The Weekly Dirt, for 8 July '03
An e-mail newsletter from Garden Center Merchandising & Management
editor Carol Miller at http://www.carlinsales.com

* 5 Weall and Cullen garden center locations in Ontario are being
transformed to Sheridan Nurseries locations after the Georgetown,
Ontario, retailer finalized its purchase of Weall and Cullen. A Weall
and Cullen location in Etobicoke, Ontario, was not included in the
sale. Mark Cullen will be the new gardening spokesman for all 11
Sheridan stores and will continue to develop his TV and radio
programs. http://www.sheridannurseries.com

* Lavender is increasingly popular in the landscape because of its
hardy, easy-growing nature and long flowering season. David Salman,
chief horticulturist at Santa Fe Greenhouses, listed his top 5
favorite lavenders (in order): Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso';
Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence'; Lavandula x 'Silver Frost';
Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote Superior'; and Lavandula angustifolia
'Melissa.' To view these plants, visit
http://www.highcountrygardens.com

* Following weeks of various commentators predicting a rosier
unemployment rate, U.S. Labor Dept. announced that the rate instead
jumped to 6.4%, the highest rate in 9 years. Almost a million workers
filed for unemployment between March and June.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

* Ore. Assoc. of Nurserymen voted to change its name to Oregon
Association of Nurseries. Oregon is one of the last green
organizations to change its name from the word "nurserymen" to a
gender-neutral term. Now, only 5 organizations use the word. The name
change and new logo will make their debut at the Farwest Show in
Portland, Aug. 21-23. OAN, 800.342.6401.

* Consumer magazine Country Living Gardener entered a partnership with
Proven Winners. The magazine will print an "Editor's Choice" column
featuring a Proven Winners flower 6 times annually. The plants will be
available for the 2004 season through 2005. 212.649.2577.

* After studying likely areas the Asian longhorn beetle will infest,
USDA scientists predict the aggressive insect will alter the makeup of
North American hardwood forests and rack up $670 billion in damage.
The damage estimate includes potential losses to the lumber, maple
syrup and tourism industries.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2003/030625.htm

* If you have been wanting to train employees on how to create the
best mixed containers, Am. Hort. Society and Univ. of Mich. just may
have the solution. The 2 organizations are teaming to offer an online
12-week course, complete with a certificate in container gardening.
For some Master Gardeners, the course can be applied to required
annual credits. The $70 course also includes membership to AHS and
subscriptions to The American Gardener and a bimonthly electronic
newsletter. http://www.ahs.org/press_room/030624.htm

The Weekly Dirt, for 1 July '03
An e-mail newsletter from Garden Center Merchandising & Management
editor
Carol Miller

* Happy birthday to Hick's Nurseries in Westbury, N.Y., which turns
150 this month! The retailer will celebrate with a reunion party on
July 12. All employees, past or present, and their families are
invited. That includes any great, great (and so on) grandchildren of
an 1853 employee. http://www.hicksnursery.com

* The last thing you would expect to hear from a European botanical
garden is an endorsement of genetically modified plants. But that's
essentially what the Botanical Garden in Berne, Switzerland, is doing.
Klaus Ammann, head of the garden, announced results of a study that
shows, among several findings, that plants modified to be
pest-resistant increase biodiversity since they require fewer
pesticides. Phone: 011.41.31.631.49.11* The Ad Council, which creates
public service ads, is debuting a campaign encouraging homeowners to
plant fire-resistant plants to combat forest fires. One ad shows a
succulent with the plant tag prominently positioned in the front. The
only word on the tag is "firefighter." At the bottom of the photo is
this copy: "Water-retaining succulents and foliage. Planting them
around your home is a simple way you can make it more defensible
against wildfires. Discover other ways you can protect your home and
your loved ones. Visit Firewise.org ."
http://www.adcouncil.org/issues/defend_home_wildfire/

* A legal maneuver intended to publicize health-care research will
also have an impact on green-industry research if passed. The Public
Library of Science recruited Rep. Martin Olav Sabo, D-Minn., to
introduce a bill to that makes any scientific or health research
primarily funded by the government available to the public. The group
is trying to bypass the industry journal process, which limits access
to subscribers and places a copyright on published scientific papers.
"It's a scandal that anyone is denied free access to the results of
research paid for by their tax dollars," said Michael B. Eisen,
co-founder of PLoS. http://www.plos.org/news/announce_wings.html

* The Conference Board has a unique way of measuring how the job
market is faring. It measures the volume of help-wanted ads in 51
newspapers nationwide. By this measure, the job market was flat in
May, following a 3-month sharp decline. During that time, help-wanted
ads declined by 21% in the Middle Atlantic and 14% in both the West
North Central and the East North Central.
http://www.conference-board.org/econ...helpwanted.cfm

* Monrovia launched a consumer awareness campaign in independent
garden centers last week. The campaign emphasizes plant quality to the
gardener and includes various in-store banners and signs, as well as a
7-minute video. http://www.monrovia.com