In this issue:
  • GrassSolutions for Ground Covers
  • Greenhouse Grower: Problem-free Production Scheduling for Panicum
  • GPN 40 Under 40 Includes Kata Kress Wallace
  • Green Infrastructure to Reduce Flooding
  • Former Intern Hunter Hall Named HortScholar
  • Resources for Students Through Seed Your Future
Focus on Grasses
GrassSolutions ™ for Ground Covers
Green spaces play a vital role in our health and well-being. That’s why growing plants that make our landscapes work and provide ecological functions is so important. In a recent post, we highlighted a few GrassSolutions™ that give you sensible and stylish choices for covering the ground.

What’s the big deal about ground covers? They reduce costs while offering big benefits. Ground covers help prevent weeds by competing for open ground and other resources. They hold in the soil and reduce erosion. They slow and filter runoff, reducing pollutants that flow downstream into rivers, lakes, and oceans. That translates to cleaner water for everyone. In shady or partially shady spots where turfgrass rarely thrives, they’re easier to establish than traditional lawns. And they don’t need to be mowed. With a ground cover in place, you’re doing all kinds of great work while using minimal resources.

Many of the low-growing grasses and sedges we offer are excellent ground covers.

Read the post to see our suggestions. 
Problem-Free Production Scheduling for Panicum

Our series last year on problem-free Panicum has new attention in this recent article in Greenhouse Grower. Get tips for scheduling Panicum production and taking advantage of its warm-season nature.

Read more
www.greenhousegrower.com
GPN 40 Under 40
Kata Kress Wallace Honored in GPN's 2020 Class

She works with a diverse team to continuously improve production and keep up our spirits. We are excited and proud to see Kata Kress Wallace named to this year's 40 Under 40. Each May, GPN recognizes young professionals who are shaping the industry.

Read more
gpnmag.com
Promoting the Power of Plants
Green Infrastructure to Reduce Flooding
After decades of major flood disasters—and projections for increases in rainfall, coastal flooding, and population—North Carolina is exploring ways to lower its flood risk. Green infrastructure projects like bioswales and green streets are nature-based strategies that can help reduce the stormwater runoff that contributes to flooding.

The Pew Charitable Trusts and the North Carolina Coastal Federation have organized a year-long process that will encourage use of nature-based solutions across the state. The program, called Advancing Nature-based Stormwater Strategies in North Carolina , brings together stakeholders from across the state to develop practical, consensus-driven recommendations. They'll share these recommendations with the governor's office, relevant state agencies, local governments, and business to support expanded use of these green infrastructure strategies.

pewtrusts.org
Students sit in a North Carolina State University plaza built with nature-based stormwater management features such as permeable pavement, rain gardens, submerged pipes, and cisterns to slow and filter rainwater. Landscape architecture students developed the design to reduce flooding and erosion while providing environmental and beautification benefits. Hoffman Nursery consulted on the planting design and donated plants to this and other similar projects on campus. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Blasco
Connecting the Future of Horticulture
Former Intern Hunter Hall Named HortScholar
We were thrilled to see Hunter Hall, a horticulture student at the University of Mt. Olive, named a 2020 HortScholar . The AmericanHort program offers students an opportunity to explore the industry and meet leaders and professionals from across the country.

This news is particularly exciting because Hunter was an intern with us in the summer of 2018. She had been aiming for a career in agricultural education but realized horticulture is where her true calling lies. She switched her major to horticultural science and has been pursuing it with passion. Big congrats to Hunter for this honor! We continue to follow Hunter's career and can't wait to see what she accomplishes.

Learn more about Hunter and the other scholars.
Hunter Hall, a 2020 AmericanHort HortScholar, who interned at Hoffman Nursery.
Resources for Students Through Seed Your Future
Chances are pretty good you know a horticulture student. If so, here's a quick tip that can set them on a path to success.

The Seed Your Future website has a new resource that helps students find scholarships to support their education and training in horticulture. The Horticulture Scholarship Search Tool lets them search by area of interest or by sponsoring organization. It's the fast track to finding funding.

The website has other tools that can help students connect. There's an online database of horticulture programs in the U.S. and Canada. And for those looking for internships, there's a Horticulture Internship Search Tool . Given how important green spaces are to our health and well-being, investing in the future of horticulture is in everyone's best interest.
Trevor Stark was an intern at Hoffman Nursery and has been working with us as a grower since 2018. He's part of the next generation pursuing careers in horticulture.
Upcoming Events
In-person events are suspended for now, and virtual is the new event mode. See our upcoming events page to find out where we hope to be and what's happening.
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