Jun 26, 2015
Mother Nature Tries to Play Travel Agent By Tim Hodson

Last week, I traveled to Minnesota to visit Bailey Nurseries to learn more about what they are doing and preview their latest varieties.

While Mother Nature tried desperately to keep me from making it up there, summer storms in the Midwest only delayed us by about two hours. And it’s raining again today. We’ve actually had the wettest June on record here in Illinois, and we still have a day-and-a half to go until July finally gets here. I just wish we could share some of our excess rain with everyone in California.

But the sun was shining brightly by the time we toured Bailey’s container fields and greenhouses. The company has growing facilities in Minnesota, Oregon and Illinois on over 5,000 acres 2,500 of those acres are in the upper Mississippi River Valley of Minnesota. Bailey’s production fields were quite a sight acres and acres of multi-hued hydrangeas along with many other varieties of shrubs, roses and trees.

Bailey Nurseries is a fifth-generation, family-owned business that has been in operation in the St. Paul area for more than 100 years. They are really excited about the latest addition to the Endless Summer Collection of hydrangeas BloomStruck. It is a hardy performer with eye-catching purple or deep pink blooms and red stems. The company is planning on doing a big consumer campaign for BloomStruck for the 2016 gardening season. If you haven’t seen it yet, it will be on display at Cultivate’15 as well as at the Heritage Museums & Gardens’ Hydrangea Conference in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

I’ve posted some photos from my visit to Bailey Nurseries onthe GPN Facebook page; be sure to check them out.

Got a Minute?

GPN’s sister publication, Lawn & Garden Retailer, is looking for contestants to participate in The Minute to Win It “ Retail Challenge at Cultivate’15.

We are looking for representatives from garden centers to do friendly battle in three different contests to demonstrate their retail and horticultural supremacy. “¯

The contests include the Mini Combo Combat; Be Heave; and the Display Dash. All three games will be an opportunity to show off a little creativity when it comes to creating combos as well as speed and dexterity putting together retail displays.

The Minute to Win It “ Retail Challenge will take place at 2 p.m. on July 12, in the Retail District of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. You can learn more about the Challenge by clicking here.

If you know someone who might like to take part in this competition, please contact Lawn & Garden Retailer’s Managing Editor Abby Kleckler at akleckler@greatamericanpublish.com

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Tim