News

HGTV adds Ball Ornamentals to Home Plant Collection
The HGTV Home Plant Collection is growing its plant product line with the introduction of ornamental shrubs from Ball Ornamentals. The ornamental shrubs will start to become available to select retailers for the 2013 season.

The Ball plants in the collection are: buddleia Flutterby Petite Blue Heaven, Flutterby Flow Lavender, Flutterby Grande Peach Cobbler and Flutterby Pink; hydrangea Double Delights ‘Perfection’ and Next Generation Wedding Ring; Peaches and Cream grevillea; Radiance ozothamnus; Summer Sorbet bluebeard; Sunshine Daydream abelia; Golden Magic gardenia; and monkey flower Burst Berry, Burst Lemon and Burst Orange.

Plants will be marketed in a 2-gallon branded container.

For more information on the HGTV HOME Plant Collection, visit www.hgtvhomeplants.com.

News Notes

House GOP drops farm bill extension, provides drought aid
The House voted 223-197 to provide $383 million in emergency drought assistance to farmers and ranchers, delaying work on the 2012 Farm Bill (which would also have provided disaster assistance) until at least September.

The current farm bill, which expires at the end of September, includes special, and very valuable, programs for the nursery and greenhouse industry, defined as “specialty crops” by the USDA.

USDA funds tree replanting in Massachusetts
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has committed $1 million to plant trees in the areas within Worcester County, Mass., which are fighting an infestation of the Asian lornhorned beetle.

The ALB, a tree-killing invasive insect, was first detected in Worcester in August 2008 by a homeowner, and currently 110 square miles in the central part of the state are regulated for the pest.

For more: http://beetlebusters.info/

Rough Brothers acquires assets of XS Smith
Rough Brothers Greenhouses purchased the assets of XS Smith on Aug. 16, which includes all manufacturing equipment and inventory, trade names, and all greenhouse structure and systems products and designs.

Rough Brothers intends to use the existing XS Smith facility in North Carolina to add to existing Rough Brothers production operations in Cincinnati and Shanghai, China. The additional space allows Rough Brothers to expand production capability and reduce shipping costs for customers in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southern markets.

Michael Dirr announced as CENTS keynote speaker
The Central Environmental Nursery Trade Show (CENTS), announced that Michael Dirr will headline next year’s event as its keynote speaker and presenter. Dirr is a Mercer scholar, international author of 13 books and more than 300 publications, and considered one of the green industry’s most celebrated plant experts. He’s also a frequent contributor to Nursery Management.

CENTS takes place Jan. 14-16, 2013 at The Greater Columbus Convention Center and is sponsored by the Ohio Nursery Landscape Association (ONLA). For more show info, go to www.onla.org.