Honored to Represent
GWA Region III

I am humbled to be re-elected as a GWA Regional Directorfor the new Region III – Great Lakes, which now includes IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, WI and WV. I will be working closely with Linda Nitchman, National Director and Christine Kelleher, Regional Director to promote and organize quality events for our area.

GWA Association Outreach Taskforce Updates

I also serve as chair as the GWA Association Outreach Taskforce.

Our group is working hard to develop
relationships between GWA and other
green industry associations for the
benefit of both organizations membership.

Thank You Steven Stills and Kirk Brown

I would like to recognize our board liaison Kirk Brown for his efforts to establish the

first joint Perennial Plant Association (PPA)
and Garden Writers Association
co-sponsored event which will be held in Princeton, NJ on Saturday, September 28.

Princeton, New Jersey Will Never Be the Same

Participants will tour historic and contemporary gardens. Networking with garden writers, plant propagators, local gardeners, historic house docents, and landscaping professionals is a key feature of this joint program.

Mark Your Calendars Now

The Taskforce is also working very closely with the OFA/ANLA. We’re planning to have the first ever GWA booth at the 2014 OFA Short Course in Columbus next July 12 – 15!

Look for details as they are firmed up in our enews as well as the Quill & Trowel.

Get Involved Today!

The Taskforce is always looking for volunteers to join our team. If you are interested, please contact me via email.

Pinch Me,
I Must Be Dreaming!

I have many fond memories of the GWA 65th Annual Symposium in Quebec City.
However, one stood out above the rest.

St. Lynn’s Press of Pittsburgh, PA announced in Quebec that Pam Bennett and I are co-authoring a new title to be released in 2014!

Left to right:
Holly Rosborough
(Art Director)
Cathy Dees (Senior Editor)
Maria Zampini
Paul Kelly (Publisher)

Pam is an Extension Educator, Horticulture forThe Ohio State Universityand the Master Gardener State Coordinator.

We’ve collaborated on past projects together and I’m so pleased to partner with someone I hold in such high regard and who is so well respected in the green industry.

It’s truly a dream
come true!

Native Plant & Sustainability Conference

You are cordially invited
to join Dr. David Brandenburg, botanist at The Dawes Arboretum,
Jim McCormac of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and myself for an all-day conference on native plants and landscaping sustainability trends.

Phipps Garden Center
Pittsburgh, PA
October 26
8:45am – 2:45pm

Geauga® Gray Dogwood
Cornus racemosa ‘Geazam’

I am speaking:
11am – Noon
Nativars: Blending the Best of Both Worlds
I will be introducing conference attendees to some of the best new selected native cultivars!
A ‘nativar‘ is a cultivar and/or hybrid of a native species.

Dr. Allan Armitage

According to Dr. Allan Armitage: “They should rule the garden” since nativars can provide the best of both worlds: a landscape improved by the ecological impact of natives and a way to address problems that usually plague certain native species.

New Varieties
Showcase Winner

UpShoot is proud to represent Persian Spire™Parrotia.

We’re thrilled that it won an Award of Merit at the
2013 Farwest show!

Maria and John at the Farwest show standing with the Award of Merit winner Persian Spire.

Persian Spire can be grown as a small tree, hedge or screen.
We believe this is a stronger contender for landscape designers/architects and gardeners in Zones 5 – 8.

We’ve provided test plants to GWA member Karen Chapman of Le Jardinet in Washington for her evaluation and input.

We have a want list of those interested in receiving sample plants this fall or spring.

If you would like to add your name, please email me at maria@upshoothort.com

Comments from
the Breeder Source

“I always loved Parrotia as a plant”, commented John Lewis, owner of JLPN and Persian Spire breeder.
“In trying to sell Parrotia persica, it had great fall color, but nothing special beyond this single characteristic. Now we have a Parrotia cultivar that brings something else to the table – upright, fast growing, and spring growth with purple edges which can be grown as a tree or a shrub.”

Watch the Instagram video shot by Maria on her cellphone at the 2013 Farwest show.

Download the Press Release and Sales Flyer
to learn more.

If you’re looking to write an article on columnar trees with four seasons of interest, contact Maria for more details on Persian Spire and other slim and trim plants in the UpShoot portfolio.