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The 2018 U.S. Midterm elections are behind us. and the makeup of Congress changed, but AmericanHort director of government affairs Tal Coley says the association’s goals remain the same.

“I think we’ll still be able to get a lot of things done, primarily because we have champions on both sides of the aisle,” he says. “I think as a trade association, you never want to gravitate toward one side so much so that you’re not engaging folks from the other side.”

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats picked up a net gain of 40 seats, shifting control to the left.

“Whatever happens in 2020 or whatever happens in the next couple of years, I think we’re well positioned with a Democratic house — we’ve worked well with Collin Peterson [a Democrat representing Minnesota’s 7th congressional district] who is likely to be the chair of house agricultural committee, for instance,” Coley says. “He’s done some great stuff in the ag sphere, but also in the transportation sphere with the regulations and the electronic logging device mandate. Those lawmakers that work with both sides of the aisle — like Peterson — are the ones we rallied around.”

Below, Coley outlines the four issues he has at the top of his list to watch in 2019.

1. Labor

“I haven’t run into anyone who doesn’t have workforce issues on their mind. The labor is issue is paramount. It’s something my colleague Craig Regelbrugge, [senior vice president, public policy and government relations] works on pretty much 100 percent of the time, and he is in the weeds with that stuff. But as I see it, it’s something that with the [Trump] administration and their beliefs, and how Congress has kicked the can down the road on a lot of these things — it’s just very hard to make headway on some of the labor issues. Granted, it looks like the H2B cap might get raised. But there are some strings attached to that, and there might be enforcement measures in place as a trade-off. On the H2A side, I know the administration is making some changes there to make it a bit more user friendly. There’s some regulatory guidance out there on not having to put advertisements and newspapers and what not and doing something online or something like that. I don’t think you’ll see anything comprehensive, but even a little bit of relief on an issue like that can go a long way.”

2. Transportation

“Transportation issues are something I’ve been really focused on. Costs are very high; availability is not as high as we’d like it. Some people are having a really hard time finding people to ship their [products]. We’ve been working on some things [including] some hours of service flexibility measures. I know the agency that’s in charge of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed some tweaks to maybe add a few hours here or there and give drivers more discretion when adverse conditions hit. Is it a silver bullet to the problem? No, but every little bit helps. Will the prices come down in 2019? I guess that’s just a question of if we can find more truck drivers, right? You already have a labor shortage for people who drive trucks. And you throw a large regulatory paradigm shift on top of that with the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate, and you have the perfect storm in 2018. In 2019, people are a bit more used to it. They are still adjusting, but the agency itself is still out there 11, 12 months later and still trying to explain a lot of the rules and regulations. So, there’s still a lot of confusion with that.”

“There’s also the agricultural exemption [for trucking]. We’re very vocal on that right now because it’s another mitigating type of exemption that can help businesses. If you operate within a 150-mile radius around an agricultural source, that time does not count toward your daily and weekly hour limits. Right now, we’re kind of in a gray area. The definition that they use for this ag exemption is very vague. Some in our industry are using the ag exemption, and I haven’t heard any news about getting large amounts of citations. But when we meet officials at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, they are adamant that we are not included in that exemption. So, I think for peace of mind on our end and to leave no room for interpretation by enforcement officials, it is essential that we get it spelled out that we are included in that exemption.”

3. Environmental issues

“There’s a lot of action going on with pesticides, and you’re seeing lawsuits and court rulings that I think are going to continue into 2019. There are products that we feel are environmentally safe and good for the industry, and we need to fight for them. And a lot of that action is at the state level, but there are a lot of federal [directives] going on with the EPA. I think we are going to focus on that area.”

4. Taxes

“With the tax bill that was passed last year, this will be the first tax season where a lot of people will be able to utilize some of the new rules, and it’ll be interesting to see how those play out. I know the IRS is writing new regulations when it comes to that. That’s always where the devil in the details matter — the bill says one thing, but the agency interprets it another way and that it doesn’t come out the way it was intended to. Small business issues are on the agenda too. And there’s always an issue or two that you’re not prepared for, that comes out of nowhere. For instance, the trucking issue was one for us last year.”

Chris is assistant editor of sister publication Greenhouse Management.

What qualities define a well-performing plant? Fortunately for the horticulture industry and end consumers, growers, breeders, universities and botanical gardens employ trial garden managers who monitor the progress of numerous varieties in their gardens, and welcome visitors to observe plants’ performance for themselves. Some of the attributes they look for include drought tolerance, heat tolerance, pollinator friendliness and overall performance.

Managers from institutions in multiple regions of the United States select their best-performing plants each year based on various criteria observed throughout the season. Patrick Williams and Chris Manning of sister publication Greenhouse Management have compiled the results and commentary from trials managers on dozens of plants and organized these results by region.

• Midwest region results
• Northeast region results
• Southeast region results
• Southwest region results
• West region results

Salvia BODACIOUS Rhythm & Blues, PlantHaven

Salvia BODACIOUS Rhythm & Blues continues to be a top performer in trials. This new hybrid has medium-sized dark green foliage, maintaining the dark color throughout the season. Plants are covered with long flowers stems, elegant black calyx carrying larger saturated dark blue flowers that draw in pollinators.

Salvia Rockin’ Deep Purple (Proven Winners), Smith Gardens

This annual Salvia hybrid from Proven Winners looked amazing all summer long in the garden and was consistently covered with pollinators. Bees, butterflies and especially hummingbirds flocked to its deep purple flowers. The flower stalks and calyx are almost black, which adds interest and contrasts nicely with the foliage and brighter flowers.

Isotoma FIZZ N POP Pretty in Pink, PlantHaven

Isotoma FIZZ N POP Pretty in Pink has outstanding heat and drought tolerance. Decorated head-to-toe with very large flowers, up to 1 ½ inch in size. Bold pink blooms with a cherry yellow center emerge from summer-fall. Bred for a long season of interest in patio pots and containers.

Achillea PENHOW Heartthrob, PlantHaven

Achillea PENHOW Heartthrob has outstanding heat and drought tolerance. Attractive blue-green, fern-like foliage. Compact, well-branched habit. Adorned with long-lasting, bright-red blooms. Great for attracting friendly pollinators. Bred for a long season of interest in containers and perennial gardens alike.

Gaura WALBERTON’S Silver Fountain, PlantHaven

Gaura WALBERTON’S Silver Fountain is a must-have for pollinator-friendly gardens! Covered in stunning, pure white blooms that emerge from soft pink buds from early spring through fall. Compacted-well branched habit with lovely stable and highly variegated green and white foliage.

Agastache ‘Morello’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), Smith Gardens

Agastache ‘Morello’ from Terra Nova grew very well in the garden for us this year, as well as in pot trials. Its vigorous habit is well suited for landscape applications, where it attracts hordes of bees on its deep pink flowers. The flower display was very impressive, where its dense blooms covered tall flower spikes all summer and into fall.

Begonia Solenia Apricot (Beekenkamp), Smith Gardens

We grew a number of Beekenkamp begonias this year, most of them in our planter display. They all performed wonderfully, particularly the Solenia series. The variety that stood out to us was Solenia Apricot, with its abundance of sunny, bright flowers and nice mounded habit, it bloomed all summer long with very little care. It was fully exposed to sun all day and there was no scorching or fading.

Pelargonium TALL DARK & HANDSOME Deep Orange

Pelargonium TALL DARK & HANDSOME Deep Orange is a phenomenal new upright columnar dark leaf geranium. Reaching up to 6’ with a trellis. Flowers form along the entire stem providing a tower of flowers from late spring through summer. Quick growing and easy care ideal for retail garden centers.

Salvia VIBE Ignition Fuchsia, PlantHaven

Salvia VIBE Ignition Fuchsia is a covered in masses of medium-sized rich fuchsia flowers, freely reflowering throughout the season. This decorative sage is awesome for low water gardening, pollinator-friendly and hummingbird gardens. Bred for a long season of interest blooming non-stop from spring to fall.

Iberis Summer Snowdrift (Darwin Perennials), Smith Gardens

We trialed this summer blooming Iberis variety from Darwin Perennials, ‘Summer Snowdrift,’ in pots and in the garden beds. It bloomed its head off from May through October, covering the plants in a blanket of white all season. The habit was tight and compact, growing in tidy mounds. An outstanding variety.

Senecio Angel Wings (Floricultura Novazel S.A.), D.S. Cole Growers

This is a tough question now that we have an extensive line of succulents and cactus. Obviously, these are all great for dry areas. In addition, Senecio Angel Wings can withstand dry spells and still have great foliage. As to flowering plants, a couple of the Australian natives are great. Brachycome and Scaevola are two that stand out.

Chameleon Calibrachoa series (Westhoff and Dümmen Orange) and Calibrachoa MiniFamous Uno Double Pinktastic (Selecta One), D.S. Cole Growers

For ease of growth without PGRs, good all-around shape and constant blooming, we have a tie between Westhoff’s Chameleon Calibrachoa series and Selecta One’s Calibrachoa MiniFamous Uno Double Pinktastic.