Summer vibe

Summer is in full swing, which means travel. While most of the industry is too busy to take a typical summer vacation, many of you spend it boarding planes or packing vans for events like Cultivate, Farwest and more.

Cultivate is almost a hometown show for the GIE Media crew. We drive down to Columbus from our Cleveland-ish world headquarters, usually stopping at Grandpa’s Cheesebarn along the way. It’s a fun time for the Nursery Management, Greenhouse Management and Garden Center editors to get together and take the industry’s pulse. The show felt healthy, with plenty of foot traffic, especially on the second day. Check out some of our show coverage, starting on pg. 32.

It was a pleasure to host the Horticultural Industries Leadership Awards reception once again. There’s no better way to end the first day of the trade show than to spend some time honoring the finest leaders in the industry. We will begin accepting nominations for the HILA Class of 2024 beginning Oct. 1. In the meantime, visit our website, hila.hortgroupevents.com, to read all about past winners.

I was happy to meet Matt Mika in person at Cultivate. Matt is the new Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs at AmericanHort and he was making the rounds. As a seasoned Washingtonian, he’s got plenty of experience advocating for industries and he’s ready to hit the Hill for horticulture. Read about Matt in this month’s back-page Get to Know Q&A.

If you’re not tired of Ohio yet, read our cover story on Rusty Oak Nursery, starting on pg. 14. Kirk Cekada was a great tour guide, and Rusty Oak is hosting an event this September. If you’re in Ohio and want to meet these guys (you should; they’re fun), watch for more details about that event.

Pretty much as soon as I turn this column in, I’m heading across the border to the Perennial Plant Association’s National Symposium. The event takes place in Niagara Falls, Canada this year, so perhaps it’s an international symposium, at least for me. I’m excited to visit some Canadian nurseries I’ve yet to see.

I hope you’re having a successful trade show season. Where should I head next? Send me an email with suggestions.