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A tree with a peel

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Despite some pest issues, birch trees provide a distinctive, well-loved look Sales of popular birch trees in Oregon plummeted in the early 2000s when the bronze birch borer made its way across the country and began attacking susceptible plants up and down the Willamette Valley. The voracious insect had been plaguing states in the Midwest […]

Two stand out at New Varieties Showcase

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Sensational® Lavender (Lavandula intermedia ‘Tesseract’ PP31786, left) and Kimono™ Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Hokomareki’ USPPAF, right) stood out among the 74 selections presented in the New Varieties Showcase at the 2021 Farwest Show. Sensational Lavender, discovered by Lloyd Traven and Richard Grazzini and introduced by Peace Tree Farms based in Kintnersville, Pennsylvania, was selected by the […]

The approachable container

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Helping consumers break the rules of design, for fun and profit Traditionally, annuals fill the shelves of garden centers come Mother’s Day. The beautiful pieces wait for customers to pile them into carts, move through the check-out line and carry them home to fill containers and hanging baskets. But the popularity of pots stuffed with […]

COVID-19 lessons from plant societies

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In this unprecedented period of a COVID-19 pandemic, several forest fires with lingering air pollution, and a very dry summer that has stressed all our plants, garden centers have also had to make many adjustments to retain their current customer base. On top of that, they also need to attract new customers. Some garden centers […]

People’s Choice Award winners announced for the 2020 Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase

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Three plants and four runners-up were chosen as People’s Choice Award winners this year for the 2020 New Varieties Showcase, presented by the Oregon Association of Nurseries and the Farwest Show, and sponsored by Hip Labels. This year’s Farwest Show did not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting closure of host […]

Augmented reality app allows New Varieties Showcase voting

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Augmented reality is the next best thing to being there — at least where the hottest new plant introductions are concerned. Nursery professionals can view, and vote on, 2020 Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase selections using the new HipEngager™ augmented reality feature from showcase sponsor Hip Labels. They simply scan any plant photo from the […]

Farwest Show launches virtual contest to crown 2020 New Varieties Showcase winners

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There is no Farwest Show this year in Portland due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore, no opportunity to see the hottest new plants in person. But there is still a New Varieties Showcase — it’s just being held online and in the pages of Digger magazine. Like past editions, the 2020 New Varieties Showcase, sponsored by Hip […]

White and woody

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This palette of white-blooming trees and shrubs provides strong design options White blooming plants can provide balance in the garden or landscape, and landscape designers’ plans. “I do find clients who have an approach of a modern or more formalistic garden, that tend to go for white [blooming plants],” said Roxy Olsson, a landscape designer […]

Plants for a better planet

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Great Plant Picks program highlights selections that perform consistently in the Pacific Northwest Over the last several years, many areas around the country have experienced prolonged droughts, excessively hot temperatures, and a noticeable decline in the population of pollinators. No one can deny that planting to increase insect diversity and lower water use is a […]