Long Island Area Meeting Sizzles

Fifty-six attendees from seven states came to the east end of Long Island to attend the July 7th Area Meeting - a great turnout! It might have been hot that day but it didn’t keep the growers away. Attendees were divided into small groups to rotate among 6 different stations where industry professionals shared their expertise. Eastern Region IPPS President Mike Emmons welcomed the group in the morning and later commented that "the format worked great, allowing time for both gathering new information and asking questions in an open, informal atmosphere."
Cornell Cooperative Extension entomologist Dan Gilrein illustrated cottony maple scale which has been very prevalent on the western end of Long Island this year. He said that with the local wind patterns, it could end up to the east soon. He also had a great demonstration of different leaf feeding beetles that are destroying ornamental plants in local nurseries and landscapes. Dan displayed variegated pachysandra with euonymus scale and noted that propagating from new growth in the spring would prevent the problem from persisting in the new production cycle.
	Cornell Plant Pathologist Margery Daughtrey came with many examples of diseases growers have been battling this year. She gave suggestions to control rust and black spot on roses - yes, even on Knockouts and many herbaceous perennials. Margery noted that black spot produces ethylene which actually creates yellowing of the leaves and forces them to drop. In light of this, she cautioned growers to check their soil fertilizer levels before re-fertilizing.
Joel Kroin, of Hortus USA, talked to the groups about rooting hormones and the history of their development. He stated that the application of water based rooting hormones to the foliage after sticking can also promote stronger, healthier roots. J oel was given a big round of applause over a barbecue lunch for the IPPS T-shirts each attendee received thanks to the generous sponsorship of Hortus USA.
	Craig Wall, Harrell’s Fertilizers, gave a detailed presentation about the different fertilizers available to growers and how and when to use them. He reminded attendees to always monitor their growing media and check the pH as low pH or micronutrients might prevent them from fully utilizing their fertilizer.
Armando Suarez of Netafim provided a hands-on approach to different irrigation nozzles and drip emitters. He noted that irrigation needs depend on your greenhouse set-up and the types of plants being grown. Armando had the hottest location that day but could at least cool down by re-directing the nozzles!
	Dan Jacques, of SunGro Horticulture, gave a demonstration of soilless media. He talked about soil aggregates and how the types of media to be utilized depend on the kinds of plants being grown and their stage of growth.
At the end of the day, people were free to tour the various trial gardens at Cornell’s Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center: the Annual Trial Garden, the Alternatives to Invasives Garden and the Perennial Trial Garden. Nora Catlin (Floriculture Specialist, CCE-Suffolk), Alexis Alvey (Nursery & Landscape Specialist, CCE-Suffolk), and Mark Bridgen (Cornell University LIHREC) were on hand to lead informal tours and answer questions. Thanks to Mark Bridgen, Gerarda Boger and Michelle Shepard for organizing this meeting.

Chicago Area Meeting: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 The Chicago Area Meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 13th at Intrinsic Perennial Gardens in Hebron, IL. The morning program will feature talks by Intrinsic President Brent Horvath [see picture], Northwind Perennial Farm co-owner Roy Diblik and Todd Jacobson, head of horticulture at The Morton Arboretum. After lunch, generously sponsored by the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois, there will be a tour of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens from 1:30 - 3:30. You are invited to join these plant professionals for a day that is both educational and fun! Morning program: Brent Horvath will discuss the breeding, selection and propagation of Intrinsic's plant introductions. They have 9 plant patents and 6 more to file. Intrinsic licenses their plants to other growers and propagators; currently over thirty licensed companies grow one or more of their patented plants. Roy Diblik's talk is titled Perennial Plant Communities: The Know Maintenance Approach. Roy's thoughtful way to design perennial plantings welcomes fresh contemporary styles and plant diversity integrated with responsible maintenance concerns. Roy has been growing traditional and native perennials since 1978. Todd Jacobson's talk is titled "Perennials in Focus". It will be an introduction to a group of green industry professionals dedicated to the evaluation of new or underused perennial plants in the Chicagoland area. Their goal is to communicate evaluation results to industry professionals and consumers, while at the same time, encouraging the production of top performing perennials from their evaluations Intrinsic Perennial Gardens, Inc. is a wholesale container nursery growing mainly 1-gal perennials including tender perennials, ferns, grasses, shrubs, and vines. They propagate an estimated 80% of their own material: roughly 1/3 is done by seed, 1/3 by cuttings, and 1/3 by division. For propagation purposes they have 1 acre of field beds totaling 11,000 square feet for plug production. Intrinsic Perennial Gardens Inc. started in 1992. They currently list over 900 taxa. Lodging Options: WOODSTOCK MOTELS Days Inn Woodstock 990 Lake Ave. 815-338-0629 Holiday Inn Express 1785 S Eastwood Dr. 815-334-9600 Super 8 Motel 1220 Davis Rd.815-337-8808 Town Square Inn 112 1/2 Cass St. 815-337-4677 HARVARD HOTEL Heritage Inn & Suite 1701 S Division St. 815-943-0700 CLICK HERE for a printable meeting registration form. Questions? Contact Nancy Tures at 815-790-8310 or by e-mail at grtflgrwr@yahoo.com

Longwood Gardens Area Meeting Highlights Sixty people enjoyed a day of talks, touring and socializing amidst the spectacular beauty of Longwood Gardens on February 18, 2010. Attendees from seven states, including ten students, managed to gather on a good travel day between a series of snowstorms that pounded the northeast this February. The meeting was held in the elegant Conservatory Ballroom surrounded by four acres of fabulous displays including the Orchid Extravaganza. IPPS International President, Jim Johnson (left), of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, was on hand to welcome the group and introduce IPPS to those who were not members. Longwood Research Assistant Alan Petravich started the educational program by discussing Longwood Gardens 24-year Clivia breeding program, including past achievements (yellow and brick red Clivia) and future goals (accentuating 'keeling' petals which could lead to a double Clivia). Matt Taylor, Longwood Research Horticulturist explained compost production and use at Longwood where the goal is to capture, compost, and re-use all of their discarded organic matter including all horticultural debris and food residuals (including the napkins, paper plates and cutlery used at the Terrace Cafe!) Longwood's composting program collects 8,000 cubic yards of discarded organic material from on-site and local contractors annually, re-incorporating the compost into the gardens. Tony Aiello (right), Curator and Director of Horticulture at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, talked about Plant Collecting with a Purpose- Exploration in the 21st Century. The Morris Arboretum has built a reputation in plant exploration, with members of its staff traveling to China and other parts of the world where the climate most closely mirrors conditions found here. Jim Harbage, Research and Production Leader at Longwood, spoke on how propagation can help when dealing with virused Canna plants. He explained how it is possible to use shoot-tip culture (micropropagation) to propagate virus-free plants. The use of meristem culture to recover virus-free material from virus infected stock is also being explored. He stated that these methods, in addition to better stock plant management and developing new cultivars from seed should help reduce the prevalence of virus-infected Cannas and restore consumer confidence in this great ornamental crop. Rick Lewandowski, Director of the Mt. Cuba Center, spoke about tapping native plant diversity for the garden. Mt.Cuba Center is a 650-acre non-profit horticultural institution in northern Delaware that is dedicated to the study, conservation and appreciation of plants native to the Appalachian Piedmont Region. Rick discussed how the Mt.Cuba plant introduction program explores the potential value of under-appreciated and under-utilized native plants that can contribute to expanded diversity in the garden. Rick brought seedlings of Persea palustris (Swamp Bay) that were distributed to each attendee. Bill Barnes, owner of Barnes Horticultural Services in Warrington, PA ended the morning program by presenting his views of what the nursery industry will look like in 25-50 years.  He titled the presentation Fast Forward 25-50 Years: Great Expectations.  A sampling of Bill's predictions: the nursery industry will see a shift from national markets to more regional markets; there will be an overall reduction in the number of available plant varieties and growers will move from b&b to container trees.   Dave Sanford and Tony Aiello (left) at lunch in the Conservatory, and then the group was led on a behind the scenes tour of the facilities at Longwood Gardens. The group toured the modern production greenhouses, the research trial plants greenhouse, and the compost facilities. There was time at the end of the day for people to explore Longwood on their own before heading home. Thanks to Jim Harbage, Longwood Nursery Manager Naomi McCafferty and La Tanya Chance for their assistance in organizing this meeting! Left to right: Jim Harbage, Matt Taylor, Rick Lewandowski, Bill Barnes, Tony Aiello, Alan Petravich and Naomi McCafferty in the Longwood Conservatory.

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For more information, contact:

Margot Bridgen, Executive Secretary/Treasurer
IPPS Eastern Region, North America
1700 North Parish Drive
Southold, NY 11971
Phone: 631-765-9638
Fax: 631-765-9648
E-mail: Margot Bridgen