Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association announced its five 2007 plants of the year. Galphimia gracilis (USDA Hardiness Zone 9) is a drought tolerant, evergreen shrub with blue-green foliage. Eragrostis spectabilis (Zones 5-9) is a perennial grass with leaf blades up to 12 inches long that works well in mass plantings. Cyrtomium falcatum (Zones 8-11) is a low-growing, clumping, evergreen fern. Zamia maritime (Zones 9-11) is a cardboard palm that features exotic-looking seed cones. Dracaena deremensis ‘Limelight’ is FNGLA’s interior plant choice. It features bright, glossy, lime-green leaves. For more: (800) 375-3642; www.fngla.org.
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Nurseries from five states promoted their products at the IFEX horticulture show in Chiba, Japan, in late October. The trip was funded by Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA). During the show, nurseries wrote orders valued at $170,000 -- primarily starter plants and bare-root trees. About a third of the plants sold were patented varieties. “The Japanese are interested in our plant material. Until recently, the palette of plants available for gardens or landscapes in Japan was somewhat homogenous. Our ability to produce a similar plant but with different characteristics has caught their attention,” said Patrick Mayer, Oregon Department of Agriculture trade manager. For more: (503) 872-6600; www.oregon.gov/ODA
Illinois
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point partnered to produce “Trees and Ice Storms: The Development of Ice Storm-Resistant Urban Tree Populations.” The new publication helps growers, city planners, landscapers, retailers and consumers understand which trees are susceptible to ice storm damage. Management plans for urban trees should incorporate information on the ice-storm susceptibility of trees to limit potential ice damage, said Jay Hayek, University of Illinois forester. Read the publication online at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/forestry/publications/.
Minnesota
The state is touting itself as the “Saudi Arabia of renewable energy.” To reinforce this moniker, USDA awarded Minnesota $4.1 million in renewable energy grants -- the highest amount awarded to any state. Some of the state’s projects include a 10-turbine wind energy farm, an ethanol bio-energy project and a geothermal greenhouse. For a more complete list of projects, go to www.mda.state.mn.us. If you want a piece of the grant money, go to www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/energy.
Postcards
According to some celebrity gossip blogs (wait, I don’t read those -- must delete from the history folder), Oprah’s favorite lawn and garden expert Jamie Durries was once -- gasp -- a stripper. Prior to his TV career, he was a “dancer” with Manpower Australia, a troupe similar to Chippendales. So what do you do during the off season? … Enterprise Rent-A-Car pledged to plant 50 million trees in 50 years to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Don’t worry -- customer service reps won’t be doing the actual planting instead of manning the phones and locations. The company is underwriting the $50 million project. To read all the hoopla, visit www.arborday.org/enterprise. … Do your non-green-industry friends think you have the best job? Maybe your brother-in-law thinks your entire career consists of getting a tan. For the uninformed, point them to Vocation Vacations, a really cool service that lets people try out their “dream job” for a few days. Green wannabes can take a working vacation at Stallman’s Greenhouses & Farm in New Braintree, Mass. Stallman’s grows veggies, bedding plants, herbs and perennials. Check it out at www.vocationvacations.com.
Quotable
“RFID is much more than a barcode on steroids.”
- Julie England, vice president and general manager of Texas Instruments’ RFID business
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- Kelli Rodda