New England Grows!

Boston, Mass., February 4-6 Leading edge and highly regarded in the industry, New England Grows! provides you and your team with outstanding opportunities to acquire new knowledge, build technical skills, improve productivity and advance the quality of your work. World-class education at a great value—attend as many sessions as you want with full access to ...

Boston, Mass., February 4-6

Leading edge and highly regarded in the industry, New England Grows! provides you and your team with outstanding opportunities to acquire new knowledge, build technical skills, improve productivity and advance the quality of your work.

World-class education at a great value—attend as many sessions as you want with full access to the exposition for one price:
$39 per person by January 15
$55 per person after January 15

New England Grows! takes place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Boston, Mass.

Expo Hours:
Wednesday, February 4: 12 – 5 p.m.
Thursday, February 5: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday, February 6: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

2009 Highlights

• Master Classes
Offered on Wednesday, these cutting-edge sessions provide experienced green industry professionals with a fresh perspective on best practices and emerging trends from inside and outside the green industry.

• Bright Green!
Branch Smith publishing will help showcase innovative ways to move your business from green to greenest. Bright Green ideas for putting organics, eco-friendly equipment, waste reduction alternatives and energy conservation to work for you will be spotlighted, along with profitable ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.

• Great Ideas Pavilion
An interactive opportunity to meet one-on-one with university faculty about the newest and most important research-based information that will impact you and your customers.

• Essentials of Plant ID Challenge
A practical way to learn plant identification, this innovative new learning experience combines classroom instruction with a self-guided, plant ID challenge on the exposition floor, Grand prize drawings daily.

• Speakers Unplugged
Talk to many featured speakers face to face and get answers to your most pressing business questions.

Speakers include:

Ben Falk, Whole Systems Design, Moretown, Vt., an innovator of resilient and regenerative landscape design who is meeting the challenge of the global climate change head on.

John Kinsella, Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie/Ter­rain, Philadelphia, Pa., marketing and management wizard behind Terrain at Skyer’s, the hottest new garden center in the marketplace today.

Lynden B. Miller, Public Garden Design, New York City, N.Y., from the Bronx to Battery Park, this champion of elegant landscapes in tough urban spaces is redefining public horticulture.

Christy Webber, Christy Webber Landscapes, Chicago, Ill., an ingenious landscape design, construction and maintenance entrepreneur who successfully puts the “green” in green industry.

• Jump Start Café
A great way to make new connections and jump-start your day with an informal idea exchange before the conference and exposition begins.

•  Recertification Credit
Many educational sessions are approved for valuable recertification and continuing education credit.

•  Learning Parks
Hands-on, rapid-fire demonstrations and training provided by our expert exhibitors, right on the trade show floor.

• Retailers’ Choice Awards
Retail trend spotters will judge the hottest home and garden lifestyle ideas found at the New England Grows! exposition.

• The Bookstore at New England Grows!
Expand your reference library, take home a conference session recording and be sure to watch for book signings by some of our renowned speakers. Proceeds from the bookstore benefit the New England Grows educational fund.

• Career Center
If you’re hunting for a job or looking for employees, you’ll want to take advantage of the popular career center.

Schedule at a Glance

Wednesday, February 4
7 a.m.

  •  Registration Opens

8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

  • International Society of Aboriculture Certification Exam (advance registration required)
  • Irrigation Association Exams (advanced registration required)

9 – 10 a.m.

  • Profits on the Fringe
  • Air Knife & Air Spade: New Techniques for Soil Modification and Tree Preservation

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

  • Greener Pest Management
  • Tough Urban Plants: Making Magic in Our Cities

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

  • Climate Change and Peak Oil: Post Petroleum Landscape Design
  • Landscape Management: Surefire Ways to Keep it Fresh

12 – 1 p.m.

  • Massachusetts Association of Lawn Care Professionals Association Meeting

12 – 5 p.m.

  •  Exposition Open

1 – 2 p.m.

  • Irrigation Association of New England Smart Business Means Water Sense

2 – 3 p.m.

  • How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World: Solutions from Nature
  • Surfactants: An Integral Piece of the Water Consumption Puzzle

2 – 3: 30 p.m.

  • How to Use Lean Principles to Optimize Your Business Success
  • Sustainable Design Using Grasses, Sedges & Rushes

5 – 7 p.m.

  • New Hampshire Educational & Professional Organizations Reception

Thursday, February 5
7 a.m.

  • Registration Opens

7 – 8:30 a.m.

  •  Jump Start Café

8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

  •  PLANET Certification Exams

8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

  • Certified Snow Professional Exam

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

  • Exposition Open

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

  • Put Beneficial Insects to Work for You
  • Native Intelligence: Using Indigenous Plants in the Desired Landscape

8:30 – 10 a.m.

  • Cutting-Edge Garden Center Trends
  • The Essentials of Woody Plant Identification

10 – 11 a.m.

  • Dig Safe: What You Need to Know
  • Massachusetts Division of Occupational Safety-Safety & Health in the Landscaping Industry
  • NOFA Organic Land Care Program

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

  • Combating Plant Diseases in the Nursery

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

  • Today’s Urban Forest: The Role Arborists Play in Managing Risk

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

  • Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association Annual Meeting (by invitation, advance registration required)

12 – 1 p.m.

  • Association of Professional Landscape Designers Meeting
  • The Underground-Get the latest scoop about the Underground

2 – 3 p.m.

  • The Latest in White Grub Management
  • Breeding New Garden Perennials from Native Plants

2 – 3:30 p.m.

  • Putting the “Green” in Landscape Management
  • Conservation Arboriculture: The Art of Preserving Ancient Times

Friday, February 6
7 a.m.

  •  Registration Opens

7 – 8:30 a.m.

  •  Jump Start Café

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

  •   New England Nursery Association Meeting (by invitation)

8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

  • Exposition Open

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

  • Using Organics Effectively in the Landscape
  • Beyond Branding: Promoting Plants Without Creating Brands

8:30 – 10 a.m.

  •  Sensible vs. Senseless Pricing
  • Adventures in New & Unusual Perennials for the Northeast

9 am. – 12 p.m.

  • Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist Examination (advance registration required)

10 – 10:30 a.m.

  • Massachusetts Certified Landscape Professionals Program: Features & Benefits

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

  •  Understanding Tree Fertilization

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

  •  Green Roof Construction 101

11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

  •   Garden Writers Association (by invitation)

2 – 3 p.m.

  • Asian Long-Horned Beetle: An Invader at the Door
  • Building Better Walls, Walks & Patios

2 – 3:30 p.m.

  • Customers Really Do Know Best
  • Hedging Your Gardens

2009 Educational Conference

Wednesday, February 4
9 – 10 a.m.
Profits on the Fringe
Fred Dabney, owner, Quansett Nurseries, South Dartmouth, Mass., and Matthew Freund, president, CowPots, Colebrook, Conn. 

  • Cultivate new ideas for generating profit and improving productivity
  • Rethink what drives your organizational growth and success
  • Leverage the experience of green industry pioneers

Air Knife & Air Spade: New Techniques for Soil Modification and Tree Preservation
Dave Leonard, president, Dave Leonard Consulting Arborist, Inc., Lexington, Ky.

  • Learn how to identify common tree problems in the urban landscape
  • Understand the role of soil and roots in total tree health
  • Improve efficiencies with new tree root excavation technology CEU: ISA; NOFA

11 a.m. – Noon
Greener Pest Management
Daniel Gilrein, extension entomologist, Cornell University, Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center, Riverhead, N.Y.

  • Review the new and existing management options
  • Examine insect problems where we are still seeking better answers
  • Find the “greener” management solutions your customers are demanding
    CEU: ISA; New England, N.Y., and N.J., pesticide bureaus; NOFA

Tough Urban Plants: Making Magic in our Cities
Lynden B. Miller, principal, Lynden B. Miller Public Garden Design, New York, N.Y.

  • Explore the way plants can soften and civilize city life and change the way people treat one another
  • Discover a palette of tough urban plants ideally suited for mixed borders and year-round beauty
  • Consider creative ways to fund and maintain city parks, open space and seasonal garden displays

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Climate Change & Peak Oil: Post Petroleum Landscape Design
Ben K. Falk, MALD, founder and director, Whole Systems Design, LLC, Moretown, Vt.

  • Explore projects focuses on passive, energy-productive landscape design and microclimate development
  • Examine biodiverse, perennial edible landscape systems and permacultures
  • Understand the role of fertility cycling and ecosystem health in productive, low-input landscapes CEU: New England pesticide bureau; NOFA

Landscape Management: Surefire Ways to Keep it Fresh
Frank Mariani, president, Mariani Landscape, Lakebluff, Ill.

  • Learn how to focus on differentiation to continually evolve your landscape business
  • Energize your team through shared accountability and a financial “open book” policy
  • Examine a similar customer demographic and put the lessons learned to work for you

2 – 3 p.m.
How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World: Solutions from Nature
Paul Stamets, president, Fungi Perfecti, Olympia, Wash.

  • Learn how mushrooms can replace chemical insecticides and breakdown toxic waste
  • Examine myco-remedies for enhancing sustainability
  • Discover how the building of myco-filtration membranes can reduce pollution from nurseries CEU: N.J. pesticide bureau; NOFA

Surfactants: An Integral Piece of the Water Consumption Puzzle
Paul Harder, professor, North Shore Community College, Topsfield, Mass.

  • Evaluate the low-tech role surfactants play in water conservation and improved turf health
  • Learn how surfactants improve the distribution and utilization of soil moisture
  • Understand how to reduce water consumption while maintaining high-quality turf surfaces

2 – 3:30 p.m.
How to Use Lean Principles to Optimize Your Business Success
Roger Fisher, president, R.S. Fisher, Inc., Lean Business Operations, Hudson, Ohio

  • How to constantly drive out waste and reduce cost
  • How leaders work and act differently in a lean operation
  • How to do a lot more with a lot less

Sustainable Design Using Grasses, Sedges and Rushes
Rick Darke, president, Rick Darke LLC, Landenberg, Pa.

  • Learn about proven performers suited for urban and ex-urban conditions
  • Find inspiration for New England landscapes in a variety of relevant projects from around the world
  • Explore how grasses, sedges and rushes can contribute to sustainable design and enhanced oversight

Thursday, February 5
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Put Beneficial Insects to Work for You
Tim Abbey, commercial horticulture educator, Penn State Cooperative Extension, York, Pa.

  • Learn how to identify common beneficial insects and mites
  • Evaluate insecticides that have the least impact on beneficials
  • Explore design techniques for maintaining beneficials CEU:ISA; New England, N.J., and N.Y., pesticide bureaus; NOFA

Native Intelligence: Using Indigenous Plants in the Designed Landscape
Patrick Chassé, ASLA, owner/principal, Patrick Chassé ASLA, Mt. Desert Island, Maine, and Somerville, Mass.

  • See native plants effectively used in designed and natural landscapes
  • Discover tough, problem-resistant plants for lower-maintenance landscapes
  • Explore the potential of little-known native plants for challenging sites

8:30 – 10 a.m.
Cutting-Edge Garden Center Trends
John Kinsella, managing director, terrain at Styer’s, Glen Mills, Pa.

  • Learn how to translate the latest consumer research and gardening trends
  • Maximize results using contemporary marketing strategies
  • Consider innovative merchandising to meet changing customer demand

The Essentials of Woody Plant Identification
Jack Ahern, Ph.D., FASLA, professor of landscape architecture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.

  • Sharpen your skills and take away tips for successful New England plant ID
  • Review leaf arrangement and shape, bud types, twig features, flower and fruit types
  • Expand your plant ID knowledge and use it to help prepare for green industry certification exams CEU: ISA

11 a.m. – Noon
Combating Plant Diseases in the Nursery
Sharon M. Douglas, Ph.D., plant pathologist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Conn.

  • Learn how to recognize specific plant disease by their symptoms and signs
  • Understand how pathogens overwinter and diseases spread
  • See how to incorporate environmentally responsible methods into disease management programs CEU: New England, N.J., and N.Y., pesticide bureaus

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Today’s Urban Forest: The Role Arborists Play in Managing Risk
Nelda Matheny, president, consulting arborist, HortScience, Pleasanton, Calif.

  • Identify the essential components of a strong tree risk management policy
  • Understand how perception of risk affects decision-making and judgment
  • Explore what we do, and don’t, know about accurately assessing tree structural stability CEU: ISA; NOFA

2 – 3 p.m.
The Latest in White Grub Management
Albrecht Koppenhöfer, Ph.D., extension specialist, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.

  • Learn the roles that biology, ecology, identification and diagnosis of white grubs play in successful pest management
  • Consider integrated pest management as a means of white grub control
  • Uncover the latest in cultural, biological and chemical control options
    CEU: New England, N.J., and N.Y., pesticide bureaus; NOFA

Breeding New Garden Perennials from Native Plants
Jim Ault, Ph.D., director of environmental horticulture, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Ill.

  • Learn some basic tricks of ornamental plant breeding and selection
  • Explore the development of several native genera from “wildlings” to garden adapted selections
  • Discover how you can develop your own new hybrid plants

2 – 3:30 p.m.
Putting the “Green” in Landscape Management
Christy Webber, owner, Christy Webber Landscapes, Chicago, Ill.

  • Share sustainable options and urban strategies that could impact your bottom line
  • Learn why she became “green” to make $green$
  • Take a behind-the-scenes look at Christy’s award-winning headquarters, where eco-friendly is also profitable

Conservation Arboriculture: The Art of Preserving Ancient Trees
Philip van Wassenaer, urban forestry consultant, Urban Forest Innovations, Mississauga, Ont., Canada

  • Explore aspects of tree morphology, the aging process, survival strategies, co-evolution and veteran tree management techniques
  • Learn innovative risk assessment techniques and how they can be applied to the management of aging trees
  • Consider the hazard-habitat relationship to inform decision-making CEU: ISA; NOFA

Friday, February 6
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Using Organics Effectively in the Landscape
Brad Roeller, manager of grounds, display gardens & visitation, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, N.Y.

  • Learn the many classes of organically-based control products and how to use them effectively
  • Examine the organic products available today and discover what’s on the horizon
  • Draw conclusions from comparative evaluations and gain ideas on how to incorporate organics into your best management practices
    CEU: ISA; New England, N.J., and N.Y., pesticide bureaus; NOFA

Beyond Branding: Promoting Plants Without Creating Brands
Sue T. Watkins, perennial buyer & consultant, Tallahassee Nurseries, Tallahassee, Fla.

  • Discover low-cost and easy ways to keep your nursery on your customer’s radar screen
  • Shift customer focus and sell attractively priced, overlooked plant performers
  • Realize that your bottom line need not depend on branding

8:30 – 10 a.m.
Sensible vs. Senseless Pruning
Erik Draper, assistant professor, Ohio State University, Burton, Ohio

  • Understand what controls a plant’s growth and how it dictates what and where to prune
  • Discover simple principles to help with those tough “make or break” pruning decisions
  • Learn how to avoid committing the most common senseless pruning offenses CEU: ISA; NOFA

Adventures in New & Unusual Perennials for the Northeast
Allan M. Armitage, Ph.D., professor of horticulture, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.

  • Brush up on bread and butter plant selections for the Northeast
  • Learn about new cultivars of well-known plants
  • Explore the latest production and landscape information

11 a.m. – Noon
Understanding Urban Tree Fertilization
Paul McDonough, product sales and marketing manager, The Davey Institute, The Davey Tree Expert Co., Kent, Ohio

  • Revisit the essential elements of tree growth and development
  • Examine the pros and cons of natural and synthetic fertilizer options
  • Gain the knowledge necessary to make informed fertilizer choices CEU: ISA; NOFA

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Green Roof Construction 101
Ed Snodgrass, president, Emory Knoll Farms, Inc., Street, Md.

  • Explore what drives the green roof market in the U.S.
  • Examine the latest green roof design options
  • Understand the best plants to use and which buildings make good candidates for green roofs

2 – 3 p.m.
Asian Long-Horned Beetle: An Invader at the Door
Robert Childs, extension entomologist, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.

  • Get the latest information on eradication efforts, containment measures and management possibilities
  • Learn about the potential impact on North America’s forested areas
  • Explore the impact on green industry businesses, neighborhoods, the forest and municipal budgets CEU: ISA; New England, N.J., and N.Y., pesticide bureaus

Building Better Walls, Walks & Patios
Roger Cook, MCA, MCLP, owner, K & R Landscape Co., Burlington, Mass.; landscape contractor, “This Old House” and “Ask This Old House”

  • Gain practical advice to help you master the art of building walls, walks and patios
  • Take away proven techniques for working with stone
  • Add new types of stone and installation tips to your construction arsenal

2 – 3:30 p.m.
Customers Really Do Know Best!
Robert Hendrickson, managing director, The Garden Center Group, Ellicott City, Md.

  • Learn why customers really do know best when it comes to gardening and garden centers
  • Discover why most marketing efforts never seem to reach their intended goals
  • Uncover the reasons why (nice) garden centers are more important to people than ever before

Hedging Your Gardens
Gary Koller, president, Koller & Associates, West Roxbury, Mass.

  • Be inspired by the creative use of hedging plants used for drama and contrast
  • Enjoy designs that focus on pattern, flow, texture, height and width to achieve imaginative results
  • Discover unusual hedges with the loose style of grasses and perennial hedges with crisp edges

Recertification Credit

Earn continuing education credits that will keep you competitive and advance your career. Select conference sessions are approved for recertification by all six New England states, New Jersey and New York, as well as by the International Society of Arboriculture, the Northeast Organic Farming Association, members of the New England Nursery and Landscape Council (CNLA, MeLNA, MLP, MNLA, NHLA, RINLA and VNLA), the Massachusetts Certified Arborist (MCA) program, Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals (MALP) program and many of our network members.

  • You will need to provide your license/certification number at time of registration.
  • Recertification credit will be tracked electronically. Your New England Grows! badge will be scanned when you enter a session that is approved for credit. Please plan to arrive before the session starts to ensure that your badge is scanned.
  • Having your badge scanned is your primary proof of attendance. The electronic data will be sent to the appropriate organization or bureau. Paper proof-of-attendance is still required by some pesticide bureaus and will be available outside the meeting room when the session ends.
  • Seating in session rooms is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wednesday, February 4
9 – 10 a.m. Air Knife & Air Spade: New Techniques for Soil Modification and Tree Preservation
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Greener Pest Management
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Climate Change and Peak Oil: Post Petroleum Landscape
Design
2 – 3 p.m. How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World: Solutions from Nature

Thursday, February 5
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Put Beneficial Insects to Work for You
8:30 – 10 a.m. The Essentials of Woody Plant Identification
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Combating Plant Diseases in the Nursery
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Today’s Urban Forest: The Role Arborists Play in Managing Risks
2 – 3 p.m. The Latest in White Grub Management
2 – 3:30 p.m. Conservation Arboriculture: The Art of Preserving Ancient Trees

Friday, February 6
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Using Organics Effectively in the Landscape
8:30 – 10 a.m. Sensible vs. Senseless Pruning
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Understanding Urban Tree Fertilization
2 – 3 p.m. Asian Long-Horned Beetle: An Invader at the Door

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