GrassSolutions for October 2017

In this issue:

Add Color with Purple Love Grass
A Tall Grass for Shade Gardens
News from Green Infrastructure
Plants at Work
Upcoming events

Add Color with Purple Love Grass

Looking to add color to your landscape? Purple Love Grass is a real beauty, with a delightful array of seasonal color and texture. It is an excellent choice for sandy or gravelly soils where other plants find it hard to survive.

hoffmanursery.com

A Tall Grass for Shade Gardens

Chasmanthium latifolium, commonly called River Oats or Northern Sea Oats, brings height and texture to shady gardens. Most grasses need full sun, but River Oats thrives with less and lends a lush, beautiful quality to plantings.

Read more
www.dailyherald.com

News from Green Infrastructure

Investing in Nature 101

This article on the Forbes website outlines forward-thinking municipal policies that allow developers to use green infrastructure solutions. This approach protects nature, boosts the economy, and benefits communities.

Read more
www.forbes.com

Sustainable Landscapes: Five Steps To Greener Groundskeeping

Sustainability is more popular than ever across the board. Facility management executives are rethinking their landscapes and focusing on plants and their functionality. Find out what they're doing to improve their green bottom line.

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facilityexecutive.com

Sedges are some of our favorite plants for green infrastructure. They thrive in rain gardens, bioswales, and other stormwater features. They're also fantastic for ground covers or as alternatives to turf grass. Find out why they do great work!

Read more
hoffmannursery.com

Plants at Work

Protect Waterways with Plants

Water that flows through home landscapes eventually makes it way to waterways. That means every landscape can help improve water quality. A buffer of natural vegetation slows runoff, increases infiltration, and reduces pollutants.

A recent article out of coastal Virginia gives homeowners a list of native plants that work well for buffer zones. A number of grasses fit the bill and are well-adapted to other areas of the country, too.

pilotonline.com

See our website for lists of plants for bioswales and rain gardens.

Prairie Plants Yield Big Benefits for Agricultural Lands

Under current cultivation practices, agricultural lands lose biodiversity and ecosystem services. A recent study examined the effects of integrating native prairie perennials in varying patterns and percentages into surrounding row crops. According to the study, converting as little as 10 percent of the cropped area to prairie strips reduced soil loss by 95 percent, nutrient runoff by more than 70%, and doubled pollinator and bird numbers. All this with minimal impact on crop yields.

environmentalresearchweb.org

To learn more about using prairie strips for farmland conservation, visit Iowa State's STRIPS project.

Upcoming Events

IPPS Southern Region 42nd Annual Conference

Oct. 28 - Nov. 1, 2017; Dallas, TX

If it's about making more plants, this is the place. The Southern Region of the International Plant Propagators' Society holds their annual conference this year in Dallas. With days filled with talks on research results, techniques, and trials, it's a wealth of information. There are also tours to share knowledge and get to know colleagues.

Hoffman Nursery's Research & Development Horticulturist Leanne Kenealy will be speaking on her experience as last year's international delegate. She soaked up knowledge, met new friends, and had an amazing time. See Leanne on Monday, Oct. 30 at 11:20am.

Southern Plant Conference

Jan. 8-9, 2018; Baltimore MD

The Southern Nursery Association has pulled together a remarkable lineup of speakers for the 2018 Southern Plant Conference. Twelve top plant experts from across the country, the Channel Islands, and the Netherlands, will share their knowledge and expertise during this two-day conference.

Our Marketing Director, Shannon Currey, will be speaking on new perspectives with green infrastructure. She'll use grasses and sedges to illustrate new ways to think about plants and find opportunities. Catch her talk at 2pm on Mon, Jan. 8.

Check out the full lineup on the conference website.

MANTS

Jan. 10-12, 2018; Baltimore MD

One of the best, the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show is three days of constant activity. Friends and colleagues stop by, and there are plenty of opportunities for networking during this big event. Join us for a look at what's happening with grasses and our industry. Find us in Booths 412 & 414.

Green and Growin'18

Jan. 15-19, 2018; Greensboro, NC

Green & Growin'18 promises to be even better this year. The educational offerings start early in the week, with the trade show on the last two days. Our team will be there throughout the week, but you can definitely catch us in Booths 533 & 535 on Thursday and Friday.

Get the scoop on our newest grasses on Tuesday, Jan. 16, when our R&D Horticulturist Leanne Kenealy presents during the New Plants Forum. See you there!