Issue #129 September 2020 |
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September 2020
A moment of silence, please, for the summer trade shows that didn’t happen and the fall/winter shows that won’t. We didn’t see you at Darwin Day, Cultivate, PPA, TNLA, FNGLA or FarWest. We won’t get to rub, or bend, elbows with you at the Griffin Expo or MANTS. And (sniff!) doggone it, we miss you.
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Our new production range is in full swing, with dramatic improvements in product flow and efficiency over the space it replaced. Our growers (and your plants!) are happy in the cleaner, brighter environment and better air flow, too. |
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In case you wondered, Laura and Marco didn’t impact our operations; just lots of rain on the Panhandle. Hurricane season is always a fraught time down here. So far (knock wood), so good. But the season is far from over, and our thoughts are with our peers, colleagues and in some cases relatives to the west who weren’t so lucky this time. |
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After a record-setting hot July, with the AC working overtime, August was a relief. But summer rains came often enough to keep lawns green and farmers happy. Nick (last month’s Rock Star) hasn’t had to use the irrigation system in our trial gardens, where newcomers Amsonia Butterscotch and Agastache ‘Crazy Fortune’ are kickin’ butt!
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Agastache ‘Crazy Fortune’
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Inside the greenhouses, the Achillea Desert Eve series are looking fabulous, and Aquilegia Songbird, Swan and Winky are ready for fall planting and spring selling.
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Achillea Desert Eve™ Red Improved
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Aquilegia vulgaris Winky Rose-Rose
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Our Rock Star award honors ECG employees who demonstrate a sustained high level of performance and inspire others. Our latest recipient: Kyle Lipsey, ECG’s Shipping Assistant Manager. Kyle’s been with us for 18 years, all in shipping.
Colleagues who nominated Kyle used the phrase “gets it done.” One said, “He’s a great problem solver. He’s been around long enough to see potential issues before they happen.” Others described him as helpful, calm, cool, efficient and polite, “even in the craziest of shipping weeks.”
Anyone who can live up to all those adjectives during busy shipping times, especially in this unpredictable year, is undeniably an ECG Rock Star.
Congratulations, Kyle! And thank you for a job well done.
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This month’s hot lick pick isn’t a plant, it’s a book. Remember books? They’re often faster than a search engine, y’know. Old friend and industry champion Dr. Allan M. Armitage, UGA Emeritus, has released the Fourth Edition of Herbaceous Perennial Plants, a must for the horticulturist’s bookshelf. Dr. A has pulled off a rare balancing act. His 1,000+ page tome is technical enough for the classroom, but breezy and entertaining enough to be read for enjoyment. We recommend it.
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In-house puzzlemeistress Anna Graham returns with a sizzling new stumper! Anna challenges you to find 16 hort-related words hidden among the weeds (extraneous letters). Words run in all directions: Forward, backward, horizontally, diagonally and vertically. |
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Acorus
Adagio
Ajuga
Aster
Dianthus
Grasses
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Hosta
Karley Rose
Miscanthus
Monarda
Pennisetum
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Scapes
Seed
Stamen
The Blues
Tissue
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No, it’s not interactive. Anna’s middle name is Logg. Print it, solve it and send a scan or a snap to anna.graham@ecgrowers.com. All correctly weeded Griddles will be entered in a drawing for cool ECG swag! Because Anna likes you. She really, really likes you.
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TRAY BON!
GARDENS OF THE GODS: Chelone (Turtlehead)
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In Greek mythology, the nymph Chelone was invited to the wedding of Zeus and Hera. She blew it off, preferring to stay home. Miffed, the gods flung Chelone and her precious house into a river and transformed both into a hybrid: a turtle. She’d never have to (or be able to) leave home again.
That legend lives on in the perennial palette as Chelone, a.k.a. “turtlehead” due to the beaked flower. You have to squint a little to see the resemblance.
Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’
Rosy, lipstick-pink flowers in late summer over deep green glossy foliage. Plants grow 2 – 3’ tall. Pinch in spring if a shorter stand is desired. Hardy in Zones 3-9.
C. obliqua Tiny Tortuga™ (‘Armtipp02’) PP25350
Dutch-bred for compact habit, shorter stature and lots of hot pink butterfly-friendly flowers. Height: 18 – 24”. Hardy in Zones 4-8.
Like its mythical namesake, this American native genus likes to be around water. It’s happiest in moist humus-y soil in full sun to part shade.
Moral: When summoned to divine nuptials, RSVP promptly. Take a nice gift. And grow your legend with smooth-planting, fast-finishing 72-cell Chelone liners from ECG.
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Chelone obliqua Tiny Tortuga™
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Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’
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This endless summer is about to end, as they all do. Covid-19 has cost us lots of networking ops and hands-on looks at what’s new in hard and soft goods. But sure as endless summers end, trade shows will eventually resume. Face time will always beat FaceTime.
Until that day, until we meet again, happy trails.
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John Friel
Marketing Manager
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