Greenscape Gardens Green Blog

The following is an e-mail article from "Green Talks & Green Profit Magazine". I thought that our loyal Greenscape Gardens Blog readers would enjoy this recent article.

Last time, I asked you about what you're doing at retail garden centers in regards to sustainability. Here's a response from Greenscape Gardens ' Jennifer Schamber, who won Green Profit's 2007 Young Retailer Award.
Here's a couple of our educational programs for this year regarding sustainability...
One program for this spring is called "Be A Greenscaper!" We will focus on Water Conservation and the seminar will include how to water, when to water, and how to collect/manage water. The customers will get a chance to see several examples of rain barrels, and hopefully find one that will work for them. They will also be introduced to rain gardening and what native plants can be used in moist areas. The second part of this program will be about gardening for wildlife with a focus on butterflies. We'll demonstrate how even customers with small patios or decks can provide host plants and nectar sources for butterflies (with container gardening).
Another program is on native plants. We're seeing a much greater interest in the topic and expect to draw a good group for this event. Our native area is painted all purple to match the logo of our state's "GrowNative!" program—so the seminar will take place in that area and our local natives expert will highlight her top picks. I haven't picked a title for this seminar but it may be something like "Bring Out Our Natural Beauty" or something like that.
A program later in the year will be on healing gardens ... this could mean a lot of different things to many people. Some may connect with the idea of how gardens can help in the healing process of cancer patients, or others may consider a healing garden as a way to help restore our environment. In all, I think healing gardens should be an essential element to hospitals and assisted-living facilities.
I think all of these programs tie to a central idea that we need to put the focus back on the basics of good living; we need to get that connection to nature back before we lose it entirely. Lucky for us, it can all begin in the garden center!
Go Green,
Jennifer Schamber

P.S. The first part of the article was presented this past weekend. June Hutson from Missouri Botantical Gardens gave a great educational session concerning "water conservation". Mary Ann Fink followed with a fine talk about gardening with Natives. Both subjects were well received and the group was ready for the spring gardening season.