GrassSolutions - March 2017

In this Issue

Moving Ahead with Research
ASLA's Top 10 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends
Going with Green Infrastructure
Meet the Future of Horticulture
For the Grass Curious

Moving Ahead with Research

Our growing team just took a leap forward with the addition of Leanne Kenealy as Research & Development Horticulturist. She will concentrate on finding optimal growing methods and developing new product lines.

Leanne has a Masters in Horticulture from Clemson University in South Carolina. While there, she worked on peach tree breeding and conducted annuals trials. She was most recently with Moore Farms Botanical Garden in Lake City, South Carolina.

She has started the research program in the new greenhouse facility, which should reap benefits for Hoffman Nursery customers. Read more.

Leanne Kenealy is our new Research & Development Horticulturist.

ASLA's Top 10 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends

Landscape architects are taste-makers who help drive demand for the plants we grow. That's why we're excited to see that grasses fit four of the top ten trends in a recent survey.

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) asked their members to rate the expected popularity of a range of landscape projects. Using native or adapted drought tolerant plants is at the top of the list. The survey results show continued demand for sustainable landscapes that provide a host of benefits.

Click here to read the full article.

Going with Green Infrastructure

Converting Maintained Turf to Native Grasses

Faced with increasing maintenance costs, Charlotte Country Club decided to replace some of their highly maintained turf grass acreage with native grass areas. The project has been very successful, with annual savings of $2,000 per converted acre.

Read more
www.usga.org

The Difference a Park Makes

Large cities like Chicago and Philadelphia are turning to parks to improve their communities. It goes beyond making it green--they're seeing improvements in crime rates and community engagement.

Read more
www.nytimes.com

Dallas is Getting a $600 Million Urban Park

Dallas, Texas, is getting a lot greener. The city is building a 10,000-acre nature district - nearly 12 times as large as Manhattan's Central Park. When it rains, the park will manage the storm water with a series of natural features.

Read more
www.businessinsider.com

Meet the Future of Horticulture

John and Jill Hoffman spent last week meeting horticulture students from across the country. They were all attending the 41st National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. This annual, three-day competition and networking event brings together students from over 60 horticultural programs.

Hoffman Nursery sponsored the annual & perennial identification event. For the Hoffmans, the best part of NCLC is visiting with students. This year, they were once again inspired by students’ enthusiasm for horticulture.

Check out highlights from the NCLC in our blog post.

For the Grass Curious

It turns out that grasses breathe more efficiently. Research from Stanford University finds that grasses use extra helper cells to open stomata wider and close them faster than other plants do. This operation is more efficient, and makes grasses uniquely prepared for climate change.

Read a quick summary of their research and check out the article abstract from Science magazine.