For those of you who emphasize the “grower” in the grower-retailer profession, AmericanHort and Horticulture Research Institute (HRI) want to better understand how our industry uses the nitroguanidine neonicotinoid insecticides and how restrictions on these insecticides may impact use patterns. Nitroguanidine neonicotinoid insecticides include clothianidin (Arena, Aloft), dinotefuran (Safari, Zylam and others), imidacloprid (Marathon, Merit and others) and thiamethoxam (Flagship, Meridian and others).

EPA will soon propose some changes to the registration and labeling of these products, and at that time you’ll be able to head over to the EPA website to give your comments on the matter. By filling out this survey, industry folks who use these materials are allowing AmericanHort and HRI to better understand how the proposed regulations will impact the industry and how to represent our concerns.

The survey should take you just two minutes, and it’s anonymous—two very good reasons to take the survey, I’d say. You can access the survey HERE.  

For those of you emphasizing the “retailer” in the grower-retailer profession, there’s a new book you may be interested in stocking for your customers. It’s by noted interiors stylist and lifestyle editor Clare Nolan and it’s called “In Bloom: Growing, Harvesting and Arranging Homegrown Flowers All Year Round.” Love the concept! And if the book’s cover is any indication of what’s inside, you and your customers are in for a delight.

“In Bloom” is a comprehensive guide to planning, planting and maintaining a home flower garden. The author takes the mystery out of the growing process and helps readers learn how to choose the right plants and flowers for both the garden and the home. I’m telling you, friends—cutting gardens are back. This book will help stoke customer interest, for sure.

If you’re interested in ordering, you can contact Michele Senseng at Fox Chapel Publishing..  

I wasn’t speaking of Hort Couture, but Chris Beytes was in his Acres Online e-newsletter this week. He specifically mentioned several new varieties in Hort Couture’s Under The Sea line of coleus. It’s the 10^th anniversary of Under The Sea, don’t ya know? And according to Jim Monroe (via Chris), the goal of new Under The Sea variety sourcing is more color and more variety.

And just look! They are totally bringing the color and variety. Here are four of the 13 new varieties in the line.

Barracuda

Fancy Koi

Gold Guppy

Electric Eel

Hort Couture is also adding a new cleome called Crème de la Crème. They are calling it the brightest, most vibrant selection ever. Cleomes are gaining in popularity because of their deer resistance (yeah!) and superb performance in summer weather (double yeah!).

Cleome Crème de la Crème 

Cleomes are one of my favorite annuals and I think they are underappreciated. I'm inspired to go out and get one.

The upcoming GCA Summer Tour of great IGCs in the Nashville area is around the corner. Have you registered yet? You should—and here’s a really good reason why: a substantial money-saving early-bird discount.

If you register by next Friday, May 31, you’ll save $50, plus an additional $30 for each additional person from your biz that you register. That’s a great reason to bring the team—and then that way you don’t have to explain every idea you saw and want to implement once you get back to your store. They’ll have been there and have gotten it!

Not only will they have seen displays and efficiency measures, you and your team will have participated in daily facilitated discussions on some of the industry’s hot-button topics, including staffing, events and activities and enhancing your web/social presence. Oh, and there’s a container garden-building demo happening, too.

It’s not just a tour—it’s an education. Register now for the early-bird discounts and then sign up immediately to reserve your rooms at the host hotel, the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown. REGISTRATION AND HOTEL INFORMATION HERE.  

If you’re a perennial plant breeder, then the PPA has a great opportunity for you. They will be hosting a New To The Market Forum during PPA’s 2019 National Symposium. The Forum is an opportunity for breeders to present their latest introductions to fellow plant professionals. And since the symposium will be held in conjunction with All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau, you’ll have even more folks exposed to your new intros. And it’s not just new plants, either. There is a new products component to the Forum, as well.

The symposium will be held July 28-August 2 in Rosemont, Illinois, just a stone’s throw from O’Hare, and the New To The Market Forum (generously sponsored by the folks at J. Berry) will be held July 30. For anyone interested in submitting entries for the Forum, visit perennialplant.org/page/NewtoMarket. 

As a newsletter and magazine editor, I have an affinity for those methods of distributing news and information. And I have a magazine to recommend to you: It’s called Spark, and it’s the magazine of the Dallas Market Center. A lifestyle marketplace with a buyer-focused lifestyle magazine? How perfect for you, retailer friends.

Said the Market’s CEO Cindy Miller of the magazine, “The community we help create and sustain deserves a quality magazine that balances fresh ideas with practical content and curated product highlights across all lifestyle categories.” The magazine, now publishing its second issue, is filled with everything a magazine should have—feature stories, Q&As with designers and artists, photo shoots, entrepreneur profiles and, of course, exposure to products you’ll want to have in your store.

The magazine will be mailed to 50,000 subscribers this month, but you can also access a digital version on the Dallas Market Center’s website. It’ll definitely get you inspired prior to the opening of the June markets! 

With Memorial Weekend just a few days away, it’s unofficially the start of summer. And to celebrate, I’m going to leave you with a few combo containers that David Bache of Garden Industries (Loxahatchee, Florida) potted up for the Plants for the Outdoor Room article I was working on for the June issue of Green Profit.

Large containers of mixed tropicals really show off and take to summer heat. Underplant with a few colorful annuals to make the range of foliage greens really pop. Here’s what he came up with:

Alocasia Portodora, Philodendron gloriosum, Hibiscus acetosella, Dallas Red Lantana, Epidendrum ibaguense, Pachystachys lutea, Congo Codiaeum variegatum and Tradescantia zebrina

Maurelii Ensete ventricosum, Lemon Lime Philodendron, Monstera adansonii, Samba Purple Portulaca

Inspiring stuff!  

My newsletter-writing compatriot and perennial expert Paul Pilon wrote about mosquito-repelling plants in his latest edition of Perennial Pulse. Here’s what Paul recommends if you’re looking for plants that help keep the skeeters away:

• Basil (Ocimum basilicum)—Recent studies have shown basil extract to be highly toxic to mosquito larvae. Consider planting some near your water features to potentially deter adults from laying eggs there. Lemon and cinnamon basil are the best options for repelling mosquitos.
• Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis)—This herb is commonly used to repel various insects, including mosquitos. I hear bay laurel can also be used to deter ants, cockroaches, flies and wasps.
• Catnip (Nepeta cataria)—Cats may find catnip irresistible, but with mosquitos, it's quite the opposite—they avoid it at all costs. The oil in nepeta (nepetalactone) has been found to be 10 times more effective than DEET in repelling mosquitos and the crushed leaves can be applied to skin.
• Citronella Grass (Cymbopogon nardus)—If you've heard of or used citronella oil, this is the plant it's derived from. Citronella oil is more effective as a repellent than DEET, however, the repelling power slowly decreases after an hour or so. It can safely be reapplied to your skin or clothing every hour or two to enjoy extended pest-free time outdoors.
• Garlic (Allium sativum)—Allicin, which gives garlic its distinct smell, also works as a deterrent against mosquitos. If you're like me, allicin moves through my skin after consuming garlic. Unfortunately, we'd have to eat huge amounts to get the repellency benefit.
• Lavender (Lavandula spp.)—Lavender essential oils not only smell nice, but they've been shown to be just as effective as DEET for repelling mosquitos. Yet another way lavender promotes calmness (no more cursing and swatting at mosquitos).
• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)—The natural compounds in lemon balm can also be used to repel mosquitos. Interestingly, researchers have found an extract containing both lemon balm and basil to be extremely toxic to adult mosquitos; they would die whether they inhaled it or came into direct contact with it.
• Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)—The oils and crushed leaves of this plant are often used to repel fleas on pets (homemade flea collars), as well as for repelling mosquitos. From my understanding, it's also a pretty good tick repellant. Beware: Some people are super sensitive to its natural oils.
• Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)—Similar to basil, peppermint essential oils have been shown to be toxic to mosquito larvae. Peppermint oil is also highly effective at repelling them when rubbed on the skin. If you do happen to get bit, consider rubbing a peppermint leaf directly on the bite for some relief.
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)—It may be a great culinary herb for us, but mosquitos would rather avoid it. Rosemary can be tossed in a campfire for an aromatic insect repellent or its oils can be applied to the skin.

He wisely advises to do a little research before “going hog wild” with applying them since everyone’s skin is a little different. Now Paul, got anything to keep ticks away?  

I was going to post a link and comment on a Forbes article about the importance of storytelling. The piece is called, “Successful Business Owners Celebrate Milestones Differently and Grow Their Businesses.” If you want to read it, you certainly can do so HERE.

But no, that’s no fun, so I’m not going to talk about it. Instead I’m going to tell you what storytelling adventure I am embarking on in the next few days. See, I get all these awesome and fabulous plant samples from all these breeders—thank you very much, by the way!—and I’ve never had a place to plant them all. But now I do—it’s a lovely little spot on the south coast of Massachusetts, complete with a yard that desparately needs a makeover.

I just planted all the sample annuals I’ve received this spring, and am going to plant up the veggies and perennials this weekend. I’ll post about them all—maybe even in video form—over on my Facebook page. So please do friend me and all that if you’re interested in seeing what’s going in my garden. It’s an experiment, so who knows how far this will get. There’s a fluffle of bunnies and an occasional turkey that could make all of this a moot endeavor. Oh, then there’s my dog who likes to dig up only perennials. See? That’s compelling storytelling!