Plant of the Week: Clematis 'Diamond Ball'

Time to watch the ball drop! If you can stay up that late, anyway. I don't think I've stayed up to watch the Times Square Ball Drop since having kids. But I do enjoy this 'Diamond Ball' clematis. Sure, it does its thing in summer, not on New Year's Eve, but I think it's worth the wait. Clematis 'Diamond Ball' flowers on both old wood and new wood, so it's a much easier plant for the average gardener to grow. You will see flowers from June through August. The white-blue flowers are round or semi-spherical in shape and reach 4-5" in diameter. And not to belabor the Pantone colors, but this will be one of the popular colors in the new year. 'Diamond Ball' will grow 5-6' tall and 2-3' wide and is hardy to USDA Zone 4. It grows in full sun or partial shade. Try in a patio container or along a fence. Pruning Clematis This is a tricky subject. Clematis can be an intimidating group of plants. Until recently, I avoided the subject of when to prune them by simply not growing them. Our new varieties, however, tempted me, and I have them growing in my garden. I took the plunge after learning that pruning these new varieties isn't tricky at all. They bloom on both old and new wood, so I can prune them in the spring with many of my other plants. Older varieties will need more specific culture. Cultivars are placed in one of three groupings, determined by their bloom time, and pruned accordingly. Fine Gardening has a nice overview. Clematis are a great addition to any garden. They add color in unexpected places, like fences, and can even be grown in patio containers with a trellis. I have found that they need a season to get their legs under them before you see a lot of flowers. Once those roots get established, though, get ready for a real flower show! So how about this for a New Year's resolution: grow a new plant. Pick one that has intimidated you in the past (like Clematis). Or maybe one that you've never heard of. Trying a new plant is way more fun than resolving to lose weight or do sit ups every morning. Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Chiffon Roses of Sharon - and the Pantone Color(s) of the Year!

Pantone throws us a curve ball this year by naming two colors for 2016. They are Rose Quartz and Serenity, a light pink and a light blue. Lucky for you, we've got plenty of plants that match these shades. Consider the Chiffon™ roses of Sharon. We've got pink... and we've got blue. They are just what you need to capitalize on next year's color trends!

The Chiffon™ Hibiscus are strong-growing, uniform varieties. Both varieties grow 8-12' tall and will do best in full sun. They are hardy to USDA Zone 5 and will attract butterflies to gardens while resisting deer browsing. These are easy-to-grow, durable varieties that your readers will have plenty of success with in their landscapes. Bonus: they have a low seed set to limit unwanted seedlings!

The Chiffon series' frilly blooms give the plant a low seed set.

Why should you care?

You may be asking yourself that very question. What does the Pantone Color of the Year have to do with gardening?

The famous 'Cerulean blue' monologue from The Devil Wears Prada does an effective job of explaining why you should care. The reasoning extends far beyond clothing: kitchenware, home decor, advertising - they will all be affected by the trending colors. Even gardens will feel Pantone's influence.

Pantone expects the Color of the Year to affect sales for up to three years in the future. That's good news for those of us in the growing business since we need a little time to get the Color of the Year into production. You will also want to revisit the past few years' colors, too, and feature plants with those popular hues.

• In 2015, the Color of the Year was Marsala - ideal for Summer Wine® Physocarpus.
• In 2014, it was Radiant Orchid. Maybe Let's Dance® Rave™ Hydrangea is in order.
• 2013's color was Emerald. So many possibilities...maybe North Pole® Thuja?

Have fun with it!

Blue, Lavender, Pink or White: with abundant flowers and a graceful habit, the Chiffon series has become a staff favorite.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Pearl Glam Beautyberry

Pearl Glam™ is our newest Callicarpa hybrid. Like its sister plant Purple Pearls® Callicarpa (beautyberry), it has attractive purple foliage providing season-long color in the landscape. The big show, of course, is the fall fruit, and Pearl Glam beautyberry does not disappoint. It has large violet fruit in fall and is ideal for flower arrangements.

Pearl Glam Callicarpa differs from its sister in that it has white flowers; Purple Pearls Callicarpa has distinctive pink blooms. Both plants will have their best foliage color in full sun, grow 4-5' tall and wide, and are hardy to USDA Zone 5. Callicarpa have good deer resistance; I have seen them used quite a bit in areas where there is heavy deer browsing.

The berry-laden branches of Pearl Glam Callicarpa are ideal for arrangements.

Landscape plants

All of our plants are landscape plants, of course. We don't produce house plants here at the nursery, but some plants are particularly good for the landscape market. Callicarpa is one of them. It's a trouble-free plant that adds very desirable fall interest to landscapes. Its compact size is useful, too. It may be used in a mixed border or as a foundation plant. For big impact, try it in a mass planting. It tolerates clay soil, too.

We're very optimistic about the landscape market for 2016. One reason is that 2016 home sales are expected to be their best since 2006. More houses mean more plants. I love the sound of that! OK, you knew this was coming: those of you who like Pearl Jam can indulge. Those of you who don't, well, I guess you can go back to work.

Pearl Glam Callicarpa is covered in violet berries in fall.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Yuki Cherry Blossom Deutzia

You know that Deutzia is a charmer in spring, but were you expecting a fall display, too? You should!

Yuki Cherry Blossom™ Deutzia entrances us each spring with its pink flowers; they are very princess-y but even the tough guys around the nursery like them. Look at them in our greenhouse (above photo). Check out that fall foliage! That's where the princess shows what she's really made of.

Yuki Cherry Blossom Deutzia stays a tidy 1-2' tall and wide.

This princess plant is actually a tough cookie - it's deer resistant. Yet butterflies and hummingbirds love those spring flowers. Yuki Cherry Blossom Deutzia is hardy to USDA Zone 5 and grows 1-2' tall. If you grow Deutzia 'Nikko', delight in this new pink version of the go-to spring plant.

Bonus read: Tim "The Plant Hunter" Wood brings an in depth look at what it takes to bring new Deutzia varieties to retail in Deutzia Redux.

Yuki Cherry Blossom Deutzia is the first pink-flowering 'Nikko'-type.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

Plant of the Week: Berry Poppins Winterberry Holly

More Berries!

The questionable berry puns continue with Berry Poppins® Ilex verticillata (winterberry). This is a heavy fruiting dwarf selection of our native I. verticillata: it grows to just 3-4' as compared to the more typical 6-8'.

Winterberry hollies like Berry Poppins Ilex are great for cut stems fall and winter.

This plant has everything that landscapers seem to be asking for. It's a hardy, native plant with minimal maintenance requirements, and will do well in the rain gardens and bioswales that so many regions need. Homeowners will love it, too - it fits into their residential landscapes and provides much needed winter interest.

Female Berry Poppins holly needs a pollinator to fruit. Try compact Mr. Poppins holly.

Just remember that Berry Poppins winterberry holly won't fruit unless she's got a beau nearby. We recommend equally compact Mr. Poppins I. verticillata. No picture of him here, because he's there to work, not to look pretty. 

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Proud Berry Coral Berry

It's the berries!

Proud Berry™ Symphoricarpos is an improved new coral berry with compact growth and a profusion of bright pink berries in late summer and fall. The berry display on this plant is just outstanding. Use this native plant in cutting gardens or as a mass planting.

Proud Berry Symphoricarpos grows in full sun or partial shade and is deer-resistant. It gets 3-4' tall and wide and is hardy to USDA Zone 3.

Look for this new variety at retail, spring of 2017.

Proud Berry coral berry stays a compact 3-4' tall and wide.

Have you heard that expression before? "It's the berries" was one that my grandmother used. Apparently it was very trendy slang in rural 1920's Illinois. OMG LOL!

It means something that's really nice. I think it's rather charming. After all, few things are nicer than berries. Whether you're putting them in pancakes, eating them with ice cream, or just admiring them in your garden, berries are delightful. Note: Symphoricarpos berries are not edible. Hold on to your ice cream cone and just look at them.

One of the few drawbacks to berries is that they usually aren't obvious to spring garden center customers. So now is the time to remind your readers of how lovely berries and other fall features are in gardens. There are a lot of landscapes out there that look great in spring (when homeowners shop) and fade into nothing in fall. That's too bad, because a fall garden is a real delight.

Another hazard with berries is the the temptation to indulge in bad puns. My younger daughter went through a long Strawberry Shortcake phase; eventually I made her watch the videos in Spanish to preserve my sanity. Seriously, if you're the parent of a toddler, try it. Barbie in French is magnifique.

Native Proud Berry coral berry erupts in a profusion of bright pink berries in late summer and autumn.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Red Balloon Viburnum

99 Red Balloons

Red Balloon™ viburnum is an outstanding new selection for anyone looking for a fall fruit display. This cross between Viburnum lantana and V.rhytidiphyllum is a very showy plant with a nice compact habit. It produces tightly packed clusters of bright red fruit in late summer and fall. For the best fruiting, plant it near V. 'Mohican' or V. rhytidiphylloides.

Red Balloon viburnum is hardy to USDA Zone 4 and grows 6-8' tall and wide. It's super easy to grow, and unlike many great landscape plants, it looks good in a container. It has pretty white flowers in spring, too! Really, what's not to love about this deer-resistant plant?

Red Balloon viburnum's white flowers appear in April and May.

Viburnums are wonderful plants. You'd be hard pressed to find a landscaper or nursery grower who doesn't appreciate this varied genus. Fragrance, flowers, foliage, fruit - you'll find it all in the Viburnum section.

The only problem with viburnums is keeping track of what's what. When I worked on the Spring Meadow Nursery catalog, I came to dread the viburnums. For one, it comes late in the alphabet, so there often wasn't a lot of flexibility in the pagination. Secondly, there are just so many, and the species and subspecies make for a tangled mess, especially when making cross-pollination recommendations.

Generally speaking, you want two different cultivars of the same species to get good fruiting. However (and there's always a however), cross-pollination between species happens regularly. If there was a Tinder for plants, viburnums would be on it. You do need to pay attention to flowering time, though. It's no use telling that cute viburnum that you'd like to meet it if it works the day shift and you're on nights.

The fall fruit of Red Balloon viburnum is an eye-catching cherry color.

Sometimes, though, fruiting isn't what's important. Some viburnums, like V. carlesii, are grown for their fragrance. Others are grown more for their foliage: Emerald Envy® V. rhytidiphylloides and Handsome Devil™ Viburnum are two selections with outstanding foliage.

Then there are some viburnums that seem to have it all. Red Balloon viburnum, with its handsome foliage, compact habit, pretty flowers, and spectacular berry display, is one. It may not be fragrant, but this easy-to-grow variety does just about everything else you'd want a viburnum to do.

OK, so here it is: Your Big '80's Flashback. If you were really cool in 1983, you sang along in German...

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

GWA Symposium

Greetings everyone! 

I hope everyone had a safe trip home from the Annual GWA Symposium in Pasadena, California. It was my first symposium so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had so much fun! It sure is a welcoming group! It was so nice to meet many of you in the exhibit hall at the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® booth, during receptions, and throughout the week. It’s always great putting names with faces! Our booth focused on the Invincibelle Spirit Campaign and the new Invincibelle Spirit II Hydrangea. 

The garden tours were just amazing, even in the 100 degree weather. My favorite tour was the LA Arboretum. There was so much to see! My group had a terrific tour guide that gave us a good overview of each of the garden areas. We even made it up to the scenic outlook for some awesome views of the mountains!

The educational sessions were outstanding. I learned a lot and left feeling energized with several ideas to make 2016 a great year…hopefully you did too! I also want to congratulate all of the 2015 Award Winners.

Thank you to the GWA board and committees for their hard work to make this event a success. Next year, the symposium is being held in Atlanta, September 16-19, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Plant of the Week: Beyond Midnight Bluebeard

You know what's been looking really great in our garden these past couple of weeks? Beyond Midnight™ Caryopteris. It's Caryopteris season, of course, but this variety is especially appealing. The bees are all over it!

Beyond Midnight Caryopteris has extremely dark, glossy foliage, a compact habit, and rich blue flowers.

It has a particularly nice flower display, and unlike many other varieties, its foliage is quite attractive as well. It fits nicely into our border (2-2.5' tall and wide). Like other Caryopteris, Beyond Midnight™ will do best in full sun and well-drained soil. 

Caryopteris like Beyond Midnight are a favorite of pollinators.

Not a lot of good things happen after midnight. In fact, a lot of really bad decisions are made in the small hours of the morning. Check your Facebook feed or visit an all-night grocery store, and you'll see what I mean.

But this Sunday night we had the opportunity to see something really cool - a lunar eclipse. And not just any lunar eclipse: a Super Moon lunar eclipse!

Technically, the eclipse occurred before midnight; it started at 10:11 p.m. Eastern time. But I'm sure you will grant me a bit of poetic license with the Beyond Midnight™ tie-in because this was just too cool not to talk about. Maybe you stayed up beyond midnight talking about what you just saw. After all, there won't be another for eighteen more years.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Gatsby Oakleaf Hydrangeas

Gatsby Gal oakleaf hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea) is a wonderful native plant for North American gardens. With its distinctive texture, outstanding fall foliage and appealing summer flowers, it is a delightful addition to woodland gardens and other landscapes.

Gatsby Gal™ is a compact variety that is a good choice for smaller landscapes. It grows 5-6' tall and wide. If you have a little more room, consider Gatsby Moon™ (full, doubled flowers), Gatsby Star™ (distinct, star-like florets) or Gatsby Pink® (early pink color). They will all grow 6-8' tall. These are superstars for the fall landscape!

Gatsby Moon oakleaf hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia grow into USDA Zone 5, and will adapt to full sun or partial shade. They bloom on old wood, so just sit back and enjoy the rich fall foliage - don't prune them!

True confession: I did not enjoy reading The Great Gatsby.

Granted, it was in high school, and I should probably give it another try. But I just can't bring myself to do it. Perhaps because it seemed to be a novel about boring, selfish people and there are so many other books I actually want to read - why give a dud another try?

The Great Gatsby wasn't a success when it was released in 1925. Not until WWII did it gain popularity, eventually becoming prestigious enough to be assigned to surly high school students.

Gatsby Star oakleaf hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia also improves with age. To really appreciate the appeal of an oakleaf hydrangea, give it a few years in the ground. That sort of long-term thinking doesn't always work in our on-demand-just-in-time-fast-food world, but some things are worth waiting for. The intriguing texture and color of oakleaf hydrangea is one of them.

Perhaps I will give The Great Gatsby another try. After all, that next Game of Thrones book is taking a while to get here.

Gatsby Pink oakleaf hydrangea

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Award Winner: Jazz Hands® Variegated Loropetalum

One of our favorite new introductions for the southern market, Jazz Hands® Variegated Loropetalum, received a Retailer’s Choice Award.  A panel of independent garden retailers selected the best new products, both live goods and hard goods, for their stores at SNA 2015 and Jazz Hands® Variegated Loropetalum was among their selections.

And now just a few notes about this lovely plant.  For starters, it is the first ever variegated Loropetalum.  With its beautiful pink flowers and variegated foliage, it’s a real stunner in the garden!  I wish I could grow it in Michigan, but it's best in zones 7b-9b. This distinctive plant is just one of several Loropetalums in the new series introduced by Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs.  Others include Jazz Hands® Dwarf Pink, Jazz Hands® Dwarf White, Jazz Hands® Bold, and Jazz Hands® Mini. 

  

Plant of the Week: Lo & Behold 'Blue Chip Jr.' Butterfly Bush

More reliable than a stock tip...

Does the stock market have you nervous? A lot of people were worried last week, even those with a nice blue chip portfolio. You'd better stick with 'Blue Chip' butterfly bush instead. The next generation of Lo & Behold® Buddliea is 'Blue Chip Jr.' It is smaller and less brittle than the original. It starts blooming much earlier and often continues to flower up until a good, hard frost.

Lo & Behold 'Blue Chip Jr.' butterfly bush grows 20-28" tall and wide - a versatile size. And it just won a silver medal at last week's Plantarium show.

Lo & Behold 'Blue Chip Jr.' Buddleia received a silver medal at the noted Plantarium show in the Netherlands.

Lo & Behold Buddleia are real game changers for butterfly bush. This series of dwarf plants completely changes how we can use Buddleia in gardens.

First, there's the size. Unlike traditional varieties, Lo & Behold Buddleia stay dense and compact. They're a much better fit for residential gardens and can even be used in container designs. We really like them as mass plantings, too. Just be careful about overwintering them above ground unless you are in a very mild climate.

Second, there's the non-invasive nature of these varieties. They are seedless and one of the limited number of varieties that is permitted for sale in states like Oregon that have banned Buddleia.

Finally, consider the long bloom time of the Lo & Behold series. They flower from early summer right to frost without deadheading. These plants will give you months of well-behaved, fragrant color. The only difficulty is deciding which color is right for your landscape. 'Blue Chip Jr.'? 'Lilac Chip'? 'Pink Micro Chip'? 'Ice Chip'? 'Purple Haze'? Maybe all of the above is the answer.

Lo & Behold® 'Blue Chip Jr.' Buddleia - did we mention it's also drought tolerant, deer resistant, and adored by butterflies?

The Lo & Behold plants are all hardy to USDA Zone 5. We do recommend planting them in spring rather than fall in cooler climates. Full sun and very well-drained soil are also important.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Tiny Wine Ninebark

Tiny Wine® Physocarpus is a nice dwarf plant that is smaller than others on the market. It is extra-bushy, with small, refined leaves that stay colorful throughout the season. The dark bronze-maroon foliage is a nice contrast to the pinkish-white spring blooms.

Since it is just 3-4' tall and wide, Tiny Wine ninebark fits well into residential landscapes and other smaller sites where larger varieties just get too big. You can even grow it in a patio container; like other ninebarks it is hardy to USDA Zone 3 so should overwinter well above-ground in most of North America.

Physocarpus is a great plant. It's native, very hardy, and new varieties like Tiny Wine ninebark are colorful all season. Bees love it. Its only potential flaw is a tendency to have powdery mildew, which can be avoided by proper selection and siting.

Tips for Growing Physocarpus

First off, plant Physocarpus in full sun. Good air circulation is also helpful. I have a row of Coppertina® ninebarks in a full sun, southwest exposure with lots of wind coming through the nearby cornfields. There is no windbreak to speak of, and West Michigan gets some righteous wind - 40-50 mph gusts left a lot of folks without power last week. That's a site that would have a lot of plants looking wilted and tattered, and the Coppertina ninebarks love it. 

Secondly, pay attention to the cultivar. Summer Wine® Physocarpus has good resistance to powdery mildew; Tiny Wine ninebark comes from the same breeding, so we expect it will trial well, too. Check out this evalution published in American Nurseryman for a good review of many popular cultivars.

Physocarpus is a very hardy plant, growing happily far into the north. Luckily it provides nice winter interest with its exfoliating bark - a real benefit for those of us in the Snowbelt. It's a tough customer and will tolerate a lot, but those of you in Zones 8-9 may find that it isn't super happy in your heat and humidity. Finally, established plantings of Physocarpus have good drought tolerance.

OK, ready for a bit of fun? Check out this hypnotic wind map.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles.

Plant of the Week: Sonic Bloom Reblooming Weigela

Sonic Bloom® weigela are the strongest rebloomers ever seen in weigela. They bloom in May as expected, then produce waves of flowers until frost.

Sonic Bloom® Pearl reblooming weigela

We have three colors available: Pink, Pearl, and Red. All will grow in full sun or partial shade and show good deer resistance. They grow 4-5' tall and wide (if you need something smaller check out My Monet® or Spilled Wine® weigelas- they aren't rebloomers but do have colorful foliage). If you must prune them, do so right after that first spring bloom.

Sonic Bloom® Red reblooming weigela

Our clever, punny name may have you wondering what a sonic boom is. Physics was never my strongest subject, but I did find a relatively simple explanation of the phenomenon here.

For more fun with sound waves, check out the pendulum clock mystery.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

Garden Writers Association Region III Meeting

 

Greetings everyone!  It has been an incredibly busy season here at the nursery with no end in sight.  We’ve been fortunate to have cooler temperatures so far this spring and summer and as a result, I’ve been really productive with gardening and landscaping projects at home.  I hope you’ve had the same luck!

Garden Writers Association Region III Meeting

The Garden Writers Association (GWA) Region III Meeting was held in Michigan this year.  Attendees toured three sites throughout Michigan:  Lake Cliff Garden, Walters Garden and Spring Meadow Nursery.  It was a beautiful day filled with beautiful gardens and good company!  Here at Spring Meadow Nursery, attendees enjoyed our garden center featuring many of our newer plant introductions, a Hydrangeas Demystified presentation by Tim Wood, a tour of our extensive trial gardens, and dinner.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Best, Mark 

Plant of the Week: Lo & Behold 'Ice Chip' Buddleia

We were with our friends from Prides Corner Farms earlier this summer and gave them some grief about the horrible winter they had been through. Hey, it's not often that folks in West Michigan get to watch winter storms on the news and think, "Wow, they're getting it worse than us!"

Anyway, this week the last pile of snow in Boston was officially declared to be melted. For real - piles of snow in July. I've seen snow in July above the snow line, and in the U.P. (which is kind of one big snow line), but that's pretty crazy for a coastal city.

To celebrate this happy day I bring you a much nicer bit of summer iciness: Lo & Behold® 'Ice Chip' Buddleia (butterfly bush). It's a little plant - just 18-24" inches tall - and flowers earlier than some of the other Lo & Behold® varieties. Sometimes white flowers don't get a lot of love, but I think 'Ice Chip' is a great choice for pairing with brightly colored annuals or the dark foliage of a plant like Spilled Wine® Weigela.

The Lo & Behold® butterfly bushes are wonderful little plants that bring color and fragrance to summer gardens without littering the landscape with unwanted seedlings. They will bloom from midsummer to frost without deadheading. What's really fun about them is that they challenge us to think about Buddleia in a whole new way. Most of us are used to thinking of butterfly bush as a really big, kind of awkward plant to be stashed in the back of a mixed border. You want the fragrance and the butterflies, but the plant itself was often not much to look at.

These plants are different - cute little mounds of blooms that stay tidy and totally deserve placement at the front of the border. Unlike older varieties, they make a great mass planting. Face it, no one needs a mass planting of 'Pink Delight'.

We do recommend that they be planted as early in the season as possible in northern climates so they have time to establish before winter. Also, pay extra attention to the soil: it really needs to be well-drained. Putting it where the plow truck is going to drop a ton of heavy Boston snow in winter isn't a good idea, either.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

California Spring Trials (CAST)

It’s been a whirlwind since I started back in March.  Shannon and the rest of the team have been wonderful as we transition job duties and I get up to speed on projects. 

I was lucky enough to make it to CAST this year and am so glad for the experience.  It was a stellar event, the weather was beautiful (except for the sunburn…ouch), and the Proven Winners team was incredibly welcoming.  It was great meeting some of you during the week!

We had an excellent display of shrubs throughout the week but here are a few of the crowd favorites.

Tiny Tuff Stuff™ hydrangea – This one really stole the show.  It came as no surprise to me, because it instantly caught my eye.  It’s a real beauty, with flowers so delicate and refined that it seems strange to call them tough - but they are.  I just picked up a couple of these for my yard…very excited to see them grow and bloom this summer. 

Kodiak® Black bush honeysuckle (Diervilla) – I’ll be honest, at first, I wasn’t a fan of this guy until I realized it had all of these traits – native, drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and thrives in sun or shade.  Pretty impressive, if you ask me.  It’s a real stand-out with is dark-burgundy-black foliage in spring and autumn with bright yellow flowers in summer.    

Jazz Hands® series – This was very popular among our southern folks.  We had all five varieties of this Loropetalum (Chinese fringe flower) series at CAST.  Ranging from Jazz Hands® Mini, a ground cover with pink flowers, to Jazz Hands® Bold, the largest of the series topping out at five feet high, with flowers three times larger than the other varieties.  I can’t forget to mention the other varieties…Jazz Hands® Variegated, Jazz Hands® Dwarf Pink and Jazz Hands® Dwarf White.  It’s a neat plant…I wish I could grow it here in Michigan. 

With the weather finally warming up, I’ve been bagging leaves, expanding beds, spreading mulch, and most importantly…beginning to plant.  I hope everyone has had a chance to get outside and work in the garden. 

Best, Mark                                       

Garden Bloggers Conference 2015

February 25-27 will call bloggers back to Atlanta for the second edition of the The Garden Bloggers Conference, and I'm thrilled. The first one, which took place in September 2013, floored me. Everything was spot on, from the quality of the speakers to the engagement of the attendees. This year's event is shaping up to be even better. Check out the lineup, and while you're there, be sure to vote for the Garden Bloggers Hall of Fame, which, yea, we're sponsoring! (This gal here gets to present the awards, and I've been working on perfecting the phrase, "And the winner is...")

Below are my six takeaways from the first event as they originally appeared in the October 2013 Garden Writers Newsletter. If you're interested in receiving this monthly newsletter, sign up here.

Recap: Garden Bloggers Conference

Last week’s first annual Garden Bloggers Conference, hosted by DigitalSherpa in Atlanta, welcomed 125 bloggers to a two-day event mixing general merriment with quality, actionable tips from garden superstars and marketing professionals alike. It was enthusiastic madness. The Twitter feed was going wild. Inspiration coursed through my veins and ink through my pen. I took a dozen pages of notes.

Now home, I can reflect upon this newfound knowledge and make sense of the scribbles. I’ve packaged some of my favorite lessons into bite sized tidbits for your enjoyment. For an overwhelming play-by-play, visit the Twitter feed using #gardenblogconf.

Tell a good story.
A good story provides suspense, drama, comedy, and surprise. These aren’t words often associated with a typical plant profile – unless you’re New York Times' bestselling author Amy Stewart. She reminded us that people are the characters that lead through the story, not the plants. In his keynote address, plantsman Dan Hinkley used his personal history to similarly illustrate that it’s not just about the plants, but the memories and interactions surrounding them.

Find a new perspective.
Mark Twain’s quote that there are no new ideas is, well, nothing new, but Rochelle Greayer of Leaf Magazine and Studio 'g' approached this topic with a new and memorable perspective to make this lesson all her own: cat photos. The more you observe, listen, and learn from those that have come before you, the more you can create your own perspective on gardening and find your unique voice.

Create something beautiful.
…Whether it is in your garden, in a photograph, or the graphic design of your chosen outlet. The horticulture world is one of beauty, and our work in its communication should reflect that. One of the most tweeted comments came from Gardenista’s editor-in-chief, Michelle Slatalla, when she said that images are the currency of media. Felicia Feaster, editor-in-chief of HGTV Gardens, reiterated the importance of aesthetics by saying that when you care about design, it shows pride in your content.

Be intentional.
Chris Heiler from Landscape Leadership stressed the importance of being deliberate in each action you take in order to move toward the mission set by your brand. Work with purpose, not just because everyone else is doing something. Fine Gardening editor, Steve Aitken, said that digital media can learn from traditional print media in this regard. The beloved magazine is constantly testing and analyzing content to guarantee that they’re meeting the needs of their readers, which is their number one priority. “Know who you are,” he said, “and stick to it!”

SEO is important – but not that important.
Search Engine Optimization is a term that is not going anywhere. The experts from DigitalSherpa shared how developing keywords, properly labeling photos, and utilizing analytics can help your website or blog raise its search engine standings and attract new readers. A few easy clicks, and your traffic could double… but as Robin Horton from Urban Gardens reminded us, we need to write for people and not robots. “Google has no sense of humor.”

Build relationships.
Social media has allowed us to connect and build a massive community of garden enthusiasts, but every now and again, somebody forgets his or her manners. Don’t be that person. Respect, gratitude, and collaboration are so important. Seasonal Wisdom’s Teresa O’Connor noted again and again that success is easier when you are working with others, while Amy Flurry, author of Recipe for Press, gave one of my favorite pieces of advice from the conference, “Be lovely and easy to work with.” Simply and beautifully put.