Well, what can I say? It was a GREAT show. I had hoped to update/ post happenings and news each day while there, but as you can see (now two weeks past post-show), that didn’t happen. But, because I waited, I’ve got some great photos to share! Let’s do a visual re-cap of OFA 2007. Go!

Eberly Public Relations Honored with Garden Writer’s Association Media Award

June 29, 2007 – Atlanta – Eberly Public Relations, a public relations and advertising firm specializing in the home, garden, horticulture, agribusiness and design industries, was awarded a 2007 Silver Award of Achievement by the Garden Writer’s Association (G.W.A.) for the firm’s development of a hardcopy and electronic media kit. The media kit was created for Novalis®, a national grower consortium specializing in breeding, cultivation, and distribution of perennials, trees, shrubs, and annuals under the brand auspices of Plants that Work®.

The G.W.A. Silver Award for “Best Trade Press Kit” will be presented to Don Eberly, president and chief operating officer of Eberly Public Relations, during G.W.A.’s annual awards banquet on Oct. 1, 2007. Eberly Public Relations utilized the media kit as Novalis®’ primary communicative means for interfacing with garden writers, radio program hosts / producers, and other members of the media during the first half of 2007, an effort that has resulted in hundreds of published articles, online plant profiles and radio interviews.

The winning Novalis® Plants that Work® media kit consists of marketing and Associated Press-ready materials collaborated on by both Novalis® and Eberly Public Relations. Contents include various outdoor living, plant trend and garden solution articles that feature Novalis® and its Plants that Work® brand as well as a press release and biographical story on the history and founding of the grower consortium. Plant profile information coupled with high-resolution and captioned photos were also included for all plant programs.

The award was granted to the firm by a panel of G.W.A. judges based upon the accuracy, content, organization, style and originality of the media kit, which was selected from an assemblage of over 250 others.

The G.W.A. media awards are given annually to recognize excellence in gardening-related communications and have been a tradition in the gardening media community for over two decades.

– Sally

Today’s Washington Post features garden editor Adrian Higgins’ column entitled, “Dear Adrian, Where Do I Start When I Know Nothing at All?” In the article, Adrian advises a young WP assistant on the trials of novice landscaping and how to begin her first garden with her husband. Adrian also addresses the changes in today’s trends regarding DIY and DIFM (Do It For Me) gardening by saying, “…younger homeowners have neither the time nor the interest in the types of domestic pursuits enjoyed by earlier generations, gardening among them. It seems that the current mantra is, pay somebody else to do it. But that is expensive, and not nearly as satisfying or enriching. So the conventional wisdom about the demise of gardening may not be so wise.”

As many already know, addressing the future of gardening is a widely discussed industry topic. At Eberly Public Relations, we understand the value of having the latest information on industry trends and changes, and we’re glad to share it with consumers and other industry leaders/ educators.

Today’s Washington Post features garden editor Adrian Higgins’ column entitled, “Dear Adrian, Where Do I Start When I Know Nothing at All?” Don Eberly, president / ceo of Eberly Public Relations, was quoted in the column regarding focus groups conducted by the company which show an increase in the number of younger homeowners who are buying and using plants and other gardening/ home products as part of a lifestyle practice.

In the article, Adrian advises a young WP assistant on the trials of novice landscaping and how to begin her first garden with her husband. Adrian also addresses the changes in today’s trends regarding DIY and DIFM (Do It For Me) gardening by saying, “…younger homeowners have neither the time nor the interest in the types of domestic pursuits enjoyed by earlier generations, gardening among them. It seems that the current mantra is, pay somebody else to do it. But that is expensive, and not nearly as satisfying or enriching. So the conventional wisdom about the demise of gardening may not be so wise.”

Hey Everyone. I wanted to list a few good links, articles, tips, etc. that have caught my eye recently. I hope you enjoy reading them. Leave feedback or recommend any others. Thanks!

Gardening Basics from HGTV
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/pac_ctnt_nobanner
/text/0,,HGTV_10680_21995,FF.html

Interesting article entitled “Website Offers Plan to Plant Trees to Help Reduce Global Warming” http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-25-voa44.cfm

All About Lawns
http://www.allaboutlawns.com/

An Excellent Guide to Latin Pronounciation. Thanks Taunton!
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/spg017.asp

If you’re attending FIB in the flesh, do enjoy yourself. There’s oodles of plant material to take a look at, and I’m told there are friendly faces to answer any questions you may have. Also, if you’re from below the Mason-Dixon you may want to bring a jacket. (Apparently there’s a cold front.) I know two guys who left Atlanta in short-sleeved shirts, but woke up in Jennersville, Pa., needing parkas! Don’t worry you two. I won’t tell anyone you bought jackets at Wal-Mart this morning!

 

You’re welcome, Jeff! How exciting!

Alright! I am officially a blogger! Thanks Sally…. 🙂

https://eberlycollardpr.com/2006/09/806/

Hey Everyone,
When you get the chance, check out our other blog – Mulch Ado About Nothing – at http://mulchadoaboutnothing.blogspot.com/. It’s a blog for those interested in topics like conservation, environmental protection, gardening, the home & garden industry, the horticulture industry, growers, breeders and wholesalers of plants, the news media: consumer and trade – for these industries, and more!

We’d love any feedback on the blog, and any comments you may have on any of the discussed subject matter.

Thanks!

-Eberly PR Team

Time to face the music… there’s a drought people. We need rain, and we need it pretty badly. (Although, not today. It’s raining cats in dogs here in Atlanta.) Earlier this month, the National Drought Mitigation Center compliled a report that states that more than 50 percent of the country is either recovering from drough under a “drought watch” or has been currently ”declared” a drought area by the federal or state government. Thanks to the drought, everyone’s talking water conservation in our city, our state and our country. It comes on the heels of (what I’m calling) the Green Movement. Everyone’s talking CONSERVATION and environmental protection, whether water, land or resources. (Can you say, “oil prices, BP pipeline and the largest oil find in a century off the Gulf”?) And, with the recent death of conservationist Steve Irwin, otherwise known as The Crocodile Hunter, conservation and environmental protection are on the minds of many, nation-wide.

One of the latest trends is in conservation is Xeriscaping. No, it’s not the newest Internet craze. It is, however, the latest trend in landscaping with water conservation and environmental protection in mind. Xeriscape, which derives from the Greek word “Xeros” or “dry,” is pronounced zera-scape, and is often referred to as “green landscaping” and other terms. It was established in 1981 in response to prolong drought in the US. Xeriscaping is an approach to landscaping using appropriate design, soil preparation, moderate irrigation, appropriate plant selection, use of certain mulches, and select methods of maintenance. It’s main focus is to have homeowners use native or well-adapted plants that are more pest-resistant and require less fertilizer and pesticides. It is a smart way to landscape that equates to using less water. In addition, this method of smart landscaping can often include working with a landscape professional to find the right mix of plants and landscape design that together fit environmental conditions and style preferences.

According to The American Gardener (March/April 2005), residents of Albuquerque, NM can currently receive an $800 rebate for xeriscaping their home landscapes, a $25 rebate on their water bill for buying a rain barrel for garden use, and substantial rebates for in-stalling water-saving toilets and washing machines. Because traditional turfgrass lawns are perhaps the biggest landscape water hogs, many cities reward their inhabitants for decreasing turf areas or switching to native alternatives. In Louisville, Colorado, residents receive rebates for installing a buffalo grass lawn. In San Antonio, Texas, where the city requires a minimum of one shade tree per lot, no more than 50 percent of the landscape may be planted in turf—and that portion must be Bermuda, buffalo, or zoysia grass. Since October 1991, when the City of Tempe in Arizona started its rebate program, an estimated1,900,000 square feet of turf have been removed and replaced with drought-tolerant landscaping. In addition to saving water and energy, these programs have fostered a return to native vegetation that is aesthetically pleasing, suited to the region, and supports wildlife.

So, if conserving water, protecting the environment, and cutting down on unnecessary landscaping practices are important to you or your customers, and it probably is, consider xeriscaping.

Check out these other general resources on the drought, conservation and xeriscaping:

http://www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/

http://www.nature.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeriscaping

http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/article/7745

One Atlanta-area Xeriscaping Expert:

www.popslandscaping.com