A Plant
Introduction Program
for the Mid-Atlantic and beyond......
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A Plant
Introduction Program ® |
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Richmond, VA… March 1, 2009 … To strengthen Virginia’s quality and diversity of ornamental plants, the Virginia Nurserymen’s Association Horticulture Research Foundation Inc. have initiated its own plant introduction program, Beautiful Gardens. For 2009, Beautiful Gardens offer ‘Plants of Distinction’. For details of plants click here. Beautiful Gardens Retail Sites – One of 26 state-wide participating retail sites, Doug Hensel president of Great Big Greenhouse & Nursery www.greatbiggreenhouse.com , located in Richmond says, “We are proud to be selected by the Beautiful Gardens program to participate as a retail garden center. Beautiful Gardens offer retailers a unique opportunity, to participate in a program that is specific for plants proven successful throughout the state of Virginia. In addition, being founded by the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association and Virginia Tech, this program gives the public assurance that selected plants have proven success. In the near future, new plants will be offered and only participating retail garden centers will offer these plants. This distribution edge is a huge incentive for a Garden Center to become involved with Beautiful Gardens, now. ‘Plants of Distinction’ are not new but were determined by Beautiful Gardens to be underutilized in the landscape. This program is a great way to enable public appreciation for the value of chosen plants.” “Beautiful Gardens plant introduction program has been taking shape since 2003,” says Rick Baker, Market Development Manager for the VA Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services (VDACS). “A group of interested and proactive individuals from many segments of the Industry came together and formed an organization that would introduce new plants to the market and expand production opportunities for Virginia growers.” “Beautiful Gardens is providing,” says Hensel, “a strong marketing campaign that exposes these plants to the general public. Participating garden centers will have plants on display and use display kits provided by Beautiful Gardens. Through the implementation of this marketing campaign, all participating garden centers should experience increased sales for the identified underutilized plants. I have participated in many plant branding programs, but nothing gives me more pleasure than to support a program like this one, specific to the state of Virginia.” Beautiful Gardens Difference –
With some funding from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission (VTICRC), Beautiful Gardens is a project designed to develop new and promote underused varieties of ornamental plants that adapt well to a wide range of planting zones. “After we applied for the VTICRC grant,” says Virginia nurseryman Fred Duis of Duis Nursery located in Bedford, “the grant was used to fund the initial stages of the Beautiful Gardens program. Then, through other sources, we gained additional grants that fund the establishment of 1-acre test sites in Glade Spring, Bedford, Halifax County and Blacksburg. Further grant resources helped us expand our test sites to other regions of the state such as Norfolk Botanical Garden and allowed us to hire Dr. Rumen Conev as our Executive Director and Lisa Lipsey as a technician with responsibilities that include the gathering of data from the test sites.” By creating a production and marketing infrastructure and research-based technical and educational information, Beautiful Gardens expects to boost ornamental horticulture production and sales across the state of Virginia. One specific goal is to provide alternative crop choices in the tobacco regions of south-side Virginia. As a means to support the transition of farm crops from tobacco production, a Tobacco Farmers Workshop: Greenhouse Management School was held in Halifax, Virginia. Beautiful Gardens Program - Partnering with the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association (VNLA); Departments of Horticulture at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (VA Tech); the Institute for Sustainable and Renewable Resources (ISRR) at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) Danville, VA; Virginia Master Gardeners Association (VMGA); Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE); Norfolk Botanical Garden (NBG); Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS); Claytor Nature Study Center at Lynchburg College; and Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission (VTICRC), the Beautiful Gardens program has focused its 2009 effort toward its first group of ‘Plants of Distinction ’ – plants recognized for their Mid-Atlantic sustainability. Details of the Beautiful Gardens program are available at web site http://www.cpe.vt.edu/outreachnow/presentations/VCE-ON-Beautiful.pdf . About Beautiful Gardens – “The pace of plant development, plant evaluation, and possible introduction is agonizingly slow,” says Duis, “Using classical breeding techniques, years elapse between the initial cross, seed germination, seedling development, testing, and replicating a market ready plant so that adequate numbers exist for sale. Consequently, we are trying to expedite the search for new plants in several ways. Still, the idea of plant breeding and introduction is fascinating to nurserymen. Many of us are tethered to our properties because of the almost daily care that our product demands. Consequently, our ability to physically travel the world looking for the new and unusual is curtailed. By participating in plant breeding, we can stay at home and have a glimpse into the unknown. Each seed that sprouts is an opportunity to peek around the bend, to peer over the next ridge: new territory, new adventures and new plants. And, who knows, one of those seedlings may be just the plant that every gardener must have.” For further detail of Fred Duis involvement, contact him at Duis Nursery’s phone number 540-586-0693 or email duisnursery@worldnet.att.net . In 2010, additional plants are scheduled for release. Beautiful Gardens is presently soliciting nominations for its 2011 distribution. For details of ‘how to’ nominate a plant click here. Or, to nominate a plant, contact Rumen V. Conev, Ph.D., Executive Director Beautiful Gardens Plant Introduction Program at 540-231-6323 or ConevR@vt.edu or Lisa Lipsey, Program Coordinator at 540-231-6961 or llipsey@vt.edu
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Send mail to info@horticulturemanagement.com with
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While
many plant introduction programs tempt the gardening public’s need to acquire
the latest and greatest plants, Beautiful Gardens focus is ‘Plants of
Distinction’, plants tested across varied climactic zones of the state of
Virginia. Resulting in the fact that Independent Garden Center partners and
their customers have confidence in the success of a Beautiful Gardens
selection. 