Sponsors of the 9th Annual Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium

SPONSORS SUPPORTING 2012 GREAT GARDENS AND LANDSCAPING SYMPOSIUM

It is hard to believe that the ninth annual symposium is quickly approaching.  None of these symposiums would be possible without the generous support of our sponsors.  NONE.  Please join me in thanking and supporting our sponsors buy taking advantage of their superior products and services.

American Horticultural Society  The American Horticultural Society is one of the oldest national gardening organizations in the country. Since 1922, they have provided America’s gardeners with the highest quality gardening and horticultural education possible. AHS provides gardening education for all levels of skill, sources of information on any garden subject imaginable, a community of gardeners eager to share their experiences, introductions to great gardens around the world, great gardening events and activities, and much more. Their magazine, The American Gardener, is one of the best I’ve ever read.  It features in-depth articles on plants, design, and garden personalities, written by expert horticulturists, professional growers, and Master Gardeners.  The magazine is complimentary with annual membership of only $35.  To learn how to become a member and take advantage of all they have to offer, visit their web site at http://www.ahs.org/.  

Equinox Valley Nursery  Route 7A, Manchester, VT. (802) 362-2610. This family owned and operated nursery features 17 greenhouses, extensive tree and shrub selections, an outstanding dwarf conifer collection, 1,000 perennial varieties, the most unusual annuals, tropical conservatory, unique gardener’s gift shoppe, display gardens, and exceptional landscaping services. This outstanding nursery has been featured in Yankee, Vermont. Life, The New Yorker, Vermont & Stratton magazines and Across the Fence educational TV. http://www.equinoxvalleynursery.com/  

The Espoma Company  The Espoma Company has been the pioneer in natural gardening solutions. From their leading organic plant foods, Plant-Tone and Holly-Tone, to their Earth-Tone series, to their new Espoma Organic Potting and Garden Mixes, they provide the most extensive selection of natural organic products that work in harmony with nature to grow beautiful lawns & gardens, preserve natural resources, and make a safer world for future generations. Perennially Yours has long used Espoma products with outstanding results. And this thriving 82-year old company, dedicated to organic practices, walks the talk in more ways than just products.  They are in the midst of installing nearly 43,000 square feet of solar panels in their warehouse rooftops. The system will produce enough electricity to power over sixty homes for a full year and will save more than 1.4 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The solar panels will provide clean, renewable energy for Espoma’s entire plant and office facilities.  Bravo!  To learn more about this noteworthy company and their exceptional products, visit http://www.espoma.com/.   

Gardener’s Supply Company  This organically-minded company is based in Burlington, Vermont. They offer a huge assortment of products at great prices for the garden ranging from organic fertilizers, tools, pest control, sheds, pots, plants and much more! You can purchase products through their mail order division or at their store in Burlington. In addition to offering superior products, Gardener’s Supply Company is passionate about improving the environment and community. Each year they donate 8% of their profits back to the community and national non-profit organizations that are working on gardening, sustainable agriculture, environmental and hunger-related causes. http://www.gardeners.com/

Horticulture magazine   Horticulture has been in continuous publication for 107 years—inspiring gardeners just like you to grow their best gardens. Every gorgeous issue is packed with ideas, inspiration, techniques, design tips and much more. You’ll get behind-the-scenes looks at private gardens around the country, design tips from outstanding public gardens, up-to-date information about plant selections, and you’ll meet gardeners who are passionate about growing. Their web site, http://www.hortmag.com/, is equally impressive with weekly gardening tips, the GardenersHub smart shopping store, regional gardening news and much more.  I had the honor of presenting many of Horticulture’s online webinars in 2010 and 2011.  I hope to have a similar pleasure in 2012! 

Liquid Fence  Liquid Fence is an amazing company that manufactures outstanding products for keeping your perennials, shrubs, evergreens and edibles protected from munching critters. Their products are eco-friendly and can also be used on fruit and vegetables. Deer, rabbits, moles, dogs, cats, snakes, and others will be turned aside by Liquid Fences targeted products. Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent, the #1 best selling product in its category, is the environmentally safe and biodegradable solution to all your deer and rabbit problems. Best of all, this easy-to-use, long lasting spray is family and pet friendly so you can use it worry-free. One of their new products getting lots of praise is Liquid Net® for Pets, The Ultimate Pet Insect Repellent. This all natural custom solution of botanical oils is extremely effective and safe for dogs and cats. Their exclusive formula actually out-performed common DEET repellents in independent lab testing. And Liquid Fence is so confident about all their products, they  back them up with a written 100% money-back guarantee. For more about their products and gardening tips, visit their info-packed web site and be sure to sign up for the helpful e-newsletter while you’re there. http://www.liquidfence.com/  

Mantis   I love gardening tools that make less work for me plus save time in the process.  Many of you are familiar with the company, Mantis.  Their trademark line, ‘We Make Gardening Easier’ is spot on.  Mantis is famous for being the makers of one of the world’s favorite small tillers but they also offer highly efficient two-bin compost tumblers, hedge trimmers, garden carts, log splitters and more.  But of all these superior items, tillers are what they’re most known for.  Now they’ve added a new tiller line: Mantis Deluxe Tillers. These newly designed machines are available in 2-cycle and 4-cycle models and feature, ergonomically designed comfort grips that are gentle on your hands.  Adjustable handles can be easily changed to the height that allows you to operate the tiller in the position most comfortable for you.  All Mantis tillers are backed by a 1-year money-back guarantee, a 5-year warranty, and a lifetime warranty against tine breakage.  To learn more, visit http://mantis.com/.  

Neptune’s Harvest  Neptune’s Harvest is a division of Ocean Crest Seafoods Inc., a premier wholesale fish and seafood company. Prior to starting Neptune’s Harvest, 70% of the fish (inedible parts) was brought out on fishing boats and dumped back to the sea. Ocean Crest Seafoods and Neptune’s Harvest, in conjunction with the state of Massachusetts and local universities, developed a process that changed an environmental hazard into an environmental benefit, the result being Neptune’s Harvest liquid fish fertilizer. Unlike a fish emulsion, their fertilizers are produced using a unique cold process “without cooking out all the good stuff”.  I regularly use their Fish Fertilizer 2-4-1 (university studies have shown it outperforms 20-20-20 chemical fertilizers) and Fish/Seaweed Fertilizer 2-3-1.  In addition to being great plant boosters, they’re also excellent deer repellents!  Neptune’s Harvest produces many other fertilizers and products including seaweed, crab shells, kelp meal and insect repellants.  To learn more about this outstanding company, visit http://www.neptunesharvest.com/.   

Proven Winners  Proven Winners is the leading brand of high quality flowering plants in North America, sold under the Proven Winners name. The goals of Proven Winners are to introduce the best, most unique, high performing plants, to produce them under the highest quality standards, and to market the plants innovatively. Proven Winners plants are unsurpassed in terms of flowering, growth habit, disease resistance, and garden performance. I have the unique opportunity to trial many of their soon-to-be-released annuals.  I feel like a kid at Christmas opening the sample package when it arrives each spring!  Bottom line…their name says it all!  Check out their informative web site for more details. http://www.provenwinners.com/  

SafeLawns.org.  This mission-driven organization, founded in 2006 by my good friend and organic lawn care specialist, Paul Tukey, is all about educating society about the benefits of environmentally responsible lawn care and gardening, and effect a quantum change in consumer and industry behavior.  The organization is funded by private and corporate memberships and donations, foundation grants, and from Paul’s honoraria for public speaking, educational seminars and consulting.  Some of SafeLawns accomplishments include a four-acre organic makeover on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the production of more than 20 award-winning How-to-Videos on organic lawn care, and the production of a full-length feature documentary about the origin of the anti-lawn pesticide movement, titled A Chemical Reaction.  This award winning film will be shown at the 9th Annual Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium.  Check out the film’s trailer at http://www.safelawns.org/chemical-reaction .  But be forewarned…you will never again think about chemical lawn care the same way.

SmileMonstercom  SMILE – IT IS GOOD FOR YOU! And my little friend, the SmileMonster is just adorable.  One visit to SmileMonster.com and you are already feeling good. In addition to great photos, stories and ever-changing humor features on the Smile Zone page, you will also find information about upcoming events, fun-raisers, good news stories, and more. Plus they have pages dedicated to men, women, kids and seniors. As their Garden Guru, I post my gardening newsletters on their site each month. SmileMonster.com is an incredible resource for great products and services and it is FUN! Click on the site now and start chuckling – or better yet – have a great big belly laugh! http://www.smilemonster.com/