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In this issue:
- Ready, Aim, Schedule! Finishing Warm-season Grasses
- Carex Lend Themselves to a Variety of Landscapes
- The Green Roof That Keeps Getting Attention
- PPA Landscape Design Awards: Excellence in Perennials
- A Deep-Rooted Prairie Myth
- What's in a Name? Yellow Prairie Grass
- Working Grasses
- Upcoming Events
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Ready, Aim, Schedule! Finishing Warm-season Grasses. | With spring around the corner, it's a good time to check in on scheduling. With the right planning, you can finish beautiful crops of grasses for successful sales. Warm-season grasses are the most common in the trade, so we'll focus on those for this post. | | | |
Carex Lend Themselves to a Variety of landscapes | We sedge heads know Carex offer cool colors, workhorse selections, and great versatility. That's why we love seeing consumer-oriented articles that tout their virtues. North Carolina-based horticulturist Amy Dixon writes about sedges in this week's Winston Salem Journal. See why your customers will be asking for them! | | | |
The Green Roof That Keeps Getting Attention
There was a wait, but projects in North Carolina finally got the nod from the state chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (NCASLA). We were thrilled to see our fabulous customer-partner, Livings Roofs, recognized for their Garage Apartments Green Roof in Asheville, NC. It received the Merit Award for Residential Design.
According to Living Roofs, "This hardworking, beautiful piece of infrastructure was recognized for its beauty and function. This roof continues to teach us so many lessons, including how green roofs promote biodiversity, reduce roof temperature, provide habitat and food sources for native pollinators, and reduce stormwater runoff."
This isn't the first time this project has been in the spotlight. It also received a 2019 Award of Excellence from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
See more of this project and get the full roster of NC award winners.
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PPA Landscape Design Awards: Excellence in Perennials
Do you have a project that showcases perennials? The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) is now accepting applications for the 2022 Landscape Design Awards. The awards recognize design projects that are exemplary in the use of herbaceous perennials to help create balanced and beautiful landscapes.
These award-winning projects bring out some of the best qualities of grasses. Texture, translucence, movement, sound, and a host of ecological benefits. Take a look at the 2021 winners and consider submitting your projects! The application deadline is March 18.
Go to the award info and application page or browse the 2021 award winners
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A Different Look at Grasses | |
A Deep-Rooted Prairie Myth | Yes, prairie grasses and wildflowers have very deep roots. But research over the last decade or so has built a strong case against the idea that those plants use their deep roots to find moisture during times of scarcity. In fact, they might not be using them to draw moisture at all. The Prairie Ecologist explains. | | | |
What's in a Name? Yellow Prairie Grass | Changes abound in the world of taxonomy and naming plants. Current cultural discussions are widening our traditional thinking of plant names and how we arrive at these names. Dr. Mary Meyer, a noted grass expert, proposes we think about Sorghastrum nutans in a new light. Let's talk about Yellow Prairie Grass. | | | |
Working Grasses
While many cultivated varieties of grasses come out of ornamental horticulture, the U.S. government plays a key role, too. The Plant Materials Program, housed under the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, develops new varieties for forage, cover, and conservation purposes.
Most of their work focuses on agriculture, but we always find wonderful nuggets of information that help us better understand grasses. That's why the yearly program summaries from the plant materials centers are worth a good browse.
You can access summaries from each of the program's 25 plant materials centers here. Or, jump to these reports that feature grass-related topics:
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The NRCS Plant Materials Centers conduct studies and develop new plants for a range of applications. This study from the Cape May, NJ center examined Saltmeadow Cordgrass for biomass production. | |
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March 16-19, 2022
NC State University, Raleigh, NC
This annual, three-day competition and networking event brings together horticulture students from across the country. Hosted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, the venue rotates to a different college or university each year.
2022's competition is at North Carolina State University, and Hoffman Nursery will once again sponsor the annual & perennial identification event. We've been involved with this event for several years and continue to marvel at the enthusiasm and interest we see from students. See you there!
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July 16-19, 2022
Columbus, OH
Cultivate is a must-attend event for the green industry. We are excited to take part and see our friends and colleagues in person. Join us at Booth #3013 for a chance to catch up, share your stories, and hear what's happening with grasses.
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August 1-5, 2022
Lancaster, PA
Registration is now open for the Perennial Plant Association 2022 National Symposium. From tours of public and private gardens to education crafted for diverse industry interests, this is THE event for perennial plant people.
The National Symposium will be hosted at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square from August 1-5 of 2022, with tours exploring surrounding areas. Participants will have the opportunity to attend education, tours, socials, dinners, and a trade show and can choose to participate in the weeklong experience (Monday-Friday), or a three-day Core Symposium (Tuesday-Wednesday).
Hoffman Nursery is proud to be a year-round partner with PPA, and we hope to see you there!
Get more information and register here.
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Download Availability & Order Form
Prices for liners, number of liners currently in stock, and future availability are listed in PDF and Excel files. You may also use these as order forms. Need details on what the numbers mean? Learn more here.
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Join us for the best in grass-related content. | | | | | |
