Open Register

LED Christmas lights are a turn on

More cities and shopping districts are opting for energy-saving LED (light-emitting diode) Christmas lights, USA Today reported.

The tree at New York City’s Rockefeller Center will feature 30,000 LEDs. The national Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., will also be festooned with LEDs. The bulbs are more expensive than incandescent models, but they last longer and are more efficient.

-- Sarah

Holiday shopping outlook is fuzzy

Will consumers scrimp or splurge on Christmas gifts this year? Depends on who you ask.

• Unstoppable shoppers. Slate
• Careful spending. Baltimore Sun
• No cutbacks. The Dallas Morning News

-- Sarah

Garden center exec enters congressional race

Walt Minnick, chairman of the SummerWinds Garden Centers chain, is running for a congressional seat in Idaho, the Idaho Press-Tribune reported. Minnick is 1 of 3 Democratic candidates vying for a win in the 2008 primaries.

-- Sarah

Have your (cup)cake & eat it, too!

Is it just me or is anyone else addicted to the Food Network? I love to watch the seemingly effortless way they take separate ingredients and come out with something totally delish (to borrow a phrase from Rachael Ray). Something else I’ve seen these last few weeks – but which probably been going on for ages now – is the integration of flowers in food.

The most intriguing example was a recent episode of “Challenge.” The Cupcake Challenge, to be exact. Not only did almost every contestant create a showpiece that reflected, emulated and re-created flowers of some sort, but one even used essence of violet in his filling. That little bit won Martin Howard the taste portion of the Challenge.

Megan Ray (no relation to Rachael) used only organic ingredients to craft a garden of delectable delights. The sole contestant who went with an underwater theme also tossed in some aqua-floral beauties.

It’s a fresh way of looking at the usual everyday world and I quite enjoy it. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can come up with next.

-- Jennifer

Christmas decoration sales fall flat this year

Christmas decoration sales are expected to remain about the same as last year at $9.3 billion, Unity Marketing reported.

“Last season the must-have item was the outdoor balloon inflatables, which contributed to the 9.5% growth in sales of Christmas decorations from 2005 to 2006,” said Pam Danziger, Unity Marketing president. “This year stores have little to offer that will generate that kind of excitement and stimulate such strong sales.”

Alternative color combinations aren’t expected to jump-start sales. Nearly 70% of consumers surveyed will stick with traditional red-and-green themes.

-- Sarah

Oh, Christmas trees

If it’s Thanksgiving weekend, your first load of cut Christmas trees should be rolling in any minute now.

A garden retailer once told me that he had never seen domestic disputes get as ugly as when Man and Wife gather round to select the family tree. Invariably, he wants a flocked tree, and she’s in no mood to spend her holidays vacuuming up the mess. His family tradition calls for spruce; hers mandates that only pine trees make real Christmas trees.

The worst case, the retailer told me, ended with the husband peeling out in the parking lot, leaving the missus behind to find her own way home. No sale was made.

Call me Ebenezer. Here are a few not-so-cheery news bits dealing with Christmas trees:

• In New Milford, Conn., police are searching for vandals responsible for damaging hundreds of Christmas trees planted in memory of a woman’s deceased son, who was killed in a car crash two years ago. According to WFSB-TV, row upon row of young trees had 3-4 feet lopped off. The tops of the trees were found scattered throughout the field and woods. A $1,000 reward has been offered.
• Researchers have found that the mold count from a live Christmas tree rose to five times the normal level two weeks after the tree was brought indoors, and that can prove problematic for people with mold allergies. “So if you don’t feel well during the holidays, consider the Christmas tree as a possible source of allergies.” said study co-author Philip Hemmers, an allergist and immunologist.
• Add Christmas trees to Georgia’s down-and-droughty list. Southeastern tree growers say that not every tree out there looks as scraggly as Charlie Brown’s, but it does mean that in some cases, buyers will go home with smaller, less vibrant trees than in years past.

-- Kevin

Yuletide inspiration from GCA's Holiday Tour

Last week, I was on the road with Garden Centers of America visiting retailers in the Boston area. Here are some of the great display ideas I gleaned from the tour. Enjoy! Look for additional coverage in the February issue of Garden Center Magazine.

At A.J. Tomasi Nurseries, a decorative urn and bamboo obelisk pull double duty as a holiday bow display.

Churchill's dazzled visitors with ornate life-sized vignette displays.

Cole Gardens brought the holidays into its birding nook with charming bird-themed trees.

Mahoney's Winchester store found a festive way to display artificial wreaths without taking up precious wall space. These painted fence posts give quick and easy access to products.

Mahoney's Winchester also brings the holidays into its bird department. A birdbath makes a perfect display vessel for ornaments.

Seasons Four, a store specializing in outdoor furniture, doesn't store its primary wares during the holidays. Instead, tables and chairs are decked out for Christmas with themes befitting each grouping's individual style.

-- Sarah 

Garden center manager is Britain’s oldest boss

Britain’s oldest boss celebrated her 100th birthday by completing her regular 9-to-5 shift at Whitehall Garden Centre, the Daily Mail reported. Phyllis Self still drives herself to work and handles all the correspondence, payroll and personnel issues for a staff of nearly 200.

-- Sarah

Rose honors Traditional Home award winners

The garden editor of Traditional Home magazine chose a new rose from The Conard-Pyle Co. to honor recipients of its 2007 Classic Woman award.

The rose, dubbed Classic Woman, is dedicated to the five women recognized for exemplary volunteerism and contributions to communities. This Romantica hybrid tea rose features cream-white flowers, deep green foliage and a mild classic rose fragrance.

-- Sarah

England has one. Can’t we?

While doing research for an article on horticultural recycling for Garden Center’s Project: Green series, I was thrilled when I came across a Web site of a recycler that specializes in horticultural and agricultural recycling, Southern Agri Recycle.

I’ve learned that recyclers are the big stumbling block in recycling horticultural pots. Not that it’s their fault. Recyclers handle every industry’s recycled goods, and there are a lot of extra steps needed to successfully recycle horticultural pots.

First, the pots are made from far too many different types of plastics. Take a look at the bottom of the pots in your store, and you’ll see No. 2, No. 5 or no recycling code marks.

Those three are the most common categories, but just about all seven of the recycling codes can end up on the bottom of a pot.

Since each plastic is processed differently -- such as melting at different temperatures -- you must sort them. Then there’s the dirt problem. A light dusting doesn’t matter too much, but how many pots are crusted in mud? Just a couple of those in a large delivery to a recycler can cause the entire load to be rejected.

Which brings me back to being thrilled at finding a recycler that understands horticultural pot recycling -- it specializes in hort pots. Cool!

Then I clicked to the contact page and found that the recycler is located in southern England, not the American South. Sigh.

I couldn’t resist setting up an interview, though. I wanted to see if the model could be replicated here in the U.S. And I have to say it seems to my uneducated self that it would be very easy to do.

Are you a sustainability geek, too? Then you’ll be interested in my interview with David Jones at Southern Agri Recycle.