Welcome to 'Sprout,' American Nurseryman's e-newsletter published on the first and third Thursdays of each month. For even more, be sure to read our May issue.

ONLA seeks to educate
The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association has launched its Education 2.0 Initiative, a comprehensive program featuring face-to-face events, webinars, hands-on workshops, bus tours, diagnostic walkabouts … just about any means you can imagine will be employed to help you garner the tools and gain the knowledge to succeed—and to ensure long-term business growth. The program follows ONLA’s initial Business Track launch at the 2011 CENTS Marketplace. Read more>

EAB’s worst enemy
Man’s best friend may become emerald ash borer’s worst enemy in Minnesota as the state’s department of ag teams with Working Dogs for Conservation to train mutts to sniff out EAB. So far, the four pups being trained are able to detect EAB infested material and ash tree material in containers; the goal is for the dogs to search successfully in natural settings where distracting scents abound. This is the first program of its kind in the U.S., and it’s expected that the dogs may be ready to go to work as early as July. Read more>

Housing heats up!
Housing starts in April increased 2.6 percent over the previous month—doesn’t sound like much, does it?—but it’s a good sign for economic recovery. Compared to last year, residential construction rose 29.9 percent, according to the Commerce Department. As reported by Reuters, “Sentiment among home builders touched a five-year high in May, a survey showed on Tuesday, amid growing optimism about current sales and buyer traffic over the next six months.” Maybe optimism begets optimism. Read more>

What’s threatening trees in LA?
Fusarium dieback, that’s what. A UC Riverside plant pathologist has identified a new species of Fusarium that’s being transmitted by the Tea Shot Hole Borer (Euwallacea fornicatus), a sneaky li’l bug no larger than a sesame seed. Residential avocado and landscape trees in Los Angeles County are suffering branch dieback and general decline, and although the beetle was first detected in the area in 2003, it wasn’t until researchers found both the bug and the fungus on the same tree that the connection was made. Pathologists are working now to characterize the fungus’ specific identification. Read more>

Plants Give Back
We knew that, didn’t we? But do your customers? Help them understand with a nifty little video from BASF, called “Plants Give Back: Benefits of Ornamentals.” It can be seen on YouTube, or here.

Contain yourself, please!
It might not be easy, though, when you see the inspiration in American Nurseryman’s May issue. Watch for “Potting Up Profits”, which features fabulous ideas for easy-to-create and colorful containers that can fill the value-added niche in your landscape and retail plans. Two container-garden experts show you how to make the most of pots and plants: Barbara Peake Wise, author of Container Gardening for All Seasons: Enjoy Year-Round Color with 101 Designs; and Todd Holloway, a designer and owner of Pot Incorporated, an award-winning container and landscaping company. (Photo by Todd Holloway/www.potinc.ca) Read more>

New site for bulb retailers
Dig.Drop.Done has launched a new trade website for flower bulb retailers in the U.S. and Canada, designed to assist garden centers sell more … you guessed it … bulbs. Site contents include in-store display templates, advertising templates, social media instructions and platform-specific guides, basic bulb knowledge, frequently asked bulb questions, and iFrames for easy embedding of content from DigDropDone.com. Read more>

Farwest Show is in August, folks. August.
We’re very sorry to report that our bleary little eyeballs didn’t catch a typo in the May issue’s event preview, which erroneously stated that the Farwest Show is scheduled for Sept. 23 to 25. We know better. It’s August 23 to 25. And it’s not to be missed. So don’t forget: August 23 to 25 in Portland, Oregon. Read more>

People News

Story to lead Montana association
Jyl Story has been appointed executive director of the Montana Nursery & Landscape Association. The new address for the MNLA is P.O. Box 215, Park City, Mont. 59063 Read more>

Hot Products

‘Totally Tangerine’ geum
Seriously, is there a better way to celebrate the color of the year? Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ from PlantHaven keeps blooming from early summer through fall, producing up to five times the number of flowers than that of the genus. The deep green, fuzzy foliage forms a compact mound that measures about 14 inches tall, but in full bloom the plant reaches up to 30 inches. ‘Totally Tangerine’ does best in full sun in well-drained soil, and it’s hardy to Zone 4. Read more>

L-shaped edger
The new Teco-Edge, an L-shaped edge restraint from Oly-Ola, is made of heavy-duty, 100 percent recycled PVC with specially engineered drainage slots that make it ideal for green roofs, permeable pavements, grass pavers, vertical green walls … you name it. It’s easy to install and available in rigid or flexible pieces in 6-inch by 6-inch or 4-inch by 4-inch sizes. Custom sizes are also available. Read more>

MultiSpread topdresser
Earth & Turf Products has introduced a hydraulic-drive option for its MultiSpread™, 1-cubic-yard topdresser with exclusive, wide-spread beater. The hydraulic option offers benefits for owners with tow vehicles with remote hydraulic valve and minimum of 6 gpm flow. With the hydraulic-drive option, apron and beater speeds are independent of ground speed, and each is infinitely adjustable independent of each other, providing excellent spreading flexibility. Read more>

Water gardening app
Looking for water garden info on the go? Download Aquascape’s Pond app for iPhone and Android-based smartphones, and you’ll find hundreds of high quality pics, the latest news about Aquascape pond products and events, how-to videos on installation and maintenance, articles and an online store for pond supplies. Visit the iTunes Store or Android Market and search for Aquascape Pond app. Read more>

TeeJet SpraySelect app
A new mobile app from TeeJet promises to simplify your spraying operations; you can easily choose the proper spray tip for a given application. Just enter speed, tip spacing and target rate, and select your droplet size category—and a list of recommended tips is provided. Specific gravity input is also included for use when applying liquid fertilizers. Available for both iPhone and Android devices. Read more>

Finally: Happy little fella