t have a link, but congratulations to the following:
Commercial: Dore Landscape Associates, Inc—Niagara County Produce
Residential over $10,000: Beautiful River Landscape Design—The Pailler Residence
Residential under $10,000: Jacrist Gardening Services, Inc.—The Keller Residence
Hardscapes over $10,000: The Cutting Edge Complete Landscaping, Inc.—The Engel Residence

It’s not just about the High Line (though the High Line is awesome!). There is much good here: Restoring and Reusing Degraded Landscapes.