Issue #141 September 2021 |
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Shouldn’t Summer Be Over?
Sorry, it’s still Hot! Hot! Hot! out there. But relief, that blessed relief called Autumn, is finally on the horizon, just around the corner, on its way. Promise. September can be one of the year’s most pleasant parts, with moderating temperatures, cooler nights for windows-open sleeping, and less pressure to do SOMEthing in the garden. For yet another September boon, see “ARRR! It’s Comin’!” below.
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Florida
Our recently-enlarged, much-improved grass and perennial production facility in Milton is in full swing. With more and more crops under full, climate-controlled cover, this modern range is the perfect incubator for your starters.
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We’re getting spiffed up (a little) and ready for company: The Perennial Plant Association’s Pop-Up Symposium will tour our trial garden on September 9th!
Come get an eyeful of nearly 200 taxa in over 35 genera, including Schizachyrium scoparium — 2022 Perennial Plant of the Year! Registered attendees will score some cool ECG booty, too. For info, and to register for this hybrid event: perennialplant.org. Hurry!
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ECG's Lancaster, PA trial garden |
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Inside, our first crop of Begonia liners – you read that right, ECG has Begonias! – will be ready this very month for you to pot. The T-Rex™ and Holiday® series will rock your holiday offering. See What’s Hot! below for the deets.
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Our Rock Star award honors ECG employees who demonstrate a sustained high level of performance and inspire others.
This month, for just the third time in the history of the award, we have a tie.
The two employees who rose to the top of the balloting work together so well, we literally couldn’t give just one of them the award they both richly deserve.
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Jose Hernandez came to work for ECG in 2007. Two years later, Keith Eads joined the team. The term “dynamic duo” has been used to describe their combined effect in the shipping department. This year has been particularly trying: They’ve pretty much been going full speed, non-stop since January. |
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Pictured (from left): Jose Hernandez, Ken Lester - Shipping Manager, and Keith Eads |
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Those who nominated Keith and Jose were unstinting in their praise. Here’s a sample of what they had to say:
"Busiest ship year I can remember! Keith and Jose are two critical pieces of that puzzle, and they help make it happen. Either one would deserve this award."
"My vote is for Keith AND Jose in shipping. These guys are next level. They are both instrumental in getting plants out the door. They never question the process and do it with a smile. My hat is off to these guys. They perform to the highest level in what I consider one of the most demanding departments within the company."
"I nominate Jose Hernandez and Keith Eads! I can’t say enough about their work ethic. They get it done, always willing to jump right in no matter the difficulty of the task. They communicate very well with coworkers and keep the shipping flow going while maintaining a high level of performance. They know the process, and are loyal and dedicated employees. Both would be very deserving of this award."
Shipping is an often-overlooked, but absolutely crucial, phase of our business. Every painstaking process that comes before our plants go into a box, cage or pallet can be wasted if those final steps go awry.
Jose and Keith get it: As the last employees to see and touch the product, what the shipping department does has a huge effect on how that product is perceived by our customers, and how it will perform for them.
Congratulations, Keith and Jose, and thank you both – twice! -- for your dedicated efforts on the company’s behalf. You rock!
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Just in case it’s not already in your calendar, September 19 is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Dreamed up in 1995 by two scurvy landlubbers playing racquetball, ITLAPD was made famous by columnist extraordinaire Dave Barry in 2002. The rest is history. In Dave’s immortal words, “You HAVE the buckles, darn it: Don’t be afraid to swash them!” Or was it the other way around?
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There’s no time like the Dog Days to plan for the Holidays!
We’re known for hardy grasses and perennials, but we have a tender spot for irresistible tender plants. Well, Terra Nova Nurseries’ breeding wizards outdid themselves – again! – with their world-class, multi-purpose Begonias. They’re sensational as houseplants, in mixed containers, or in the shaded summer border. But they really shine as seasonal decor. Your customers won’t be able to resist them either!
T Rex™ Series: Big, Bold and Bodacious!
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Eye-popping, award-winning foliage! Glossy, ruby-red leaves with bold black central accent stripes.
Height 16”
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Exotic and exciting. Massive multicolored leaves have red centers with dark accents, surrounded by emerald green margins with white polka dots.
Height 16”
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Holiday® Series: Spectacular anytime, especially for winter color
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Holly-like pointed leaves, embossed with silver, are generously interspersed with small red flowers.
Height 17 – 22”
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Bright pink flowers contrast beautifully with green-veined silver foliage.
Height 12 – 18”
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Small red/pink flowers peek from dense masses of elegant silver, wing-like leaves with pink stems.
Height 9 – 16”
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Lots of salmon/pink flowers. Sterling silver leaves with mint green centers.
Height 17”
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Quilted leaves, pristine silver/white with deep green starry pattern and maroon undersides. Small white flowers.
Height 18”
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Plant our liners in August for finished fall/winter holiday containers, retail-ready along with traditional seasonal embellishments -- from mums and cornstalks all the way to poinsettias!
Interest in houseplants is growing like a magic beanstalk. Stake your claim to a piece of this burgeoning market with Holiday® and T REX™ Begonias.
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MONTHLY WORD OF THE MONTH |
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Pleonasm (PLEE-oh-nazum). Definition: Roughly equivalent to “redundancy.” Example: “Eight AM in the morning.” Did the world really need another word for that?
Next month: A look at words with two contradictory definitions, like “cleave.”
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How Do You Make Great Greater? Just add Butterscotch™
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Like A. hubrichtii, Butterscotch™ is in constant graceful motion in the slightest breeze. Starry blue flowers appear in spring. Billowy masses of fine, rich green foliage segue to a beautiful golden autumn hue.
So how is it different? Let us recount the ways:
■ Disease resistance: Butterscotch™ doesn’t suffer from the tip dieback that sometimes disfigures the familiar form.
■ Leaf Color: Butterscotch’s slim leaves take on a deeper, richer golden hue in fall.
■ Stem Color: That deceptively-delicate-looking foliage is borne on striking red stems.
■ Flowering: Starry blue flower clusters bloom longer and more uniformly.
■ Vigor: In our side-by-side trials, Butterscotch™ is clearly the stronger grower -- as you’ll see, if you come to the PPA Pop-Up!
We hate to dis a Perennial Plant of the Year (2011) winner. Growers, gardeners and designers know and love A. hubrichtii. It’s a great plant and a good seller.
But even greatness can be surpassed. Go greater. Pour it on with Butterscotch™, in 72-cell liners exclusively from Emerald Coast Growers – your easy choice!
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Do you know why September is called September? It’s Latin for “seventh,” which was its yearly time slot in ancient Rome when there were only ten months. But then astronomers added one named for the goddess Juno and another named for Julius Caesar. Poor #7 got bumped in the batting order and became a numerical oxymoron.
However the ninth month plays out, enjoy it, maties! And if you can make it to our Lancaster digs on the ninth day of the ninth month, so much the better. We’ll be here with bells on, ready to “Hook” you up.
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John Friel
Marketing Manager
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