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Maria Zampini
President, UpShoot LLC

Upcoming  Events

June 18
West Chicago, IL
Darwin Perennials Day 
  
July 12 – 15
Columbus, OH
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Cultivate ’14
  

Maria’s Work
in Words

Garden Center Magazine

Garden Center Magazine
Retail ponderings: Paint the town profitable

Nursery Management magazine

Nursery Management
Tip Jar: Put on Your Game Face

HGTV Home Plant Collection Logo

HGTV HOME Plant Collection Blog

Maria is now a regular contributor to the HGTV HOME Plant Collection blog. Check out
 hgtvhomeplants.com and click on “Know How!” 

Flower Power at your Fingertips

Dr. Allen ArmitageDr. Allan Armitage has developed a new mobile gardening app; Armitage’s Greatest Perennials and Annuals.

Developed for both Android and iPhones platforms, Dr. Armitage selects his favorite annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses and veggies, letting readers know why he chose them.  He also provides hints for success in the home landscape.

Dr. Armitage's app

A unique and popular feature is deer browsing and most recently a rabbit browsing feature has been added too! Other new additions are ornamental grasses and vegetables. Numerous photos and videos supplement the plant specific information.

Joe Lamp'lExecutive Producer and Host Joe Lamp’l of Growing a Greener World says, “Having Allan Armitage’s app is the next best thing to having Allan personally by my side or yours.”

Garden for Wildlife Month

While June might be Perennial Gardening Month, May is Garden for Wildlife Month.

The National Wildlife Federation encourages gardeners to turn their outdoor space in to a Certified Wildlife Habitat®.

A portion of the sales of American Beauties® native plants benefits the NWF. We’re proud LCN Selections Blue Blaze Viburnum and Geauga Gray Dogwood are in this program.  Consider adding these “Mother Nature’s Birdfeeders” to your landscape.

Blue Blaze™ Arrow Wood Viburnum 
Viburnum dentatum x ‘Blubzam’

Blue Blaze Arrow Wood Virburnum


Geauga® Gray Dogwood
 

Cornus racemosa ‘Geazam’

Geauga Gray Dogwood

Two other LCN Selections – Counties of Ohio Gray Dogwoods Huron and Muskingum – were just featured as Sustainable Alternatives in Nursery Management Magazine.

Pocket Full of Gold daylily

Daylily Days

A favorite perennial of mine, Pocket Full of Gold daylily is a gardening workhorse; long blooming, salt tolerant and edible!

Remove the stamens, rinse, dry and fry whole or strips after coating in a batter mix like Whistle Stop. Include cleaned petals and chopped tender parts of stems and tubers in salads.

Hemerocallis Coolers

Stay cool during the summer with this infused drink.

Ingredients:
12 daylilies (remove stamens)
½ cup sugar
2 cups spring water
7-Up
Apricot & Orange Juice

Directions:

Make an infusion using 6 daylilies, ½ cup sugar, 2 cups of spring water. Bring to a boil and simmer. Reduce by 1/3. Strain liquid and chill.

Mix infusion equally with 1 part apricot juice, 1 part orange juice and 1 part 7-Up.

Pour over remaining daylilies, serve with ice. Garnish with borage and monarda flowers.

Tip: Eat daylilies in moderations as they can have a diuretic effect.

American Salute Fruit

GreenCare for Troops

With Memorial Day, D-Day, Flag Day and July 4th on the horizon, it reminds me that any day is the right day to thank those who have served our country, preserving our freedom.

GreenCare for Troops is a nationwide program coordinated by Project Evergreen that connects local green industry professionals with men and women serving in the armed forces. Tell a military family about this service or consider volunteering to show your support.

To commemorate the loss of a hero, you can plant a tree or shrub as a memorial dedication.

American Salute CrabappleAmerican Spirit CrabappleAmerican Triumph Crabapple

America SaluteAmerican Spirit and American Triumph crabapples are fitting trees to honor our military heroes. In fact we donated them for a planting in Grand River, Ohio in memory of local police officer and Marine Lance Corporal Andy Nowacki.

Crabapple blossom

Tree-planting ceremony tips can be found in the book “How to Plant a Tree.”

Dr. Allen Armitage

Perennial Celebrations

Mark your calendar for these consumer and trade perennial events!

Dr. A’s Greatest Perennials & Annuals Webinar by Horticulture Magazine on Thursday, May 22nd from 2-3 pm EST.
Ball Horticultural
Darwin Perennials Day on Wednesday, June 18th from 8 am – 3 pm CST at the Ball Gardens in West Chicago, Illinois (I’ll be there representing the HGTV HOME Plant Collection’s Essential Perennials).
Lavendula

Ball Seeds Field and Landscape Day on Friday, July 25th at the Ball Gardens in West Chicago, Illinois starting at 8 am.

Perennial Plant Association

The Perennial Plant Association will host their annual Perennial Plant Symposium July 28 – August 1 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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