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Thank You GCA
Sponsors!
* Herman Engelsmann Greenhouses
* Disney "Epcot International Flower and Garden
Festival"
* Fafard
* Home & Garden Showplace
* IGC Show
* Imperial Nurseries
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Experience the Sparkle!
GCA's Holiday Tour Set to Shine November 14 - 17, 2010
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Tangletown!!
Love it!!!!
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Americana chickens at Lowes Creek Tree Farm.
Feet color = egg color!
For complete article click here.
To
register for Holiday Tour click here.
To
see complete brochure click here.
To
see all the pre-tour pictures click here.
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 Garden Centers of America® Named United
States Representative for International Garden Center Association
The International Garden Center Association (IGCA) and
Garden Centers of America® (GCA) are pleased to announce GCA will be
the United States representative to the IGCA. The IGCA is an
association made up of over fifteen different countries to provide a
forum for the mutual exchange of information and benefit of similar minded
independent garden retailers on a world-wide basis. Members of
the IGCA network with other National Garden Center Associations to
exchange best practices, ideas, methods and experiences.
Previously the United States had been represented by the American
Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA).
David Williams, President of Garden Centers of America® said, "Our
organization is very pleased to be the U.S. representative to IGCA. We
look forward to offering our members the opportunity to learn and benefit
from this international educational relationship." Williams
said a key interest of the GCA Board in accepting the U.S.
representation was to encourage more U.S. participation in the Annual
Congress and the exchanging of best practices from around the world
with our GCA retailers.
For complete article, please click here.
To read the
September edition of the IGCA newsletter, please click here.
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 New Benefit for Members: AHS and GCA
Forge National Partnership to Encourage Gardening
As part of the new partnership between the American
Horticultural Society (AHS) and Garden Centers of America®, GCA members
have a new benefit that is available to members only. Beginning
immediately, twenty articles from AHS are available for duplication and
reproduction for use in both stores and newsletters (electronic and
printed) for informational and consumer education. This benefit is
available on the GCA website and is password protected. If you need
your password or more information, please contact Melissa Boyd at mboyd@asginfo.net.
American Horticultural Society and the Garden Centers of
America® have established a multifaceted partnership that will enable
the two non-profit groups to share resources and better serve American
gardeners.
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 IGC Chicagoland
Garden Center Tour a Huge Success
The IGC Chicagoland Tour, held August 16, 2010 in Chicago,
Illinois, was a stunning sucess! The tour, a special event at
the 2010 Independent Garden Center Show, was conducted by Garden
Centers of America and The Garden Centers Group. The event provided 440
attendees (eight busloads!) with a mixture of onsite merchandising and
display tours at some of the area's great independent garden centers.
In addition to the 45-minute educational stops to the retail garden
centers, this tour also included an in-depth lab at Tom's Farm Market
& Greenhouses in Huntley, Illinois.
The first stop on the agenda was Pasquesi's Home and
Gardens in Barrington, Illinois. Although it is the smaller of the two
Pasquesi sites, the Barrington location is the flagship store and one
of the premier garden centers in the area. Noted for their excellent
merchandising, which includes everything from the Farm Fresh produce
stand to home décor, this smaller footprint is an eye and crowd pleaser
as evidence by the numerous customers throughout the store! Pasquesi's
features everything from pets to dishes to lifestyle goods and interior
plants. This excellent location focused on merchandising, product
ideas, plant material as well as interesting new ideas on with color
selections and product lines. There is always a good idea to
be found at Pasquesi's Homes and Gardens.
For complete article, please click here.
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 Deadline Extended Until October 31 to
Help Trees for Troops
The deadline has been extended to help Trees for Troops by
voting in the PepsiRefresh campaign. Pepsi is giving away $1.3 million
monthly to non-profits seeking votes for their projects, and Trees for
Troops is competing for a $250,000 grant. The grants go to the
organizations that get the most votes. If Trees for
Troops "wins the vote," they could touch the lives of an
additional 5,000 military families with a real Christmas tree this
season. Last year alone, they delivered 16,000+ fresh trees to 50 bases
across the U.S. As our members, you already know about Trees for Troops
and what a powerful way this is to remember military families,
especially those who have a loved one deployed.
Let's help them bring Christmas trees to more families by
casting a vote. Just click on this link: http://www.refresheverything.com/treesfortroops
Simply register
with your name, email, birthday and password. This will allow you to
quickly login to vote.
You can also vote
from your mobile phone. Text* 102662 to Pepsi (73774).
*standard
text message rates apply
Take a look at Lilly's Story to
see what the gift of a Christmas tree meant to her family.
Thanks very
much, family, for supporting our troops with your vote!!
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 Your Attitude is Showing!
By Kathryn Dager, Profitivity,
Inc.
The holidays are approaching and now is the perfect time
to create a place where customers can relax and enjoy exploring in an
inviting, upbeat atmosphere. Since every visit is an important
one for your loyal customers. This is NOT a time to get
comfortable and go on "autopilot." It is the time to get
focused on creating an energized, fun, entertaining experience so your
customers will come back and participate in ALL of your holiday
activities - from your Pumpkin Patch, to Thanksgiving cornucopias to
your fabulous holiday wreaths! Displays can set the stage,
however the most important and powerful aspects of your team's job is
your attitudes.
You choose your attitude every day. A positive
attitude stands out as a bright spot of energy, enthusiasm and caring
for our customers and teammates. Our customers expect us to
provide updated information, positive attitudes and great
hospitality. One negative attitude is enough to make customers
leave quickly without making a purchase. Negativity (swamping) is
not acceptable to our customers or to our teammates.
For complete article, please click here.
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Welcome New Members
Orchard Nursery and Florist
Lafayette,
California
Plants are the passion at Orchard Nursery & Florist in
Lafayette, CA. Established in 1946, customers can find the newest
cultivars alongside old favorite standbys.They offer rare, unusual, and
collectible plants from around the world. The constantly changing
inventory of plants come from the finest growers in California, Oregon,
and Washington. In 1977 a Gift Shop was opened and it has
become a source for exceptional giftware and home accessories. In
1949 the Nursery presented its first Christmas show. Over the
years they have become well known throughout the state
for their extensive inventory and extravagant displays of holiday
merchandise.
Blueview
Nurseries
Norton, MA
www.blueviewnurseries.com
Customers
choose Blueview Nurseries because of exceptional plant quality, a
friendly, knowledgeable staff, and the largest selection of plant
material in all of
eastern MA. They have several thousand trees, shrubs and perennials
available in the nursery at any given time, from late March through
late November. They
are constantly replenishing. Whether you are a seasoned
gardener or a total novice, they have the plants and knowledgeable
staff to
help you be successful in all your planting endeavors. For those that
are not inclined to "do it yourself," there is a design/build
area with the staff to do it for you.
Reynolds Garden
Shop
Manahawkin, NJ
www.reynoldsgardenshop.com
Reynolds Garden
Center is a full-service, retail garden center in Manahawkin,
NJ, offering gardening products for all four seasons. Reynolds
Garden Shop features thousands of products nestled throughout several
quaint and restored buildings within the garden complex. New
products arrive daily in celebration of all four seasons. Browse the
selections of: specialty plants, topiary, art and garden statuary,
garden furniture, pottery, lamps, and pictures. Also enjoy shelves,
mosaic, cabinets, indoor accent tables, jewelry, candles, soaps, accent
pillows, and lighting fixtures. Items rounding out the selection
include potpourri, bird houses, bird baths, kitchen and dining linens,
cookbooks, dishes, flowering baskets, gift baskets, bird lover's
baskets and so much more!
Sun
Gro Horticulture
Bellevue, WA
www.sungro.com
The leader in
sustainable peat resources, Sun Gro is North America's largest producer
of horticultural-grade peat and the largest distributor of peat moss
and peat and bark-based growing mixes. Additionally, they are the
leader in ensuring the sustainability of this important
resource. Sun Gro endorses the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss
Association's definition of sustainable peatland management as the "balanced
stewardship of the environmental, social and economic values of
Canada's renewable peatland resource." Not only do they make
harvesting wisely a priority, they are also actively involved in
the restoration of peat bogs once the harvest is complete. Sun Gro
supports the research being conducted at Laval University which has
helped them restore their bogs so that they continue to grow
and produce new peat.
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