It was a strange one, 2020 was, that’s for sure. And unfortunately, 2021 won’t start out looking any different than the end of 2020 did. But hey, every year has some highlights, and I thought I’d share a few here:

*sound of crickets*

The pandemic of 2020 will be one to remember, for sure, but I suspect in your personal or business lives you probably have had more memorable years—perhaps the year you got married, or had your first child, or opened your business, or lost your business to a hurricane, or lost a close friend or family member.

Unlike those personal events, COVID is unique in that it’s been a shared experience—not just nationally, but globally. We've all gone through it together. You’d have to be pretty far off the grid to not have been impacted by it in one way or another.

For most of us in floriculture, 2020 was a good or even excellent year, business-wise. I won’t say all, because some of you struggled mightily to combat lost markets and closedowns. It's still happening—I heard of one New England grower who just lost a big poinsettia sale to a casino that’s been closed. Anyone serving the event or resort or entertainment industries has seen plant sales plummet. And let's not even talk about the cut flower business! Conversely, if you’re serving homeowners with annuals, perennials, veggies, woodies or foliage, you probably can’t keep plants in stock. And based on bookings and your comments, it looks like 2021 should continue the trend. Pray for good weather, of course, but perhaps “every day is a Saturday” will be the mantra this coming spring, like it was last spring.

What are your final thoughts on 2020? Glad to have it over? Anything worthwhile come out of it? On a scale of 1 to 10, what would you rate it? Email me at beytes@growertalks.com.

During their poinsettia open house, the fine folks at Plantpeddler produced short videos from each of the represented breeding companies, letting them show off a few variety highlights from the trials. It’s an easy way to get a look at the newest genetics just in time to place your order for 2021.

They’re all posted on the YouTube page of the feller who produced them, Chris Nelson; rather than link to them separately, I’ll send you to his page where you can find all six videos (five breeders and an overview).



Check ‘em out HERE!

Congrats to Kristine Dyer, who has landed a gig as a “biological solutions advisor” for BioWorks, of Victor, New York. Kristine will be delivering programs and support to the Northeast U.S. (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania).

Kristine has experience in the cannabis, controlled environment agriculture and specialty agriculture markets in the U.S. and Canada.

“Kristine is a great addition to the BioWorks team.” said Ted McDonald, director of sales. “Her controlled environment and field experience, and strong commitment to customer success will help BioWorks serve and advise our customers in the Northeast United States now and into the future.”

Looking for some educational opportunities or new crop ideas? In January, you can get some great education on how to grow vegetable and herb seedlings and liners through a five-day, one-hour-per-day webinar series produced by the University of Connecticut Extension and featuring smart professors from UConn, Michigan State, Cornell and the University of Florida. It’s part of e-GRO—Electronic Grower Resources Online.

The best part? The price is just $25 for the whole shebang (one or all), and you can enjoy the learning experience from the comfort of your home or office.

The event is Monday, January 4 through Friday, January 8, with the one-hour webinars taking place from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern time.

Topics include:

Monday—Achieving Transplant Uniformity
Tuesday—Managing the Root Zone in Plug Trays
Wednesday—Using Organic Fertilizers for Vegetable Transplants
Thursday—Identifying and Managing Pests of Vegetable Transplants
Friday—Identifying and Preventing Common Diseases in Herbs & Vegetable Seedlings in Greenhouses

And before you ask: Yes, those of you in New England will get one pesticide recertification credit for the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday webinars.

Learn more and sign up HERE. While you’re there, check out the bedding plant sessions coming up in February.

Questions? Ask host Rosa Raudales, rosa@uconn.edu.

From Monrovia, courtesy plant hunter Dan Hinkley, comes this pretty begonia collection called Tectonic. Dan reportedly found them in the forests of northeast India. The four varieties—Eruption, Magma, Pangea and Tectonic—feature interesting foliage shapes and serrations in rich shades of green. They grow 12 to 18 inches tall and wide. They put me in mind of Gryphon begonia from PanAmerican Seed.

My favorite of the four is the newest, Eruption, which has intricately cut leaves with a light bronze underside. It would lend a tropical vibe to any container, either mixed or by itself. Here it is, with Magma below and to the right:

The collection will be in limited supply for 2021, so grab ‘em quick or get your name on a list or something.

It’s been a slow news week, so I’m going off on a tangent with a possible item to sell (or make for your own fun): Cocktail-smoking kits.

A good friend of mine crafted this one for us for Christmas: It’s a finely finished wood disk, a collection of small bags of various wood chips, and a torch lighter.

The idea? You get a small fire going, then put your cocktail glass over it to infuse the glass with wood smoke flavoring and aroma. After which you add your cocktail of choice and enjoy. You can also fill a big goblet with smoke and set it over your filled cocktail glass to let the smoke infuse the surface of the drink and ice. Either way, the end result is a bit like having a cocktail around a campfire or fire pit. And what could be more fun than starting a fire in your kitchen!*

*Professional fire-starter on closed course. Don’t try this at home (do it at a friend’s house instead).

Normally, January would be a very busy time for me, with trips to trade shows, growers and retailers in Florida and Germany. Not this time, for obvious reasons. So instead, I need YOU to tell me what’s happening out there in the real world. Got any news, new products, expansion plans, new tools or equipment being installed, new crop ideas, new retail displays, new promotional videos or anything else you want to share? If so, email me at beytes@growertalks.com.

If not … well, email me anyway—I’m always happy to hear from you!