July 25, 2007

By Lauren Chambliss

The 175 people who attended Cornell's Floriculture Field Day July 24 were welcomed at Schurman Hall at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine by New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker, who opened the day's activities at the popular annual showcase for the state's greenhouse industry, which generates some $200 million annually.

Representatives from regional commercial greenhouses, landscape designers, state agricultural officials, Cornell staff members and do-it-yourself homeowners interested in annuals, perennials and the latest management techniques for pests and diseases learned about new plants available to the trade, heard from younger greenhouse operators and viewed the 42 entrees in the fifth annual Kathy Pufahl Memorial Container Design Competition, among other events. Mischler's Florist, TechniGrowers and Zema Nursery won top prizes in the professional growers' design competition.

Looking to the future, the field day included an educational panel that featured 20-year-olds interested in growing and retailing for the next generation. The panel discussed how the younger generation's buying and selling trends differ from that of older generations, who currently dominate the business. The afterno"on's events, held at Cornell's Bluegrass Lane Research Facility, included walking tours of nearly 1,000 kinds of annuals and perennials.

Bill Miller, professor of horticulture, said the turnout was the highest yet. He credited the attendance record in part on strong interest by commercial growers, large and small, who had a generally positive spring selling season this year. Spring weekends were blessed with good weather, which in turn encourages homeowners to visit garden centers, he said.

New York's greenhouse industry is the fifth largest in the nation.

Lauren Chambliss is a communications specialist with the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station in Ithaca.

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Floriculture Field Day