BALTIMORE, Md. -- The Nursery Management staff attended MANTS last week in Baltimore, Md. With nearly 1,000 exhibitors and more than 10,000 attendees from 44 states and nine countries, MANTS is one of the biggest horticultural trade shows.
The mood was optimistic on the final day as exhibitors packed up their booths. Everywhere you looked throughout the week, deals were being struck, orders were being topped off, and friends and business partners were shaking hands. The consensus opinion on the show floor was that the industry is in for another strong year, continuing the progress made in 2015.
We met new friends and reconnected with old friends, and saw plenty of new and exciting products and ideas. Did you miss any of our MANTS coverage last week? Catch up here, on our multimedia page.
Here are some of the highlights:
Chef, author, and Footprints Plants spokesman Jonathan Bardzik was cooking all week at the Overdevest Nurseries booth. We interviewed him about the edibles line. Watch his trade show floor cooking demonstration here. And if that mint-infused hot chocolate looked good, check out more recipes from the Footprints line here.
We also spoke with Ed Overdevest about the collaboration of five growers that aims to provide consumers with a trust mark for future plant introductions. This was designed as a way to improve the process of sifting through the plethora of new introductions by awarding a "seal of approval" to plants that have passed a certification program. Learn about the process here.
A new company named Sporticulture was generating plenty of buzz on the show floor, due to the massive potential of its product: official NFL-licensed and college football pots, tags and merchandise. Click here to watch our interview with Cort Smith to find out how he plans to use this license to appeal to a new market.
NM contributor Brie Arthur spoke with Hoffman Nursery about how growers can get involved in the green infrastructure movement. Watch the video here.
We also spoke with Steve Black of Maryland's Raemelton Farm about the journey and process he used to grow the country's first USDA Certified Organic ornamental and shade trees. Watch the video here.
Van Belle Nursery launched RocketLiners at MANTS. The nursery changed the configuration of its traditional 4-inch liner in a way that has improved draining and increased root mass. We spoke with Diego Martinez and Curtis Friesen about the methodology and the results.
We spoke with plant breeder Chris Hansen about Chick Charms, a new line of hens & chicks designed to appeal to kids and people who have never bought a plant. Learn more about this "gateway plant" here.
Pinelands Nursery drew customers into its booth with informative posters designed to help landscapers with tricky environmental restoration or mitigation projects. Fran Chismar explained more here.
We interviewed GWA president Kirk Brown about the association's rebranding from simply garden "writers" to encompass all forms of communication. Learn more here.
Pleasant View Gardens is targeting Millennials with its new Savor line of edibles and fragrants. More than 150 varieties are available at garden centers in 2016. Watch the video to learn more.
We also spoke with Andy Seckinger of OHP about Fulcrum, an insect growth regulator that can be mixed with dormant oil for solid scale control.
Keep your calendar free for next year's MANTS, which will take place Jan. 11-13, 2017.