Good morning! Here in Victor it has been a beautiful, breezy, fall week. I hope yours was as lovely.
—Jane
- Scotts Miracle-Gro has acquired Fafard and Brothers Ltd., the Canadian growing medium business behind such cult favorites as Fafard 52 Mix. (Ok, there’s one person in the cult, and it’s me.) It will be interesting to see if retailers that don’t do business with Scotts on principle will continue to carry Fafard, and if not, what they’ll sell instead. Props to IGC Retailer for the tip-off.
- Also, John Deere Landscapes has purchased BISCO (Boston Irrigation Supply Co., Inc.) which just opened up a new branch in here Rochester. No word as to whether this move will lead to location consolidation.
- “Like cannabis, okra is green and it has leaves” is the best line from this story, but it was a tough call. Heavily armed drug cops seize okra plants, from the Washington Post. For your edification, this is a picture of OKRA:
- I was sad to miss the IGC show in Chicago at the last minute, but Ellen Wells & Jen Polantz of Green Profit do a great round-up of both it and IGC East here. Among my favorite discoveries: Bower and Branch, “Match.com for trees,” functional outdoor décor that is supposed to look like logs but is fake (the planters might be convincing in person but the garden shed shaped like a giant stump is a little out there), and the artistry of the Hudson Valley Seed Library‘s packets. (Always ahead of the curve, Michelle Sutton wrote about them for the UGJ in the Winter of 2011.)
- If I’ve shared this here before, my apologies. From National Geographic: 32,000-Year-Old Plant Brought Back to Life—Oldest Yet.
How interesting that the Ice Age squirrel who buried the seeds may have also damaged them to prevent germination. I didn’t know that was something squirrels did. Come to think of it, I didn’t know there were squirrels 32,000 years ago. The plant is Silene stenophylla, by the way.
- Here’s a short piece full of good reminders re: advertising (somewhat self-serving of me, yes) from IGC Retailer. Get Your Advertising Back on Track – and Your Registers Ringing. Key points: Know your customer, know your objective, and be consistent.
- From the New Yorker: The oldest living thing in NYC is…grass. (Spartina patens, via the National Parks Service’s flickr account, pictured below.)
- “Don’t answer the phone. It’s that crazy lady, she’ll want us to pull weeds.” On Patrol with the Weed Warriors (New York Times).
- Also from the Times: So much cute. Leave Your Wings at the Door. (Heads up, ye who sell fairy garden gear.)
News of Local Interest
- From the Buffalo News: Morty the corpse flower has company.
- From PLANT WNY: It’s Landscape Awards entry time. Also, Plantasia 2015 is in the works! This year’s theme: Every Garden Tells a Story.
HELP WANTED
Horticulturist: The Country Club of Rochester
This position oversees all aspects of design, installation, care, and maintenance of the club’s extensive perennial and annual gardens. Maintenance and care of all landscape beds, landscape lighting, and associated lawn and grounds areas is also required. Excellent creative and design skills, as well as, a solid independent work ethic to make these areas spectacular is inherent in the skillset required for this position. Winter duties are available to make this a year-round position if desired. The salary is approximately $35,000 for year round employment.
Send resume/portfolio to:
The Country Club of Rochester
Attn: Rick Holfoth, CGCS
2935 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14610
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